Alyssa squealed as a powerful force gripped her arm, pulling her into an embrace. She collided with Jasperâs chest, feeling the warmth of his frenzied breath atop her head.
A surge of warmth enveloped her.
He hugged her tightly and heavily. It all felt strange yet familiar to her.
He was perhaps worried she might twist her ankle from wearing high heels. So, he cinched his grip around her waist.
His grasp was firm, charged with a mixture of complex emotions. On the one hand, he wanted to protect her; on the other hand, he worried she might escape.
âJasper Beckett, how did you get in?â Her cheeks were flushed with anger as she struggled to free herself.
âLandon said the security hereâs tight, and it will take some effort to get in,â Jasper said in a raspy, nonchalant tone, his gaze narrowing as he looked at her.
Navigating past the hotel security was a breeze for the top graduate of the military school.
Ever since assuming the presidency of the Beckett Group, he had his staff taking care of all aspects of his life. Hence, he never had the opportunity to showcase his skills.
Meeting Alyssa was the only time he had to exert extra effort.
âYou stealthy little devil!â Alyssa clenched her teeth and indignantly stepped on his feet, only for him to evade her attack and press her against the wall.
Their gazes met in an electrifying moment.
He took advantage of the rare encounter and greedily traced the contours of her face.
âWhat the hell are you gawking at? Never seen me before?â she cussed, her ears reddening from the anger.
âYou have put on weight,â he commented, eyes still on her. He couldnât help but grin at her chubby cheeks, which used to be bony.
Put on weight?
She was astonished by his remark.
âDid I upset you? Gaining weight is actually good for you. You were too thin before, and you felt bony to remark come across as proper.
Her face turned a deeper shade of red. Eyes widening, she gave him a slap across the face.
He felt the burn on his cheek and grabbed her right wrist. A slap mark had appeared on his face, like a stamp of humiliation.
He confronted her, âIs this how you treat a man who helped you? Iâm not asking for a âthank you,â but you shouldnât throw punches at me every time we meet.â
âWhy should I thank you? For pressuring Abigail into testifying against Betty?â
She huffed and puffed, her eyes taking on a charming crescent shape. Even her taunting smile held an enchanting allure.
Alyssa retorted, âDonât be shameless. If anything, you should be thanking me. Donât you think I should get some credit for enabling you to defeat Betty with Abigailâs testimony? You wouldnât have achieved that if I hadnât worked on Abigail earlier!â
âAlyssa Taylor!â He was stoked by her pointed words and felt anger rise in his chest. âI just⦠wanted to see you.â
âBut I donât!â Her left hand remained trapped in his grip. She also realized she couldnât overpower a man with special forces training.
Instead, she tried to sneak her other hand into her shirt pocket to call Sean with her phone.
He immediately saw through her plan and grabbed her other hand.