Chapter 14

Chapter 14

JASPER

H e must be dead. That was the only explanation.

Because this? This was heaven.

Jasper licked his lips, chasing the taste of her as he watched Fey stretch out on the mattress with a long, satisfied sigh.

She was beyond beautiful, Jasper thought, eyes roaming down the curve of her back and spine, the perfect arch of her ass. She was exquisite. A work of art. He rolled onto his side to be closer to her, fingers caressing her back and trailing patterns over her skin.

Mine .

“Fuck,” Alastair panted, still struggling to catch his breath. “You did so well, Witchling.”

Fey made a small noise of contentment, rolling on to her side between the two of them. Her pale skin sparkled with sweat.

They’re both so beautiful , Jasper thought, eyeing Alastair. His dark hair was artfully tussled, and a sheen of sweat coated his chest.

This was definitely heaven. Smiling, Jasper moved even closer, nuzzling his face into the spot at the nape of Fey’s neck where her scent was the strongest. He licked the skin there, savoring the taste of her. Licked up her shoulder blade, licked the fingers and the hand resting there.

Mine .

“Watch it, puppy,” Alastair warned, pulling his hand away. But when Jasper glanced over, he was grinning.

Alastair stretched with a long exhale, then turned his attention to Fey.

“Are you alright, Witchling?” he asked in a gentle voice.

Fey let out a small laugh.

“I think I’m better than alright,” she answered. “That was… incredible.”

Alastair smiled, and he reached out to run his fingers over her arms again. Jasper nuzzled harder against her, and Fey melted against him, closing her eyes and luxuriating in their attention.

“Alastair?” Fey said, voice thick with sleep.

“What do you need from us?” Alastair asked, leaning closer to plant a soft kiss on her lips. Jasper took the opportunity to lick that perfect spot on her neck again.

“I’m starving,” she answered, wriggling between them.

Laughing, Alastair rolled away, sliding off the bed and stretching his arms over his head. Jasper watched, lips against Fey’s skin, as the Vampire stalked across the bedroom to grab his discarded pants. He pulled them up over his hips, not bothering with any other clothing.

“I’ll get started on dinner,” Alastair promised her, and his eyes flickered to Jasper’s. “Maybe you’d like to have a shower?”

“I’m on it,” Jasper grunted, and before Fey could protest, he scooped her up in his arms, cradling her against his body and swinging his legs off the bed.

“I can shower on my own,” she grumbled.

“But where’s the fun in that?” Jasper asked her, smirking as he carried her through the bedroom and into the bathroom.

Goddess save him, it felt good to hold her like this. Unwilling to put her down even for a moment, he maneuvered her until he could hold her with one arm and turn on the shower.

Alastair’s shower was overly complicated, and Jasper almost lost his patience more than once as he tried the various knobs until he finally managed to get all three shower heads running. Trust Alastair to overcomplicate a damned shower. He cradled Fey away from the water’s spray until he got the right temperature, then gingerly set her down on her feet under the stream and stepped into the shower behind her.

Under the heat of the shower, her body relaxed, and she tipped her head back with a quiet moan as the water cascaded over her. Jasper’s cock twitched to life in response.

Not now , he thought, glaring down at his body. This part wasn’t about sex, this was aftercare. This was making sure Fey felt taken care of. Felt loved.

Speaking of… Jasper reached around her and opened a bottle of soap from the marble shelf.

He flipped the lid open and sniffed it, immediately pulling a face. No, not that one . Putting it back, he reached for another.

Yes . This one smelled like her, like jasmine and just a hint of something else, something floral. Honeysuckle?

Pouring a generous amount in his palm, Jasper set the bottle back down and stepped closer to Fey. He lathered the soap in his hands, before gently reaching out to scrub her.

“I can wash myself, you know,” she told him, but there was no heat to the words, and she didn’t stop him as he rubbed the soap over her skin, using it to help massage the muscles in her arms.

“And deprive me of this? You wouldn’t be that cruel,” he said, playfully.

“Then you don’t know me at all,” she answered. “I’m always cruel.”

Jasper snorted.

He washed her carefully, sliding his hands from her arms to her sides and down her stomach. His cock gave another twitch as he lathered her breasts and grew painfully hard when her breath hitched in response. But he kept his touch professional, even when he got to his knees to wash her legs, fingers slipping delicately between her thighs and ass cheeks to wash away the remnants of their fun together.

