Page 66 of Rescued
Lifting my arms above my head isn’t going to be easy anytime soon, I’d imagine.
When I wince and shudder, Jasper makes a small sound in his throat. “I’m sorry, baby boy.”
I shake my head. “Not your fault.”
I stand stock-still, nearly holding my breath when he starts peeling the bandages off my throat. It tugs on the burns a little.
“This is gonna hurt, huh?” The words come out thin and breathy.
Catching sight of Jasper’s grimace, I prepare for the worst. “It’s not gonna feel good, no. But I’ll be as careful as I can, and then we’ll put cream on it and wrap it up when we get out. It’s important to keep the area clean so infection doesn’t set in.”
I nod. I already know that, of course. It’s still not something I’m really looking forward to dealing with.
“How bad is it?” I ask, glancing up at Jasper when he’s finally gotten all the bandages off. “Is it… ugly?”
Pretty much the only thing I have going for me with Jasper is my looks, and if I lose that…
Jasper slowly shakes his head. “It’s a burn. It’s not the worst I’ve seen. Time will tell if it’ll scar.” Stepping closer, Jasper tilts my head to the side. “It’s not ugly, though.”
Locking his eyes with mine, he smiles. “You’re the most beautiful human I’ve ever seen, Arlo. No one, man or woman, has ever compared to you.”
My stomach flips, but I can’t quite tell if it’s a good flip or a bad one.
“I mean it,” he says softly, making it flip again. “Do you remember the first time I came into the diner after you started working there?”
“Yeah.” I basically embarrassed the hell out of myself by forgetting how to even be a human being. The second he looked at me and called me sweetheart, I was tripping over myself like a teenager with a crush.
“When I first met you,” Jasper says, lifting his hand to brush his thumb over my cheekbone, “I had to excuse myself so I could google your eyes.” I blink up at him. “You have the most beautiful eyes, and I…” He shakes his head with a smile. “I was completely enamored.”
“You were?” I breathe.
He nods. “I was. Still am. You have the most adorable little nose, and the freckle on your bottom lip drives me mad. But more than that, you’re one of the kindest people I know. You’ve been fighting for almost a year to get your siblings. You show up for people when they need you.”
Snorting a small laugh, he sighs. “I’m so fucking gone for you, baby boy. Not a soul on this earth has existed for me since I laid eyes on you. I’d venture to guess it’ll always be that way.”
I’m pretty sure I’m not even breathing. How could I be? Jasper is the man of my dreams, the person I want to be with forever. He’s also the person I’ve always felt lesser than. Not because of anything he did or said, but because I wasn’t sure I’d be worthy of his love.
“Come on, baby boy. Your eyes are starting to droop from the meds. Let’s get you showered so you can nap.”
I nod, standing while Jasper works my sweats down my legs, then kneels at my feet to help me step out of them. He presses a kiss to my thigh before pushing to his feet and taking my hand. “I’m gonna get the water going, and you can get in, and then I’ll be in right after you, okay?”
“Okay,” I whisper.
There hasn’t been enough kissing. Not since before everything came crashing down around me and Jasper swooped in to pick up the pieces, so I tilt my head back and offer him my mouth.
Like always, his warm lips land on mine. Now that I’m really thinking about it, I can’t think of a single time that Jasper hasn’t given me exactly what I asked for.
“You really love me, don’t you?” I ask, pulling away from him.
“More than life itself.”
“I really love you too,” I whisper.
Jasper smiles. “I know, baby boy.”
Chapter 17
Jasper
