Chapter 18 Preview

Well, all, here's a peek at chapter 18, which has a couple of things you've all been waiting for.

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He rose, kicking his pants across the small room and stalked naked to the bathroom, knowing Emmett was at Rose’s, and got a cloth damp with warm water. Along with a dry towel, Jasper returned to his room where Edward was sitting on the bed, having unfolded out of his crouch, pain clearly written on his features. Before he returned to the bed he pulled two clean pairs of boxers from his drawer and laid them at the end of the bed.

“You’re hurting,” Jasper said softly as he gently wiped Edward clean. His lover’s eyes were tightly closed, lines radiating from the lids. They should have been laugh lines, not lines of pain on a man so young.

“I’ll be okay, “Edward whispered. A small crooked smile graced his lips. “It was worth it.”

Jasper laughed quietly, shaking his head. He kissed Edward softly and dried him off before quickly wiping himself down. He tossed the towels toward the hamper and joined Edward on the bed, sitting perpendicular to him so Edward’s legs were across Jasper’s lap. He began to slowly massage Edward’s right leg, not using a lot of pressure, mostly just running his warm hands over the limb.

Edward sighed softly. “That feels familiar.”

Jasper smiled fondly. “When you were ill, you were shifting around a lot in your sleep. I didn’t want to wake you up to take pain medication, but you seemed to calm down a bit when I did this,” he explained. “Is it helping?”

Edward nodded. “It helps me relax, which eases the pain somewhat.”

Jasper leaned over and kissed him again softly. “What else can I do?”

Edward took a deep breath and let it out slowly, his eyes opening and focusing clearly on Jasper. “Nothing.” He smiled softly. “It’s bearable now.”