When he was done, he rinsed her under the shower spray, washing all the soap away, and smiled at how languid and relaxed she was from his touch.

She stopped him when he reached for the shampoo bottle, though.

“It’s not my wash day,” she said, opening her eye only a fraction to scowl at him .

Jasper scowled back.

“Fine,” he said, leaving the shampoo where it was and coming to stand in front of her. It always shocked him how small she was. He towered above her, her eyes barely reaching his collar bone. Incredible that someone so small could hold so much power.

Bringing his hands up to cup her face, he said, “Lean back.”

“Why?” Fey asked, instantly suspicious.

Jasper bared his teeth. This would be easier if she were a Wolf. Then he could just nip her, take a bite of that delicious spot at the back of her neck and force her to submit. “Oil collects at the scalp when you don’t wash it every day. Lean back and let me at least rinse it.”

Still scowling, Fey did as she was told, tilting her head back into the spray and letting him run his fingers through her hair.

Truthfully, her hair was fine, but he wasn’t ready for this to be over yet, wasn’t ready to stop touching her. And he’d use any excuse for a little extra time to enjoy this moment.

Fey sighed as his fingers softly caressed her scalp, massaging the skin there. His cock twitched again, and Jasper gave up ignoring it, knowing there was no way she didn’t feel it pressing against her.

“Sorry,” he told her, continuing his massage. “It has a mind of its own. Ignore it.”

Fey was quiet, but her lip twitched up at the corner.

“I’m proud of you, you know,” he told her as he worked.

She opened a single eye to watch him, her gaze wary.

“Telling Alastair that you love him. That’s huge. I’m proud of you, Fey.”

She huffed. “Goddess, both of you are so infuriating, you know that? It’s not huge. Don’t make such a… thing over it.”

“It is.” He laughed, ignoring her glare. “You’re opening yourself up, and I’m proud of you. You can let people in and still be a terrifying force of nature, gorgeous. It’s okay to feel.”

She glared at him but didn’t respond. After a few minutes of silence passed, she started chewing her lip, as though lost in thought.

“Jasper?” she asked, finally, closing her eyes once again and tilting her head back as he ran his fingers through her hair. “What did this mean for you? For us?”

Jasper’s fingers stilled.

What did it mean for him? It wasn’t the first time he’d played third for a couple. Hell, group sex was so casual between some of the Shifter packs it was almost more common than being with another Wolf one on one. He’d never had any issue with it. Sex was sex.

Except when, suddenly, it wasn’t.

He pulled her closer to him, wrapping his arms around her waist.

Mine .

“I care about you, Fey,” Jasper answered, truthfully. “You and Alastair. This was fun. More than fun, that was mind blowing,” he corrected, and she smirked. “But you’re my friend, before anything else. I don’t want anything to change that. I’m not looking to come between you and him.”

Still holding her, he leaned down, ducking his head under the stream of water to plant a chaste kiss on her cheek.

“Of course”—he grinned, shifting to whisper in her ear and delighting in the way it made her wriggle against him—“if you and the boss ever feel like having some fun again, I would never say no.”

He flipped off the water as Fey laughed.

“Stay here,” he ordered. “I’ll get you a towel.”

“Jasper, you’re dripping everywhere,” Fey scolded as he stepped out of the shower to grab a towel for her.

Frowning, Jasper glanced down at the puddle he’d left on the floor, then grabbed two more towels, wrapping one around himself and throwing the other down to soak up the water. Fixed . Satisfied, he stepped back into the shower, wrapping her in the terry cloth and patting her dry.

Fey snorted, swatting at him playfully. But she let him finish.

When he was satisfied that she was dry enough, he stepped back out of the shower to grab a robe for her.

“That’s Alastair’s,” Fey told him as he grabbed one hanging on the back of the bathroom door. Jasper brought the fabric up to his nose and sniffed. Sure enough, it smelled like him, like cedar wood and oak-aged whiskey. Jasper adjusted the towel around his waist, embarrassingly hard, now.

“Even better,” he said, stepping close to her and wrapping her in the robe despite her protest. The sleeves were way too big, so he rolled them up on her arms until they were just past her elbows. “He’s going to love seeing you in it, gorgeous. I promise.”

