Chapter 15

Amber listened for sounds of the others arriving, but it appeared to be quiet down below. She wasn't sure if she would even hear them, considering this place was as much of a fortress as it was. She had had a hot shower and sat down on the side of the bed, wondering if she was even ready to sleep. She was tired, but that didn't mean that sleep was ready for her. As she stretched out on the bed to relax her leg, her phone rang. Amber checked her Caller ID and then asked, "Tesla, are you okay? Is Mason okay?"

"I'm calling to make sure you're okay," Tesla replied. "I feel terrible that anybody who was helping us or was being kind to us is being targeted."

Amber sighed. "I understand exactly how you feel because that's just what I went through," she murmured. "I feel bad because, if I hadn't taken that video, then, in theory, a lot of this wouldn't have happened."

"Ah, we're always so good at blaming ourselves, aren't we?" asked Tesla.

"I think we're too good at it," Amber noted. "You aren't to blame, and I'm not to blame, and I think that's where we have to leave it."

"I wonder if we can," Tesla murmured. "I'm glad to know that you survived this horrible evening and that the doctor survived as well."

"I was just about to call the hospital and see if I could get an update on him," Amber shared. "Honestly you need to thank Jasper. He saved my life."

"I'll thank Jasper myself," she noted. "He's very good at what he does. He tends to forget that and doesn't necessarily fill us in on everything he has planned."

"No,… he certainly didn't in my case either," she muttered in disgust. "I walked right into that mess, fully prepared to die in order to have Dr. Charles survive. He is incredibly gifted, and he's done so much for so many people that I just couldn't see that my life had more value than his. Yet, of course, Jasper didn't tell me that he had a plan."

Tesla burst out laughing. "Jasper always has a plan," she declared. "Even when you think there's no plan, there's a plan."

"That's encouraging," Amber replied. "I'm still struggling to get a read on him."

"In what way?" Tesla asked, her curiosity highlighted in her tone.

Amber winced, knowing she had given something away already. "He broached the subject that he would like to get to know me better."

After a moment of silence, Tesla murmured, "You, my dear, should feel very blessed. He's an awfully good man, and he will never hurt you or do anything to bring harm to your world. He's been very badly burned."

"He touched on that a little bit," Amber noted, "but I got the impression that he doesn't move quickly or trust easily."

"Let me tell you a little bit about it," she began, "particularly if you like him." Then she stopped and waited.

"I do like him," Amber confirmed. "I don't want gratitude to be mixed up in this, and I would love a chance to get to know him more, but there's this hesitation because I don't understand where the block is, but there definitely is one."

"Oh, there definitely is one," Tesla noted, "so let me explain.… It started a few years back, when he was involved in a pretty in-depth case. He's done a lot of internal affairs work. He had met somebody with whom he fell head over heels in love. They got engaged because she was perfect, absolutely everything he ever wanted. At the time,… he was so happy, and it was so lovely to see him so happy. Yet I didn't like her at all, and I didn't know how I was supposed to reconcile things with my cousin, who I adored, and his woman, who he adored and I just couldn't tolerate. I didn't know what to say to him. Meanwhile, I tried so hard to be friendly to her, and yet something kept holding me back."

"What happened?"

"To make a long story short, by the end of the day, he was engaged, in love, and ready to quit his job and build an entire life with her—until he found out that the people he was bringing down on his current case were people she was working with. Her brother was heavily involved, and she had only gotten involved with Jasper in order to protect her brother. So she intended to calm down Jasper and to get him to drop the case or potentially not even survive with his own life. He was definitely not meant to survive within his career or to continue working on any cases involving her brother. Jasper was a patsy, after being set up and used by her. I don't think he's trusted himself ever since, and he hasn't trusted his own judgment, and he certainly hasn't trusted any women," Tesla noted.

"Oh my God," Amber murmured. "He did say something about it but much more cryptically than that, so I didn't realize it was quite so horrific."

"It was, and it's been hard for him ever since. It nearly broke him. He's a good man. He's more than a good man," she stated, "but, when you take a beating like that on so many levels, you don't know who is trustworthy anymore. More than that, you don't know if you can trust yourself. I think that was the hardest thing for him, realizing that his own judgment had failed him."

"And yet it hadn't," Amber argued. "That woman wasn't for real. He fell in love with a mirage, but it was almost impossible for him to know it."

