Locke. Chapter Eight: In the Morning

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Chapter Eight: In the Morning

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I stayed the night with Jasper. When I woke up, I was naked and pressed against him so that my back was flush to his chest. He was holding me securely to him so that he was squeezing my waist gently, one arm under my head for my pillow. I was so comfortable. It was dark in the room, and I wasn't sure why I was awake until I heard a ringing sound.  

“Fuck off,” Jasper moaned, holding me tighter. He pushed his face against my shoulder. “I need a day off, goddamnit.” It kept ringing, ignoring his complaints. “Can’t you see that I am in bed with a beautiful woman!” I giggled quietly as his phone kept on. “No. I refuse.”

It finally stopped ringing. “They heard you,” I whispered. 

“Good,” he replied cheekily. Pulling my hair away from my neck, Jasper began to spread kisses there gently. Then it dinged several times in a row. “Motherfucker,” he mumbled against my skin. 

He pulled his arm out from underneath me, slowly getting up to go get his cell from across the room on top of the dresser with the television on it. I rolled over to look at him, the blanket falling away from my bare chest. He stopped and groaned, reaching a hand out to me playfully and pouting as he got his phone with the other. 

“Don’t look at it and come back to bed,” I offered seductively, moving the blanket off of me completely.

“Sounds good to me,” he said before beginning to stalk back towards me. It dinged again. “Dammit! I’m trying to get laid here!” 

Jasper finally picked up his phone and read his messages. His face dropped, the playfulness was instantly gone. “DAMMIT!” He shouted, his cheeks turning bright red. He dramatically threw his phone on the bed, far enough away so it wouldn’t hit me. It bounced quietly to the floor. A few seconds of silence hovered in the room. 

“Jasper?”

“Sorry, sorry, sorry,” he whispered, pinching his nose as he took in a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I need to get ready to leave.”

"Okay. Let me gather all my stuff, and then I'll help you get ready," I answered quickly. 

“I don’t need to do much. I’m always pretty much ready to go. I need to take another shower first. Um, do you want to join me?” His eyes were so sad. He was asking me to distract him, at least for a little while. 

“Yeah. I do,” I replied as I got out of the soft bed immediately. 

Most of the things that I had brought with me were arranged in a bag by my purse. My sticky clothes were shoved in with the dirty dishes. The thigh highs were probably ruined, but it was worth it. I made sure the plate was picked up off the floor, throwing the plastic utensils away.  

"Can you tell me what's wrong?" I asked gently as the water warmed up. We were standing in the bathroom. All of his toiletries were neatly lined up, ready to be packed once they were used.  

He shook his head a little. “Don’t worry about it, darlin.”

“Talking to me might make you feel a little better,” I offered. Smoothing my fingers over his shoulders, I could feel the tension in them. He shook his head again before sighing.  

“Albany,” he said quietly, looking away from me like he was ashamed. “Fourteen this time.” He was blaming himself again. 

“No!” I gasped in sadness. I hugged him tightly, pushing my face into his pec. He held me, his heartbeat thrumming against my cheek. His strong fingers massaged my scalp, playing with my curls for a moment. He kissed the top of my head, letting his lips linger for a long time before he spoke again. 

"They're obviously escalating. He's not getting the same thrill, so he has to do it more often. Torturing them for longer and in more grotesque ways." He looked up towards the ceiling, taking a deep breath. "Why would anyone do that to a child? I've studied for years, and I still don't understand how someone snaps like that." 

“I don’t know. People are insane?” I offered with a shrug. “Mental illness is too easy an excuse. Of course, they’re sick, but it’s a combination of factors that make a monster. This is such a new science. You’re at the forefront of your field! I bet you’re figuring things out now that will seem like basic stuff in two hundred years,” I tried to reassure him quickly. 

“I suppose,” he replied softly. 

I pulled him into the water, wrapping my arms around his waist once he was under the hot stream. “You will find this monster.”

His body was rigid. “I hope so. I hope I personally find him and put him down,” he almost growled. 

“Would you kill him?” I questioned. I didn’t judge him for it. If I were in his position, I probably would want to as well. 

Jasper licked his lips and then nodded once. "Yeah. If I knew it was him without a doubt, yes. But that won't happen. That's not how this whole FBI, justice, thing works." He shook his head. "I know he has had to kill more. Maybe not in Albany, but somewhere else. His kills are-" Jasper stopped himself. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't tell you this." 

“What is your job exactly? Why do you have to travel so much?” I inquired gently. “I know basically what a profiler is, but-” I stopped and shrugged. “The FBI is pretty hush-hush about these things. I’ve tried to do the research.” 

He smirked a little bit. “So, I use the evidence and the crime scene itself to create a psychological profile for both the victims and assailants. I learn as much about the victims as I can in the process,” he explained, getting quieter towards the end. “It becomes especially hard when it’s children.”

“Is this your first serial killer?” I asked next, too curious not to. 

“No,” he shook his head once more. Jasper didn’t seem bothered that I asked or that I was interested at all. “But the term doesn’t mean much really. This just feels… different,” he concluded blandly before he blew a rough breath through his lips. “I don’t know. I feel like this is going to be the next Night Stalker or whatever stupid fucking name the press dubs this dumbass. Worthless piece of shit,” he mumbled to himself as we switched places under the water. I pulled his face down for a kiss before he could get too wound up. He sighed and leaned his forehead against mine. “Thanks for last night. I needed some fun.”

