Owned (Office Intrigue Book 8) by Nicole Edwards (bill gates book recommendations txt) 📕

I was careful to remain perfectly still, not wanting to wake him. He looked so peaceful in sleep.

Memories of last night came back, hardening my body as the replay took hold.

Me and Jasper.

The two of us.

Only the two of us.

None of what happened last night had been planned, but then again, most of our relationship had been that way. I had known he wanted to talk when I saw him standing on my porch, but that was the last thing I wanted. Not with the way we’d left things between us at the clinic. After that enticing role play, Jasper had walked out on me, left me without a word.

I’d fucked up.

But so had he.

And not just this time. The last time, too. All those memories had come flooding back. The times we’d shared, the way things had ended. The pain I’d felt because my heart had shattered when I’d lost him. For the longest time, I’d thought I would never get over him. And then he was right back in my life, filling my world with light and warmth when I’d been convinced it was no longer an option for me.

Jasper didn’t even realize he held all the power here. Always had.

Without thinking, I tightened my arms around him, grateful he was there, warm and solid and in my arms where he belonged.

“Morning,” he said in that gruff early-morning voice.

“Please tell me you don’t have to be at the clinic,” I answered, kissing the back of his neck, his shoulder.

He lifted his head, presumably to look at the clock.

“Not for another hour.”

“Good.”

“Ransom … we need to talk.”

I nodded, my chin brushing his shoulder. “We do.”

Despite that agreement, neither of us said a word. Minutes ticked by, and I continued to hold him, trying to get closer, scared to let him go because I feared it would be the last time I had this opportunity. I’d already been through losing him once; I wasn’t sure I’d survive it again.

“I didn’t pursue other avenues,” Jasper finally said.

It took a second for the words to compute. When they did, I went stone still.

“That Dominatrix you thought I was with … I wasn’t. Her name was Rebecca Dunn.”

I listened, not saying a word. Hell, I wasn’t sure I was even breathing.

“She was actually a doctor at the hospital I was doing my internship at. I’d seen her at the club and she’d evidently seen me, because she approached me during one of my shifts, struck up a conversation. Nothing salacious, but I could tell she was flirting.”

He paused for a moment, but I didn’t interrupt. Couldn’t.

“The flirting increased while we were at the hospital. It seemed I was always running into her, and she would take advantage of it, asking me to have dinner, inviting me out for happy hour. I always said no, but I was polite about it. I couldn’t risk her getting angry. Like I said, I was just an intern.”

Which meant he was the lowest rung on the ladder.

“She had actually asked me to go to the club that night, but I told her I couldn’t. Then when I went to your place, you decided we were going. She thought I was there for her, that I’d changed my mind. When you saw us … she was praising me for something, getting a little touchy-feely.”

I remembered. I’d found the two of them talking, both smiling. Her hands had been on his chest, and I’d felt a surge of anger so powerful it had actually scared me at the time.

“She made me uncomfortable,” Jasper continued. “I tried to tell her I was with you, but she steamrolled right over me. I think she believed we were role-playing.”

“Why didn’t you say something?”

Jasper’s muscles tightened. “Because you didn’t give me a chance. You … you just assumed I was interested.”

There was no way to deny it. I had believed he was interested, and I’d accused him of wanting her, refusing to listen to reason.

His voice was softer when he said, “You hurt me that night, Ransom. More than anyone in my life ever had.”

I swallowed the hot ball of emotion that formed in my throat, but before I could say anything, he continued.

“I’d already been battling my emotions because I couldn’t understand why you wouldn’t introduce me to your sister. Why I had to be your dirty little secret. It never made sense, it—”

Stopping him cold, I said, “She was the secret, Jasper. Not you.” I propped up on my elbow, rolled Jasper to his back so I could look in his eyes. “I wanted nothing more than to introduce you to Braelyn, but … I couldn’t take that risk. Not with my parents looking for us.”

“You could’ve told me,” he said, his eyes boring into me. “I would’ve understood.”

“You weren’t even supposed to know I had a sister,” I bit out. “No one was. Until Talon, no one with the exception of Zeke knew. The only reason he did is because we were friends in high school. He knew before.”

For fuck’s sake. Had this all been a ridiculous misunderstanding?

“I loved you,” Jasper whispered. “More than anything. I was so young, so naive. I didn’t understand why you wouldn’t let me into your life.”

I had wanted to. More than anything, but I couldn’t. Not at the time.

“It broke me when you accused me of wanting someone else,” he stated. “I used that, though. The excuse. I let you think that, because deep down, I was angry that you kept me at arm’s length.”

“Why’d you leave the hospital?” I asked, remembering how I’d gone there in an attempt to salvage what we had. They’d told me he no longer worked there.

“Dr. Dunn,” he said, swallowing hard. “She stalked me after that. When I refused her, it got ugly. I told her I would report her if she didn’t stop. Before I could, she went to the chief of staff, told her I’d been stealing meds.” His eyes went hard. “I