Secret Words

(Secret Dreams Book 1)

By Miranda P. Charles

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. No part of this book may be

reproduced, transmitted, downloaded or distributed in any form without the express

permission of the author, and it may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you

would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for

each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased

for your use only, please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank

you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, locations, organisations and events

described in this novel are either products of the author's imagination, fictitious or are

used fictitiously. Any resemblance to any event, locale or person, living or dead, is purely

coincidental.

http://www.mirandapcharles.com

Other Books by Miranda P. Charles

Will To Love (Lifestyle by Design Book 1)

Heart Robber (Lifestyle by Design Book 2)

Ray of Love (Lifestyle by Design Book 3)

Secret Designs (Secret Dreams Book 2)

Secret Moves (Secret Dreams Book 3)

SECRET WORDS BOOK DESCRIPTION

A steamy and sweet stand-alone novel that will touch the core of your heart.

When Jasmine Allen met Kane Summers in the unlikeliest of places, she wasn't expecting
the swift and immediate attraction she felt for him. But Jasmine had a secret she wasn't
at all comfortable sharing with anyone, least of all, the hunky guy who was literally
sweeping her off her feet.

Kane Summers was a sucker for damsels in distress. When he found himself wanting to
protect Jasmine Allen in more ways than one, the instant chemistry they had for each
other hit him squarely in the chest. But Kane's life was complicated, and he wasn't totally
free to act on the fascination he felt for her.

Kane and Jasmine were fighting a losing battle to stay away from each other. But
circumstances--and certain people--beyond their control were very much intent on
keeping them apart.

How could they find their way past secrets and malicious intents to nurture a love that, if
given the chance, could last a lifetime?

This is a stand-alone novel that would give you enjoyment on its own. However, to
enhance your of the Secret Dreams Series, the author recommends reading them in
order.

Secret Dreams Series

Book 1: Secret Words (Jasmine Allen and Kane Summers)

Book 2: Secret Designs (Ari Mitchell and Dylan Summers)
Book 3: Secret Moves (Kristen McCann and Trey Andrews)

Book 4: Secret Tastes (Samantha Lane and Adam Craig)

CHAPTER ONE

"No, no, no!" Jasmine Allen cried softly as she stared at the bold handwritten 'Out of

Order' sign stuck to the door of the ladies' bathroom. Hoping against hope that a

prankster put up the notice, she twisted the knob. Locked. Damn it!

Had she known that the car trip to Sydney's Royal National Park would take more

than two hours, courtesy of the broken-down truck that created a traffic jam on the main

highway, she wouldn't have drunk all that lemon and ginger tea for her sore throat before

they left her sister's home.

She squinted at the map someone pinned to the door showing the directions to the

nearest available ladies' room. It indicated it was about a five-minute walk away. But

with her bladder close to bursting, she didn't have five minutes.

Well, there's the men's room, she thought desperately.

She walked around the small red brick building that stood amongst gum trees and

chirping birds, hidden from the view of the picnic area where her sister Jessa, her fiancé

Rob, and their friends were gathered for Rob's birthday.

She tried to listen for sounds from inside the men's restroom but couldn't hear

anything. With fingers crossed that no one was inside, she cautiously placed her hand on

the door to push it.

She let out a short yelp as the door was yanked open from the inside. Her eyes

opened wide as they landed on a dark-haired man whose blue eyes stared back at her in

horrified surprise.

Jasmine's mind went blank, forgetting for a moment why she was there. There was

no other way to describe the man in front of her. He was a total hunk. She gaped at him

for a long second, until her body reminded her she needed to go. Now.

"I think the ladies' room is around the corner to your right," Mr. Hunk said,

seemingly recovered from his shock.

"It's out of order," she squeaked as she shoved him out of the way and ran for one

of the cubicles.

Relief flooded her as she let go, followed by a sense of acute embarrassment. Did

she just rudely push someone so she could go to the toilet? In the men's room? She felt

her face burn. The fact that the guy she jostled was mega-hot and attractive didn't help

her dignity and sense of femininity.

She finished her business and crept out of the cubicle, relieved that no one came in

while she was there and disappointed that Mr. Hunk was gone. Well, what was she

expecting? That he'd wait around for her?

She thought of blue eyes that belonged to a handsome face as she washed her

hands. Maybe he was here on a picnic, too. If he used this particular bathroom, he must

be hanging around close to her group's spot. Didn't her sister say they chose this part of

the park because it was a lot quieter? A smile formed on her face at the possibility of

bumping into him again.

The sound of male voices coming from outside prodded her to hurry up and leave

the room she wasn't supposed to be in. She hastily turned towards the door, eager to get

out, when she felt her left foot slip from underneath her.

"Oww!" She landed on her butt awkwardly, her arms thankfully managing to stop

her upper body and head from hitting the floor.

Gingerly, she braced herself up and tried to stand. Pain shot up from her ankle and

her face contorted in an ugly wince just as the door flung open. To her delight and

chagrin, there he was again. Mr. Hunk. How freaking embarrassing!

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Uh, I think so. I didn't notice the puddle."

"Here, let me help you up." Her knight in sexy blue jeans leaned down to give her a

hand.

She smiled her thanks as she accepted his assistance.

"Ahem," a voice intruded, causing her to look away from Mr. Hunk's handsome face

to find a middle-aged man poking his head inside the restroom.

"Excuse me. May I go in now?" the man asked.

"Yes," Mr. Hunk answered. "Thanks for waiting."

She gave her new friend a quizzical look.

"I told him not to go in until you came out," he explained.

"You were guarding the door for me?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. I thought you might need a little privacy while you invaded the men's room,"

he said with a teasing grin.

"Thanks. That's very kind of you."

"No worries. There's not many people around in this part of the park and a pretty

girl like you shouldn't be found in the men's room. It always pays to be careful," he said

quietly, then turned his head towards the cubicles. "Not that I think you're dangerous,

sir," he called out loudly to the older man.

"I understand," the other guy responded.

"Aahh," she cried softly as she put weight on her left foot.

"Your ankle?" her knight asked.

"Yes, I must have sprained it." Her eyes watered from the pain and the predicament

she found herself in. She prayed her ankle wasn't too bad. Her sister's wedding was next

week and she didn't want to be a limping bridesmaid on the day.

"Where do you need to go?" he asked.

"To the sink first. I need to wash my hands again."

Her heart raced as a muscular arm went around her waist as he helped her hobble

to the washbasin.

"Why don't I help you walk back to wherever you need to be?" he offered. "You

probably shouldn't be putting much weight on that foot."

"How do I know you're not dangerous?" she asked with a smile that conveyed she

was joking. She felt safe with him already. But was that being too naive?

He laughed out loud. "How about I introduce myself first? My name's Kane and I

work for Krand Architects. I'm definitely not an axe murderer."

"Where's your proof?" she asked with a mock frown.

He took his wallet from his back pocket and fished out a business card. "Here. See?

Ar-chi-tect," he said with exaggerated enunciation as he pointed to the title 'Director and

Head Architect'.

She chuckled at his playfulness and snatched the card from him. "Glad to meet you,

Kane … Summers? Are you related to Faye Summers?"

"Yes," Kane replied in surprise. "I'm her oldest brother."

Oh. She checked him out with new eyes. She could now see the resemblance

between him and Faye—one of her sister's best friends—especially their blue eyes and

the fact that they were both extremely good-looking.

"And you are …?" Kane prodded.

"Oh, I'm Jasmine Allen."

He lifted his eyebrows. "You're Jessa's younger sister?"

"Yes."

He grinned at her. "Well, then, now you know for sure I'm not an axe murderer. You

live in Melbourne, right? When did you arrive?"

"Yesterday. I'm here for five weeks."

"Wow, that's a good length of time to be away from work. What do you do?"

"I'm a corporate trainer. My boss wants me to consider moving here to Sydney to fill

a position that will be vacant in three months. Since I have plenty of annual leave up my

sleeve, I thought I'd take it now so I could see if I'd like living in Sydney while I house-sit

for Jessa and Rob when they go on their honeymoon. Plus, I also wanted to come early

for Rob's birthday. Speaking of which, we should head back to the party."

As Kane escorted her out of the men's room, she tried to hide the wince that formed

on her face. She was in more pain than she would like to admit.

"Do you think I should carry you?" Kane asked tentatively.

"Ah, no. I think that would be too awkward," she replied, her cheeks turning pink.

The thought of being in his arms heated her up all over and made her heart pound hard.

This guy was doing crazy things to her system.

"Okay," Kane said. "But you shouldn't use your left foot at all until you've had it

checked by a doctor. Hang on to me and I'll help you hop along with your right foot."

"Thanks." She put her right arm around his shoulders as he kept a tight grip around

her waist and held her against his side.

Whoa, this position won't help me cool down. Not at all.

"I hope I can walk all right by next week," she babbled, keen to distract herself from

her ridiculous physical reaction to this man. "I wouldn't want to ruin Jessa and Rob's big

day by being on crutches during their wedding."

"I'm sure you'll be fine as long as you don't do silly things while your ankle's

healing," he consoled her.

Yes, just continue to hold me and I'll be fine.

She decided not to respond in case something totally inappropriate came out of her

mouth.

Jasmine exhaled her disappointment when they neared the place where the rest of their

group was busy barbecuing, chatting and laughing. Kane Summers would have to let go

of her soon.

She couldn't understand it. Why this intense attraction? He might be one hell of a

looker, but he was just one of the many handsome guys she knew. What made him the

most magnetic of them all?

"Nearly there," Kane said.

She wanted to swoon at the husky tone of his voice. Instead, she forced herself to

focus on keeping her left foot raised while she hopped with her right.

"Jaz! What happened?" She looked up to see Jessa's worried face.

"I slipped and sprained my ankle," she answered.

"Oh, no! Are you okay? Where did you slip? In the bathroom?"

"Yes," she responded in a small voice.

Their group gathered around them, wanting to see what was wrong.

"It's just a sprained ankle, guys. Please don't worry," Jasmine pleaded.

"Maybe we should take you to a doctor," Rob said.

"Rob, seriously, I'm fine. I'll just put my foot up and relax. Please carry on with your

party. You'll only make me feel bad if you fuss over me."

"You sure?"

"Yes. Please." She looked around with embarrassment as about fifteen pairs of eyes

stared at her. She didn't even know who a few of the others were. She had run straight

for the bathroom as soon as they got there.

Fortunately, Jessa remembered to make the introductions before shooing her friends

back to what they were doing. "It's all right, guys. We got this," Jessa said.

Kane led her to the nearest bench and helped her sit down. He squatted before her,

gently picked up her left foot and took off her shoe. He lightly caressed her swollen ankle

and oddly enough, his touch made it feel a little better.

"Do you girls know how to treat a sprained ankle?" he asked Jessa and Faye, who

stood on either side of him.

"You need to put ice on it and bandage it up," his sister responded. "But I don't

think we have bandage."

"We have ice!" Jessa went to the portable drink cooler and gathered ice cubes.

When she walked back to them, Kane held out his hand for the cubes, wrapped in a tea

towel.

"You want to do this?" Jessa asked in surprise.

"Sure. I'm already holding her foot," Kane responded, taking the makeshift ice pack

from Jessa.

Jasmine flushed at the meaningful look exchanged by Jessa and Faye. She

wondered what they were thinking. Would they have a problem if she and Kane dated?

Whoa, Jasmine, slow down. You're getting ahead of yourself here.

At twenty-seven, she had dated plenty of guys. But even though her family thought

she fell in and out of love too often, the truth was she hadn't fallen in love with a single

one of her past boyfriends. She didn't see the point in extending the relationship when

she was sure it had nowhere to go.

With her sister's upcoming nuptials, her desire to find that special someone had

become stronger. But finding that one guy might have become harder due to her fear of

exposing her little secret—a secret only two other people in the world knew about. She

hadn't even told Jessa, although there were times she had wanted to open up to her only

sibling. But she still wasn't prepared for the repercussions.

She had a mental picture of people—of Kane—finding out about her secret activity

and shivered at the thought.

"Too cold?" Kane asked, his concerned look quickly warming her up.

She shook her head and smiled at him.

"So did you two meet outside the bathrooms?" Faye asked.

"I heard Jasmine yell so I went back in and found her on her bottom. Then we

introduced ourselves to each other," Kane answered, his eyes still fully on her flushed

face.

"Back in?"

Kane grinned while her face reddened even more. He raised an eyebrow at her. She

shrugged and gave a resigned chuckle.

"Jasmine slipped in the men's room," Kane stated.

"What?" Faye and Jessa exclaimed.

"The nearest ladies' room was out of order and I was desperate to go," Jasmine

explained. "So I used the men's. I slipped as I was about to come out and Kane heard

me. He was waiting outside to make sure no one else went in while I was in there."

"That's so sweet of you, Kane," Jessa said. "Thank you."

"Aww, it was nothing. I'm just glad I was there or one of your bridesmaids might not

be able to walk down the aisle on your wedding."

"If Jaz is still in pain next week then she doesn't have to walk. Things don't always

work out as planned," Jessa said pragmatically.

"Don't say that, Jess! I want to be fine for your wedding," Jasmine insisted.

"Well, then, you have to make sure you rest your ankle until it's recovered. It

doesn't look too bad but we'll stop by a medical centre on our way back home."

"If you're going to sit around for the rest of the afternoon, you better sit on a picnic

blanket so you can keep your ankle raised," Kane suggested.

"Good idea," Jessa agreed. "You can lie down and read a book or something so you

won't get too bored while the rest of us play games. But I'll sit and chat with you most of

the time."

"Don't be silly, Jess. I'll be fine reading. You guys should be enjoying yourselves

with Rob and not worrying about me. It's his birthday, and all I have is a sprained ankle."

"Okay. We better help you move to the blanket, then."

"I'll carry her," Kane said. With easy movements, he scooped her up in his muscular

arms and sauntered towards one of the picnic blankets under the shade of a tree.

Good heavens, this man is literally sweeping me off my feet.

*******

Kane's heart thundered in his chest and his body hardened. There it was again, that

delicious reaction to Jasmine. He'd known her for less than twenty minutes and he

already craved being close to her. What was this called? Instant chemistry?

He pressed her closer to him, wanting to bury his face in her long black hair that

smelled like some exotic flower.

He was glad he had stayed behind and waited for her while she used the bathroom.

He'd always been a sucker for damsels in distress, especially when the damsel was as

beautiful and attractive as the one in his arms.

He gently laid her down the blanket and immediately felt bereft when he released

her.

"All right?" he asked.

Jasmine nodded, her eyes locking with his with a look of wonder that seemed to

reflect what he was feeling. Did she feel it too? That irresistible pull between them? She

looked so mesmerising and vulnerable sitting there that he had a great urge to kiss her.

