Chapter 16

I should be usedto this by now.

Waking up without Giancarlo next to me has become the new normal of my life. The only difference is today I"m not so depressed about it.

I know he"ll be back, and even though our relationship isn"t what I"d call the most healthy, I"ll take what little he has to offer instead of nothing. I can honestly say I"ve tried my best to stay away from him, but it"s proving to be impossible for either of us to deny that we still love each other. His father"s word be damned. I know Giancarlo will find a way to take care of me. I have faith.

Slowly, I place my feet on the floor and stretch my sore muscles. On top of the attack, the loving Gian gave me last night has me feeling used up. I don"t know when I"m going to see Giancarlo again, but I hope it"s tonight. I"m already missing him.

With a small pep in my step and a kernel of hope blossoming in my gut, I get myself together for work. I go through my morning routine on autopilot. The only thing I"m thinking about is what we can do to prove to his father that I"m the woman Giancarlo belongs with. I"m sure it"s only a matter of time before his father, or worse, his sister, finds out that Gian and I are still messing around. It"ll be better if we get ahead of this.

By the time I make it into work, I"ve come up with at least a dozen plans, all of which I shoot down nearly immediately after making them.

Walking into the library, I glance over to the reception desk and am surprised when I don"t see Maryellen in her usual spot. Instead of sitting back in the chair with her feet up on the counter and her phone in her hand, she"s standing at one of the tables with her arms crossed over her chest. She looks slightly out of breath, but I don"t comment on it.

"Everything okay?" I question, and she flicks one of her hands in the direction of the books behind her. "I had to carry a big order up front. I wasn"t sure if you were going to make it in today or not."

I freeze and, as subtly as I can, swipe a hand over my face. The bruise is still there, but at least it"s not as dark as it was yesterday.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean you need to catch up with your boy toys on your own time and not when you"re supposed to be working."

I blink at her a few times, even more confused than I was a few seconds ago. What boy toy?

"Don"t act like you don"t know what I"m talking about. Your friend from the other day was waiting here when the library opened. I had to shoo him away so I could get inside."

"Jasper?"

"Yes, that one. The tall, dark-haired gorgeous man that asked for the taboo books." Maryellen nodded her head. She pressed her lips together hard and took another step in my direction. "I know you don"t want to hear what I have to say, but I"m going to say it again. You don"t need to be messing around with a man like that. He"s dangerous."

"How can you tell he"s dangerous? Did he threaten you or something like that?"

"No, he doesn"t have to threaten me for me to know that he"s dangerous. You"re still green behind the ears when it comes to men, I can tell. Someone like this Jasper has danger radiating all around him. I mean, even you have to admit you aren"t the kind of girl to go after men like that." Maryellen shrugs her shoulder and walks over to the reception desk, completely oblivious to the fact that she just insulted me.

I could make a big fight about it or demand to know exactly who Maryellen thought she was, but I don"t. It"s not like it matteres anyway. Whatever I had with Jasper ended last night. It"s just too confusing to try and start something new with anyone while I still have such strong feelings for Giancarlo, not to mention the fact that me staying in close contact with Jasper could accidentally put him in danger as well. I don"t know what I"d do with myself if someone were to hurt Jasper just to get to me.

No, I have to end it.

I pull out my phone from my side pocket and send Jasper a quick message.

"Hey, everything okay?"

It"s a little strange that he"d show up first thing in the morning at my job, but then again, he"d texted me a few times yesterday, and I hadn"t replied, which wasn"t our norm.

"Yeah, I"m fine. I was worried about you. I didn"t hear from you yesterday, and you didn"t send me a message when you got home the other night."

Squeezing my eyes shut, another reason to feel guilty washes over me. I completely forgot to check in with Jasper after everything that went down the other night. I was too wrapped up in my own misery to think about what that might do to him or if it would make him anxious. I"m not usually so self-centered.

"I"m so sorry. I had a rough night. I completely forgot."

There was a long pause between what I wrote and the next message from him, but just like I assumed, he was gracious about it.

"That"s okay. I know you had a lot to think about. I"m just happy you"re okay."

"Yeah, I"m good."

I bite my bottom lip and pass the phone between my palms, contemplating how I want to break the news to him that I can"t see him any longer. Just the thought of telling him over the phone makes me feel like a complete asshole. He doesn"t deserve that. The least I can do is tell him face to face and allow him the opportunity to ask me whatever questions he has.

When I was at my absolute worst, Jasper was there to make me feel better. It"s not his fault that I can"t risk sharing his company any longer.

"So, we need to have a talk. Are you free tonight for dinner?"

"That sounds ominous," he replies, adding a couple of laughing emojis at the end of his message.

I want to validate his feelings, but at the same time, I still don"t want to break the bad news via text message. Before I have a chance to overthink what I want to say in reply, he sends me another message. "Yeah, I can meet tonight for dinner. I"m looking forward to it."