Jasper dressed before joining them in the kitchen, plucking his clothing out from under Fey’s and Alastair’s, and made himself somewhat presentable. By the time he finished, Fey was already seated at the kitchen bar with a glass of wine in her hand and Alastair’s massive robe pooling around her. Alastair was at the stove cooking, his back to Jasper as he worked on their dinner.

“Smells delicious,” Jasper said, coming up behind Alastair, and ducking under his arm to sniff the pot of sauce.

Alastair swatted him away with a spoon.

“It’s not ready,” he snapped. “Fuck off.”

Jasper ignored him to dip his finger in the pot of sauce. Popping it directly into his mouth, he hummed in appreciation. With an irritated grunt, Alastair swatted at him again, but Jasper just danced away, licking his fingers and chuckling.

Alastair bared his fangs at him as Fey laughed, her eyes sparkling. Then, dropping his voice to a low murmur, he asked, “Was the robe your idea, puppy?”

Jasper’s only answer was a wicked grin.

“I like it,” Alastair said. His eyes moved over Fey where she sat, taking in every inch of her. The robe was so big on her it barely stayed closed where he had cinched it shut. Where the fabric met in a deep V, the curves of her breasts were clearly visible, and the fabric shifted a little lower every time she moved.

“I thought you would,” Jasper admitted, smirking at the heated look in Alastair’s eyes.

“Sit,” Alastair ordered, motioning to the kitchen bar. He reached for a glass of wine, taking a deep drink of it before handing Jasper an open bottle of beer.

“Yes, boss,” Jasper grinned cheekily, taking the beer and sliding onto the seat next to Fey .

This was heaven, too. Jasper’s heart felt light in his chest as he watched Alastair cook. By the time he dished up their food, all three of them were relaxed and chatting. Fey told them both about her day of training, filling them in on meaningless gossip about her students. Before long, Alastair and Jasper were talking about the club and some of the newer employees, and Fey’s eyelids were clearly growing heavy.

The third time Fey’s head drooped toward the table, forcing her to jerk herself back up, Alastair finally gave in.

“Alright, Witchling,” he said, setting his unfinished wine on the table and standing. “No falling asleep in your dinner. Come on, let’s get you to bed.”

Fey pulled a face, propping her face up in her hand. “That’s a really rude thing to say to me on my birthday.”

Jasper barked a laugh, but Alastair only rolled his eyes, coming behind her and lifting her from her seat. She flashed Jasper a small smile as Alastair led her back to the bedroom.

He tried not to acknowledge the feeling in his chest as he watched them go. Tried to pretend it was like every other time he’d been a third in this situation, every other time it had gotten to the point in the evening where he should gracefully make his exit and let them return to their lives together.

Without him.

Swallowing, Jasper started gathering up the dishes. This was nice, he told himself, stacking the dishes in the sink. This had been just what he’d needed. A way to scratch an itch. And it doesn’t have to be anything more than just this, more than just one night. It doesn’t.

It doesn’t.

Grinding his teeth together, Jasper flicked the water on and grabbed a sponge. He poured soap into the sink and started washing up, focusing on scrubbing sauce from the dishes with just a little more focus than was necessary.

He lost himself in the task, so consumed by it he didn’t notice Alastair return until a dark voice spoke directly at his shoulder, making him jump.

“What are you doing, puppy?” Alastair asked.

Jasper glanced to his side where Alastair leaned against the counter, assessing him. He was still wearing only a pair of slacks, and they hung low on his hips. Distractingly low.

“Just washing up, boss,” Jasper answered, painting a grin on his face. Alastair raised an eyebrow, plucking his wineglass from the counter and draining it. “I’m almost done, then I’ll be on my way.”

The eyebrow rose even further. “Oh no,” Alastair said, curling his lip. “Our agreement was for one night. And it is…” Alastair looked pointedly at the clock on the wall. “A quarter past one. That is not one night .”

Jasper’s brain stuttered.

“You want me to stay?” he asked, certain he misunderstood.

“I don’t want to be responsible for telling Fey that her birthday present cut and run the moment she fell asleep,” Alastair answered.

He set his empty wineglass on the bar top and walked back toward the bedroom, calling over his shoulder. “Come on, puppy. You can sleep at the foot of the bed like a good dog, can’t you?”

Grinning, Jasper dried his hands and followed.