"Here, put your foot up on this, Jaz," Jessa said, placing a rolled-up jacket

underneath Jasmine's left calf and breaking the spell that encapsulated them.

"Stop fussing. I'll be fine," Jasmine told her sister. "All I need now is my handbag so

I can read from my phone, then you can look after your birthday boy. He looks lonely

without you over there."

"Which one is your bag?" Kane asked, wanting to continue to do something for her.

"Uh, that red one next to the white one," Jasmine replied, pointing her finger at the

location of her purse.

He went to retrieve it for her. On his way back, he noticed the curious looks Faye

and Jessa were throwing at him. You're being too obvious, he berated himself.

If things were different, he wouldn't have cared if anyone thought he was interested

in Jasmine. But he was in a messy, difficult situation with Hannah and he needed to fix

things with her before he could move on. Faye knew that and, knowing how close his

sister was to her best friends, he was certain Jessa knew that, too. He would be frowned

upon if he pursued Jasmine at this time, and he couldn't blame them if they did.

He smiled at Jasmine as he handed her her purse then went to join the boys by the

barbecue table. Right now, it was all too complicated. So he knew what he had to do.

Stay away from Jasmine.

CHAPTER TWO

Kane clapped and whooped with the rest of the guests as the bridal party was introduced

pair by pair by the smooth-talking, funny MC at Rob and Jessa's wedding reception. When

Jasmine and her partner entered the room, his heart skipped a beat. Again. It seemed to

have developed a habit of doing that whenever his gaze landed on Jasmine.

She looked absolutely stunning in her iris-coloured bridesmaid's dress. He couldn't

tell if her ankle still bothered her but judging from the happy grin on her face, she wasn't

in much pain. She smiled at people on her way to the bridal party table but she appeared

to be scanning the room.

Until she found him and their gazes locked for a few breathless seconds. Her smile

widened and her eyes lit up.

He inhaled deeply as warmth flooded him. He really should stop pretending to

himself there wasn't anything major going on between him and Jasmine. It was plain to

see. She was interested in him and he was interested in her. They'd been exchanging

glances since earlier that day—before, during and after the wedding ceremony.

And he had to admit that since he first met her at the picnic seven days ago, he

hadn't been able to stop thinking about her. A few times during the past week, he was

tempted to contact her—just to see if her ankle was healing nicely. He had gone as far as

asking Faye if she knew how Jasmine was doing and Faye assured him she was fine.

Then his dear, perceptive sister followed it up with her own question: "How's Hannah?"

That was enough to stop him in his tracks. Things with Hannah weren't sorted yet.

Far from it. And it was frustrating the hell out of him.

It didn't stop him from daydreaming about Jasmine, though.

Yes, him. Kane Summers. Thirty-four years old. Daydreaming about a woman.

Seriously.

If he didn't know any better he would think he'd fallen in love at first sight. But he

did know better. What people called love at first sight was nothing more than instant

attraction, which had more to do with lust than love. And Jasmine Allen definitely stirred

his loins.

Unfortunately, he wasn't free to do something about his fascination for her. Not yet.

And he didn't know when he would be.

~~~~~~~

Envy needled Kane as Jasmine waltzed in another man's arms. If he wasn't aware that

her dancing partner—the brother of the groom—was a happily married man with two

kids, he might even have been downright jealous.

He consoled himself with the thought that he'd get his turn shortly. He figured a

dance or two with her would be innocent enough. A slow song would be perfect—

"I feel for you, bro. It must suck," the man sitting next to him whispered in his ear,

bringing him out of his musing.

Kane peeled his eyes away from Jasmine to turn to Ray Thackery, Faye's fiancé and

the boss of Faye's best friends, including the bride. "What do you mean?"

"Jasmine. Hannah," Ray responded cryptically.

He smiled wryly. "I guess it's kind of obvious I'm interested in Jasmine, isn't it?"

"Kind of? Bro, all you've done all day was gape at her."

Kane took a deep breath. "I can't afford to give Hannah more reason to get upset. It

will make things even more difficult."

Ray smiled sympathetically. "I know. What do you plan to do?"

"What can I do but wait until the time is right? Problem is, I don't think it will be

anytime soon."

Ray patted his shoulder consolingly. "Everything will turn out fine eventually."

"Does Jasmine know about Hannah?" he asked his future brother-in-law.

"I don't think so," Ray responded. "But both Jess and Faye hope that what you and

Jasmine have for each other is just a little crush."

"What? Jess doesn't approve of me?" he asked with feigned indignation.

"She just doesn't want her sister to get hurt. And your sister doesn't want you to

have more problems. I don't either."

"Is this your way of telling me not to make a move on Jasmine?"

"No. That's none of our business. We're just hoping things don't get any harder for

you than it already is."

"Yeah, thanks," he said with a heavy sigh.

The MC's voice rose over the music and encouraged everyone to join the bridal

party on the dance floor.

"Well, I'm off to waltz with the most beautiful bridesmaid of them all," Ray

announced as he stood up and made a beeline for Faye.

Kane watched as Ray pulled Faye in his arms and smooched her right in the middle

of the room with no care in the world.

He chuckled at the demonstrativeness of the couple as his eyes searched for

Jasmine in the crowded area. He was determined to have her in his arms for as long as

he could tonight, if only to move with the music.

Except that another guy had already claimed her.

His face flushed as a wave of sheer possessiveness hit him. His eyes slitted at the

way the guy was running his hand seductively over Jasmine's back while keeping her

plastered against his body with a tight arm around her waist. His chest constricted at the

intimate picture unfolding before him.

Who the fuck is that guy? A boyfriend?

His gut clenched when he caught the expression on Jasmine's face. She looked

angry and upset. Then worry enveloped him as the pair left the dance floor and went out

the door.

With no other thought, he followed.

Kane kept a discreet distance as Jasmine's companion led her to a quiet corner outside

the ballroom. He stopped behind a post, hidden from their view. It was rude to eavesdrop

on a private conversation but he wanted to make sure Jasmine was okay.

"Listen to me, Tim," he heard her say with controlled anger. "I am not going to put

up with you touching me like you just did."

"I'm sorry, sweet pea," the guy called Tim droned. "You know I'm just hot for you."

Kane's hands fisted at his sides. He didn't like the way the punk talked. But he

stayed where he was. Jasmine might not appreciate him interfering.

"Stop calling me sweet pea!" Jasmine cried. "Do you realise how drunk you are

already? You are at my sister's wedding, Tim. Please behave yourself. And please leave

me alone."

"All I want is one chance with you, Jasmine. Just one. Please," the jerk whined.

"I'm sorry, but no."

Jasmine's voice was firm and Kane felt proud of her.

"Well, I have two weeks to wear you down," Tim said smugly, his tone turning into

something more sinister.

"What do you mean?"

"I took a couple of weeks off work so I could stay here in Sydney with you."

"What? I'm not going to spend any time with you so you might as well go back to

Melbourne." Jasmine replied, her voice losing some of its bravado.

"I heard you'll be all alone in Jessa and Rob's big house while they enjoy their

honeymoon. You might want a warm body to keep you company," the creep slurred

suggestively.

That's it. This has gone on long enough. Kane stepped out and showed himself.

"Jaz. There you are. I've been looking for you." He reached out for her.

"Kane!" Jasmine cried as she practically ran to him.

His breath hitched as he put his arm protectively around her shoulders. "Everything

okay?"

Jasmine nodded, smiling up at him with grateful eyes.

He turned his attention to the other man. "Hi, I'm Kane Summers," he said coldly,

not even gesturing for a handshake.

"Well, well, Kane Summers. Who might you be? Her new boyfriend?" Tim asked with

a sneer.

"Yes," he responded, the lie rolling off his tongue easily.

Tim glared at Jasmine, his lips twisting with contempt. "You give everyone else a

turn, Jasmine. But not me. What do they have that I don't? A bigger bank account?"

Kane took a menacing step towards the jerk but stilled when Jasmine clutched his

arm.

"Kane, it's Jessa's wedding," she whispered frantically.

He took a deep breath and held back. He understood why Jasmine wouldn't want

her sister's night to be ruined by a fight between two of her guests. But another word

from the intoxicated idiot and he might do something he'd regret.

"You should leave now, Tim," Jasmine said quietly. "Unless you want both our

fathers to hear about this."

"Fine. But I'm not done with you yet, Jasmine," Tim threatened as he ambled

towards the exit.

Kane felt Jasmine sag against him. With relief, he assumed.

"You okay?" he asked, tightening his arm around her.

"Yeah. Sorry. I'm just glad he left."

"Who the hell was he?"

"That was Tim Smith, the son of one of my dad's business partners. He's been

pursuing me for a while now but I'm just not interested. I think he got really ticked off

when I dated his friend George a few months ago. Since then, he's been really intense

and pushy."

"So his parents are here tonight too?"

"No. His dad's not well so they couldn't attend. He's here by himself."

"You shouldn't have come out here all alone with him, Jasmine," he rebuked.

"He's never tried anything inappropriate before. But I must admit he spooked me a

little bit tonight."

"Shouldn't you tell your dad about him?"

"No. There's no need. He's gone now."

Kane was unconvinced Jasmine had heard the last of Tim but he let it go for now.

"I'm glad I followed you."

She gave him a startled look. "I thought you just happened to be around again."

"No. I saw how upset you got in there. I wanted to make sure you were fine."

"Do you make it a habit of playing hero to damsels in distress?" she teased.

"Only to beautiful distressed damsels in pretty bridesmaid's dresses. You look

stunning today, Jaz. I haven't had the chance to tell you that until now."

"Thank you," she murmured, her long lashes fluttering as she gazed into his eyes.

Jasmine licked her lips and his breathing shallowed. He felt the pull of her mouth

and his tongue itched to explore it. He stopped breathing altogether when Jasmine tilted

her face to his in an open invitation.

Damn it. Not yet.

"Uh, I think we should go back in," he croaked.

Jasmine seemed to snap out of a mesmerised state and her cheeks reddened. He

could imagine what was going through her head. She would be thinking he didn't want to

kiss her.

He decided he owed her an explanation. "Jaz, I'm afraid I'm engaged."

"What?" she asked in shock. "I had no idea."

"It's complicated and —"

Jasmine shook her head and raised her hand to stop him from explaining. "You're

right. We should go back in." She turned on her heels and hurried away.

He wanted to kick himself for sticking to principles.

CHAPTER THREE

"No way. Not again," Jasmine said heatedly to her best friend over the phone.

"Weren't you just a little curious as to why it was complicated?" Samantha Lane

asked.

Jasmine rolled her eyes although her friend couldn't see. "Sam, he's engaged and

that's that. I don't care why it's complicated. I just don't understand why he kept making

moon eyes at me and felt compelled to rescue me from a boozed-up admirer."

"Well, he sounds keen on you."

"I'm not a fiancé-stealing slut," she said bitterly.

"Of course you're not! Will you stop saying it like you think everyone thinks so?"

Sam demanded.

"George's fiancée thought so. And I bet you George told Tim something along those

lines, and that was why Tim treated me like he did."

"I thought Tim stopped talking to George when George dated you. You really think

George badmouthed you to Tim?"

"Why else would Tim be so disrespectful of me all of a sudden? He wasn't like that

before."

"Maybe Tim just feels frustrated. Like you said, he seemed to wonder why you were

giving everyone else a go and not him," Sam suggested.

"He said I was giving everyone else a turn. That has a totally different connotation

from giving everyone else a go. I'm positive he believes I sleep around and he wants his

turn."

"That's ridiculous. I'll slap him hard the next time I see him," Sam declared loyally.

"Thanks, Sam. I'm still wishing I slapped him hard last Saturday."

"I'm worried that Tim's there in Sydney with you. What if he follows you around and

does something unthinkable?"

"Don't worry. Most of the time, I'll be in the house writing. I'll keep the doors and

windows locked."

Sam snorted. "You went there to see if you'll enjoy living in Sydney, not lock

yourself indoors to write your book."

Jasmine laughed. "I know. But you know I like Sydney already. The only thing I'm

still considering is if I want to be away from my parents and you and Kris," she said,

thinking of Kristen McCann, her other best friend and Sam's cousin. "Although you did

promise me we'll have fun girls' weekends often if I do decide to move."

Sam chuckled. "Yes. Even though we'll miss you a lot, Kris and I are already looking

forward to those weekends. They'll be great because absence makes the heart grow

fonder."

"Looks like you want me to pack up and leave Melbourne already."

"You know you're very close to accepting your boss's offer, Jaz. It's a senior role and

it's more money. And I don't think you should worry about your parents being far away

from both you and Jessa. I bet you when you make the move, they'd think about moving

too."

"I hope so. I really do hate the thought that they'd be by themselves without one of

their kids close by."

"What have your mum and dad said about you moving?"

"Well, Mum got teary when I told her but she said I should do what I want. But

you're right, Sam. If I do accept the role, Jess and I could convince Mum and Dad to move

here, too."

"Did you tell Jessa about your books before she left for her honeymoon?" Samantha

asked.

"No. I chickened out."

"Why? You said you were excited about letting her know. I'm sure she'd be thrilled

about the fact that there's another writer in the family."

Jasmine snorted. "Jess is one of the star writers for Lifestyle by Design. You know

how huge that is, with the magazine being so highly popular and well-respected.

Compared to her, I've got a long way to go."

"Hey, don't sell yourself short. If people knew your pseudonym, they would probably

mob you before they would your sister."

"Yeah, right," Jasmine smirked. "Anyway, in relation to telling Jess about my

writing, even though I could trust her to keep a secret from our parents, I don't think she

would keep it from her best friends. They're as thick as thieves and tell each other almost

everything."

Sam laughed. "Just like you, me and Kris."

She chuckled. "Yeah, just like us."

"Well, so what if Jessa tells her friends? Maybe they've even read one of your books

and are already your fans. And from what you've told me, Jessa's friends are great

people."

"They are," she confirmed with a loud exhale. "But one of them is Kane's sister."

"Aha! So it's really about the guy you want to run away from."

"I don't want to run away from him. He's simply not available."

"Fair enough. If that's the case, what would it matter if he learned about your secret

life?"

Jasmine looked out the window as she twirled a strand of hair around her finger.

Would it matter if Kane found out she wrote steamy romance novels? Even though her

novels were a celebration of love and its physical expression, she anticipated not

everyone would be open to them. Would he even want to read them? She grew warm at

the picture of Kane reading the sexy scenes in her books.

She shook her head vigorously to rid herself of the embarrassingly erotic thought. It

was ludicrous to keep dreaming about a man who was unavailable. Even if the other

woman was only his girlfriend and not his fiancée, she would still keep her distance. After

her humiliating experience with George, she didn't want to go where she could be painted

as a whore who destroyed relationships.

But Kane said it was complicated.

"Jaz? You there?"

Samantha's voice jolted her out of her pondering. "Yeah, I'm here. What were we

talking about?"

"Where did you go, girl? I said what would it matter if this guy Kane knew about

what you do in your spare time?"

"You know I still very much want to keep my writing top secret. If I'm still too shy to

even tell my family, why would I want him to know? We've only known each other for

over a week."

"That's a point," Samantha agreed. "I guess I'm just intrigued by this sizzling

attraction you two seem to have."

"I know, Sam," she said with a sigh. "There's something there. But he's engaged so

there's no way we could be together."

Her chest hurt at the reality of her words.