"What are you thanking me for?" I laughed, grinning up at him. I got plenty out of it, and I think he knew that.   

His eyes were a little sad, the blue a little glossy. “Thank you for staying. It was nice not to sleep alone for once.” 

I felt my cheeks heat, so I turned to stick my head under the water before I answered. “Mm, I loved it. I love snuggling. I should bring some pajamas next time, though.”

"Um, no, you shouldn't," he smirked. I giggled softly. "You could just borrow my shirt if you wanted." 

I turned again, eyeing him. “If you want me to wear your shirt, all you have to do is tell me.” Jasper’s smirk grew a little as I smoothed my hands up his chest. He chuckled and blushed a little bit. He looked away and cleared his throat.  

"Your thigh highs, my shirt, bent over my knee," he said with a little bit of wanting in his voice. His fingers skimmed over my ass, drawing me into another kiss. I shivered against him. "I wish I had the time for it right now, but I fly out in three hours." 

“Next time,” I replied hopefully.

“Yes,” he said against my mouth, kissing me again. 

After our shower, I watched as he dressed in a slim-fitting dark navy blue suit with a slender steel-gray tie. He put his jacket on last, clipping his FBI badge onto his belt. I was already dressed and ready to go. It was hard not to stare openly. I bit my lip, tilting my head to the side a little as a million dirty thoughts came to mind all at once. 

He looked up and instantly knew what I was doing. Jasper smirked at me, just making me feel hotter. "What, Isabella?" 

I decided since I was caught, I would just go with it. "Goddamn, wear that for me next time. I will pay for the drycleaning," I confessed as sincerely as I could. He laughed in surprise, blushing slightly again. The man was so beautiful, and I wanted him fiercely. Just for another minute. "Kiss me one more time really good before we go." 

Jasper pulled me to him, both of his hands going to my ass so he could squeeze it tightly through the thin, light blue cotton dress that I had brought with me to change into. Gathering the fabric in his fist, the other slipped into the back of my underwear. I sighed against his mouth as he flexed his fingers.   

“How far do you live? I might have time to drive you.”

“It’s about fifteen minutes.”

He looked at his watch. “Yeah. I can do it. You ready?”

“Yes, sir,” I breathed. He growled playfully before kissing me again more forcefully. 

When he pulled up to my apartment, I leaned over and gave him a long, deep goodbye kiss because I couldn’t stop. His fingers were in my hair, holding my mouth to his for as long as possible. When Jasper pulled away, he warmly said, “thank you for submission, Isabella.” 

I knew what that meant to him and what he was saying. He struggled with his sexual desires and what they made him. When someone gave themselves over willingly, it meant something to him. He was thanking me for my trust and understanding, and maybe my unbridled enthusiasm. 

I practically melted against him. I tried to kiss him again, but he stopped me by pointing at the windshield. His face was a little concerned. We were being openly stared at by Tanya. She was wearing tight spandex running clothes and was covered in sweat, her pretty hair pulled up at the top of her head in a bun.  

“Oh! My roommate!” I mumbled in surprise. Making my eyes wide, I waved for her to go away. She pouted, crossing her arms. She wanted to meet him. “No!” I mouthed to her. She stomped her foot. 

He kind of chuckled. “I really need to go. I’m sorry.”

“Yeah. I know.” I kissed his cheek lightly, gathering my bags. “Talk to you later. Have a safe flight.”

“Aw!” She whined at me as he backed away. “But I wanna meet him! He looks cute! I can’t be sure though because it’s kinda hard to tell from the outside of a car,” she said sarcastically. 

I wasn’t going to be bothered by her. “He’s going to be a literal superhero crime-fighter. He doesn’t have time for you right now,” I replied as I walked to the door. She followed behind. 

“Aw, he’s your Superman to your Lois Lane!” She commented brightly. “Aw, it even fits because she was a writer!”

“She was a reporter, not a novelist,” I laughed a little. “No, he’s a little dark for Superman. And the only flying that he does is while in an airplane.”

“Batman?” She offered next. I just shook my head. Then my roommate shrugged. “Did Batman even have girlfriends? I don’t think I know any other superheroes.”

“So you’re a DC fangirl?” I joked. 

“What?” She looked at me blankly. 

“Nevermind,” I shook my head again. “I don’t know, but he’s amazing.”

"So, is it getting serious?" She asked as she unlocked the front door. "You've gone out a few times now, and you talk constantly." 

I couldn’t look at her. “We’ve only seen each other four times.”

“Over a couple of months.” I shrugged again. “You really like this guy,” Tanya concluded.  

"Yeah, I do," I responded sleepily. I wouldn't deny that fact. It would be impossible to, anyway. "I'm going to bed," I said as I trudged towards my bedroom. 

“Didn’t get any sleep last night?” She asked with a smirk. 

“A little, but it obviously wasn’t enough,” I told her honestly. Tanya could tease me if she wanted, but I was too happy and relaxed to care. “Goodnight.”

“Goodmorning!” She called back. 

“Yeah. Whatever.” 

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