“Shall we?” he said, gesturing at the ground.
“We shall,” Ariana replied giddily.
They sat next to each other, and Jasper reached around for the bottle of champagne he’d stashed nearby. He popped the top, and Ariana squealed as foam sprayed out, soaking one of the blankets near their feet.
“Sorry about that,” Jasper said, looking not at all sorry.
“I’ll bet,” Ariana replied, gently wiping her toes with her fingertips.
“I’ve been thinking,” Jasper said, holding the bottle between them. “You should come to my soccer game on Friday.”
Ariana pulled a baffled face. “And why would I want to do that?”
Jasper lifted a shoulder. “Because I am excellent at soccer. If you saw me play you wouldn’t be able to resist me.”
“You’d be surprised at my capacity for self-control,” Ariana replied smoothly, even though just being this close to him was making her nerves sizzle and her mouth water.
Jasper didn’t respond. He simply smirked, as if he knew she was exaggerating. “Also, I think you should come home with me for Thanksgiving next week.”
Ariana blinked, unable to contain her surprise. Thanksgiving was big. Thanksgiving was the kind of holiday one only attended if things were serious. “Really?”
“Yeah. I mean . . . with your grandmother gone and everything . . . it might be a little depressing to go home,” Jasper said. “And we have a huge party. My family comes from all over, and we cook all weekend and eat and drink and dance. You’d love it.”
“Nothing depressing about that,” Ariana replied with a smile.
She hadn’t even thought about where she might go when the school closed down for Thanksgiving break. But now she realized it might be nice to go down south. Almost like going to her real home. And she’d never gotten the chance to meet Jasper’s parents over the weekend.
“Okay,” she said, feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. “I’ll think about it.” She glanced down at the open champagne bottle. “Are we going to be drinking that anytime soon?”
Jasper smiled. He brought the bottle to his lips, taking a long drink. Then he offered it to her.
“What? No glasses?” Ariana asked.
“Afraid you’re going to catch my cooties?” Jasper asked, raising one eyebrow.
“Oh, I think we’re well beyond that,” Ariana said.
Normally not one for drinking and the surrender of control that inevitably occurred, Ariana decided this was a special occasion. She took the bottle from him and allowed herself one good sip. When she lowered it again, she looked at Jasper, holding his gaze, then licked the tingling liquid from her lips.
Jasper smiled slowly. “You know exactly what you’re doing, don’t you, Ana Covington?”
“Always,” Ariana replied.
And then she leaned forward and kissed him. And as Jasper turned toward her, as he slipped one hand around her neck and the other inside her coat and over her flat stomach, something flipped inside Ariana, and she just let herself go. She stopped thinking. Stopped planning. Stopped wondering what it would all mean. Stopped wondering how she would break up with Palmer. For once she just let herself feel.
She felt his lips pressing firmly against hers. Felt the cold touch of his hand as it slid beneath her shirt and lay against her warm skin. Felt her body arching toward his, wanting to know every single inch of him. When his lips left hers and trailed over her cheek, down her neck and onto her shoulder, she felt as if she might explode with happiness.
Jasper knew what he was doing. It was as if he knew exactly where she wanted to be kissed. Exactly how she wanted to be kissed.
“I’ve wanted to do this since I first saw you,” Jasper whispered in her ear, sending delicious shivers down her spine.
“When did you first see me?” Ariana breathed, her eyes closed, her leg wrapping around his waist.
“The first day here. Out on the quad when we got our colors. You were with your friends, and you looked so damned gorgeous,” he said, gasping for air as he kissed her. “Every second since then I’ve been dreaming about this.”
Ariana brought her mouth down on his and kissed him like she’d never kissed anyone before.
Suddenly Jasper pulled back. One hand cupped her face and the other was on her thigh. His lips were pink and raw, and his breath was quick, but he seemed suddenly, perfectly serious. He looked into Ariana’s eyes, his own so clear they were almost startling.