"Of course," Tesla agreed. "So, it might be a bit of work to get to the point where he can trust you or to where he's prepared to make that step. He will need some time. He'll need some distance, and, if you are so lucky as to have him be a part of your heart, he will be loyal forever. He'll never cheat, and he'll never hurt you willingly, and he will go the distance to always ensure that you're taken care of," she added. "And, if he even intimated that he wanted to get to know you better, you're the luckiest woman in the world. Well,… except for me, of course."

"Except for you," Amber confirmed, with a half a laugh, "because you have Mason."

"Yes," she agreed, her laughter coming through the phone. "Jasper's a good man, but he'll move very slowly, and then…" She stopped. "Unless you don't want him to move at that pace."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that sometimes we have to take a bit more control over the pace of our relationships," she shared, with a chuckle, "but only if you're ready, only if that is something you want to do."

"I think I understand what you mean."

"Of course you do. You're a smart lady. According to him, you're also fearless, loyal, brave, and he likes you."

She stared at the phone in delight. "He told you that?"

"He did, and he knows perfectly well what he has in front of him too," she said. "It sounds to me as if you two are made for each other."

"I don't know about that," Amber murmured. "It's so soon. Yet I could hope for something like that. It's just… not always that easy to trust."

"Of course it's very hard to trust,… but one of you has to open their heart first, to see if something is there."

"I have feelings for him. Yet my brain is telling me how it's pretty early yet," she explained. "However, he did say something about taking some time to get to know each other."

"Sure, but that's not a brush-off, more like him parking you, for an uncertain date in time when he will be prepared to open that door and to step through it. Are you ready to wait for that? Even if it takes months?"

Amber snorted. "Yeah, I can see how it could be months because he won't jump into this lightly."

"But you have time, and you can think about it, and, when you're ready to decide, you may just have to take matters into your own hands."

"Thanks for the heads-up," Amber murmured, as she ended the call. She was wet from her shower and still not dressed, but she quickly put on her nightshirt, grateful beyond belief that they had packed most of her clothes when Jasper had suddenly decided they must move to his place—right before her apartment was burned down, along with everything she had left behind. Thankfully she wasn't a keeper of stuff, and Jasper had encouraged her to bring anything important, so no one would get their hands on it in her absence.

As she thought about him and the olive branch he had extended and how he had taken care of her and her life, had saved her several times, she realized so much more was between them. Was she prepared to wait, or would she grab all that bravado she had shown earlier today and do something about it, way ahead of his schedule?

She thought long and hard about it, and, when she heard noises downstairs and then finally footsteps coming upstairs, she knew she must make a decision.

*

With everybody's notescollated, Jasper sent them all on their way. He needed to sleep too, and the good news was that the doctor would make it and was out of surgery right now. Jasper wondered if he should stop in and tell Amber the results of his update on the doctor. That was probably asking for trouble, and that was something he would avoid at all costs.

He headed to his room and stepped under a hot spray of water, as he eased back the tension and the stress from his day. Seeing her arguing with the gunman had defied belief, yet he understood why she'd done it. It made him admire her even more, but it could have quickly turned bad. Somebody like him, with the experience he had, understood that she had the bravado, the courage of the innocent, and it had served her well in this instance, but it may not ever again.

He knew that he would have nightmares for days to come, reliving her actions and how she had completely disregarded her own life and the value of it in order to save the doctor's life. Admirable, yet not so admirable. It also meant that she didn't see that she had so much more to give. He understood why she'd done what she'd done, but it was still frustrating to see her risk her life for another.

When he stepped out of the shower, he shaved, got ready for bed, and then, with a towel wrapped around his waist, stepped into his room and froze. She sat on his bed, obviously waiting for him. He raised one eyebrow. "Amber?"

She looked up and smiled. "Jasper."

"Are you all right? How's the leg?"

"I'm fine, and the leg's fine."

He didn't understand something in her tone. He stared at her warily.

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm probably a bomb that'll blow up," she said, with a smile, "but I know you can handle it."

Not sure about the strange mood he found her in, he walked closer. "Did you need something? Are you okay? I expected you to sleep through the night. I did wonder about stopping in and letting you know I phoned the hospital."

"How is he?" she asked.

"He'll be just fine. He's out of surgery right now."

She smiled. "That is great news. He's a good man."

"I'm pretty sure you've told me that time and time again," he noted, with a smile. "I don't know if he realizes just how much of a cheerleader he has in you."

She shrugged. "I think a lot of people would feel the same. We've been at his side for a lot of cases, watching him pull off miracles, saving the lives of patients who we were pretty sure were done for. So, I know most people would feel the way I do."

