CHAPTER 16: DATES

JASPER'S POV,

“So, when are we leaving for the hike?” Elizabeth asked to change the flow of the conversation.

I couldn't blame her for how she felt about Tyler, what he did was wrong. She was in love with him, there was never a doubt about that. I could still see that love for him in her eyes, along with the pain of his betrayal. And I kept telling myself that soon, it would be me who would have a place in her heart.

On the other hand, I had yet to tell Tyler about me and Elizabeth. I was still trying to find the right way to say that, mostly because I knew he wouldn't be thrilled with the news. After all, she wasn't the first of his dates who found their way to my bed. Many did before her.

He knew about it but couldn't do much because I wasn't just his dad; I was also his boss.

He knew getting mad at me over a girl would be a stupid move. He was the only heir of Black Industries and everything that comes with that. Fighting me wouldn't have been in his favor. So, his only option was to end things with the girls after finding out about the affair, and truthfully, I never even tried to hide the affair from him.

However, it was a little different with Elizabeth. I was hiding our relationship because I was in love with her, and she meant something to me. I was never in love with any of Tyler's other dates. They were just warm bodies that wanted me, and I wanted to have a good time with younger women.

What I did wasn't something a father should have done, but I did warm him when it happened for the first time. It was his first year of college, and I told him that the girl he was seeing made a move on me. However, instead of talking to her, he got mad at me.

He blamed me for manipulating her because she could've never done anything with an old man otherwise.

That angered me, so when that same girl made a move on me again, I fucked her brains out. Then, I took some pictures that she approved of and sent them to him as proof. I also warned him that the next time he talks to me like that, I will have him thrown out of my company.

After that day, I never held myself back. Whenever any of his dates approached me, I slept with them without any guilt. But, that was before he met Elizabeth. She wasn't like the other girls—she never looked at me the wrong way, nor flirted with me.

She liked talking to me, and all our conversations were meaningful about our interests and life in general. I even liked talking to her about things that didn't matter, because she always had a way with words, a perspective that I lacked.

“Jasper? What happened?” she questioned, pulling me out of my thoughts. “Are you okay?”

I nodded my head and asked, “What were you saying earlier about the hike? Sorry, I zoned out; I was thinking about something.”

“Don't apologize,” she kissed the back of my hand that she was holding. “I was asking about the hike. When will we leave and what's the plan?”

“Elizabeth, I can't—”

I started but she stopped me, already knowing my answer. “Not everything needs to be a surprise, Jasper. I am asking because I have to plan in advance if I want to go to the forest with you. Also, we need hiking gear. How will we hike without the proper things?.”

“I have hiking gear for the both of us, don't worry about that,” I said, pulling her hand on my lap. “I was planning on asking you about the hike, so I already made the necessary arrangements.”

“Oh! That's great,” she smiled, but instead of looking at me, she was looking at the stars. “I still need the time of when we leave, so that I could be ready.”

“How about a little while after breakfast?” I looked down at her to see if she was okay with it. She was still staring at the sky, so I further explained it. “The forest is thick, and it gets very dark by the evening. So, I was thinking we could leave after breakfast, have our lunch near the waterfall, and then come back before it gets dark in the evening.”

“That sounds amazing,” she finally turned to look at me. “I guess tomorrow will be filled with adventure, and I couldn't wait for that.”

I heard the sarcasm in her voice and that made me laugh. As I laughed, she playfully nudged my arm pretending to be annoyed, but I knew she was just playing a little. It was a different side of her, a side that I didn't know much about. She never acted that way before, and I couldn't believe I was getting happy about this typical girlfriend behavior.

Maybe because it showed that she was getting comfortable with me.

“I'm serious, Jasper, don't mock me. And now I feel like you and your surprises are going to be the death of me,” she teased, but the warmth that came with spread across my chest.

I pulled her closer in my arms and kissed the top of her head.

“Death by adventure,” I teased her further. “Could be worse. Is that you hate the outdoors too?”

She rolled her eyes but smiled, resting her head against my shoulder. The night was peaceful, from the soft hum of the wind rustling through the trees around the castle to the sweet smell in the air, everything was calming. I found her relaxing in my arms as another breeze of wind hit us gently.

I found myself wanting to hold onto this moment—just the two of us, away from the rest of the world, on top of a castle.

“You know,” she said after a moment. “I never thought someone would do something like this for me.”

“Like what?” I asked, tilting my head slightly to look at her face.

She hesitated as if searching for the right words. “Being… spoiled like this. Feeling like I'm the center of someone's world, even if it's just for a night.”

Her words settled deep in my chest, heavier than she probably intended because she was the center of my world for years, and I knew she was going to be that forever. It's a shame none of her past dates made her feel like that.

“You are,” I said simply and it came out quite naturally out of my mouth.

She turned to me, her eyes searching mine for something. “Jasper—”

Before she could say anything more, her phone buzzed once again. We both looked at it, having an idea of whom it must be about. The sudden break in the moment made the air between us shift, but it wasn't weird like before.

She sighed, reaching for it. “It's probably just—”

Her words trailed off as she read the message. I watched as her expression changed—curiosity fading into something else. Something sad and gloomy. Her lips pressed into a thin line, and her grip on the phone tightened. I knew it was most probably from Tyler.

“Elizabeth?” I said carefully. She swallowed hard, and her face became unreadable when she turned towards me, but the smile she offered was artificial.

“It's nothing,” she muttered, locking the screen and setting the phone back down. But I knew better. “Tonight has been amazing, I don't want to think about it. I just want to sleep here, on the roof, under the stars.”

“We can pull the carpet in the middle,” I suggested with a smile.