~~~~~~~

Jasmine's fingers stopped tapping on her keyboard when her phone rang. Shoot. She was

just finishing a scene where her lead character was having a toe-curling orgasm from the

man she thought she'd lost forever.

She frowned at the caller ID. 'Blocked', it said. She stared at it, reluctant to answer

for fear it could be one of her workmates wanting to chat about how her holiday was

going, then ask a quick question or two about one of her clients.

What if it's Kane calling?

Her mind flashed a picture of Kane's head between her legs, giving her as much

pleasure as her heroine just got, and she quickly moistened at the thought. Damn, it

wouldn't do her good to think of him while she was writing erotic scenes.

The ringing had stopped and she felt a pang of regret for not answering it. What if it

had been Kane? What if he was ringing to tell her he'd broken up with his fiancée

because he couldn't stand the thought of never being with her? What if he wanted to tell

her he couldn't wait to kiss her all over —

Her overheated, overactive imagination was interrupted by the phone ringing once

again. She answered it quickly and rather breathlessly. "Hello?"

"Jasmine. Even over the phone you're so sexy."

"Who's this?" she cried in alarm, knowing it wasn't Kane.

"It's me," the caller chuckled and she stiffened in hostility.

"What do you want, Tim?"

"Hey, I'm just calling to apologise for Saturday night. I'm sorry for the way I acted. I

blame it on the alcohol."

"And who chose to drink too much, Tim?" she asked coldly.

"You're right, of course," he replied placatingly. "It was entirely my fault. I'm sorry."

"Fine. Thank you for calling."

"Wait, wait!" Tim called out before she had a chance to hang up. "I want to make it

up to you, Jasmine. How about I take you out to dinner tonight?"

Her mouth opened in disbelief. This man was really something else. "Sorry, Tim. I

can't. I already have plans."

"With your boyfriend?"

"Yes."

"I noticed you spent last night alone by yourself in that big house after your parents

went back to Melbourne."

The hairs on her neck stood up. How the hell did he know?

"Are you stalking me?" she asked, injecting as much disapproval and coldness in her

voice as she could muster.

"Stalking you? Come on. I thought we were friends. Can't friends have dinner

together?"

"We're not friends. We're just acquaintances."

"Come on, sweet pea. Our fathers are business partners now. Don't you think they'd

like it if the two of us got closer together?"

"You know I already have a boyfriend. You even met him the other night."

Tim chuckled. "Can one man satisfy you, Jasmine? I heard you have a high sex

drive. And dating different men gives you ideas for those sexy stories you write. I promise

you I'm much better in bed than George. I'll give you lots of ideas for your sex scenes.

Please, Jasmine. I'm dying to know what it's like to be with you. You're so beautiful."

"You must be mad! If you don't stop hassling me, Tim, I swear you'll regret it." Her

voice was low and shaking with anger. "You know my dad is the majority shareholder in

the business and it would impact on your dad —"

"Would you really tell your father?" Tim interrupted. "Do you really want him to

know you sleep around so you could write horny little stories? Wouldn't that break his

heart?"

"I do not sleep around! Now go to hell and leave me alone!" She ended the call and

flung her phone on her bed. Her body shook uncontrollably from outrage and shock. How

could anyone think that way of her?

The answer was obvious. George Paulson. The liar ex-boyfriend from hell. That

phone call was evidence he had given Tim a copy of the document he stole from her

computer.

Her eyes burned with furious tears as she remembered that incident.

George had turned up at her doorstep on a Sunday afternoon when she was in the

middle of writing a lovemaking scene for her third book.

She had gone to the kitchen to make them coffee and plated up some leftover

lemon meringue cake her mum had made the day before. When she had called for him to

join her in the kitchen, he didn't answer. To her dismay, she found him in her study,

sitting in her chair, his bulging eyes glued to her laptop screen.

That was precisely the time when George went from sweet to icky. Instead of being

embarrassed at being found snooping into her private stuff, he had suggested they find

another girl and have a threesome.

She had gaped at him in astonishment. There was nothing in her manuscript about

a ménage à trois, so where the hell did the idea that she was up for that come from?

She threw him out, angry and hurt.

It got worse. A couple of days later, she had discovered a 'sent' message from her

email folder. George had emailed her partial manuscript to himself from her computer.

The hide of the guy! The only consolation about all that was there was nowhere in that

document that showed her pen name. Her alter ego's identity remained a secret.

She'd never completed that book and she'd decided to abandon it.

She thought that was the end of it until that horrible day when she was at a coffee

shop with Sam and Kris. A woman in her early twenties had approached their table,

grabbed a glass of water and threw it in her face. Thank God it was only water, but still,

it was shocking.

The woman had accused her of being a cock-sucking, fiancé-stealing, slut-whore

and warned her to stay away from her George. She had been so stunned she could only

watch as her friends defended her. After much drama, the woman had left, still fuming

and cursing at her.

She couldn't understand how George could have fooled them both. But it made her

feel a little better that she wasn't the only one deceived. At least she could hang on to

the notion that George was an expert liar instead of her being stupid and a bad judge of

character.

She didn't know if George and that girl were still together but she wouldn't be

surprised if they'd split. It would serve George right. But what worried her now was that

George might be being vindictive. He was the one who cheated and slept around but he

wanted her to have that reputation. Now his pal Tim was bothering the hell out of her.

Some dysfunctional trait in common must have bound those two as friends.

Nervous goosebumps covered her with the knowledge that Tim had known she

spent last night alone in the house. Was he watching her? Following her?

She stood up and tiptoed to the window. She couldn't make out any person sitting

inside any of the cars parked outside. She released the breath she was holding and let

out a little laugh.

You're just being paranoid, Jasmine.

Still, she wanted to be with other people tonight. Who could she call?

*******

"Thanks so much for having me. I hope I didn't ruin any plans you have for tonight with

my last minute dinner request," Jasmine said as she greeted Clarise Matthews, Jessa's

other best friend who also worked for Ray—the Ray who was Kane's future brother-in-

law.

She forcefully pushed aside the 'Kane connection' her brain made as she gave

Clarise a hug.

"Of course you didn't, Jaz. We're glad you called," Clarise responded. "Come on in."

"Clarise was just saying to me how we should invite you over for dinner when you

rang. You must have some sort of sixth sense," Will Matthews, Clarise's husband, said.

Jasmine chuckled. "Well, I'm here to help prepare. What are we having?"

"Pasta. Then we're having Clarise's special tiramisu for dessert," Will responded

happily. "You're in for a treat. My wife makes the best tiramisu on the planet."

"Stop exaggerating," Clarise said.

"But it's true!" Will huffed.

Jasmine followed the couple into their kitchen, watching as they exchanged light-

hearted banter, sweet little touches and a quick kiss.

This is why I want to find love. I want that too, not some freaky attention by a man

who could be dangerous.

Tim's increasingly weird behaviour was unsettling her. A part of her wanted to

believe he couldn't possibly be so stupid as to force himself on her, but what if she was

wrong? She didn't get it right when she thought his friend George was a good guy.

Well, Tim should be leaving Sydney in two weeks. All she had to do was surround

herself with people or stay put in Rob and Jessa's house until then. For now it was

important to show Tim, if he was indeed stalking her, that he wouldn't be able to predict

