Christmas Candy

9- Lending a hand

Jasper's Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he listened to Harmony talk. He would love nothing more than to have her in his bed and make her forget who she's been missing all this time, and the one she's been having a hard time letting go of. And because of that, he still couldn't find himself taking that next step with her.

Not yet, anyway.

Harmony still needed some work, and knowing he'd be leaving at the end of the month made it all harder for him to bed her. He looked away from her and over to the TV after hearing them talking about the weather. Seeing it wasn't letting up anytime soon, he looked back at her and patted his lap. "Come here."

Her eyes slowly widened, thinking she should have waited to say what she had to say. It surprised her to say what was on her mind as she didn't plan on telling Jasper what she had been thinking. She wanted to keep it to herself, but once she started talking about it, it all came out without even thinking. She slowly pushed herself up from the chair, then hesitantly walked over to him, and when she was going to sit on the bed next to him, his hand grabbed hers and guided her onto his lap.

"One thing is for sure," he said, pointing and having her look at the TV. "You're not going anywhere for quite a while, so, now, you'll be stuck here with me." He reached for her chin and turned her to face him. "Secondly. You're not a failure. You're just grieving differently, and it's at your own pace. Nobody can force you to do anything. It has to be something you want to do when you're ready to move forward. Lastly, I know I've been teasing you, and I know it's something I should slow down on. But I'm having a hard time stopping the teasing. It's bringing me great joy to see you smile," he smirked. "But it's late, and right now, I think you should get some sleep. And since you're here and not upset with me, I'll get the sleep I've been missing the last few nights."

She looked down at her hands and thought for a moment. "You don't have to quit teasing me," she quietly said. "It's actually refreshing," she said, smiling as she looked back at Jasper.

Jasper smirked and tightened his arms around her. "Good. Because I enjoy teasing you."

She shifted her body to face him easier and wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you." Now that she knew she was stuck in Jasper's room for a while and that Jasper basically admitted he wouldn't be doing anything with her sexually, she lifted her chin off his shoulder and looked at him. "I suppose I better get a bed ready for me so that I can take a little nap."

His brows dropped fast. "Why would you need to get a bed ready when there's one right here, and it's much more comfortable than the floor."

"Because you'll be sleeping on it."

"So. There's room for one more," Jasper winked, leaning back and pulling her down with him, then adjusted them, so they were lying in bed the correct way. He scooted next to her, draped his arm around her, and pulled her against him.

Having a scent of a man filling her senses, along with the warmth of his body pressed to hers, and the way he held her, had her relaxing and enjoying something she longly missed. She closed her eyes, deeply breathed in, then exhaled, "Jasper?"

"Yes," he hummed, enjoying the moment of her lying next to him.

"Do you have something I can wear, that way I'm not sleeping in my work clothes?"

He lifted his head, rolled her from her side and onto her back, and hovered over her. "Are you sure you want to wear something of mine?"

She gulped. As she looked into Jasper's pretty blue lust-filled eyes, along with the deepness of his voice, it had her tummy tickling and her stuttering as she responded, "I need something a little more comfortable."