Page 49 of Beautiful Chaos

I didn’t realize it until I caught him staring at my lips, but I was smiling too, and not just a little smirk. I was wearing a huge smile that showed all my teeth. I was touched, to learn he supported many charities and causes as a philanthropist.

“I find your selflessness refreshing, it’s okay to enjoy life a little, Harper. “You deserve it,” he whispered, raising my hand to his lips and softly kissing my knuckles.

Chapter 33

HARPER

Jasper and I were returning to the penthouse. During our drive, we discussed the many charities supported by him and his corporation, when his phone’s Bluetooth connected to the car.

Max’s name flashed across the giant touchscreen on the dash. There were so many buttons in his space car. I didn’t see him press anything, when Max’s voice boomed loudly through the speaker, I jumped and giggled at myself. Jasper chuckled, then grabbed my hand and gave it a tight squeeze.

“Hey dickhead, where are you?” Max said lightheartedly.

“Hey, how about you mind your damn business asshole, what you got for me?”

I looked over to Jasper to see he was still smiling. I smiled to myself, listening to their playful banter; it reminded me of Aster and me, though we were certainly more subdued, to put it mildly.

“The Petrov brothers are causing trouble,” Max was suddenly very serious.

“What? What do you mean?” Jasper snapped.

“Well, the commission office is snooping around the Atlanta properties.”

“And how does that involve the Petrov brothers?” Jasper asked, with his brows furrowed.

“Unless it’s their…activities that are the trouble?”

“Nope nothing like that brother, I got a call from Martinez, and he said that the Petrov brothers moved their…Dealings from all three properties three days ago, so naturally since I’m so good at my fucking job, I checked the CCTV and confirmed. The commission’s office is nosing around, responding to some anonymous call.”

“Hmm,” Jasper said, as he rubbed his hand over his face.

“Right, so either they got a heads up and didn’t warn us or they moved around and made the call themselves. Fucking assholes.” Max continued.

Is Jasper involved in some illegal stuff? Why are they talking in code?

“Right well, either way, I’d like to sort through things, be at the penthouse in twenty. We don’t want to be caught up in their filthy shit.” He said and ended the call.

The remainder of the ride home was quiet. The tension in the car was thick, I knew it wasn’t because of me. Jasper attempted to suppress his anger, yet I could sense it thrumming within him, radiating with intensity. I watched his hands gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. His jaw twitched from his clenched teeth. I should be scared or nervous or at the very least wary of him but all I could feel was the need to help him, to calm his nerves.

I reached over and placed my hand on his thigh. As soon as I felt the tension in his muscles under my palm, I questioned my decisions.

He looked down at my hand and then back at the road. I wanted to jerk my hand back, but I was so nervous that I couldn’t move or speak, I stared forward and stayed very still, waiting for him to react. He slowly removed his hand from the steering wheel and in one quick movement, he laced his fingers through mine.

* * *

Pulling into the car park the security guard let Jasper know he had company. Max was sitting on his candy apple red Ducati, his arms resting over his chest. His fancy helmet dangled from his back. He clutched a bulky manila envelope under his arm, and the ink and muscles; muscles that were spilling from his fitted t-shirt, to its limits.

Where do these guys come from?

The first time I met him, he was in a tailored suit that fit him perfectly. Today, however, he wore a black T-shirt. His blue jeans clung tightly, conforming to his toned legs. He wore a pair of aviator sunglasses, even though, it was a dreary day giving him a mysterious look.

When he caught me staring, my cheeks instantly flushed. He was attractive, but honestly, he couldn’t compare to Jasper.

Max met my gaze with a big smile.

“Hey Harp, nice to see you again.” He walked towards Jasper and I. Jasper placed his hand on the small of my back and guided me towards the elevator. As we passed Max, Jasper gave him a small nod; a gesture for him to follow.

Once inside the elevator, Jasper pulled me closer to his body. Max stood on the opposite side, leaning against the railing coolly. Normally, being in a confined space with two large men like this would scare the hell out of me. It would have me sweating, and planning my escape, but that didn’t happen. I was calm and comfortable, I felt normal. The lack of panic sent my mind into a spiral of confusion.