her movements so there was no point wasting his time.

~~~~~~~

"I've had a really wonderful time, guys. Thank you," Jasmine said sincerely as she

prepared to leave.

"Hey, anytime, Jaz. We'll do it again soon," Clarise said. "Oh, wait, don't forget your

leftovers."

Jasmine felt her phone vibrate and pulled it out of her purse as she waited for

Clarise to come back from the kitchen. She froze as she read the text message.

*Sweet pea, are you staying home tomorrow night? You're out very late tonight. I'm

jealous. Dinner tomorrow with me, okay?*

Her hand flew to her mouth as fear gripped her. Tim knew she wasn't home. Was he

outside the house right this minute? What would he do when she got there?

"Jaz? What's wrong?"

She looked up at Will's worried face but she couldn't speak. She simply stared at

him, her eyes wide with apprehension.

"May I?" Will gestured for the phone and she handed it to him.

"Do you know this person, Jaz?" Will asked as Clarise re-joined them.

"Is everything okay?"

Will held out her phone for Clarise to read the message.

"Jaz?"

"He's … I think he's stalking me," she managed to blurt out.

"Who is he?"

"An acquaintance from Melbourne. The son of dad's business partner. He was at the

wedding," she answered, feeling somewhat calmer after the initial shock had worn off.

Clarise took her hand and gently led her to the sofa. "Tell us about him."

She related to them her recent encounters with Tim, including the time when Kane

helped her out.

"This dude sounds a little unstable," Will commented.

"He thinks I sleep around. That's what his friend, who happens to be my ex, led him

to believe. Now he's determined to have his turn. He can't seem to get it into his thick

skull that I'm not that kind of girl."

"That's horrible, Jaz!" Clarise exclaimed. "I think you should stay with us tonight. He

may be watching Jess and Rob's place."

"Geez, guys, I couldn't possibly impose."

"Don't be ridiculous. I can lend you some nightwear and we have a spare

toothbrush. You can even stay here until we figure out what we can do to stop him from

bothering you. Maybe we should report him to the police."

"No, please. I don't want the police involved. I'll tell my dad when I get back home.

I'm sure both our fathers would be able to make him see sense."

"Okay but you're staying with us, Jasmine. We won't take no for an answer," Will

declared. "Tomorrow night after work, we'll go and grab your things from your sister's

place. Can you wait for your stuff until then? I don't think you should go back there by

yourself. He may not do anything—he might not even be there—but it's better to be safe

than sorry."

"Thank you. I really appreciate this."

Jasmine was grateful to have people she could depend on at a time like this. Her

heart's frantic beating started to slow as the threat of danger lessened.

But still, her whole being seemed to scream for the one person she wanted by her

side. Kane. But he was the one individual she should never call upon.

*******

Jasmine wandered aimlessly inside Will and Clarise's house. She wondered if she could

help tidy up their kitchen or vacuum the place but everything seemed spotless.

She sighed. She was getting bored out of her brains and it wasn't even the middle of

the day yet. Apart from her wallet, keys and phone, everything else was back at her

sister's place.

She considered going to the shops in the city and hanging around there until Will

and Clarise were ready to go home. It appeared Tim didn't know where she was right

then so he wouldn't be able to follow her.

Except that she knew she'd get bored shopping for hours, too. What she really

itched to do was work on her book. She could write for hours and not notice the time

pass. But she didn't have her laptop with her.

What were the chances of Tim still hanging around outside Jessa and Rob's house at

this time of the day? If he was there last night, he would have gone home by now. Most

likely, he wouldn't resume his stalking until tonight.

She shivered but felt confident enough she should be okay going back to the house

by herself during the day. It would save Will and Clarise the trouble of accompanying her

to pick up her things after work.

Satisfied with her planning, she headed for the kitchen to check out what the couple

had in their fridge. She could cook dinner for the three of them tonight. That was the

least she could do after she had invaded their space unexpectedly.

Ding-dong.

The sound of the doorbell stopped her in her tracks. She placed her hand on her

chest and took a deep breath, hoping that would calm her heart, which had started

racing. Did this house have a security door? She couldn't remember. How could she check

who rang the bell?

Relax, Jasmine. It could just be a door-to-door salesman or someone doing a survey

or something.

She jumped when the bell rang again.

"Jaz? Are you there?" a muffled voice asked.

Her heart pounded harder, but this time for a much different reason. Her legs came

back to life and she hurried to the door.

"Kane, is that you?" she asked hopefully.

"Yeah, it's me."

Relief and excitement made her giddy as she opened the door for the man she'd

been dreaming about every night for the past week. What was he doing here?

"Hi," he said.

"Hi," she responded, taking in huge gulps of air.

"Hey, are you okay?" Kane asked with concern. He cupped her cheeks with his warm

hands and his piercing eyes inspected her face thoroughly.

She let out a ragged sigh. His touch was both calming and stirring. "Yes," she

responded with a weak smile. "For a while there I thought you were …"

"That idiot better not show his face or I'll deck him," he muttered as he ushered her

inside and locked the door.

"What are you doing here, Kane?" She didn't know whether to give in to the comfort

or the agitation brought by his presence.

"Ray called me and told me about the text you got last night."

"Oh. Clarise told him?"

"Yes. We're all worried. Anyway, I think that the best way to keep this guy away

from you is for someone to act as your bodyguard. And since he already thinks I'm your

boyfriend, I'm taking the job."

She gaped at him, her mind trying frantically to process what he'd just said. "Did

you say you're going to act as my bodyguard?" she asked uncertainly.

"Yes. I can't be around all the time, unfortunately. But I'll check up on you daily at

different times to hopefully make Tim believe he would get caught if he tried something

stupid."

"But that sounds too much of an inconvenience for you. What do you mean 'daily at

different times'? How often? When?"

"It's not an inconvenience, Jasmine. This is a very serious matter," he admonished

her. "Right now, I have a very flexible schedule at work. I'll just get in the car and drive

here when I can."

Her jaw dropped to the floor. "You can't be serious. You'd do that?"

"Yes. No more arguments," he said in an authoritative voice. "Now, do you want to

go out to lunch or do you want to eat last night's leftovers? Clarise said to help

ourselves."

"Kane?" she said quietly.

"Yes?"

"If you're going to be around then I could go back home to Jess and Rob's, couldn't

I? I really don't want to bother too many people."

Kane pursed his lips as he considered her request. "I can't see why not."

She smiled at him. "Thank you. I really hope this isn't too much trouble for you."

He moved closer to her and tilted her face to his. "You know this isn't any trouble

for me, Jaz," he said huskily, his eyes boring into hers with naked emotion.

Her breath caught in her throat. The magnetic attraction she'd been trying to push

away no longer wanted to be ignored. It wove an invisible cord around them, pulling

tighter, bringing them closer. She didn't know who made the first move but in the next

breath, their lips met.

She moaned softly as Kane's lips moved against hers, and she responded without a

thought.

"Jaz," he whispered before he deepened the kiss. He crushed her to him, his hand

raking her hair while the other heatedly stroked her back. His tongue explored her mouth

insistently, deliciously. Making her hot, making her wet.

"Kane," she breathed as his lips went to her neck. Kane. How many times had she

called that name in her dreams. In her dreams. Before this, only in her dreams because …

he was engaged.

"No!" she cried as she pushed him away and turned her back to him. She squeezed

her eyes shut, forcing away the desire from her body, willing her head to override her

heart.

She flinched as he felt his hand on her shoulder.

"Jaz, let's talk about this," he pleaded.

"I only have one question, Kane," she said tremulously as she faced him to look

straight into his eyes. "Are you still engaged?"

"Only technically speaking."

"What the hell does that mean?" she asked angrily, her mind focusing on one thing

alone. He was still engaged.

"It's a long story so we better sit down," he said resignedly as he held out his hand

to her.

She ignored his proffered hand and walked stiffly to the sofa, her arms folded across

her chest. She sat on the one-seater, wanting to put some distance between them.

She hated herself for not clarifying his status before she went lip-locking with him.

And she was mad at him for even attempting to kiss her.

But despite that, her heart eagerly awaited his explanation.

CHAPTER FOUR

Kane placed himself at the edge of the three-seater, adjacent to Jasmine. God, he wished

he could hold her while he told her everything but right now, he knew she wouldn't

welcome such a gesture.

At least she was willing to listen. He needed to tell her everything so she would

understand why he was in such a conundrum, why he had to remain engaged to another

woman when he couldn't even reign in his attraction for her.

Jasmine looked pointedly at him, and he started his story.

"A few months ago, an old buddy who's now living in New York was here for a short

visit. We got together with some of our old university friends and ended up having quite a

rowdy party. The company and the alcohol made us act like we were in our early

twenties again.

"To cut the long story short, I slept with an old friend that night. I didn't hear from

her for close to three months after that event, until just after New Year's Day, when she

told me she was pregnant and I was the father."

Jasmine gasped. Fearing she might stop listening to him, he leaned over and placed

his hand on her knee in a reassuring fashion. He winced when she moved her leg,

indicating she didn't want him to touch her.

He took a deep breath and continued. "Of course, my first instinct was to question if

I was really the father. But Hannah said she hadn't slept with anyone for seven months

before we hooked up and that she hadn't been with anyone else since that night at the

party. We did paternity tests, which proved beyond doubt the baby was mine.

"I said to her I would honour my responsibilities and would help her raise the baby.

But I didn't want a relationship with her. To say she wasn't happy with that was an

understatement. For the next few days, she was either yelling at me or begging me to

give her a chance. She was high-strung and very volatile, which surprised me because

she had always been a calm, even shy, person. Then I found out from a mutual friend

that she was under a lot of emotional stress because her mother was diagnosed with

cancer."

He slumped back on the couch as he grew weary from the memory.

"I toned down my negativity and tried my best to be supportive. She was carrying

my child, after all. Then one day, she dropped a bombshell. She said she was scared out

of her wits at the thought of being a single mother, that even though I promised to be

around she couldn't be absolutely sure of that, no matter what I said. She told me she

was going to have an abortion, then move back to London to be with her family.

"I was shocked. Even though I wasn't in love with Hannah, I had already started

loving my unborn child. I've always dreamt of becoming a father, you see. I begged her

to keep the baby. But she said the only way she would agree to that was if I married her.

"It occurred to me that she may have gotten pregnant to trap me into marrying her.

I knew she'd had a thing for me for years. I was angry for a while but what was done was

done and my options were laid out before me. I thought about it long and hard, until I

ended up with the rationalisation that since Hannah was a friend and, to a certain extent,

I found her attractive enough to sleep with, I could grow to love her if I was open to it.

My overriding desire was for her to keep the baby and for me to be around to see my

child grow up. Marrying a friend who was going to be the mother of my child seemed a

reasonable enough move. So I agreed and we got engaged."

He stared at the floor, emotions flooding him. He wasn't sure he could tell her what

happened next without tearing up a little. He was still raw from it.

He rubbed his face in his hands. When he had composed himself, he glanced at

Jasmine. He saw compassion and sadness in her eyes. She looked like she was about to

cry. He reached out for her. This time, she clasped his hand as a tear fell down her face.

"We really shouldn't even kiss at all, should we?" she asked with a wry smile.

"Oh, Jaz. I'm not done. Please bear with me."

She wiped away her tear and pulled her hand from his. "Okay, go on."

He took a steadying breath before continuing. "Two and a half months ago, Hannah

miscarried. She was five months along."

"Oh, Kane," Jasmine cried in dismay.

"Not long after that, Hannah's mum passed away."

Jasmine placed her fingers on her lips, her eyes bright and watery.

"Losing the baby was very painful for her, not only emotionally but physically. She

was nowhere near recovering from that when her mum died. She lost her child and her

mother within two weeks of each other. The worst part was she wasn't able to be at her

mum's bedside during her last hours.

"She's in London now to spend time with her family. She's due back in a couple of

weeks but she's not sure. She could extend her stay. Before she left I told her we needed

to talk. She knew what that meant. She knew that without the baby, I didn't want to get

married to her anymore. But she kept on postponing that talk, giving me all sorts of

excuses why we couldn't sit down and discuss the inevitable. Since I understood what she

was going through I hadn't pushed it too much."

"You're a good man, Kane Summers. And I'm so sorry about your baby," Jasmine

said hoarsely.

He gave her a small smile. "It's getting better every day. I hope it's the same for

Hannah because when she comes back, we are going to have that talk, whether she likes

it or not."

"How do you think she'd react when you break up with her?"

"Well, since she knows its coming, she shouldn't be surprised."

But even so, Kane knew Hannah would take it hard.

Since they had gotten engaged, Hannah had told him several times that she loved

him. She had always ended up in tears after her romantic declarations because he'd

never said he loved her back. To console her, he'd said he just needed a little bit more

time. But while he cared about Hannah, he couldn't muster the passion he wanted to feel

for her, no matter how hard he tried.

What Hannah failed to awaken in him with months of trying, even with his child in

her womb, Jasmine was able to stir up without effort from the very first day he met her.

Was it really possible to fall for someone so quickly? He'd been asking himself that

question since Jasmine walked away from him at her sister's wedding. And every time he

did, one answer kept on popping up.

He was already falling in love with Jasmine.

Unbelievable.

But it felt so right.

Jasmine was staring at her fingers, and he could see she was grappling with

something in her head.

"Jaz, what are you thinking?" he asked softly.

"It won't be easy for Hannah, especially if she learns about me. Maybe this is all too

hard."

He got off his seat and knelt in front of her. "Okay, so how about we do this? Let's

agree to ignore what we feel for each other. When you go home, find someone else. I'll

just go find someone else too. I'm sure it won't be hard," he said with a nonchalant

shrug.

Jasmine looked away from him as she bit her lip. He saw the distress that swamped

her. Just as he guessed, she had strong feelings for him, too. That knowledge was like a

soothing balm poured all over him, healing his hurts.

"You can't stand the thought either, can you?" he croaked.

She gazed back at him with brilliant hazel eyes and shook her head in admission.

"It's crazy, I know. We've known each other for less than two weeks. But can you

feel how strong this thing is between us?" he asked.

Jasmine nodded.

"So then we just have to find a way to make it work. I want to give it a try, Jaz," he

said earnestly. "I want to give us a try."

Her lips tugged upwards. "I want that too," she breathed.

His face split into a grin. He moved towards her and captured her lips.

Jasmine returned his kiss enthusiastically and he revelled in the heady feel of their

tongues caressing each other. His body tingled and his hands seemed to have a mind of

their own as they explored the side of her body, inching closer and closer to her breasts.

Jasmine leaned back abruptly and held his face between her hands. "Just kisses

until you've officially broken up with Hannah, right?"

He stared at her while he collected his thoughts that got scattered while they were

kissing.

Right, they had to think about Hannah.

He smiled at her. "Yeah. That was my plan all along but you almost made me

forget. I have to admit, though, right now I'm hoping you'll come up with some good

excuse that would make it all right for me to seduce you," he teased.

"I don't want Hannah hunting me down to throw water in my face and call me a

cock-sucking, fiancé-stealing, slut-whore," Jasmine said in a serious tone.

He gaped at her in shock. "I can't believe what you just said, Jaz."

"I mean it, Kane. I don't want to be called that … again."

"Again?"

She took a deep breath. "When I went out with Tim's friend George, I didn't know

he was engaged. One day, the fiancée I didn't know about confronted me at a coffee

shop and called me just that. It was the most humiliating moment of my life. Not only

that, I think George made Tim believe I'm someone who sleeps around—a slut, even.

That's why Tim won't leave me alone. He wants his turn."

"What? Well, he's not gonna fucking get it," he said angrily. "Those two sound like

fucking whackos. Did you say your dad works with Tim's dad?"

"Yes. His dad seems like a nice man, though."

"You never know. Now I'm more worried about what will happen when you go back

home. I want to be there when you talk to your dad."

Jasmine rubbed her eyes. "Can we not think about that until much later?"

"Okay," he said softly, planting a quick kiss on her lips before standing up. "How

about we go out to lunch? I'm starving."

Jasmine nodded in agreement and got up from her seat.

He placed his arms around her and pulled her for a comforting embrace while he

prayed that his imminent breakup with Hannah wouldn't be as explosive as he feared it

would be.

CHAPTER FIVE

Jasmine watched as Kane stood by the threshold of Rob and Jessa's house. His body was

tense as he surveyed the cars parked on the street. Finally, he swivelled and closed the

door.

"He's not out there," he said.

'That's good," she answered. "Maybe he got sick of sitting around and waiting."

"Or maybe he'll be back tonight," Kane warned.

She shivered at thought. Maybe she should have stayed over at Will and Clarise's.

What was she thinking?

Kane was swiftly by her side. "Hey, I don't want you to worry, okay?" he said as he

rubbed her arms soothingly. "I think I should sleep here with you."

She raised an eyebrow at him.

He grinned. "I'm your bodyguard, remember? I can sleep in the other spare

bedroom. That is, if you don't want me watching over you in your bedroom," he added

huskily.

Her body clenched deliciously at the mental image of the two of them in bed

together. She pushed it aside and focused on the more critical matter. "Kane, you can't

just follow me around for two weeks. What about your work?"

"I know. I was thinking that for the days you're not out in a public place and I

couldn't be with you, you could stay at Clarise's or Faye's until I pick you up and bring you

back here. You'll be safer in places he doesn't know about."

She hated how Tim had turned all her plans upside down, as well as other people's.

Well, at least she could bring her laptop with her and write. As long as she had that, she

could be anywhere.

"What about your place?" she asked him. Jessa's friends were also her friends but

she wasn't close enough to them to feel okay about disrupting their lives because of her

little drama. Kane, on the other hand, was her boyfriend—almost. She'd feel more

relaxed in his place.

"Uh, I wouldn't mind but you might mind," he replied, his discomfort obvious.

"Why would I mind?"

"Hannah's stuff is all over the place."

She took a huge intake of breath. Of course. How stupid of her not to have thought

he was living with Hannah. They were engaged. Which meant they shared the same bed.

"You're right. Sorry," she said as she hurriedly went to her room, her emotions in a

riot.

"Jaz," Kane called after her.

"You know, I think I should be okay by myself here, day or night," she said with the

biggest smile she could fake. "I promise I'll keep the doors and windows locked and I

won't open the door for anyone. And I'll keep my phone beside me all the time. I'll call

you straight away if there's a hint of Tim around," she said in a rush. She didn't want to

go back to the subject of his and Hannah's place.

She stilled as he cupped her face, ensuring she looked him straight in the eye. "No,

Jaz, you're not staying here by yourself at night. I don't care if I sleep on the couch but

I'm keeping you company until that moron has left Sydney. The days may not be too bad

as long as you lock yourself in. Or like I said, you can stay at Clarise's or my sister's if

you're not in a safe, crowded place."

His expression told her he wouldn't budge on that. Besides, she was nervous about

Tim's intentions. She didn't want to take silly chances either. "Okay then. You can use the

other guest bedroom."

Kane was still inspecting her upturned face, his eyes piercing and probing. Her

breathing quickened, along with the beating of her heart.

"I wish I could keep you safe at my place," he said softly.

She shook her head and shut her eyes. "No, please. It's okay."

"But it's not okay, is it?"

She pulled his hands from her face. "Kane, I don't even want to think about you

living with another woman, so can we please drop this topic?" she asked in annoyance.

He smiled tenderly, gathered her in his arms and fitted his lips to hers. His kiss was

soft and gentle—for ten seconds—then he was all need. He devoured her mouth as his

hands busily roamed her body, stoking her desire that had been simmering for over a

week. Oh, Lord, she wanted this. She wanted him.

Abruptly, Kane broke the kiss and released her. "God, you're gonna drive me crazy.

You already are." He raked his hands through his hair as he panted through his open

mouth. He looked so freaking hot and aroused that she was tempted to jump him.

"I have to go home to pack some stuff," he said gruffly. "I should be back within an

hour. Will you be okay for a little while?"

She nodded her head. She felt herself gawking at him with lustful eyes but damn it,

she couldn't help herself.

"Jasmine, stop looking at me like that," he warned.

"Well, don't kiss me like you just did if you don't want me looking at you like this."

His eyes smouldered. "Right now, I want to kiss you again. But I'm afraid if I do, I

won't be able to stop."

She gulped visibly. "I'm afraid if you do, I won't be able to stop you."

"Would it be so wrong?" he asked hoarsely.

She wanted to say it wasn't wrong. Oh, God, how she wanted to say it wasn't

wrong. How could it be when she was the one he had feelings for, not his fiancée?

But he was still engaged to Hannah, and the poor woman had already been through

so much. She deserved to be treated with respect and consideration.

"You said Hannah will be back in less than two weeks. Let's wait until then."

He sighed and smiled at her with fondness and longing. "Okay, I guess we should."

*******

Jasmine eagerly unwrapped her newly-bought e-reader, the latest model she'd been

wanting to have since it came out. She loved new, fashionable things: gadgets, clothes,

shoes, handbags. They were her weakness.

She leaned back on the comfy seat of the cosy French café she had stumbled upon

as she admired her new purchase.

"They're great, aren't they?" a voice commented.

She glanced at the smiling, chestnut-haired woman at the table next to her who

lifted something she was holding and waved it. She laughed. It was exactly the same e-

reader she'd just bought.

"This is new, too. I just got it yesterday," the woman said.

"Isn't it great to have new things?" Jasmine responded conversationally.

"Absolutely. There's nothing like shopping to lift up a girl's spirits." The woman

swept her arm over a couple of carry bags emblazoned with the logo of an expensive

designer.

"Wow, you must be on a shopping binge," she chuckled.

"Yup, that I am," the lady said with a big sigh.

"What are you reading, if you don't mind me asking?" Jasmine asked.

"No, of course not. I'm reading The Promise by J.A. Nell."

Her eyebrows lifted. "What do you think of it?"

"Love it. I love her books."

"Yeah, me too," she responded.

"They'll probably want me to leave soon," the woman said conspiratorially. "I'm

finished and there are people waiting for a table."

Jasmine looked up and saw a couple standing near the door, pointedly looking their

way.

"Hey, if you don't want to leave yet, you're welcome to share my table," she

offered.

"Oh, is that okay with you?"

"Of course. You seem to love books and shopping. There'll be plenty of things for us

to talk about." Jasmine hoped she would stay. She missed her friends back home and this

lady reminded her of them.

"Great, thanks," the woman responded as she gathered her bags and moved to her

table.

"I'm Jasmine Allen, by the way," she said.

"Arielle Mitchell. But you can call me Ari."

Jasmine thoroughly enjoyed the next hour spent in a pleasant conversation with her

new friend Ari. She learned that Ari just broke up with her cheating boyfriend and turned

to shopping for comfort. They had the same taste in clothes. They also liked the same

books, including J.A. Nell's.

"We should meet up again, Jaz," Ari said as they walked out of the café.

"I'd love that. When are you available?" she asked.

"If you don't mind catching up here in the city, I could meet you during lunchtimes

on the weekdays," Ari said.

"That would be great! How about next Monday?"

"Sure. I'll meet you out here at twelve?"

"Perfect."

Jasmine went home feeling buoyant about having made a new friend. She could

already imagine herself telling Ari who J.A. Nell really was.

*******

Four days had passed and there wasn't a single peep out of Tim. Jasmine had started to

relax. Maybe Tim had gotten bored or scared or had lost hope. Whatever. As long as he'd

finally left her alone.

It must have been Kane's constant coming and going—and sleeping over at nights—

that convinced Tim there was no way he could get what he wanted. Fingers crossed,

she'd seen the last of him.

She must concede though that, in a way, Tim had done her a favour. If it hadn't

been for his weird and worrying behaviour, she wouldn't have been spending so much

time with Kane.

Kane had been so sweet. He'd been coming for at least an hour during the day and

when he wasn't there, he'd called to make sure she was fine. They'd been having dinners

together, too.

She loved it when he came 'home'. They'd been spending the evenings cuddled in

front of the TV while they talked and kissed. The TV programmes served as distractions—

and reminders—not to take things any further for the time being.

She sighed with longing. She knew it was selfish of her but she couldn't help but get

excited about being free to fully express her desire for Kane. It was so difficult to hold

back.

She was just as keen as Kane to set the record straight with Hannah. She did feel

sorry that Hannah would have to go through another loss but it would be more cruel if

Kane pretended there was hope for the two of them when there was absolutely none.

Better that Kane didn't lift her hopes up any further. Hannah would be expecting his

news, anyway. She just hoped she wouldn't take it too hard.

But something else nagged her. Every day her feelings for Kane grew deeper and

deeper. And she wasn't happy that she was keeping a secret from him. Would it be a

relationship breaker if he found out?

She had firsthand experience of how people's idea of who she was could turn into

something nasty simply because of the sexy nature of her books. George and Tim were

prime examples of that. That was why protecting her pseudonym was important to her.

Kane wasn't anything like George or Tim, but she hadn't known him long enough to

know how he'd react to the fact that his girlfriend wrote erotic romances. An online

author friend of hers had said her husband strictly forbade her to tell anyone about her

sexy books because he worried about how it might affect his professional profile. Her

friend's husband was a big-shot lawyer.

And Kane wasn't just an architect. He was the co-director and part-owner of a firm

that had large international corporations as their clients. Would he consider a girlfriend

who wrote saucy novels using descriptive language an embarrassment to him? Would he

think it could damage his reputation?

But she had to tell him. They couldn't build a strong relationship if she kept this

from him. He would eventually find out. Question was, how would she go about it?

