Phantom's Fight

Chapter Nine

Jasper

It felt good to have her back close. Jasper was the type of man that if you give him an inch then he'd take a mile. Today he was taking that mile. After an evening spent with James, the best friend, Jasper was surprised he had lots more in common with him than he could have imagined. He still hadn't personally looked into his background but Reaper had and he trusted his brother's judgement. James seemed like a decent enough guy, the type of guy he might actually get on with. Ivy might be on to something, although he would never admit it to her.

With the amount of alcohol they had consumed the night before, Jasper didn't bother picking Ivy up for their day out until mid-morning. Riding any distance with a hangover was horrific for the passenger and Jasper planned on taking the long way around to their destination; a few of towns over to Fairbeach. An hour and a half wasn't long but for Miss I-don't-do-mornings, it might have been a bit too much to deal with and Jasper didn't want anything to dampen their afternoon.

Jasper had driven through the back of town to avoid the influx of traffic the event had attracted. He felt the second Ivy realised where they were heading. She sat up straighter on her seat behind him trying to look over his shoulder to get a glimpse of the sights ahead, excitement radiated off her in waves. By the time he pulled up in the parking lot she was all but bouncing on her seat. He held his hand out for her to get off his bike before standing and stretching his legs himself. Jasper took her helmet off her while her gaze swung back and forth from the crowd to the big tent and the Ferris wheel.

He tugged on a tendril of her silky blonde hair to gain her attention, "Do you know where we are?"

"We're at the circus." Her words were spoken with amazement accompanied with a full smile that lit her face but he could see a hint of disappointment in her eyes. Strange; he thought this would make her happy.

"What's that look for Sweet Pea?"

"Huh?"

"What's going on in that pretty little head of yours? You're not here with me"

"You're too perceptive for your own good sometimes you know? I tried to get tickets for this show a month ago but they sold out in minutes." He answered her with a smirk but waited for her to finish before he would respond. She shrugged, "Never mind. Come on lets head for the rides before the queues get too long!"

While Ivy took a few steps forward, Jasper stayed rooted to the spot, waiting until she turned back around to face him. Only then did he reach into the inside pocket of his cut and produce two tickets for the matinee performance and shook them slightly in front of her.

Her breath hitched at the sight of them.

"Are those what I think they are?"

"Why don't you come here and take a look for yourself?"

She leaped forward only giving him a split second to open his arms to catch her mid jump so that she crash landed on to his chest with a soft thud, wrapping her arms and legs around him in the process. He held one arm around her back and the other caressed her right leg. It was the first time she had initiated contact between them so he held her savouring the feel of her in his arms again.

"Thank you!" She whispered huskily against his ear sending shivers down his spine. After all these years she still had the power to knock him off his feet. Pulling away from him slightly so she could see his face, she began her line of questioning, "How did you manage to get tickets? How did you even know I wanted to see the performance?"

He chuckled while reluctantly letting her soft body slide down his. Although he wrapped his arm around her waist anchoring her body firmly against him. "I have my connections. Tiger may have also mentioned it when we had a little chat, brother to brother."