Chosen By My Mate's Father-in-law novel Chapter 90

[Jasmine's POV]

The first thing I heard when I opened my eyes was the spray of water. Dazed, I looked around at the unfamiliar room. The smell of sandalwood embraced me like a warm hug. Then, everything came back to me all at once.

Isabella and I being kidnapped, the disgusting rogues, the lust drug, Elliot saving Isabella, Gareth saving me, and then losing my virginity to the Lycan King.

My heart lifted, and a large grin bloomed across my face. Spending the night with Gareth had been the best experience I'd ever had. Hands down. Just remembering Gareth's insistent yet gentle touch and the feeling of being filled by him made me shiver with pleasure.

Recalling the tender way he had looked at me made me flush. We had connected not just physically but emotionally. My body was practically singing with energy from the amazing night of sleep. I'd never been this well-rested. Honestly, after the intense connection, multiple orgasms, and the best night's sleep ever, I felt like a whole new woman.

I snuggled closer into the pillows that held Gareth's scent. I couldn't wait for him to come back to bed. Maybe he would want to make love again. Honestly, I'd be content with just having him hold me.

I sat there for a few moments and replayed my favorite moments from last night.

What would Gareth and I do after we finally got out of bed? Maybe have breakfast…

My smile faded as I imagined Michelle or Isabella seeing me sneak out of their father's room.

I put a hand to my mouth as my eyes widened with panic. What had I done? Sleeping with Gareth Laken had just made my already complicated life even more of a mess.

Technically, I was his employee. Michelle wouldn't appreciate her tutor sleeping with her dad. My heart panged as I imagined hurt shining in her emerald green eyes. To complicate matters even more, Gareth was my ex-mate's future father-in-law. Something I was aware of last night, but this fact didn't seem to matter to me much when my mind was clouded with lust.

But now, with a clear head, I knew that it mattered.

It mattered a great deal.

Isabella and I had also grown to be friends. She seemed to trust me, and I believed that I was one of her only friends who didn't use her for her father's status.

How would she feel if she found out I was sleeping with her dad?

Hurt? Betrayed? Probably both.

Axel's handsome face swam to the forefront of my mind. Something was growing between us. It was true that I didn't feel the same intense connection with him that I did with Gareth, but a relationship with Axel would be far less complicated.

I groaned, and my head fell into my hands.

To top everything off, I shouldn't even be focusing on having a romantic relationship right now. My dad was in prison, my mom was fading away before my eyes without her mate, and I needed to focus on school and making money to support my family.

Just thinking about all of my current problems made my head spin with anxiety.

With regret, I realized that I couldn't sleep with Gareth again. I couldn't implode my life just because of the intense connection that we seemed to share.

Right when I came to that conclusion, the shower shut off.

My stomach swooped as I heard the faint sound of whistling coming from the bathroom. A moment later, Gareth emerged in a cloud of warm steam.

He had only a towel around his waist, and my mouth dried as I took in his muscled body. Water dripped down the ridges of his powerful muscles, and his silver-streaked hair was slicked back.

Gareth was the most handsome man I'd ever seen.

All of my reasons for breaking things off between us jumped out of my head. The only thing I could think about was the pleasure he had elicited from my body.

His words hung in the air, and bile rose to my throat when I digested them.

Why didn't he just slap me in the face? That would have hurt less.

"You need to leave," he continued, not meeting my gaze. "You have a job to do. It's not like Michelle can tutor herself." His voice was ice cold, and it chilled the room, making me shiver. "Let me get you some clothes to change into."

He disappeared into his closet and came back out holding a black shirt and gray shorts.

Awkwardly, I grabbed the clothes and wrapped the sheet around my body. In the bathroom, I combed my hair with my fingers, rinsed my mouth out with mouthwash, and put on Gareth's oversized clothes.

All the while, there was a hollow pit in my stomach.

When I exited the bathroom, Gareth was on his phone and didn't look up at me.

"Goodbye, Gareth," I murmured.

All he did was give me a short nod.

As I walked past him, my heart ached with regret.

My body was screaming at me to stay by his side, but my rational mind knew that I couldn't. I had to break things off between us, even if it was one of the hardest things I'd ever done. That was the only way to ensure I didn't ruin my life.

Gently, I closed his bedroom door behind me with a small click. That noise sounded a lot like my heart breaking.