~~~~~~~

"Honey, I'm ho-ome!" came a voice from outside the door a few seconds after the bell

rang.

Jasmine hurried to open the door for Kane, chuckling at the hilarious way he called

out. "Hello, honey," she said as she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him

thoroughly.

The sound of tyres screeching as a car sped away startled her into breaking the kiss.

Kane made a complaining grunt and recaptured her lips.

She giggled. "Inside," she said against his mouth.

He snaked his arm around her waist and nudged her back, closing the door behind

him as he continued his delicious attention on her lips.

God, their 'hello' kisses were getting hotter and hotter each time. They were sweet,

sensuous torture. Frankly, she couldn't wait to get in his pants, especially when she could

tell how hard he got.

"Kane," she said in gentle warning as she strained for a bit of distance.

"You don't want my kisses?" he asked huskily, keeping her within the tight circle of

his strong arms.

"Don't be ridiculous."

"Oh, so you do want them, then," he said, nuzzling the side of her face.

"You know what I mean," she said breathlessly, her hands on his chest now

caressing instead of pushing.

"Hmm, what exactly do you mean?" He pressed soft kisses on her neck.

"Stop," she said weakly.

But he continued, his hand finding its way underneath her top.

"Kane, you have ten seconds to stop or …"

"Or what?" His eager fingers played with the band of her bra as his tongue licked an

earlobe.

"Or there'll be no stopping us. I don't want us to regret our first time."

Kane growled in frustration. "It's so hard, Jaz. I want you so much."

"I know," she soothed.

"Do you know how much I'm dying to be inside you?" he whispered in her ear, his

body rigid from keeping his passion in check.

She trembled. "Yes. Just as much as I'm dying to feel you inside me."

He hissed before releasing her and putting his hands in his pockets. "That's why I

haven't bought condoms yet. It's the one fact that's helping me to stop and wait."

"I'm on birth control. And I know we can trust each other," she said softly.

He groaned and stepped back from her. "You just made me ten times hotter," he

said accusingly. "And you know I can't touch you yet."

"Hannah's back tomorrow," she reminded him.

He sighed. "Yes, another day or two won't kill me, I suppose."

"I have another bit of news," she announced, deciding to change the topic so they

could both cool down. "Apparently, Tim's flying back to Melbourne later tonight."

"How do you know?"

"I was speaking with my mum and I kind of asked her if she heard how Tim enjoyed

the wedding since he came here by himself. She said they had dinner with his parents

yesterday and they mentioned Tim was catching the last flight back tonight."

"Jaz, you will tell your dad about his actions, right?" Kane asked.

She shifted on her feet. She didn't want to answer that question. She didn't know

yet if that was what she wanted to do.

Kane put his hands on his hips as he gave her a disapproving look. "Jaz, you have to

tell your father. And his father. Someone's got to make him see sense. And if he's actually

unstable …"

"But he's stopped already," she replied with a pleading look. "I think he got the

picture. If he sends me another text or did anything threatening, I promise I won't

hesitate to tell my dad."

Kane stared at her for a long moment. "And me," he commanded.

She smiled. "And you."

She took his hand and led him to the lounge room. "Come, I want to show you

something."

Jasmine handed Kane her new e-reader.

He looked at her quizzically.

"Do you have one?" she asked.

"Not this kind. I generally use my iPad or my phone to read ebooks. But generally

speaking, I don't have much time to read for pleasure."

"Maybe you can check out my favourite author." She tried to keep the nervous

tremor from her voice.

"Who's your favourite author?" he asked.

"Her name's J.A. Nell."

"J.A. Nell? Never heard of her."

"She's a newish author. Do you read romance novels?"

Kane snorted. "No. I'm into mysteries and thrillers."

"Well, maybe you should check out her books. They're on there."

"Romance novels are for girls, babe," Kane complained with a cute grimace.

She laughed. "Some men like them, too."

"Straight men?"

"Yes."

"Okay. But why?"

"Why not? Some men are very romantic and enjoy a good love story."

"I can be very romantic but I've never wanted to read a romance novel," Kane

countered.

"Or maybe some of them like the hot sex scenes," she continued, ignoring his last

comment.

"Hot sex scenes?" Kane now sounded interested.

"Uh-huh."

"This J.A., whatever her name is, has hot sex scenes in her books?"

"Yup."

"Okay. Maybe you can tell me what pages they're on and I'll read them."

She rolled her eyes at him. "But you have to start from the beginning to enjoy the

book. The sexy parts just enhance the story but they're not the story."

"If I like her sexy parts maybe I'll read her whole book."

She sighed. Men.

At least he was going to read a part of one of the books and she'd be able to tell his

reaction to it. Then she'd have to figure out her next step in her big reveal—that J.A. Nell

and Jasmine Allen were one and the same.

*******

Jasmine got up from the massage table, deeply relaxed from the wonderful pampering

she just had courtesy of Jessa and Rob. The newlyweds had given day spa vouchers as

thank you gifts to their bridesmaids and groomsmen.

It was heavenly and she was grateful for the distraction. But now that it was over,

her mind became busy again with thoughts of Kane.

He was back at his place today. In about an hour, he would be picking Hannah up

from the airport. She prayed Hannah was in a good enough frame of mind to have the

conversation she needed to have with Kane. But while he would confirm with Hannah

they would no longer be together, both she and Kane agreed he wouldn't tell Hannah

about her yet. They wanted to lessen the hurt as much as they could.

She got dressed and walked to the adjoining lounge area to enjoy some herbal tea.

The aroma in the room was so soothing and the atmosphere so calming that she thought

she might stay there for a few more hours and do some reading—if they'd let her. That

would help her while away the time and keep her mind off her man.

Her man.

She smiled at the thought.

She fished her phone out of her purse and found a couple of messages from him.

*Holy hell. Sexy parts in chapter 8. Sooooooo hot. I just might be interested enough to

read this whole book. This J.A. Nell's quite a good writer. I can see why you like her.*

Loud laughter bubbled out of her, disturbing the peaceful ambiance of the place. She

clamped her mouth with her hand and mouthed 'sorry' to the other woman in the room

who smiled back at her.

She checked out his other text.

*If I do what's on chapter 9 to you would you do to me what's on the beginning of

chapter 12?*

She went to the app on her phone to see exactly which scenes Kane was talking about.

She chuckled silently. Naughty man. But then again, it was she who wrote them. She

tapped a reply for him.

*Read from the beginning! It would be much more interesting.*

It wasn't long before she got a response back.

*You know what's more interesting, baby? Tomorrow night. You and me.*

She bit her lip as desire unfurled within her. Yes. Tomorrow night they would be free to

do more than just kiss. Hopefully. She couldn't wait. And right now, she was feeling

playful.

*What's happening tomorrow night?*

*You want me to spell it out for you?*

*I don't want to assume anything :-)*

*Suffice to say you'll be moaning and screaming the name 'Kane'. Just read the chapters I

mentioned. We'll do them all. ;-) Why is tomorrow night so far away???*

*Hmmm. I feel like moaning already. I just read the bit where his fingers … well, you

know where I would want YOUR fingers to be …*

*Jasmine! You're driving me crazy!!! I'd love to continue this but I need to head to the

airport soon. So later, babe. Need to take an icy cold shower before I go.*

She glanced at her watch and apprehension intruded into her blissful state. He'd be

seeing Hannah soon. How would that go? She replied to him.

*Okay. Good luck. I'll see you tomorrow.*

*Tomorrow. Miss you already.*

*Miss you too.*

Her fingers itched to include 'I love you' but she refrained. She'd rather say that face to

face. And she hoped he'd say it first.

CHAPTER SIX

Kane stood outside the Arrivals hall, his palms sweaty as he waited for Hannah. He tried

not to think of how she would react. He knew she didn't want to hear what he'd been

wanting to say for weeks.

But he'd been patient enough with her. She had no choice this time. She had to

listen to him and accept they were over.

He spotted her exiting the customs area. She was scanning the crowd as she

pushed the trolley holding her bags. He took a deep sigh to brace himself, a feeling of

dread settling in his gut.

He waved his hand to attract her attention.

"Kane!"

Hannah hurried to him and kissed him soundly on the lips.

He froze but she didn't seem to notice.

"I'm so glad to be back," she gushed.

He retrieved her trolley and started pushing it towards the parking area. "How was

the flight?" he asked, not knowing what else to say.

"Very bumpy. We kept encountering some turbulence. Don't be surprised if I fall

asleep on the way home. I'm so tired." She placed her hands on his arm and rested her

head on his shoulder as they made their way back to his car.

He walked a little faster, making Hannah stand up straighter so she could match his

pace. It didn't feel right having another woman cuddle up to him, even if that woman

happened to be his fiancée. That was just a technicality. He was Jasmine's.

"So how are you, darling?" Hannah crooned.

"Not bad, thanks," he responded with a polite smile.

"What have you been up to while I was away?"

Falling in love with someone else. But he couldn't tell her that. He and Jasmine

agreed it would be better if Hannah didn't know about her. But he also couldn't pretend

everything was unchanged.

"Hannah, you do know we have to talk. We'll sit down as soon as we get home," he

said gently.

Hannah folded her arms across her chest. She didn't respond.

They walked to the car in silence.

*******

"Just give us a bit more time, Kane. We've already laid some foundation for this

relationship. Don't give up on us. Please!"

Kane buried his head in his hands. They were going around in circles. He couldn't

see why it was so hard for Hannah to understand he didn't want to be in a relationship

with her anymore.

"Hannah. You know I don't feel like that about you. I'm really sorry."

"How could you do this to me right now, Kane? After all I've been through?" she

shouted at him, tears profusely running down her face.

Yup. There it was. The guilt trip she wanted him to have. He'd been expecting it.

And, hell, it did prick at his conscience.

"Please, Hannah. Try to understand. I don't mean to hurt you but —"

"I came back here for you. I have no one else here but you. Now you're throwing me

out of your house!"

"You have friends here, Hannah. You have a great job here. There are lots of people

who care about you. And I'm not throwing you out of the house. I'll help you find another

place to live and help you move. In the meantime, you can stay here. That's not throwing

you out."

"But why can't we continue trying, Kane? You were more than happy to marry me

before."

He let out a loud exhale. "You know I only agreed to marry you because of the

baby."

"We can make another baby," she suggested.

He shook his head in disbelief. "Hannah, I don't love you," he said forcefully, out of

frustration.

Hannah slumped on the couch, sobbing her eyes out.

He raked a hand through his hair. What now? Should he call one of her friends?

Should he leave her alone?

