Page 100 of Craving Paradise
Daniel chokes on his drink, and I smirk at my petty comment. Not sure what came over me except the glares that Jasper is throwing my way fueled the response. I can see he’s jealous, but it’s not like I’m fucking his friend.
I step away from the table unsteadily, but I throw back my shoulders and am determined to walk out of here with my head held high. I think I need fresh air. That will sober me up quickly.
I push through the double glass doors until I feel a hand on my back.
“Lauren,” Jasper calls my name.
I turn around and stop in front of him. “What?”
He’s a little taken aback by my venom, and so am I.
“Are you flirting with Daniel to get back at me?” he asks angrily.
Is he serious right now? “Fuck you,” I say, pushing him in the chest before turning on my heel and walking away from him.
“Fuck me?” He growls.
I stop and spin around. “Yes, fuck you. You have no right to say a thing about what I do or don’t do with someone of the opposite sex.”
“Oh, I have every fucking right, Lauren,” he yells back at me. “You and I are going to have a little chat about things.” He grabs my wrist and walks back into the ballroom.
“Hey, no we’re not.” I pull my wrist free from his grasp.
“You’re going to listen to me, Lauren. All week I’ve been trying to talk to you, and you’ve ignored me.”
“I’ve been busy.”
“You closed your bookings to me at the club. You cut me off.” He throws up his hands.
“Oh, poor baby couldn’t get a blow job when you wanted. Why don’t you ask that blonde bitch to give you one?” I hiss as I begin to storm away from him.Why the hell am I getting so upset?
“You’re so fucking stubborn,” Jasper curses before I realize he’s picking me up and storming through the back area of the ballroom.
“Put me down, you fucking asshole.” I hit him, but he has me held tightly. Where’s security? Have they not noticed a woman is being taken against her will?
Jasper opens the door to an empty room and kicks the door shut behind us before putting me down. The room looks to be a spare meeting room of some sort. It’s a large empty void with a couple of chairs scattered around the room. There’s light filtering in from the small lamps around the room, giving it a warm glow.
Jasper begins to pace. “You’re going to fucking listen to me, Lauren.”
“No, I’m not. There’s nothing you can say that I need to hear.” I cross my arms over my chest.
Jasper stops pacing and glares at me. “I’ve got plenty to say, and the first thing is, I’ve fallen in love with you, Lauren.”
The room goes blank.What the hell did he just say?
“I don’t know how it happened, but you have been consuming my thoughts since the moment we met. You’re the first thing I think of when I wake up and the last thing when I go to bed. When I’m with you, I’ve never felt happier. I look forward to going to a sex club to eat burgers, drink beer, and hang out in a fucking Jacuzzi over sex. Over fucking sex, Lauren.”
Emotions begin to well in my chest as my eyes glisten listening to his words.
“I’ve even subscribed to fucking unboxing channels because I know you get a kick out of them. I know I fucked up the other week. I needed to know if what I was feeling for you was real or my imagination and had somehow conjured you up to be something more than you were. I was wrong, so fucking wrong, and if I could take back that moment, I would. She wasn’t worth losing you over. Seeing the pain in your eyes that morning ripped my heart from my chest. I thought I was alone in my feelings, Lauren. I thought this was all one-sided until the moment you tried to hide the tears.”
“You can’t say these things to me, Jasper.”
“Why, because they’re the truth.”
“It doesn’t change anything.”
“How does it not change anything? I fucking love you. That changes everything,” he says, rushing up and cupping my face. “Do you not feel the same way?” I can see the anguish on his face as he waits for me to answer him.