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Chapter Forty

"Utah in January? Was I friggin' outta my mind?"

Jasper laughed. He grabbed my hands and blew on them.

"We have three more shows before you go back to being a normal girl," he reminded me.

I smiled. "I'm normal?"

Jas leaned close; his lips brushed against mine. "Okay, so normal's overrated."

He pulled away, reached up and brought down my guitar.

"Time for a lesson."

I groaned. "Jas, I suck."

His lips twitched. "Trust me, you suck with the best of them. But, I'm not letting you give up after six lessons." I puckered my lips. Five of the six lessons had ended up in a hot makeout session. I scooted closer.

"Okay."

Jas slung the guitar strap around my neck. I held out my hands and he positioned them on the strings. I shivered happily as he crawled behind me, his arms aligned with my own.

"Let's warm up with some chords," he said.

I fumbled along with the strings. I didn't know how Jas's fingers could fly so fast...

Then again, I knew how well his fingers worked.

"Let's try Born to Be Wild," he said.

My rendition of Born to Be Wild ended up sounding like Mary Had a Little Lamb. Jas started laughing. He brushed my hair off the nape of my neck. My fingers missed the next chord entirely as his lips pressed against my skin.

"How is it," I said distractedly. "How is it that I can sound so bad and you still get so turned on by it?"

The hum he let out vibrated to my core. "I have a thing for girls and instruments. And girls and motor oil."

I laughed. "Are you saying that if I changed my own tire or something that you'd find that hot?"

His arms slid around my waist. "Very."

I snorted. "So I just need to get greasy?"

His fingers slid under my shirt and splayed across my abdomen. "Greasy's good."

"Am I still playing this song?" I asked. My head fell back against his shoulder.

"You were playing a song?"

I let out a squeak. "Jasper!"

He laughed. His hand squeezed my right breast. My left was obscured by the tilt of the guitar. His mouth sucked greedily on my neck.

"Y'know we never get farther than this," I said. "Maybe that's why I'm not getting any better."

"You're getting better," Jas murmured.

I pulled away, slipped the strap off my neck, and propped the guitar on the ground. I turned around and straddled his waist. His hands slid into the back of my jeans pockets. Our lips met hungrily.

"What am I gonna do without you?" he whispered. His took my bottom lip between his teeth. My eyes closed momentarily; my hands drifted down his chest.

"Move to Florida, get an apartment, and give guitar lessons," I said. He laughed.

"You think for one minute your dad would let you visit my apartment?" Jas asked.

I wiggled against his hardened lap. His eyes unfocused for a second.

"When I get my apartment you can come over anytime you want."

Jas licked his lips. My hands ran over his zipper without pulling it down. He took his hands out of my jean pockets and slid them right into the back of my jeans. His hands grabbed my ass and lifted me slightly.

"That's at least a year away," he whispered. I pressed my lips against his Adam's apple. His head fell back and he moaned.

I wiggled away from his hands and sank to my knees. Slowly I brought his zipper down. His hands got a grip on my hair. And I got a grip on his...

-------------------------------------------------

"Portland, this is my last show. Can you believe it?"

I bounded across the stage and leapt onto one of my amps.

"Thank you for coming out tonight. I can't wait to come back again with some new music. Would you guys like that?"

The waving arms told me the answer was a resounding yes.

I looked over at Jasper. He stuck his tongue out at me. I laughed.

"There ya go makin' my heartbeat again, heartbeat again," I sang teasingly. The crowd went wild.

We ended with Stuck Like Glue. I bounded offstage to a snowshower of confetti.

The tour was over. At least until summer. My horizons were widening; there was talk about Australia...Japan...

I grabbed a towel. A cold bottle of water against my back made me jump.

"Here," Jasper said. He looked around, kissed my temple, and hurried towards the band's shower area. I unscrewed the lid, downed the water and walked into my dressing room.

There were flowers everywhere. They hadn't been there when I first went on stage. I stared in amazement.

I walked around slowly and checked each vase for a card. I couldn't find one. With my suspicions raised, I walked into my shower.

A bouquet of roses was dangling off of the shower head. I saw a sparkle. I pulled the bouquet down and plucked out the shiny object.

Circular. Silver. A ring.

I held it up to the light. It was a heart-shaped ring dotted with three small diamond chips in the center.

Size seven.

I didn't need a card. I knew exactly who was responsible. I set the ring and the flowers aside and stepped under the shower spray. I had never showered so quickly. I wrapped a towel around my body, piled my hair underneath another towel and picked up the ring and flowers.

I walked into my dressing room, sat on the couch, and picked up my phone. Two minutes later I heard a knock on the door. I opened it a crack and stared up at Jasper. He smiled.

"You rang?"

I grabbed his wrist and pulled him inside. He laughed. The moment I closed the door I smacked his chest.

"What is all this?"

"An end-of-tour surprise!" he said. He backed up before I could hit him again.

I turned around and picked up the ring. "And this?"

His grin was palpable. "An I-Love-You ring," he said softly.

I stared down at the tiny circle. I sniffled. "I really like it," I said.

"I can tell. I think you left a bruise."

The towel slid down over my eyes, but right before it did, I could see him rubbing his chest in mock pain. He walked over and pulled the towel back up. His fingers brushed under my chin and lifted it. He kissed me softly. I clung to the ring for dear life.

After a lingering moment he pulled away. "Does it fit?" he asked.

I opened my palm. The ring practically smiled up at me. "I dunno."

He plucked it up. He turned my hand around and wiggled my ringfinger playfully. With a smile, he slid it on.

Perfect.

Tears welled in my eyes. "It's beautiful."

"Well, so are you."

I sighed and wrapped my arms around his waist. He hugged me tightly.

"Did you find the chain too?"

I looked up. The damn hair towel slipped down again. "Chain?"

"I figured you might want to wear it around your neck if we're keeping on the down low. I got a long chain. That way I'll always be between your boobs."

I laughed. I could so totally see Jasper loving that thought.

"I didn't see it," I said.

Jas walked around the room looking in the bouquets. He finally found the long silver chain in a bouquet over by the couch. He came over and slipped it around my neck; in the process, he just happened to loosen my towel. It floated to my feet.

"Whoops," he said unconvincingly. His fingers brushed down my stomach and around my navel. My breath caught.

"How many more months until you're eighteen?" he asked in a strangled tone.

"Fourteen."

'Fuck' he mouthed silently. He bent down, picked up my towel, and wrapped it back around me.

"Get dressed," he said. "We'll hit IHop."

I clung to the terrycloth, silently cursing my parents for not having me a year sooner. The chain felt nice around my neck; the ring felt even better on my finger. I knew I was going to have to slip it off before I walked out of the room.

But I was never gonna let it go.