No, he couldn't leave her alone. She looked so broken and his conscience wouldn't

allow it. He had just crushed her heart so soon after her devastating losses.

He squatted beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hannah, please don't

cry. You'll find someone else who'll love you back. You deserve that. And you know we'll

continue to be friends. I'll still be there for you if you need me."

She raised her head. "Promise?"

"Yeah."

She clung to him and cried some more. He felt awkward but he put his arms around

her and let her cry on his shoulder. Wasn't that what friends were for?

~~~~~~~

"Thanks for letting me stay in the master bedroom."

Kane glanced at Hannah standing by the open door of his guest room. "No

problem," he said as he proceeded to hang some of his clothes in the wardrobe. He

should have moved his stuff out of the master bedroom earlier, but he'd been spending

all of his free time with Jasmine and he just totally forgot about it.

"By the way," he continued, "from tomorrow night I'll be staying at my mum and

dad's until you find your own place."

"What? Why?"

"Hannah, we've broken up. We can't continue living under the same roof."

"But this is your home. I can't let you be the one to leave," she cried. "It's just that

… I don't have anywhere else to go to yet."

"That's why I'll move out temporarily. When you've found your place, I'll move back

in."

"I thought we were still friends," she said sadly.

"We are," he confirmed.

"So what's wrong with being flatmates for a few weeks? You have your own room, I

have mine. You don't need to stay with your parents."

He swallowed hard. Truth was, he planned to stay with Jasmine.

"I think it would be easier for us to adjust if I give you some space to be by

yourself," he reasoned.

Hannah was quiet for a long moment. He hoped she wouldn't make too big a deal

out of this.

"Okay," she finally conceded. "But you'll be around to help me find a place to move

into?"

"Of course."

"You'd go with me to check them out? You know I trust you to see problems I

wouldn't even notice."

"Sure. That's not a problem."

"Great. Thanks, Kane."

"Don't mention it," he said with a smile.

*******

*Hi, baby. All done. There was a bit of drama in the beginning but Hannah seems fine

now.*

Kane stared at the ceiling as he waited for Jasmine's reply to his text. He was filled with

relief that he'd finally sorted things out with Hannah. After her hysterical outburst, he was

pleasantly surprised at how much Hannah had calmed down. It seemed she had accepted

everything and was ready to move on.

Now he was free to be with Jasmine. They still needed to be careful not to let

Hannah know about the two of them but there was little chance of being found out. In

another two weeks, Jasmine would be going home to Melbourne. A couple of months

after that, she'd be moving to Sydney permanently. By then, there would be no reason

why Hannah couldn't know about Jasmine.

His phone vibrated.

*Glad to know. How are you?*

*Fine, thanks. Just a little exhausted. Oh, and I miss you.*

*Miss you too.*

He smiled, his tension easing just from texting with Jasmine. He wished he was with her

—so he told her.

*I wish I was with you tonight. I need to hold you close.*

*Soon, honey. For tonight, just dream about me.*

*Remind me again why we decided not to see each other tonight?*

*Because we wanted to make sure Hannah was fine.*

*Right. Well, she seems to be so I will definitely see you tomorrow.*

*I wish tonight was already tomorrow.*

*You and me both, babe.*

*Goodnight, Kane.*

*Goodnight, Jaz.*

*******

A high-pitched scream woke Kane up and made him bolt out of his bed.

Hannah.

He ran to her room and flicked the light switch on. No one else was there, apart

from her sitting up on the bed.

"What's wrong?" he asked worriedly as he sat beside her.

"Just a nightmare," she said weakly.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head. "I … I can't remember much now."

"I'll get you some water," he offered.

"No, thanks," she responded, stopping him with a hand on his arm. "I don't want

any."

"Are you okay now?" he asked softly.

"Yes," she said, smiling up at him.

She flicked her hair over her shoulder, making him look downwards. He noticed she

was wearing a sheer nightie. Funny how she would choose to wear something like that on

a cool night when she was all alone in bed. Oh well, it was none of his business. He just

wanted to go back to sleep.

"I'm glad you're okay now. Do you need anything?"

"Um … nothing. Thank you."

"You scared me there for a second," he said as he got up to leave.

"Sorry. But it makes me feel better knowing you'll come when I need you."

He gave her a small smile as he left her room, feeling unsettled about the whole

incident, especially her last words. He hoped Hannah wouldn't be too needy in the future.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Jasmine's heart skipped a beat as she let Kane into the house.

"Hi," he said, taking off his sunglasses and giving her a crooked, sinfully sexy smile

as he stepped inside.

"Hi. You're early," she replied, a big grin splitting her face as she closed the door.

"Early? I wanted to be here yesterday, baby."

She laughed as she launched herself at him. They kissed sweetly for a long minute

before she pulled away and held his face between her hands.

"Are you okay?" she asked him, scanning his face for signs of stress.

"I am now," he replied as he traced her profile with a finger.

"And Hannah?"

"She seems okay. But she had a nightmare last night. Woke up screaming."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but she was fine after that. Just a bad dream."

Kane kissed her on the lips.

"I told her I'll be staying at my parents' place until she found an apartment," he

said.

She frowned. "So she's staying at your house until then?"

"Yes. She has nowhere else to go. I'll help her find a place she can move into."

"Doesn't she have friends who could help her? Why does it have to be you?"

"Jaz, I have to help her after what she's been through. I thought you were just as

concerned about her emotional wellbeing as I am."

"Sure. I was concerned about how she would handle the breakup. And you said

she's fine with that now. Isn't it better to cut all ties so you can both move on? If you're

still around for her, she might keep on hoping you'll get back together."

Kane sighed. "I see your point. I just can't help but feel guilty about hurting her

after all her trauma. And I've already promised to help her find an apartment. After that,

that's it. Okay?"

She gave him a semblance of a smile.

"You're not jealous that she's still at my place, are you?" he asked, lifting her chin

with a finger so she would look him in the eye.

Was she? Okay, irrational as it was, she had to admit she was jealous. She just

didn't expect Kane to still have much to do with Hannah after their split. She was under

the impression he was keen to make a clean break. It appeared he cared more than she

thought. He even offered to house-hunt with Hannah. How long would that go on?

But she could understand where he was coming from. The situation called for it, she

guessed. She didn't like his arrangement with Hannah but she could sympathise with her.

And it was a only short-term thing, anyway.

"It's fine. As long as you're not staying at your place while she's there," she said

with a slight pout.

He chuckled. "No. I won't be home because I'm staying here with you. Rob and

Jessa wouldn't mind, would they?"

She thawed and snaked her arms around his neck. "You've been sleeping here for

the last couple of weeks already. If they bothered to call home, I could let them know.

But I doubt we'll hear from them until they're back from their honeymoon."

"Well, we'll only need to use one room now instead of two," he whispered

seductively in her ear.

"Finally," she breathed, her body heating up fast with anticipation. They'd waited so

long.

"Finally," he echoed, running his hand underneath her top and cupping her breast.

"No bra. I like that."

She giggled. "I don't usually wear a bra when I'm inside the house."

"That's not true. You've always worn a bra," he said with a flick of his thumb over

her nipple.

Desire spiked through her and raced straight down to her core.

"It was only because we were trying to hold back," she explained, her words

becoming more breathless.

"Ah, I see."

She gasped when Kane lifted her up in his arms and carried her upstairs.

"You're so strong," she murmured before kissing his neck.

"You're a lightweight," he chuckled. "Your room or mine?"

"Mine," she answered, the word coming out like a gush of air.

He pushed her bedroom door open with his shoulder and kissed her hungrily before

releasing her on the bed. She crawled up to the middle and clutched his shirt to draw him

down to her.

She moaned softly as he lay on top of her, loving his weight and his hardness. She

parted her legs and started rubbing his legs with her feet. He groaned and shifted so she

was cradling his hard erection right against her throbbing centre.

"God, you make me so hot," he rasped.

Kane ravaged her mouth, his tongue insistent and probing as his hand delved under

her shirt to cup her aching breast.

She started to pant loudly, fresh moisture rushing to her core from the delicious

friction caused by the restless movement of their hips.

"Jaz, I've waited for so long," he whispered as he sat up and divested her of her top.

"You're so beautiful," he said, staring at her with hungry eyes.

Kane straddled her and slowly, with just the tips of his fingers touching her, he ran

his hand along the side of her face as he watched her with blazing blue eyes. His thumb

traced the bottom of her lip and she poked her tongue out to taste it.

His smile was carnal as he pushed his thumb in her mouth. She sucked on it

sensuously, a thrill passing through her as his eyelids drooped and his nostrils flared.

His other hand got busy. He ran it tantalisingly over her heavy breast before his

thumb circled her pebbled nipple in time with her sucking of his thumb. She moaned. She

wanted more. More. Much more.

He took his thumb out of her mouth and leaned down on her. His tongue tasted her

lips before he pushed it inside. He groaned as she sucked it, much like she did with his

thumb. This time, both his hands got busy with her breasts. His fingers tweaked her

nipples as his tongue explored her mouth. Oh, he was making her soaked.

Abruptly, he pushed himself up. "Jasmine," he mouthed. He moved to her jeans and

unzipped them. Slowly, he undressed her, his gaze intense and lustful on the newly

exposed parts of her body.

"Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?" he said in awe as he caressed her

nakedness with his hungry eyes.

"I need to see you, too," she said as she made a move to sit up.

"Oh no, you don't," he replied as he captured her wrists and pinned them above her

head. "Not yet."

"When?" she whined.

"After I make you moan some more," he whispered as his lips trailed kisses on her

face and down her neck.

Just his words made her want to moan. She made soft noises as he nipped and

licked her throat. When he moved downwards to her hyper-sensitive breasts, her breath

hitched in anticipation. When he closed his mouth around an aroused nipple, a lusty

moan came out of her.

Kane groaned as he twirled his tongue round and round her peak as his fingers paid

attention to its twin. He had let go of her wrists, his hands more interested in her breasts,

leaving her free to rake his hair.

A hand started moving downwards. Down. Down. Until it reached her hot core. Her

hips bucked up when his fingers dipped into her wetness. And when they found her

swollen nub and started rubbing, she mewled.

"Kane!"

His mouth left her nipple to kiss her mouth avidly while his fingers continued their

delicious ministrations.

Needing to feel him, she groped until she found his impressive bulge.

"Jaz, baby," he panted.

Hurriedly, she unzipped him. With two pairs of hands eager to rid him of his clothes,

he was naked in no time.

Her hand found him again as he lay back next to her. She keenly explored the

manhood she'd been fantasising about for weeks. He was more magnificent that she'd

imagined—and very wet with his pre-come.

"Baby, I'm too close," he croaked in her ear.

"Then come inside me. Now, please."

In a heartbeat he was in position. He hissed as the head of his thick, long cock

touched her soaking entrance.

"Kane," she cried, angling her hips for penetration.

With a guttural sound, he pushed in slowly, inch by inch, to let her adjust to his size,

or perhaps to hold himself back from coming.

Oh, he felt so incredible, and she was almost there.

"Kane, God, you feel so good," she moaned as she writhed underneath him.

"Oh, Jaz … Jaz … fuck," he said through gritted teeth as his control snapped.

He drove into her faster. Harder. Within a few glorious strokes, she was screaming

his name in ecstasy, her inner walls contracting around his beautiful cock over and over.

"Aahhh, Jasmine!" he roared as he erupted inside her.

"Wow, that was worth waiting for."

Jasmine smiled as she stroked Kane's hair. "It certainly was."

He was half on top of her, with his arm tightly around her waist and his head buried

in her neck.

He lifted his head to look in her eyes. "You were worth waiting for."

"Kane," she whispered, touched by his heart-warming sincerity.

He pushed a strand of hair off her face. "Of course, now it will be totally impossible

to stay away from you. No more waiting ever again."

"Ever?" she teased. "How about when we're in public and we get hot? Surely, we'll

have to keep our hands off each other then."

"I'll just haul you to the nearest men's room. You seem to feel at home in them."

She giggled.

Kane covered her with his body and she felt his hardening erection on her belly. She

ran her hands on his still-sweaty back, her body responding unerringly to his.

"Right now, I'm in a no-waiting kind of mood," he said in an ultra-sexy tone that

made her toes curl.

"That's good. 'Cause I'm in one, too."

"Maybe we can stay in bed for the rest of the day," he murmured in her ear.

"Oh, wait! I just remembered. Faye invited me to dinner at your parents' place

tonight. I didn't want to tell her I'd be with you so I said yes."

Kane pushed himself up and gazed at her quizzically. "You're having dinner with my

sister and parents tonight?"

"Yes. I think your other brothers will be there too. And Ray, of course."

"You're having dinner with my whole family tonight?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes. I did ask if you were going to be there but Faye said you might be busy so she

hasn't asked you."

He looked at her blankly. "Why would she think I'm busy?"

"Because Hannah just came back from London, perhaps?"

"Hmm. Perhaps. But why didn't you want her to know you'll be with me?"

"Because I'm not sure what they know about us, and about you and Hannah."

"Faye and Ray know I'm keeping an eye on you to make sure you're safe—and that

I'm interested in you. But they don't know I've broken up with Hannah. I've been too busy

spending all my free time with you. I haven't shared my plans with anyone else."

"So … are you joining us for dinner?" she asked.

"Of course I am."

"We should watch ourselves tonight."

"Why? I've broken up with Hannah. I'll tell them tonight."

"But …" she hesitated.

"But?"

"But you only just broke up with her yesterday. You can't turn up with a new

girlfriend straight away. I don't want anyone in your family to think badly of me," she said

in a small voice.

"Baby, my whole family knows I got engaged only because of the baby. But yes, I

can see where you're coming from. We'll keep it cool. No touching or anything while we're

there."

"Thank you."

"Now no more discussing this. We have better things to do."

He captured her lips and thumbed an already excited nipple.

CHAPTER EIGHT

"Kane!"

"Hello, Faye," Kane greeted his surprised sister. "I can't believe I'm the only one not

invited to my family's dinner," he said with a mock glower.

"I didn't forget about you. But Mum said to let you have your time with …" Faye's

voice trailed off when she saw Jasmine standing behind him. "Hey, Jaz. I'm glad you

could come. Did Kane pick you up?"

"Yes, he did," Jasmine responded shyly.

"Come on in. Everyone's here already."

"Yeah. Everyone including me," Kane said in a miffed tone as they walked inside the

house.

"Hey, don't be like that," Faye said, giving him a swift hug. "Mum didn't want you to

feel pressured to come so she thought it might be better not to let you know. How are

you?"

He caught the unspoken meaning in Faye's question and smiled at her. "Fine.

Everything's good."

"Good," Faye responded. "We'll talk more later. I have to get back to making your

favourite cherry cheesecake."

"How many are you making? There's more of us tonight. One won't be enough," he

called after Faye.

"Kane!" his mother cried as she came out of the kitchen just as Faye went into it.

"Hi, Mum. I heard you didn't want to see me tonight."

"Oh, darling, that's not true. I always want to see you. I just thought you needed

time with Hannah since she just came back yesterday. Did you bring her with you?"

"No," he said, about to tell his mother the current situation but she had already

turned her attention to Jasmine.

"Hello, Jasmine. I'm glad you could join us tonight."

"Hello, Mrs. Summers. Thank you for inviting me to your family dinner."

"It's a pleasure, dear. And please call me Linda. Faye tells me you're staying alone

at your sister's house. Are you enjoying your holiday?"

"Yes, I am. Thank you."

"Well, dinner is almost ready. Kane, why don't you take Jasmine to the games

room? The boys are there. Then come to the kitchen. I want to talk to you about

something."

"Okay."

He reached out for Jasmine's hand but she gave him a warning look.

"Oops. I forgot," he whispered with a grin.

"Hey, boys," Kane called out as he and Jasmine entered the room where his dad, his

three brothers and Ray were playing pool.

"Jasmine!" Dylan exclaimed delightedly. "Great to see you again, beautiful."

Jealousy pricked Kane as his brother, the second oldest and almost his spitting

image, gave Jasmine a big bear hug that went on for far too long.

"Enough, Dylan," he growled.

Dylan looked at him in surprise.

"You're making her feel uncomfortable," he said.

"Am I, Jazzie?" Dylan asked Jasmine with a flirtatious pout.

Jasmine laughed, which annoyed him even more. Whose side was she on?

"Yeah, Dyl. Don't hog her attention," his youngest brother said, prying Dylan's arms

from around Jasmine to pull her into his embrace.

Kane suppressed a sigh. Would this night be all about his two single brothers vying

for Jasmine's attention? It irked him that he couldn't lay claim on her tonight.

"Which one are you, Bradley or Riley?" Jasmine asked her present hugger.

"Can't you tell? I'm the best looking of all the brothers."

"Well, there's two of you that look exactly the same," Jasmine chuckled, glancing at

the other twin who looked up from texting someone on his phone and grinned at her.

"He's the baby," Kane said dryly, scowling at his brother.

"There's nothing wrong with babies," his brother retorted. "They're cute, cuddly,

adorable —"

"Yadi, yadi, yadda," Kane interjected with an eye roll.

"I'm Brad," his brother carried on. "And don't worry about my twin. He's too busy

pining for his girlfriend who can't make it to dinner tonight."

"Well, don't get too comfortable holding Jaz. Her boyfriend won't like it," Kane said,

keen to put a stop to his brothers flirting with his girl.

"Aww, are you taken, Jasmine?" Brad asked.

"I'm afraid so," she answered.

"You're afraid so?" Dylan asked slyly. "Does that mean you're not exactly happy with

your current flame? Don't settle for anything less than me, Jazzie."

"Oh God. Listen to the two of you. Leave her alone," Kane ordered his brothers.

They should listen to him. He was the oldest.

Faye appeared in the doorway. "Kane, Mum wants you."

"Oh, right." He got up to follow Faye, but not before throwing a glare at his two

mischievous siblings.