"Maybe," he conceded, "but it will still give me nightmares, remembering how you taunted the gunman."

"I didn't taunt him," she clarified in protest. "Well, maybe a couple times. Still, I talked to him. I figured, if a little bit of humanity remained in him, I could convince him to spare all three of us. If not, maybe I could spend a few minutes extending whatever time we had, so if you had a plan"—she gave him an eye roll—"then you would have had time to put it into play."

"Yeah?"

"What I didn't realize was that you did have a plan and that you were probably just waiting for me to shut up, so you could implement it."

His lips quirked, as he smiled. "That might have been part of it. Yet you did you, and it worked out well."

She smiled. "Sometimes things do work out for the best." She got up and walked over to him. "I also decided to make another change."

"What change is that?" he asked warily, as she approached.

She placed a hand on his chest and slowly dropped it downward. "We haven't known each other very long."

"I know," he jumped in. "It's why I suggested we take some time to get to know each other."

"And you're probably right," she agreed. "We should take some time to get to know each other. I'm just not sure that your idea of time and mine will be the same."

His eyebrows shot up, as his body started to respond to the presence of a beautiful woman. With Amber, he had tapped down every physical response he possibly could, so he didn't end up in this situation, and yet here she was, playing with fire.

"Are you sure? Are you certain you want to go in this direction?" he asked hesitantly, as her finger slipped along the edge of the towel wrapped around his hips and then slipped inside. She let her finger drift all the way from one hip to the other. He swallowed hard and whispered, "You're playing with fire."

"I am, but I do have a plan. The thing is,… I suspect that, for whatever reason, your history will make you want to drag this out for a long time, to see if going down this path is something you're prepared to do."

His eyebrows drew down, as he contemplated her for a moment. "Is that wrong?"

"No, it's not wrong," she replied, "but not all of us want to wait. Not all of us want to be alone in bed, while you sort it out. I would just as soon you sort it out while we're together, and we can work on problem-solving as we go."

His lips twitched. "That's a good idea to you, is it?" She played with the knot in the towel, as she slowly undid it, staring up at him, her lips twitching, with a twinkle in her eyes, making him fall in love a little bit more with her.

"Yes," she said, "I think it's a great idea. I think you're an incredibly beautiful human being, both inside and out. You're incredibly capable, even though I haven't had a chance to see everything you can do."

"But I thought you wanted to take things slow and easy, so as not to get hurt again." He frowned at her.

She nodded. "I get it. Why would anybody want to get hurt again, but, in your case, I think you'll just have to accept at face value that it won't happen with us."

He narrowed his gaze, as her words slammed into his chest. "We haven't known each other very long," he pointed out hesitantly.

"You keep saying that, but"—she tapped his chest—"don't you think you know me?"

He stared down at her, seeing her expression, the emotions in her eyes. "Maybe," he replied cautiously.

"More than maybe," she clarified. "You are the one who broached the topic of a relationship already."

"Sure,… you know, over time."

"Yeah, well, guess what? You might not get as much time to think about it as you would like." When he shook his head, she nodded. "I won't rush you. If you don't want me in your bed tonight, then that's your choice. It would be the first time I have been rejected, and I can't say that I would like it much, but I certainly won't force you."

She drew her nail down his chest, then over to one nipple, and added, "But I won't be very patient either, so I can give you tonight. I can give you tomorrow. I can give you a week, maybe even a month," she offered, "but no way I can give you more than that."

"And if I don't within that month?"

She laughed. "Then I'll just have to come after you myself."

"And that's not what this is all about?" he asked warily.

"Gosh, no," she said, with a laugh. "This is you having a choice, you getting to say yes or no, and, if you choose no, that's fine." She shrugged. "I'll check in again in another week or something like that." He frowned at her, and she nodded. "See? That's what being patient and giving you time to make the decision is all about. Now me? I would jump into that bed right now because I already know."

"Already know what?" he asked, studying her.

"I already know that I want everything you've got to give and that I want to see just who you are on the inside, on a day-to-day basis. That includes sharing a bed with you, waking up to see your face, holding you in my arms, and being held in yours," she whispered, as she leaned in closer, her warm breath brushing against his. "But I also know what it's like to be hurt, and I know what it's like to not trust, so I'm willing to give you time," she repeated, her lips just a hair's breath away from his.

Mixed emotions filled his heart and soul. He'd never met anyone like her. Not this honest. Not this open. Jasper knew his expressive face exposed all the emotions he felt just now.

"So, how about I go back to my bed, and you can just tell me which way you want to go?"

