Page 51 of Ruthless Alpha Beast

Jasper.

He looks determined, his hard jaw clenched as he gazes ahead. The way his eyes look is almost silver, glowing amid the darkness.

The library lights must have turned off automatically.

He doesn’t notice me looking at him, but I do stay staring for a while.

He looks as though carrying me is the most normal thing in the world—simply part of his job. Nothing weird about it.

And there’s nothing weird about it for me either.

I feel strangely comfortable, resting my head against him and nestling into his biceps.

It’s like I’m floating, not even being carried at all, and before I know it, we’re back in our cabin.

The night air blows by me as quickly as the memory of my dreams.

I keep my eyes shut until we get to our bed.

He lays me down gently, and for a second, I melt into the softness of the duvet and pillows. I must have slept at an angle in the library because my body feels like crap.

Trust me to strain myselfreading books.No exercise needed. Gosh, I’m such a nerd.

But then I realize that he’s going to go to the couch. I’m no longer in his arms, but in this bed alone.

My primal instincts, in this twilight reality between sleep and reality, are strong. I know what my body needs.

Don’t leave me.

I open my eyes.

But Jasper isn’t heading downstairs like he usually does.

Instead, he pulls his t-shirt up over his head to reveal a full torso of abs punctured ever so slightly with cuts and bruises.

I want to patch him up, but I’m notthatawake.

Then, Jasper slips into bed beside me, his large body dwarfing everything around him, myself included.

He’s the largest creature I’ve ever been in such close proximity to. But I’m not afraid, I don’t think I ever was.

“Oh,” he says, looking over his shoulder at me in bed. “I didn’t know you were awake.”

I realize, suddenly, that I’ve been staring at him in a way that any living person, especially at this time of night, would find not only strange but damn right creepy.

What the hell am I thinking?

That’s just it, I’mnotthinking. I’m feeling.

“Yeah,” I stutter, running a hand through my hair and sitting up against the headboard. “Sorry, I suddenly woke up once we got in here. I usually sleep through the night. Ishouldbe asleep, I guess.”

What am I saying?

Half-awake Tara is even more awkward than fully awake Tara, I guess.

“You want me to go downstairs?” Jasper asks, his voice plain and earnest. “Because I can. I’m just a little exhausted from a hunt, and I got pretty enticed by the look of my bed.”

“No!” I say, extremely aware of how battered he looks and the cuts on his chest. “Please, no, it’syourbed. It’s fine.”