Page 74 of Craving Paradise
“Why does she have commitment issues then? Did her ex cheat on her with her best friend and run off with him after she proposed?” I ask snarkily.
“Stop being insensitive. As far as I know, she has had no one truly break her heart like you have. She has had boyfriends cheat on her, but because she’s a boss bitch, she moves on without a second glance. I wish I had her confidence.” Freya sighs.
What Lauren said last night was the truth. She won’t date because of her job.
“Is that why you bid on her because you wanted to have an excuse to date her?” Freya asks.
“No,” I answer quickly. “Did you not see that creepy man bidding on her? His intentions didn’t look good.”
“So chivalrous, Jasper.”
I send a glare in my cousin's direction. “What does this interrogation have to do with my original question?”
“I wanted to see if you were being a creeper or not. Did anything happen between you two last night? Did you put the moves on her? You know just because you won her in an auction, doesn’t mean she’s yours.”
“I know I have a reputation, but I’d never force a woman to do anything she wasn’t comfortable with.”
“Hey, Jasper, I’m joking around with you. I didn’t mean to hit a nerve,” Freya backpedals.
“You may not think I respect women because of the frequency of them in my bed, but I do.”
“I know that. Look, I’ll stop joking around about your rep. I can see you’re not okay about it. Regarding Lauren, if nothing happened between you two, then maybe she’s just busy or she’s not into you like that.”
No, she’s said she was into me.
“I told her last night when we danced that she took my breath away. Was that not the right thing to say? Because she bolted after that.”
Freya sighs, and her face softens as she looks at me. “That was such a cute thing to say, Jasper.”
“Cute?”
She nods.
“Did I scare her off with the cute words? I don’t do cute words. Mine are usually dirty and full of innuendo.”
“Knowing Lauren as I do, I don’t think you scared her off, but she might need a moment to work through those beautiful words. What would you do if a girl you liked said some unbelievably beautiful words to you? You would have bolted, too, wouldn’t you?”
She’s right, I would, but because I’d be worried the girl was catching feelings.
Shit.
Does Lauren think I’m catching feelings for her? I’m not. I told her last night we’re friends. Maybe she doesn’t believe me because I’m giving her mixed signals. I can like a girl, want to hang out with her but not have a relationship with her. Can’t I?
“I can see it on your face that I’m right. Let me bask in this moment, giving advice on women to you and you taking it on board. This will never happen again,” Freya jokes.
I flip her off, which makes her cackle even harder.
“Fine, I’ll leave you to it,” Freya says, getting up and walking out of the living room.
I look back at my phone and open my message to Lauren.
Jasper:Hope you made it home okay? Let me know your schedule for this charity date, and I can start planning.
That’s casual enough, isn’t it? Now Freya has me second-guessing myself. Bubbles flash across my screen as if she’s writing.
Lauren:Sorry, I’ve been in bed all day with food poisoning. I’ve only now felt human. And how the hell did you get my number?
See, Jasper, there was a perfectly reasonable reason she hasn’t messaged you today. There you were, getting up in your head for nothing. Stop being a pussy about this girl.