"Good, I get off work at five tonight. Do you think we can meet at like six? The same restaurant as last time."

"Sure thing. I"ll be there."

With that, I slide the phone back in my pocket and do my best to focus on my job. There may not be a lot of people who visit this small library, but that doesn"t mean the work ever stops. There are books to be cataloged and late fees to be collected.

I chance a glance at the reception desk and see Maryellen staring at me, a slight snarl on her face. I"m not sure what she"s thinking about, but I don"t have time to worry about her right now. I give her a smile and gather up the first pile of books I see to be put back.

Tonight, I"ll end things with Jasper and hopefully see Giancarlo again. It"s not the best I could ever hope for, but it"s what needs to be done.

* * *

Maryellen leaves a full hour before her end time, leaving me at the library on my own to clean and lock up. I wind up finishing closer to six than I"d wanted to, but it"s not like I have to go home and get dolled up. This isn"t a date I"m going on with Jasper; this is the end of a chapter for both of us.

Moving as fast as I can, I make it to the restaurant ten minutes after our agreed time, and I see Jasper waiting by the door for me to show up. He"s wearing a nice pair of dress pants and a button-down shirt. Women stare at him from every corner, but he"s focused on the phone in his hands. It doesn"t even faze him that he"s the center of attention. I shake my head at the sight; he sure is a beautiful man. Whichever woman manages to land him is going to be a lucky girl.

"Hey, sorry I"m late," I say, doing my best to catch my breath after having rushed inside.

"Oh, there you are. I was starting to get worried."

Jasper levels me with his bright blue eyes and that charming smile.

"In another life," I say to myself.

He steps a bit closer to me, and suddenly, that smile on his face drops, and his eyes lock on the bruise on my face.

"What the hell happened to your face?" He raises his hand as if he were going to touch it but stops himself before he makes contact.

"Oh, it"s nothing. It happened the other night. I"ll tell you what I know." I drop my head, doing my best to let my hair cover the bruise.

"Yeah, I want to know all about it. Let"s get a table." Jasper guides me into the main room, where one of the hostesses directs us to a free table.

I"m on edge from the moment we sit down. I want to get this over with as soon as possible, but I don"t want to be rude about it. I give him all the details, leaving out the most gory bits.

"You mean to tell me, after I let you walk home on your own, you were attacked?" He questions, his tone angry and surprised. I open my mouth to answer him but what strikes as odd is that even though he sounds angry, I"m not getting the same vibes from his body language. It"s like he wants me to think he"s more upset than he is.

"Yeah, I"m okay. I went to the hospital and got checked out. The doctor"s told me that I would just be sore for a few days." I pick up my drink and take a deep sip. I"m more uncomfortable than I should be, but I can"t put my finger on why.

"I can"t tell you how sorry I am that I wasn"t there for you. I mean, I did tell you to let me walk you home." Jasper shrugs his shoulders, and I cut my eyes in his direction. Is he really trying to insinuate that me being attacked was my fault in any way? This was by far the most insensitive thing he"d ever said to me. Maybe I"m making too much of it. It"s not going to matter in a minute anyway.

"Yeah, I know for next time." I give him a smile and push my food away from me. Time to get this over with.

"Oh no, I guess it"s time to get to the root of the matter. You said you wanted to talk to me about something?" Jasper pushes his food aside the same way I"ve done, mimicking my motions. I"m sure he"s doing it to make me feel better, but just like before, something about his mannerisms is throwing me off. I don"t know what it is.

"Yeah, I did. You know how grateful I am to have been able to spend this time with you. You really helped me when I was going through a tough time."

"It was easy to see how broken you were, Rosie. It showed all over your face," he interjects, and for the second time tonight, I"m taken aback. He basically just said I look how I feel. I know I felt like shit the first few days that he and I were talking. Not what I"d call a compliment.

"Yeah, I guess. Anyway, you were there for me when I needed you, but I"m not being fair to you. There"s no way I"m going to be able to get over my ex in the time frame that both of us would like. I"m just too conflicted right now."

"Conflicted, how is that? I don"t give a damn about your ex. I"m trying to get to know you. Besides, after you get a taste of me, you won"t want to go back to your ex again. How good could he be if he can"t keep his own woman in line?"

What the heck.

"It"s not that simple. I told you what was going on with his family. We couldn"t be together."

"Couldn"t or didn"t want to? Maybe he didn"t care for you as much as you thought he did. Seems to me if he really wanted to be with you, he"d have fought a little harder than just going along with whatever his father said."

The hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Why the hell is he talking to me like this? He"s never said anything besides how much he understands my plight and that he was sorry that I was being put through this, now he"s making me feel like grade-A crap. So much for ending this on a good note.

