I'm frozen. I'm afraid Jasper is going to take his hands off me and walk away... But instead, he places a kiss on my shoulder, making my eyes widen slightly."Didn't I tell you, Reddy? It's not your fault." Jasper's voice makes something inside my chest wobble, maybe it's my heart or the defenses I still tried to build."Do you understand what I'm saying, Jasper? I'm not saying I did some kind of tantrum, that I hurt someone or that I feel responsible for guilt on my conscience or anything like that - no, I actually killed someone. Next thing I know, the nanny who abused me is lying on the floor with so much, so much blood... And my hands, my whole little body stained with her blood."Jasper stays silent, watching as I naturally unravel from those words."Do you remember doing it?" He asks seriously, and I just shake my head, denying it... "So it was an accident-""No, you don't understand!" I wriggle, uneasy, my skin crawling... Why don't I just shut up? Why, at the same time that I'
Scarlett and I walk side by side to the venue where the grand final of the National University Math Contest will take place. I have my arm around her shoulders, making sure her body is close to mine. And that must surely bring warmth to her face because there's a blush on her cheeks.It makes me strangely content.When we got there an hour earlier, we quickly spot Kevin. He notices us immediately and walks towards us with his hands in his pockets and a friendly expression. I hold her a little tighter, pulling her body against mine. I notice at a glance that she suppresses a smile at my overprotective and - okay, I admit it - jealous gesture too."Hey..." He stops in front of us as he approaches, looking at Scarlett for a moment and then at me. We're about the same height, so he doesn't have to lower his gaze like he does with her.I slide my hand down to her waist."I'm sorry I didn't win." Scarlett says witheringly but struggles to put a smile on her lips when she adds, "Although I w
I breathe deeply, once again in that auditorium. There are many other people watching me this time, and unconsciously my eyes are drawn to Jasper, who is in the front row. Now I understand how he is simply able to find me in the crowd, since I can also find him. But this is no time to digress - there is a competition I need to win.I approach my opponent. His expression is serene, but his eyes are steely. I feel slightly intimidated by his presence and the way he looks at me... like he can read me, unravel my thoughts. And when he stretches out his hand, I immediately stretch out mine to shake it."May the best man win." He says, then gives a smile that makes me feel out of place."Yes... may the best man win." I make an effort to return the smile, and then we are released to sit at tables separated by partitions.The last round will take place in the exact same way, yet it has been explained how it will happen. I pay no attention to the voice of the gray-haired man who has already be
The sudden realization that things might not be the same when we return home brings a bitter taste to my mouth. I try to disguise it during the ceremony and force a smile when I receive the first-place medal, but I can't shake this fear, this dread and worry that seems to tear at my chest from the inside out.As I step down from the platform, Jasper comes quickly to meet me. He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me close to him, giving my arms a quick kiss that quickly softens my frown."What are you thinking so hard?" He asks me, with the tips of our noses still touching."I didn't know you knew me so well," I mumble with a playful tone that makes him smile."I really do. But this time, Reddy, it's all over your face." Then, suddenly, he places another kiss on my lips and runs his hand up to the medal hanging around my neck, "Champion, huh... It's so sexy to have a smart girlfriend."I slap him lightly on the chest, with laughter on my lips, when I suddenly feel a chill. I move
Jasper quickly opens the hotel room door while kissing me. Fortunately, there was no one in the corridors because our lips didn't part for an instant. We hurry to the bed and, with my nimble fingers, I reach for the buttons of his shirt to unbutton it, revealing his abs that always take my breath away. I part our lips, searching for air, and fall onto the bed.He takes a firm hold of my red hair, making me raise my eyes to meet his lustful expression... And the husky voice he says next sends delicious shivers down my spine: "Reddy, you shouldn't say such things to me... I'm pure instinct when it comes to you."I open my lips to answer him, but he's already leaning over me, laying me on the bed, sealing our lips while his big hands run down my legs. His palm explores my body over the top of my pants, the rough fabric preventing me from feeling his warmth, moving up to the waistband. When he pulls down my pants, a surprised grunt escapes from the back of my throat and reverberates throu
Honestly, I don't know how things got to this point.When the referee blew the whistle at the end of the third quarter, my heart was already in my throat.Somehow, our college is losing.But unlike the first time, a defeat caused by silly mistakes, there isn't exactly one person to blame. Bryan, Jasper and the whole team are really pushing themselves on the court, running so fast that I feel breathless just watching. The game is tight, and that proves that the opposing team is really good, a real obstacle.Now, they're on a short break. In a few minutes, the last quarter will begin - the most decisive one. The difference on the scoreboard is small, six points. It may seem simple and even easy to win. Three or four more baskets and we can turn the game around. But it's definitely not like that because every time our team gets the ball and makes a basket, they counter-attack, causing us to completely lose the momentum.I feel anxious, nervous for them.I dry my hands on the sides of my