~~~~~~~

"What's up, Mum?" Kane asked as he entered the kitchen where his mother was plating

up some food.

"Kane. There you are. I've been meaning to ask you about Hannah. How is she?"

"She's fine."

"I spoke to her father a couple of hours ago."

His eyebrows shot up. "You did? Why?"

"He rang. He wanted to talk to your dad and me about providing Hannah some

emotional support. He's very worried about her. Apparently her moods were up and down

when she was in London. He wanted her to stay with them longer but she insisted on

coming back here because she wanted to be with you."

He winced, a blend of guilt and frustration assailing him.

"How are things with you two?" his mother prodded.

He pressed his lips together. "We've broken up, Mum," he answered.

Linda and Faye glanced at him sharply.

"Well, I guess that was to be expected," Linda said after a brief silence. "I'm just

surprised you did it so soon."

"If I'd waited, it would have been harder. I didn't want her planning a wedding that

was never going to happen."

"So how did she take it?" Faye asked quietly.

"She didn't take it well in the beginning but she seems to have accepted it now.

She'll stay at my house until we find her a new place. I promised to help her with that."

"Right. Is there anything we can do to help? Is there anything you need?"

"Well, I told her I'll be staying here until she finds a place. Mum, if she ever calls

you, could you confirm that to her?"

"Yes, of course. But you have to keep an eye on her, Kane," Linda responded. "She's

probably even more fragile now that you've ended things with her."

He rubbed his face with his hands. After her recent actions, including her nightmare

which he doubted was real, he was positive Hannah was manipulating the situation to

keep him tethered to her. The only thing stopping him from putting a complete end to it

was the fear that he might push her into severe depression.

"I'll talk to her and get her to share more with her friends. They'll be more than

happy to support her. But she just doesn't want anybody to know yet that we've broken

up. She said she's not ready for all the fuss and attention. And yet, she expects me to be

there every time she needs me, even though we're not together anymore."

"She doesn't want anyone else but you, Kane," Faye said with sympathy. "Do you

think she'll accept help from me?"

"She probably would but only because you're my sister. I know she's still hanging on

to some hope that we'll get back together. I'm sorely tempted to just cut the ties and

leave her to her own devices," he said with a touch of bitterness.

"Make her see a counsellor, or at least her other friends. Then you can move on

without guilt that you're leaving her in a fragile state of mind without support. Right now,

you're the only one she's likely to listen to."

"Okay, I will," he said with resignation.

"So you're moving back here for a while, darling?" Linda asked. "I'll get one of the

rooms ready for you."

"Um." He glanced at Faye as he tried to find a good excuse to tell his mother.

"Hey, I've got an idea," Faye interjected. "Why don't you stay with me and Ray for a

couple of weeks? That way we can help you with whatever you need to do for Hannah,

like help look for a place for her or something."

"You can do that even if Kane's here, Faye," their mother said. "I'd love to have one

of my kids stay with me again, even for just a few weeks."

"Uh, you know, Mum, I think Faye's got a point. We're all very busy with work and it

will save some time if I stay with them while they help me with whatever I need."

"What, you don't want to live with your folks, Kane Summers?" Linda asked with a

tinge of hurt in her voice.

"I do, Mum!" he replied, draping an arm around his mother's shoulders. "Just give

me a couple of weeks with Faye and Ray, then I'll move in here. I'm sure it will take more

than a month before we get Hannah settled into a new place, so you can have me for at

least two weeks."

"Okay, then. Whatever you think. Now you two bring those dishes to the dining

table," Linda said as she strode out of the kitchen carrying a platter.

Kane enveloped Faye in a hug when their mum was out of sight. "Thank you. You're

the best sister in the world."

"You're welcome. You do know you've made your life just a tad more complicated?"

"Yes. Can you blame me?"

"No. I just hope everything works out for all of you in the end. And don't toy with

Jasmine's feelings! Or Jess wouldn't be happy with me for helping you move into her

house with Jaz for two weeks."

"I have no intention of ever hurting Jaz. If I do, it won't be deliberate."

~~~~~~~

Kane's annoyance came back ten-fold when he spotted Jasmine laughing with Dylan.

Wasn't Dylan supposed to be playing pool, not chatting up his girlfriend?

He'd never been in this situation before, where one of his brothers was also keen on

the same girl and he didn't know how to handle it. Well, the sooner Dylan knew Jasmine

was his, the better. He couldn't afford Dylan—or Brad—falling in love with Jasmine. That

would be disastrous. At least Brad appeared to have given up.

"Dinner's ready," his mum called.

As everyone started heading off to the dining room, he stood at the threshold and

waited for Jasmine. She was still engrossed in a conversation with Dylan, and they were

walking ever so slowly.

"Dylan! Dinner!" he called to them. "Jasmine's ears are gonna fall off if you don't

stop yapping."

Dylan grinned at him and walked faster. Jasmine gave him a smile that made his

heart dance in his chest.

"Jasmine, would you sit next to me?" Linda asked. "I'd love to talk to you about a

dish Jessa mentioned you cook really well."

"Oh, I want to know about that, too," Faye said as she chose the seat on the other

side of Jasmine.

Great. He couldn't even sit next to his girlfriend. Worse, Dylan beat him to the chair

right opposite her.

Grudgingly, he sat next to Dylan. He glanced at his dad, who appeared engrossed

with discussing the state of the economy with Ray and the twins. With his mum and Faye

busy chatting about food with Jasmine, he could have a serious talk with Dylan without

being too conspicuous.

"Dyl, what were you and Jaz talking about?" he whispered.

"Oh, you know. The usual," Dylan said with an enigmatic smile.

"What usual?"

"We were exchanging notes, talking about things we like and don't like. Turns out

we both enjoy similar things," Dylan said as he dug into his food enthusiastically.

Kane glanced at Jasmine. Surely she wouldn't have led his brother on? Or was she

so concerned about hiding their relationship from his family that she was using Dylan's

interest in her to cover it up?

"You do know she has a boyfriend," he said with a frown.

"Yeah, I heard her say she was afraid so."

"That's not what she meant," he bristled.

"Oh? What do you think she meant?"

"Dylan, don't be obtuse."

"Kane," his dad called.

He turned his head to his father who wanted his opinion on how the current level of

demand for new housing was affecting the economy. He sighed and reluctantly dropped

his conversation with Dylan. They'd have to continue it later.

~~~~~~~

"Make sure you join us again for dinner before you go back to Melbourne, Jasmine."

"Thank you, Linda. I'll do that. I really enjoyed tonight. Thank you for having me."

"It was a pleasure. Kane, are you heading off, too?"

Kane nodded. "I'm driving Jasmine home."

"Oh, I thought she drove here," his mum replied.

"No. I picked her up," he responded.

"Maybe Dylan can drive Jasmine home and you can sleep here tonight. You can

start staying at Faye's tomorrow. Your dad hasn't had the chance to talk to you, and I

know he wants to."

He tried to keep an impassive expression. "You can tell Dad what we talked about,

Mum. I'm kind of tired of the topic. I want to give it a rest for tonight."

"Oh, okay, darling. No problem."

They said their goodbyes to everyone. To Dylan, he said, "I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Sure. What about?" Dylan asked innocently.

"Tomorrow," he replied.

Kane's eyes narrowed as Dylan hugged Jasmine goodbye. It was, again, far too long

for his liking.

CHAPTER NINE

Jasmine peeked at Kane's profile as he drove them back to Jessa and Rob's. He seemed

introspective – cranky, even.

"Kane, is everything okay?" she asked, placing a hand on his thigh.

He glanced at her. "You seemed to enjoy tonight," he commented.

"I did," she said with a smile. "Your whole family's great."

"Dylan really enjoyed your company, too."

She frowned at the tone of his voice. "Why did that come out sarcastically?" she

asked.

"Did it? I didn't notice," Kane replied, still full of sarcasm.

"Don't tell me you're jealous, Kane," she said, horrified.

"My brother was obviously keen on you. Didn't you think how messy it would be if

he thought you were interested in him, too? I know you didn't want my family knowing

about us yet, but did you have to flirt with Dylan to hide what's going on between us?"

"Oh my God! Kane! You can't seriously think I was leading Dylan on! How could you

even think I'd do something like that?" she asked in disbelief.

Kane's expression changed from stony to uncertain as he took in her outburst. "The

two of you seemed to hit it off," he said defensively.

She gasped in shocked disgust, then crossed her arms tightly across her chest and

stared straight at the road ahead. Did he think she was an insensitive bimbo? How could

he accuse her of flirting with his own brother at his parents' place? He mustn't think much

of her at all!

Kane remained silent. Well, she was fine with that. She didn't have anything to say

to him.

She worked to hold off the tears that threatened to spill. She had been

understanding of his situation and had trusted him even when he still chose to attend to

his ex-fiancée's needs. All she did was relax in his brother's company and he had the hide

to accuse her of flirting with Dylan when all she wanted was to be close to him and feel

his touch.

Well, he could keep his goddamn hands to himself!

They got to the house and she was out of the car even before Kane had switched off

the engine.

"Jasmine," he called out exasperatedly as he hurried after her.

She turned around to face him.

"Your mum wanted you to sleep at their place tonight. Now that seems like a good

idea to me," she said crossly before heading into the house.

Kane locked the door behind him and caught up with her, pulling her into his arms

and burying his nose in her hair.

"Jaz, explain to me what I saw tonight. I need to understand," he pleaded softly.

She took a deep breath, slightly pacified by his changed demeanour.

"How could you think I was flirting with your own brother, Kane? In front of you?"

she asked.

His arms around her tightened, thawing her some more.

"When I was talking to Dylan, he seemed to be really enamoured by you," he said,

kissing her temple. "I don't want him to fall for you, Jaz. That would be a nightmare of a

situation."

She looked up at him in surprise. "I think Dylan was pulling your leg," she said.

"When you went to the kitchen, he quietly asked me if you and I were together. He said

he could tell you were being jealous and possessive. I said yes, we're together, but that

we didn't want anyone to know yet because of Hannah and the fact that I didn't want

your family to misinterpret the situation. He said he was happy for us—and he looked it,

too. For the rest of the night, we mainly talked about you. He told me stories from when

you guys were kids."

Kane stared at her in consternation and shook his head. "I wanted to deck him.

Maybe I still will after that stunt he pulled on me. Even when we were having dinner he

still made it out as if he wanted to make a play for you."

"He was definitely teasing you then," she said. "You guys seem really close."

"We are. And yes, sometimes we enjoy pushing each other's buttons. I'll get him

back for this," he said fondly. Kane cupped her face and kissed her lips. "I'm sorry,

sweetheart."

"Okay."

"I'm still staying with you tonight, right?"

She smiled. "If you still want to."

