Page 12 of Jasper (Guardians of the North #5)

JASPER

The taste of Vanessa’s pussy lingers on my tongue, long after I dropped her off at her hotel room.

Fuck, how I’ve missed pleasuring her. How I’ve missed her .

Had it not been for the work emergency—legit because Erin was in tears when Vanessa slipped into her hotel room—I’d have insisted she stay with me tonight.

I head instead to the festival grounds to see if Mom and Annie need help with the food truck.

“Nice timing,” Annie says, the sarcastic edge to her voice letting me know that I missed the rush.

“I can help clean up,” I offer.

“Get your butt in here,” Mom insists, shoving a rag at my chest.

“Where’s your girlfriend?” Annie asks, looking out the open doorway, as though searching for her in the dying crowd.

“She’s not my girlfriend,” I admit. Not yet .

“Why not?” Mom asks as she washes out a large metal soup cauldron.

Last night, when I brought Vanessa to the food truck to try the famous family clam chowder, Mom had instantly fallen in love with her.

Understandable. It was easy to do. I allowed my family to believe she was my girlfriend then without correcting them because it seemed to trip Vanessa up, which only made her more fucking adorable.

And maybe I was being a bit selfish.

I wanted to see her reaction. I needed to know if it was something she thought about. She never once told Mom or Annie they were mistaken about the two of us.

That had to mean something, right?

“She’s the admiral’s daughter,” I say.

“So?” Mom asks, not understanding.

“He doesn’t want to get court marshaled,” Annie says, reaching for the broom.

“They can do that?” Mom asks.

I shrug. “I wouldn’t put it past him.”

“But you’re his favorite,” Mom points out. “Don’t you think he’d want you to marry his daughter?”

“Whoa, we went from girlfriend to wife real fast there,” Annie says, shoving me out of the way so she can sweep the floor where I stand.

“Vanessa’s life is in Houston,” I say, continuing to wipe down the stainless steel countertop, away from my sister’s aggressive sweeping.

“Do they have coast guard bases in Houston?” Mom asks.

“Yes they do,” Annie answers for me.

“How do you know that?”

She shrugs, flashing me that I’m not going to tell you smile she’s worn so well since she was old enough to talk.

“You want to move to Houston?” Mom asks.

I never thought about it before. Ever since I was lucky enough to get stationed in North Haven, I’d been dead set on doing everything I could to stay until retirement.

It wasn’t guaranteed, but as long as I stayed on Admiral Wheeler’s good side, the odds were just slightly in my favor.

I loved my hometown. And I loved that the J-Squad—my brothers in arms—were here too.

More than once, we’ve talked about all of us retiring here and raising families. Watching our kids grow up together.

Could I really give that up?

For her, yes .

“Wouldn’t you miss me?” I ask Mom.

“Oh Sweetie,” she says, giving me a side hug. “Don’t worry about me. I want you to be happy.”

“Vanessa doesn’t date military guys,” I finally admit once Annie abandons the broom and slips outside to take a phone call. “And as much as I love her, I don’t think I could give up the coast guard for her.”

“You do love her. I knew it,” Mom says, her smiling beaming.

“I think you missed the part about her not dating military guys.”

“Have you asked her why?”

“Not…exactly.”

“Then maybe you should start there.”

I finish helping Mom clean up—Annie’s still on the phone, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit worried about her pacing back and forth.

She’s not the type to ask for help if she needs it.

She’s convinced she can handle everything on her own.

I’m about to ask Mom when she shoves a container of clam chowder against my chest.

“Saved you some,” she says.

My rumbling stomach reminds me I forgot to actually eat dinner when we were at The Iceberg earlier. “Thanks.”

“Jasper?” she says as I move to leave.

“Yeah?”

“I like her. Don’t mess this up.”

“No pressure,” I mumble, exiting the food truck and searching for my sister.

I find Annie sitting on a riser a couple dozen yards away. I move in her direction, but she waves me off. Warning me not to come closer. A protective instinct comes over me. I go to her despite her objections, and the phone call mysteriously ends before I can reach her.

She’s not crying.

Good.

But she looks pissed.

“Everything okay?” I ask.

“What do you think?” she snaps, then immediately apologizes. “Men are stupid.”

“ Boys are stupid,” I correct.

“If it has a penis, it’s dumb.”

I cringe at my sister saying penis . “Want to go for a walk?”

“Everything’s closed.”

“I think the snow cone vendor might still be open.”

“What are we five?”

I shrug. “If you don’t want a snow cone?—”

“I didn’t say that.” She pushes up off the riser and chases after me. “You don’t have to walk like you’re hunting someone down, you know.”

“I want to put this clam chowder in my truck so no one steals it.”

“That’s fair.”

Before I can reach the parking lot, I hear someone call out my name. “Jasper, hey!” I turn to see Tommy Clausen flagging me down from a shed. Mr. Clausen—my second grade teacher, now retired—is one of the many volunteers on janitorial duty this week.

“Mr. Clausen, what’s up?” I ask.

He holds up a navy blue bank bag. “Found this just sitting out on a table near the admission booth. I looked for Amy Jenkins and that other young gal who was working with her, but they were both gone.” I suspect he means Erin.

Which could explain the excessive crying I witnessed earlier.

That bag looks stuffed within an inch of its life.

“I know where this needs to go,” I tell Mr. Clausen.

“Oh good. I don’t want to be responsible for it.” He hands the bag off, like he’s happy to be rid of a ticking bomb. “There’s a lot of money in there.”

“I’ll take care of it,” I reassure him.

“Thanks, Jasper.”

“Taking that to your girlfriend ?” Annie prods.

“She’s not my girlfriend.”

“Sure, whatever.”

I glance down at the bank bag, wondering if this is my chance to fix that. My chance to convince her to give us a real shot. North Haven. Houston. I don’t care anymore. I’m done tiptoeing around this.

Wherever we end up, I’m determined to make Vanessa Steele my girlfriend.

Then my wife.