Dedicating it to me?Bryan's words take me by surprise. But there's no time to react because soon we're in the middle of the people on the court, jumping, the frenetic rhythm of the cheerleaders' celebration. My eyes meet Jasper's, and I can see his closed expression.I tap Bryan on the shoulder, "Put me down!"He sets me down, but wraps his arm around my shoulders, pulling me close to him. This overly intimate contact makes me uncomfortable, so I gently pull away from his touch, catching his confused eyes. Then he looks past my shoulders, behind me and, like realization had fallen over him, his smile wilts.I feel a hand on my waist from behind. A warm, possessive touch that sends a shiver down my spine. My chest is filled with a delicious warmth from feeling him so close, his abdomen touching my back. Jasper's scent, mixed with his sweat, gives me another shiver.Jasper and Bryan are staring at each other intensely, and this eye contact lasts a few long seconds, only to be broken by
I considered denying Bryan's request, after all, there's not much to talk about between us, but the desperate tone in his voice brought a certain agony to my chest. I even looked back in the room, looking for Jasper's approval or some sign that I shouldn't do this, but he had already returned to the bathroom and left us alone. In the end, I agreed... but only to talk outside, in the corridor.Leaning against the wall outside, arms crossed, I watch as Bryan seems to choose his words carefully in a long minute of silence. Then his voice echoes low and calm, "So you're going out with him now?""Yes, I've agreed to be Jasper's girlfriend," I say serenely, noticing that my answer makes him impatient."Of course, I should know," Bryan says sarcastically and turns his back on me, running his hand down his face.Honestly, I don't like his tone, it tugs at something inside me and makes me add, "Not that my personal life is your concern anymore."Bryan turns to me again, scratching his beard, w
The journey was very smooth, but as Jasper had already said, his town is really in the countryside. The hours we spent on the road were long, but with the music on the radio and our silly banter, the time passed so quickly that I hardly noticed.As we drove further into the interior of the state, the denser the pine forest became. I felt anxious about being swallowed up by the green landscape, but whenever uncertainty took over my mind, I would look at Jasper, his serene countenance, his silly smile that he always gave when he noticed my eyes on him.And every time our gazes met, butterflies danced in my stomach."We're almost there..." He says, catching my eye, but he keeps his eyes fixed on the road and his hands firmly on the steering wheel, "Keep looking, Reddy... you're about to see the biggest, most beautiful lake of your life."Anticipation burns in me and, as he opens the roof of the car, the wind starts to ruffle my hair. I lean over the door, my eyes fixed on the horizon...
"It's really a shame to lose you, Miss Davis... But we understand your decision." Dean says, looking at me with a sympathetic expression. He's not an easy man to show emotion to, but I can sense that he's really sad about losing me. "You're one of the best students at this college, and you've just brought home a trophy for our institution... Come to think of it, isn't there any way to change your mind?"I give a soft smile, "I'm afraid not."He returns my smile and then scratches his gray beard, "Well, at least I tried.""Thank you for everything you've done for me." I say, with true gratitude shining in my eyes. "I'll go my own way from now on, but I'll always carry the kindness you and the teachers have shown me."I notice emotion reflecting in his eyes, wetting his eyelashes so discreetly that I hardly notice it. If it hadn't been for my even sharper senses, I wouldn't have noticed."Go on, child... I wish you the best."Now I'm the one fighting emotion as I say goodbye to him and
His words leave me stunned, or maybe it's the influence Jasper has over me that leaves my mind blank... I don't know, I just give in completely. His hot kisses down my neck, up my jaw and once again finding my lips make my entrance burn even hotter.Jasper's tongue seeks mine in a hungry intertwining as his hands move my hips again, encouraging me to ride him again. I obey, giving in to the rhythm he imposes both in the kiss and in the way I'm jerking my hips, rolling my belly, colliding our skins that meet in a hollow sound.I feel an intense pleasure creeping up on me, chilling my skin whenever the tip hits the sensitive spot inside me. And maybe this feeling is good for Jasper too, because he's moaning hoarsely and breathing heavier and heavier..."I can't stand it, Reddy..." He says suddenly, thrusting his hips up and pulling all the hard-on out of me, eliciting a grunt from me. "I've already been too passive with you."Again, I don't quite understand his words, but his movements