"I"m really not concerned with what you think at the moment. I just wanted to tell you that I don"t think we can see each other anymore. It was fun."

"I can"t say that I agree." He leans forward, pulling his wallet out of his back pocket and taking the money out to pay for the meal.

"You can"t agree with what? That we shouldn"t see each other?"

"No, that it was fun. It"s been more of a waste of time. Then again, that seems to be your specialty, wasting fucking time." His words come out as light and carefree as anything else he"s ever said to me. My jaw drops as I feel the beginning pricks of tears burning the back of my eyelids. I"ve always heard that all men are assholes, but I never really had to deal with it because I was with Giancarlo. Jasper is finally showing his true colors, and it"s ugly as fuck.

I"ve had just about enough of this. I don"t need to sit around and let him belittle me. I"ve got more important things to deal with.

"I"m sorry you feel that way. At least you know you won"t have to deal with me wasting your time anymore." I push back out of my seat, grab my things, and make a beeline straight for the door. I"m not going to let him see how much he"s gotten under my skin. I"m going to be strong.

The cool night air stops the burning behind my eyes. I take a deep breath and turn in the direction of my house. Thankfully, it"s not far away. Still, the last time I walked home by myself, I was attacked.

The sound of footsteps rushing in my direction causes my heart to speed up, but when I look behind to see who it is, I"m surprised to see it"s Jasper.

"Rosie, wait. Hold up a minute."

"For what? I think you"ve said everything you need to say."

He puts his hands up to show he"s not a threat. "I was being a complete asshole. In a past life, that"s how I would"ve dealt with every altercation. You didn"t deserve that. I"m just hurt. I really care about you."

I open my mouth to speak, but I don"t know what to say. It"s true that we"d really started something, and it"s going to suck not being able to get to know him better.

"I"m sorry. Truly. Also, I"d go out of my mind if I don"t at least see you home. We don"t even have to talk. Just let me walk near you." His face looks hopeful, and as much as I can"t stand the way he was talking to me earlier, I"d rather end this on a good note than to end up hating each other"s guts.

"Fine," I shrug and turn back toward my house. I don"t want to admit it, but it does make me feel better to know that someone is looking out for me.

"I bet this isn"t how you saw the date going tonight," he starts as we walk, and I cut my eyes at him.

"I thought you said we didn"t need to talk." My words are harsh and cut through the air.

"Yikes, I deserve that. I"m really sorry, Rosie. I shouldn"t have said those things. I just wanted to hurt you the same way you hurt me."

"I didn"t come here to hurt you, Jasper. I came here to end things on a good note. That"s all I wanted."

He nods his head and keeps up with my quick pace to my house.

"So, are you getting back together with Gian?"

"I don"t know. I don"t think so. It"s complicated."

"I bet it is. After all, it"s not like his family is just going to forget that they don"t want the two of you together." He looks down at his feet, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"No, I didn"t think so. It"ll be difficult, but I"m sure that we"ll work it out." My mind is a million miles away, still trying to think up a plan that would allow me to be in Giancarlo"s life.

"It"s quiet out tonight," Jasper says, trying to fill up the empty silence.

"Yeah, I guess everyone"s home or with their loved ones." I look around at the nearly barren streets. It"s late, but not that late. There"s still a bit of light from the sun just past the horizon. It"s a beautiful sight. I wish I was walking here with Gian instead of Jasper.

"I wish I was here with Gian. We used to watch the sunset all the time. It"s the best part of the day."

"Oh, I doubt you"ll ever be able to see another sunset with Giancarlo, not after the dinner he had." Jasper laughs, and I stop to look at him.

Did I just hear him wrong? I don"t know what he"s talking about.

"Dinner? What dinner?"

"Oh, you know, the one with Marie and her family. The one where they planned on killing Giancarlo to get her out of the marriage. I guess they weren"t happy with him either."

An evil smirk inches up Jasper"s face, and I"m stuck in fight or flight mode once again.

How does he know about Marie and her family? I never talked about them. Never told him about any dinner.

"Shit!" I yelp as I turn and try to run away, but Jasper is too fast.

Before I can get more than three steps ahead of him, his arms wrap around my body. One around my waist and the other high near my neck. His hand reaches up and presses something soft against my mouth to keep me from screaming out. The smell is nearly overwhelming and within seconds the world is spinning.

"I warned you that you"d go down in flames with that family. You should"ve listened." He growls near my ear.

I know that voice. It was him. Jasper is the one who attacked me the other night.

The tears that I"ve been trying to hold back race down my face as I begin to fell unconscious.

I feel him dragging me in the opposite direction, the sound of a car alarm beeping and the trunk opening, before he tosses me inside. I fall into a deep sleep just as the trunk closes with me inside.

So much for me ending things on a good note. I just can"t believe Jasper could be in on something like this. There was no way for me to know.

How was I to know that I"d been dining with the devil.