Page 92 of A Secret In The Garden

He moved his arm up to wipe his eyes and grabbed my hand, pulling it against his warm, smooth chest.

“She brought you to me. I know it.” His dark eyes poured into me, heavy and full of emotion. “Without you fighting me to work on the conservatory, none of this would have happened, and I’d still hate her. I’d never know the truth about what really happened.”

My eyes began to water, and I was instantly grateful for the darkness of the room. “And you don’t hate Darius anymore?”

He was quiet for a second. “I don’t hate either one of them. I’m still upset. My father did so many things wrong, but I’ve always considered Sowerby to be my dad and I think that softens the blow for me. He gave up so much for me. I know now that it wasn’t my mother’s choice to leave me. She did the best she could.”

“What are they going to do about Darius? Do you think you’ll have anything to do with him now?” I asked.

“On the way to the hospital, he really came unraveled. He’s not doing well. It doesn’t change anything that I went through or make it any better, but I don’t think he’s been okay for a long time. In a way, I think things potentially could have been worse for both of us if he’d stayed. I don’t know what’s going to happen between him and me but knowing everything that I do now…I don’t think I can hate him anymore.”

He shifted again, turning back to me and reaching his hand out to graze my arm.

“I’m sorry about the corpse flower, the garden, and all your hard work,” he murmured.

“Yeah.” I sank in on myself, torn with sadness and anger at what had happened to the beautiful plants. “Everyone at Pinehurst is pretty upset. I’m still going to see if I can salvage some seeds or corms from the corpse flowers, but it doesn’t really matter. I sold them the ghost orchid you gave me and quit.”

He stilled. “Eliza, I know how important your independence is to you, but you don’t need the plants; I’ll buy the whole fucking botanical garden and fire every single one of their asses. Better yet, I’ll put you in charge and you can fire them. Say the word, and it’s done. You don’t need them.”

My heart flipped, and a small, odd-sounding giggle released out of me. Never had I felt so protected and…loved. I knew he would do the same thing for Katya or Leah because that was just the type of man he was, but still, I was part of something special, a family, and in a way, that meant more to me than anything else.

“I’m not sure why you’re laughing,” he said with a wide, gorgeous smile. “I will destroy them.”

“Don’t do that.”

When he didn’t say anything, I turned to look at him.

He lay on his side, staring at me hard, deep in thoughts I wish I could know.

I scooted myself closer and tucked myself against him, my head under his chin, wishing I could pause time and stay here forever.

“Eliza, there’s one more thing you need to know.”

I moved my head up on his pillow so I could easily look at him.

Slowly, he bent his head and softly brushed his lips against mine before pressing them harder against me. Sparks shot through my body, and I pressed into the kiss, melting us together. I felt his hand brush my hair away from my face, his actions so different from the possessive, rough touches like before. Our lips pressed with need as though our lives depended on it. Like if we separated, one of us would vanish forever.

The emotions deepened with every passing second until they swelled inside my chest. My hands moved and held his face, needing every inch of my skin to touch his and the safety of him.

He broke the kiss, pulling back just enough to pour his gaze into mine.

“I’m in love with you,” he whispered with a low voice.

If this is a dream, let me sleep forever.

He kissed me again with what felt like every feeling the world couldn’t hold.

“And I love you,” I breathed. It felt like someone had opened the cage door and I’d been set free.

When we kissed again, it was unrestrained.

Jasper’s hands slid up the skin of my back under my shirt, sparking a match and igniting my blood. My skin hummed where his hands had touched me—like his fingerprints had pressed permanently into me. His gaze dragged over my body like he was relearning every inch.

There was a calm in him now, but not stillness. Never stillness. Even now, in the quiet, his presence vibrated with intensity. He continued to touch me without a word, tracing the dip of my waist, the soft underside of my thigh. His fingers stopped between my legs, and he dragged them over me.

My breath caught.

He didn’t smile. Didn’t tease. Just watched me. Possessive and quiet.