Jasper looks at me with such intensity that he steals my breath.His hands are trailing gently up my arm, his fingers rubbing so softly that my skin shivers. And when his husky voice reaches my ears, I shudder completely..."Are you sure you want this...? Maybe you don't know the weight of your words."I bite my lip, holding our eye contact."Yes, I'm sure..." I notice his eyes lower to my lips, and his breathing becomes short, "I want to be with you, Jasper... No matter what."He places his hand on the back of my neck, stroking my jaw with his thumb, alternating his gaze between my eyes and my parted lips. Taking care not to touch the wound caused by Alice, with the discreet bandage he himself put on me, Jasper pulls my face even closer to his, making our breaths one.And with a simple brush of his lips, he gives me a light kiss, almost as if he's experiencing the sensation of touching them, even though it's already so familiar. His tongue rubs against my mouth, but never quite enter
Even though it wasn't my first time in Jasper's house, it still felt like it.I don't remember if I was surprised by its size or if I was more concerned with giving myself over completely to the sensations it caused in me and I didn't understand. I don't know if I got attached to the details, to the glass walls that don't prevent the full moon from entering and illuminating us. It's almost as if he wasn't afraid of it... so different from me that, ever since I got here, I've been cowering in a dark, secluded corner.With a blanket around my shoulders, I search for warmth, but it doesn't fully warm me because I'm still shivering, with thin snarls escaping my lips, even though I fight so hard to suppress them.Jasper is in the kitchen, making us something to eat. I said I wasn't hungry, but he insisted on making something, since I haven't eaten anything decent all day. I considered accompanying him to the kitchen, but my legs are too weak to support this body of mine. And I confess, I'm
I take a deep breath before opening the door to my room. Now that I'm really so close to returning to reality, it feels like a small eternity has passed, not just seven days. And now I'm faced with this strange familiarity, a feeling of not belonging, of no longer fitting in here.But I gather my courage and turn the knob, opening the door, smelling the familiar scent of my perfume mixed with Lily's. I finally enter the room. And when I finally enter the room, I'm greeted by a sudden hug from my friend that almost makes us fall over. I let my laughter echo as I hold onto the door, feeling her firm and warm embrace... I confess, Lily is certainly the only thing I've missed in this place."Letty! Argh, I've missed you so much!" She squeezes me even tighter, pressing our cheeks together, "Tell me everything! Tell me every detail! Where's the medal? I need to see it!""You don't even know if I won..." I giggle, and she suddenly pulls away, holding me by the arms."But I have no doubt that
It's amazing how a single week can seem so long, so frantic, and change an entire life.Seven days have passed since we arrived here in search of victory in the competitions. And today, with the gold medals around our necks, we returned to our city, to the campus I've made my home. On this bus, which drives calmly along the long roads, we expected to be celebrating our victories. But there is nothing but a deep silence, a discomfort that hangs in the air, suffocating me...All because Alice remains in hospital.The girls who were with Alice and ran away when things got complicated have isolated themselves in the back seats, without the courage to look at me directly or talk to anyone else. In fact, they seem to be afraid of me. Well, I can't blame them, I really was responsible for the incident, for the rumors that spread like wildfire. And although I haven't been directly accused of doing it, I know that it will only be a matter of time before those girls say what happened.But who w
I watch that scene with genuine surprise and awe. What I imagined I had seen at the beginning of our story is actually happening right before my eyes. The face of a wolf slowly begins to take shape, just as its muscles peel away, moving under the skin, just as I remember mine doing.Slowly, the tall, strong body leaning forward transforms, tearing even the pants it was wearing. His skin is covered in a black fur, so dark that it robs me of air. Before my eyes, Jasper transforms into a wolf so majestic and large that, inevitably, I shrink as far as I can into the bathtub, hugging my trembling body to the point where my chin quivers.Sitting on his hind legs, Jasper — or this wolf — stares at me with those bright yellow eyes. He doesn't move, not a single muscle... all I can notice is his chest rising and falling with his calm breathing.And I don't sense any hostility in him, in his gaze that seems almost... understandable?I'm still trembling while I slowly approach, resting my breast
I open my eyes, my eyelids heavy... No, actually my whole body is heavy, but it seems to sink into the warm, cozy water. Gradually, my vision gets used to it and blurs, and the scenery that has become familiar over the last week unfolds before me. I blink a few times, the light bothering me, then my eyes go down to my body submerged in the tub... and Jasper's hands rubbing my arms.I move my gaze to him, slowly, almost sleepily... my thoughts are still searching for order, I'm still trying to understand what's going on and, above all, when I got back to the hotel. So I open my strangely parched lips and try to say something, but my throat is dry, and my voice won't come out.“It's okay, Reddy...” Jasper brings his wet hand up to my face, rubbing his thumb over my cheek, as if wiping away a stain. “It's all right now.”I clear my throat, trying to swallow down the knot that's formed preventing me from expressing these doubts, and then I struggle to say, in a thin, flawed voice, “What..