As she was lifted into the air, she let out a shriek. Then he gently placed her on his bed, before he held her close to him. Looking down at her, he asked, "So, is that enough of a decision for you?"

She burst out laughing. "It's nice to know you can take action at home too, when you need to."

He rolled his eyes at that. "I don't think action will be a problem," he murmured, as he thrust his hips against her, loving the shudders she gave in reaction, "but this is very cheeky of you."

"Nah," she replied. "I'm just somebody who knows what she wants and doesn't want to give you too much time to wait."

"What's wrong with waiting?" he murmured, as he nuzzled his nose against her.

"There's waiting, and then there's waiting," she muttered, followed by a chuckle. "There's waiting because you have a religious conviction, a physical reason, or have made a particular decision, or something along that line. And then there's waiting because you're scared of making a wrong decision. Sometimes you just have to jump in with both feet and trust. And I get that trust is hard for you right now, but I have faith that you'll make the right decision," she whispered, as she wiggled her hips beneath him.

He chuckled. "I do like the way you think."

"Good," she murmured, "so, we'll give this a try and see where it goes. We won't worry about who'll get hurt or who won't get hurt because we'll give it our all and see just what we've got, right?"

"And if I say no?" he teased.

"In that case, I might just have to work at convincing you again."

"I'm not against being convinced," he added, followed by joyful laughter. "As a matter of fact, it'll take me a long time to forget your coming into my bedroom tonight."

"Who said you need to forget it? I figured I would keep doing this every night, until you give in."

He burst out laughing and asked, "You mean, I was supposed to hold out longer?"

"Nah, I knew you would be a sucker anyway."

"And why is that?" he asked, smiling down at her.

"Because, as you said, something is between us, and… we both want it, and we both want each other. We want what we want, and nobody likes to wait," she explained. "We're adults. We're past that stage of life where we're worried about playing games."

"You think so?"

"It's very much about reaching out and grabbing what life has to offer because you can lose it way too quickly," she stated. "You and I both know what evil bodes for us out there, and we're just the people who want to take every moment and to make the most of it."

*

He lowered hishead and gently kissed her, but she wanted more. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, thrust her hips up against him and rubbed back and forth. When he lifted his head, he was panting. She nodded. "You don't get to be easy, and you don't get to be soft, and you don't get to be gentle and to think that you'll hurt my leg," she murmured. "I want every damn thing you have to give." She poked him in the chest and then some.

"Do you?" he asked, a glint in his eyes. "What if you can't take all of me?"

"Try me," she dared him, a grin on her face, and she pulled his head down and whispered, "Go ahead. Give it your best shot."

Amber might have done it as a joke, but Jasper took it as a dare. By the time he lifted his head from his deep, passionate, rousing kiss, she was mindless jelly. She gasped. "Oh my God, I've unleashed the devil."

"Oh, I don't know about the devil," he said, as he trailed kisses down the neck of her nightie before pulling it up and off so that she was completely nude beneath him. She realized it was long gone and only felt his heated skin against her sleek, heated skin. With her nightgown now restricting her arms, he held them up high above her head. With one heavy thigh across her good leg, he kept her imprisoned for his ministrations.

His tender kisses, gentle strokes, suckling, tiny little nips and bites, all had her shuddering and crying out for him in joy and pain, combined with need. When he finally slid atop her and sank deep inside, she reacted instantly and then came apart without any warning. He started to move, and she came, again and again, and, by the time he exploded above her, she was already in a place of complete and unrelenting joy.

When he rolled off to the side and pulled her up against him, he whispered, "Are you okay?"

She wrapped her arms around him, then kissed his chest and murmured, "Better than okay."

"Good, that's what happens when you dare me."

She chuckled. "Give me a chance to catch my breath, and we'll go for round two."

His laughter roared through the bedroom. "That's sounds good to me too, but first you need sleep."

"Just me?" she asked, tilting her head back to look up at him.

"No," he murmured, "both of us need sleep." Then he pulled her tightly into his arms and held her close.

Just as she was about to doze off, she asked, "Did you have your meeting?"

"I did," he murmured. "Masters will take the lead on this next leg of Mason's case. He'll track down everything there is to find about the gunman we faced. It appears he may have been acquainted with somebody both he and the sniper knew in common."

She looked up at him and smiled. "And will you stay here with me?"

He gave her a breathtaking smile and murmured, "Sounds like an absolutely wonderful punishment." And, with that, he kissed her and whispered, "Now go to sleep."