"Come in." She recognised the voice speaking through the door instantly. It was him. What was he going to say to her? Would he be mad that she was there? Lifting her chin and throwing back her shoulders, Kait opened the door and walked in.
Jasper's dressing room was small and dimly lit. He sat on a grey sofa with an ice pack held to his left knee. The room smelt of sweat and coffee. He was alone.
"Jasper, hey," Kait nervously walked in, feeling more like a girlish fan than a previous conquest. "Congratulations on your win!"
Jasper rolled his eyes and then winced. "I nearly knocked my knee out doing it," he admitted with a grumble.
Kait wanted to be polite; she wanted to tell him she hoped his knee was okay, but she could feel her rage bubbling within her.
"How can you be so reckless?" She blurted angrily. Jasper's eyes widened, and he blinked at her, startled. "You … you save me from those … those thugs! You get stabbed! And then you fight two nights in a row! And it's not just your standard throw a few punches fighting, your sport is brutal, Jasper! You looked exhausted out there! What are you playing at?"
Her words landed heavily in the space between them. Kait blushed, realising that she had of course over stepped the mark. She clamped a hand over her mouth to prevent herself from saying anything more. She'd already done enough damage.
"I don't remember consulting you on how I should live my life," Jasper told her coldly.
"Well you need to consult someone!" Kait told him defiantly, her hand unable to hold back her vitriol."I get that you're a great fighter, but you're going to kill yourself if you carry on like this! Why did you even help me out the other night when you knew you had all these fights coming up?"
"Would you rather I'd let those men rape you?" Jasper asked quietly, his eyes bright with anger.
"No." Kait shook her head. "But … but you should have gone to hospital! You needed medical attention!"
"And risk that kind of publicity before a fight?" Jasper asked incredulously. "My opponents would have had a field day with that sort of information."
Kait lowered her shoulders. So that was why he wouldn't go to the hospital; he was worried about his reputation.
"Look, I appreciate you coming here to check in on me," Jasper told her, glancing at the door through which she had entered. He was sending her away. He was already done with her. Kait could feel despair clamouring up her throat, but she swallowed it away.
"It's because I'm a nice person," she told him curtly. "When I spend the night with someone, it means something. Maybe that's not the way for you. But I don't do one night stands. I'm not like that. I thought we had something … a connection."
Kait groaned at how needy she was sounding, but if this was the last time she got to see Jasper Duboix, she wanted him to know exactly how she was feeling.
"I thought you were different," she continued. "I thought you were decent."
"Seems like all I do is disappoint you." Jasper looked down at his knee and readjusted the ice pack.
"If I walk through that door, I promise you won't see me ever again," Kait told him defiantly. "I'm not the girl who pines over a guy. I came here to tell you to stop pushing yourself so hard, not to plead with you to bed me one more time. The guy I met in the parking lot, the guy who saved me, he was a good guy, no, a great guy! I'm not sure why you insist on hiding him away like you do, but if want my advice, you should embrace him."
Kait knew she was close to crying. She turned and stormed back towards the door.
"Wait."
Jasper's strong voice pulled her back as though it were magnetised. She turned on her heel and gazed in to those deep, alluring eyes which had softened.
"Don't go."
Kait tentatively approached the sofa where he was sitting.
"I'm glad you came tonight," Jasper smiled at her, and Kait thought she might melt there and then on the spot. She remembered how amazing it felt to have his naked body pressed up against hers. All the anger drained out of her, replaced by pure, carnal desire. Glancing at Jasper she saw that same, desperate need reflected in his eyes.
"Lock the door," he instructed her. Without hesitation, Kait fulfilled the order.
Chapter 12
Sunlight burned against Kait's face. Swiping a hand across her eyes, she sat up and yawned. The light that crept in beneath the curtains swept across the bed and showed her that she wasn't alone. A contented smile pulled on her lips as she looked at the sleeping figure beside her.
Jasper was lying on his side, his bare back exposed to her. In the early morning light, she could clearly see the patchwork of scars engraved into his skin. With the tip of her finger, she traced the line of a particularly big scar. She wondered if it was a battle wound for a particularly brutal fight or if Jasper had got it some other way. As she stroked his back, Jasper stirred and rolled over. He blinked away the fog of sleep and then smiled at Kait.
"Morning," his voice was so irresistibly deep. Kait shuddered just hearing it.
"Good morning," she managed to reply sweetly.
"What time is it?" Jasper asked as he rubbed a hand across his eyes.
"Half past eight," Kait noted after stealing a quick glance at her bedside clock.
"I slept late," Jasper sat up and rested back against the headboard. "Then again, I had a particularly busy night."
He looked up and gazed at Kait, his eyes sparkling with mischief. She blushed as she knew he wasn't referring to the match he had barely won. He was talking about what had happened between them.
Kait had told him how angry she was at him and how he needed to take better care of himself before they gave in to the sexual tension brewing between them. Jasper made love to her on the sofa in his dressing room. Then, still hungry for more, he went home with her. They could have gone back to his place, but now that Kait was aware of his celebrity status, she doubted that was a good idea. She wasn't sure what was going on between her and Jasper, but she certainly didn't need the media stepping in and speculating on what was happening.
"I had fun last night," Kait declared coyly.
"I'm glad," Jasper leaned towards her and purred the words into her ear. Kait melted against him. Whenever she was around him, she became dizzy and struggled to focus. Soon his lips were pressed against hers, and they were kissing with heated intensity as though they hadn't had one another just hours earlier.
Jasper moved away just before the kiss could deepen any further. He pressed his lips to her neck and began to caress her body with his strong hands. Kait trembled in delight beneath him. With his lips, he began to carefully kiss a path down towards her breasts and then towards her navel, Kait as still completely naked from their earlier escapades.
She gasped as Jasper moved below her navel. He was taking his time, making her grow in expectation.
By the time he gently suckled her clitoris, Kait thought she might explode. She cried out in ecstasy as her toes curled. The world exploded in fireworks before her eyes, and her heart hammered excitedly in her chest.
Chapter 13
They spent the entire day in bed. It was something Kait had never done before. Sure she'd been in relationships, but she never liked to linger with someone the way she did with Jasper. Her mind was always racing about the hundred and one things she needed to do. Sundays were laundry days, and she would also go for a long jog weather permitting. But all those tasks were instantly forgotten when she was intertwined with Jasper's powerful body.
They enjoyed one another again and again. Kait reached new levels of pleasure she'd never previously believed were possible. Jasper was a caring, attentive lover with impressive stamina.
"I really need to shower," Jasper told her as outside the day had begun to darken.
"Me too," Kait agreed from where she was resting her head on his chest, enjoying listening to the steady beat of his heart.
"Do you want to shower together?"
Kait snapped her head up and looked down at him. Her whole body once again tingling with desire. Just as she was about to eagerly accept his offer, she saw the fresh wound on his chest, the one he'd endured whilst protecting her. As her face dipped in sadness, she softly ran her finger beneath it.