"God, I more than want to. I'm dying to," he said as he re-captured her lips for a

searing kiss.

~~~~~~~

"Mmmm, again?" Jasmine giggled as Kane's tongue played with a nipple. She was still

coming down from the clouds from their stunning orgasms and her man was raring to go

again.

"We haven't even done everything that was in chapter nine yet. Or was that chapter

ten?" he said seductively.

The onset of anxiety made her freeze. Was this the time to tell him? How would he

react?

"Baby? What's wrong?" Kane lay on top of her, bracing himself with his elbows.

"I have something to tell you," she said apprehensively.

"What is it?"

"Um, actually, it would be better if I show you. I need my laptop."

"Now?"

"Yes … unless you think I should do it later?" she asked hopefully, close to

chickening out.

Kane's eyes narrowed. "You've intrigued me. Let's do it now." He got up and fetched

her laptop sitting on a chair near the bed.

She opened it and went to her writing software. Her unfinished fourth book filled the

screen. She scrolled to the last sex scene she wrote and looked at him gravely. "Read

this," she said, placing the computer on his lap.

She watched his expression as he did so. An eyebrow rose just as his lips curled into

a sensuous smile.

"Is this another book from J.A. Nell?"

"Uh-huh."

"So you want us to do this scene?" he asked with a grin full of carnal promise.

"Um, if you want," she replied, her whole body heating up from desire as well as

discomfort. "But that's not why I showed that to you."

"Oh. Why then?"

"If you scroll through, you'll find that it's not finished yet."

He frowned as his fingers moved over the trackpad. "So how did you get this then?"

"Well, it's mine."

He looked at her, perplexed. "Yours?"

"Yes," she responded, swallowing visibly. "I'm not finished with it yet."

His jaw dropped. "You're writing this?"

"Uh-huh."

"You're J.A. Nell?" he asked, his eyes wide.

She nodded.

His face slowly broke into a smile. "Wow," he breathed.

She let out a nervous snort. "Wow?"

"My girlfriend's a writer. Wow."

She lunged herself at him, laughing with relief.

He moved the laptop out of the way and held her tightly. "Were you scared of

telling me about it?"

"A little."

"Why?"

"You might feel uncomfortable."

"Uncomfortable? Why? Because of the sex scenes?" he asked, bewildered.

"Yes. Sex is a very private thing and some people don't want to be too open about

it. Also, some people may think that what I write is based on my real sex life. If they find

out I'm J.A. Nell, they might feel I've practically discussed my sexual activities with them

because of what they've read. And since you're my boyfriend, you may not feel

comfortable with it."

"Well, it doesn't bother me," he said, caressing a strand of hair off her forehead. "I

think it's amazing you've written novels. I wouldn't even be able to write a ten-page story

fit for reading, to save my life. And I must say, the one book you got me to read was

really good. I already planned to read the other two. Besides, you're using a pen name. I

love the idea of having a big secret," he said with a genuine smile.

"Thank you," she said with quiet sincerity.

Kane shifted suddenly and she found herself on her back, with his head poised

between her legs.

"After our enactment, I want to know everything about J.A. Nell."

She moaned in response as he let loose his talented mouth on her clit. All thoughts

of J.A. Nell flew out the window, replaced by the notion that Kane's expertise in bed

surpassed anything she'd ever written.

~~~~~~~

Jasmine lay contentedly in Kane's arms. Sleep threatened to take over but she resisted.

She'd just been thoroughly made love to and she wanted to revel in the afterglow.

There were twelve short days to go before she had to go back home. Yes, she

would be coming back to Sydney two months after that but still, they would be apart for a

long time. For the next few days, she was determined to simply enjoy being with him

before they were forced apart by distance.

The tranquil silence was broken by Kane's ringing phone.

He stretched his arm towards the bedside table and reached for it.

When he held the screen up, she saw who the caller was. She held her breath as he

answered the call.

"Hannah, what's up?"

Kane sat up on the bed at Hannah's response.

Her heart raced. What did she want?

"Calm down," Kane said soothingly. "It's just another bad dream."

She could hear the indistinct sound of an upset woman as Kane listened to Hannah,

but she couldn't make out any of the words.

"Okay," Kane said with a loud exhale. "I'll be there soon."

"What's wrong?" she asked as she flicked the lamp switch on.

"She had another nightmare. She's pretty upset and said she's scared to be alone in

such a big house. I have to go there and help her calm down."

She stared at Kane as mixed emotions whirled inside her. "Is she really that

vulnerable?" she asked him gently. "A grown woman scared of a bad dream and of being

alone in a house?"

"I know, but Jaz, she's just been through so much. I guess that's where her

emotional frailty is coming from."

"I suppose so," she responded. Her compassionate nature was willing to see that

viewpoint but her feminine instinct was telling her something wasn't right.

"I'm sorry about this, baby," Kane said. "I'll try and talk her into getting help from

her other friends. I know I shouldn't encourage her to rely on me anymore."

She gave him a comforting smile. This wasn't easy for Kane, either. In fact, it was

harder for him and he needed her understanding right now. "It's okay. When do you think

you'll be back?"

He pressed his lips in a straight line. "I might have to stay there tonight. I want to

talk to her about her other options once she's calmed down.

"Okay," she answered. "Do you think you should tell her about us? I know we said it

wasn't a good idea before but it might help her have closure if she knew about me."

Kane pursed his lips. "Maybe. I'll have to play it by ear."

She nodded.

"Thank you for understanding." He kissed her softly on the lips before getting out of

bed.

She hugged Kane's pillow to her chest as she watched him get dressed. When he

was gone, she inhaled his scent and whispered into the darkness, "I love you."

CHAPTER TEN

Hannah heard the door unlock with a click. Kane had arrived.

"Hi," she said with a smile as she sat up from her reclining position from the couch,

where she had been reading a magazine.

A thrill ran through her as she watched him sweep his eyes over her. Would he like

the new nightie she wore? She was wearing a robe over it but she had tied it loosely so

the sexy lingerie underneath would be apparent.

Her smile left her face when his expression darkened. He was angry.

"Well, you look all right to me. Great. I'll be off now," Kane said bitingly and turned

on his heels.

"Wait!" She ran to him and clung to his arm. "I'm just so relieved you came. Please

don't go. I need you."

Kane extricated himself from her grip. "Hannah, I know what you're trying to do.

Please, stop this now. We are over. There is nothing you can do that will bring us back

together."

Her eyes flooded. "I know you care about me, Kane. I know you do. You wouldn't be

here otherwise."

He gripped her arms tightly. "Hannah, I care about you as a friend. But that's all!"

He released her and took a step back.

"Please don't be angry."

"You're manipulating the situation," he said coldly.

"Please see it my way, Kane," she implored. "I'm not ready to give up on you. Why

do we have to stop trying?"

"Because there's someone else!"

Her eyes grew wide with shock. "Since when?" she whispered.

"I met her about three and a half weeks ago."

She looked at him blankly. Three and a half weeks ago? He was going to leave her

for someone he met a mere three and a half weeks ago?

Her eyes squinted. "Were you with her when I rang you?"

"Yes."

She flinched before her lips twisted in an ugly smirk. "Gosh, she must be really good

in bed to ensnare you so quickly."

"Nothing happened until after we broke up," he said.

Right. As if I'm going to believe that.

She was well aware of Kane's virility. When she was finally able to seduce him that

night a few months ago, she discovered what a former friend of hers—and an ex of

Kane's—had been talking about when she said Kane had ruined her for other men. Kane's

body was made for awesome sex, but beyond that, he also had a disposition that made a

woman feel protected and cared for. She'd be insane to let go of him.

"Was it because I haven't been able to meet your sexual needs for many weeks

now? It hasn't been easy since I lost the baby, Kane, but I'm a lot better now."

He raked his fingers through his hair, his face a picture of frustration. "That's not

why, Hannah!"

She squeezed her eyes shut. He seemed really mad at her. She had to take a step

back and let him cool down. She wouldn't get far otherwise.

"Okay. I get the picture," she said quietly. "But I'll still need your help, Kane. With

finding a new place," she said with a vulnerable look.

"Yes. I promised to help you with that and I will."

She nodded her head.

"I'm really sorry, Hannah. I hope you're okay."

She smiled at his much softer tone. "I will be."

"You should meet with your friends," he suggested gently. "It's important for you to

have emotional support."

"You're right. I will."

"Good. Well," he said uncomfortably. "I'm gonna go now."

"Okay."

He gave her a small smile and turned to the door.

"Kane?"

He stopped and glanced back.

"Are we still friends?"

"Sure."

She sank to the nearest chair after Kane had closed the door behind him, the

wheels in her brain desperately turning. Her task had become much harder. Another

woman had entered the scene.

What did that bitch have that she didn't? It took her years before she managed to

seduce Kane. How could that tart do it in such a short time? It wasn't fair!

Her distressed act wouldn't be enough anymore. She had to formulate a new plan.

Call her stupid, but Kane Summers was her dream come true. She wasn't ready to give up

without a fight. She would do anything to make him hers again. She was more than

willing to plead, beg and yes, scheme and manipulate. He was worth it.

*******

Hannah drummed her fingers on her desk, trying to figure out how to frame her response

to the email she had just received.

She couldn't believe her luck. This had to be a sign, a green light for her to try to

win Kane back in any way she could.

She went through the email again, wanting to triple check that she had read it right

the first couple of times.

Dear Hannah,

You don't know me but I think the two of us were meant to communicate. I'm not

very good at writing these kinds of things so I'll just get straight to the point. I hope you'll

forgive me for being blunt.

Your fiancé, Kane Summers, is cheating on you. The object of his lust is a woman

named Jasmine Allen who, I'm sad to say, likes breaking up engaged couples then

dropping the guy like a hot potato when she has achieved her aim.

Why am I telling you this? Because I think Jasmine needs to stop her destructive

and hurtful behaviours and also because I don't think you deserve to have your

engagement and happiness broken by a girl with questionable morals.

You might be wondering how I knew about you. Simple. I looked up 'Kane Summers'

on the Internet and found an article about his engagement to you. Then I found your

email on the website of the company you work for.

What you wish to do with this information is up to you. I just thought you have the

right to know.

Regards,

P.S. A word of warning. Jasmine is a very smart liar and—ahem—very good in bed. My

previous observations have shown that Jasmine is great at making a man believe her side

of the story. What I mean is if your Kane has been bewitched by her charms, a simple

confrontation with them may not give you the result you want—assuming you want to

hold on to Kane. I say outsmart her. I'll be in your corner for that.

Hannah took a deep breath and poised her fingers on her keyboard. This was for herself

and for Kane. A man like Kane didn't deserve to be hoodwinked by a whore. She was all

for outsmarting this Jasmine Allen, whoever she was. But she didn't know where to start.

Dear G,

Your email was very unexpected but also very much appreciated. I already feel like

I have a friend in you even though I don't even know your name.

I know that Kane had started seeing someone else. He told me about her a few

days ago. And you're right about this woman breaking up engaged couples. Kane broke

up with me to be with her.

I do want Kane back and I also want to rescue him from the clutches of this slut

(please excuse my language—I haven't even met her yet but I already hate her with a

passion). I agree confrontation would not work. It's way too late for that. Do you have

any suggestions?

Regards,

Hannah

P.S. Would you tell me your name?

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Jasmine stared at one of the fan emails she had received, forcing her attention to fix on

the message on her computer screen. With a shake of her head, she gave up. Try as she

might, she just couldn't get her mind off Kane and the fact that he was spending another

day with Hannah.

What was supposed to be a one-day favour to help Hannah check out four

apartments became a full weekend stint when Hannah had talked Kane into

accompanying her to go shopping for items she would need for her new home.

She huffed, still hurt by the fact that Kane had given in to the pity-me act of his ex.

Sure, he had reasoned that by shopping with Hannah today, she could be out of his house

sooner rather than later. Hannah had already put a holding deposit on an apartment that

would become available in three weeks' time and she would need furniture and other

essentials before she could move in. And apparently, none of her friends were free to go

shopping with her.

Jasmine thought that was a whole load of crap. Hannah probably didn't even ask

anyone else but Kane.

She turned on the TV, hoping she could find a good program that would distract her

until Kane came home. This was her last weekend in Sydney and she couldn't believe he

wasn't spending it with her.

Another hour had passed when the doorbell rang. She sprang up from the couch and

stomped to the door. The time waiting for him only served to stimulate her annoyance

and hurt.

"Hi, baby," Kane said with a wide smile as she opened the door.

"Hi," she muttered and strode stiffly back to the lounge.

"Hey, what's this?" Kane asked, bewildered, as he followed her.

She sat cross-legged and hugged a throw pillow to her chest, ignoring him and

staring resolutely at the television screen.

"Jaz, what's wrong?" Kane asked as he sat next to her, touching her face.

Her eyes started to water, undone by his soft tone and the caressing hand on her

cheek.

"Baby?"

"You were gone for longer than you said you would be," she said icily.

"Hannah took longer in choosing her furniture. But she's got all the basics now.

She'll be ready to move out when she gets the keys to her apartment."

"I don't understand why you continue to pander to her, Kane."

"I don't pander to her," he replied insistently. "All I want is for her to get everything

sorted as quickly as possible so she can move out of my house. If I hadn't gone with her,

I have no doubt she would have dragged her feet and she'd be in my hair for longer than

necessary. I thought you understood that, baby."

She sniffed, slightly appeased by his words. "This is my last weekend here," she

whispered, "and you've spent it with your ex. I know I don't leave until Friday but you'll

be at work all week."

Kane scooped her up and placed her on his lap, squeezing her tight. "I promise to

spend every minute of next weekend with you."

"But I won't be here!"

"So? I'll be in Melbourne with you. In fact, I've taken Friday off and I'm catching the

same flight as you on the way there. I've already bought my ticket."

She gaped at him. "You have? When?"

"Last week."

"How come you didn't tell me?"

"Well, it was supposed to be a surprise," he said dryly. "But since you're mad at me

…"

A sweet smile slowly spread on her face.

He gave her a relieved grin and kissed her soundly. "So you're not mad anymore?"

he asked as he started kissing her face.

"Are you done with your obligations to her? Is that it?"

"I still need to help her move. After that, that's it."

He kissed her mouth hungrily and she found herself responding avidly. His hand

travelled underneath her top and all her previous misgivings melted as his fingers found a

nipple. She moaned softly, tilting her head to give him access to her neck.

"Am I forgiven now?" he asked huskily as he nibbled along her throat.

"Yes. As long as you don't stop what you're doing," she responded breathlessly. Oh,

the bliss of being with him again after hours of yearning for his presence.

Kane chuckled as he moved them so she was lying on the couch. He lifted her top

and she helped him take it off her. A gasp escaped her as his hot mouth closed on a

nipple, his tongue laving it before his lips tugged it.

Wetness pooled between her legs and she shifted underneath him restlessly.

He groaned. "I couldn't wait to get home to you today, baby," he rasped as his

mouth left her breast, creating a trail of fire on her sensitised skin as he moved lower.

She felt Kane yank down her sweatpants and undies. She peered at him and saw an

already familiar expression on his face. Raw, unbridled desire. She shivered in excitement

and started panting when he pushed her legs apart. Oh, God, she was already so wet —

"Wait!" she cried, stopping Kane from reaching his intended destination with a hand

on his forehead.

He glanced up at her from between her legs. "What?"

"We can't do it here."

"Why not?"

"We'll ruin the couch."

Kane cast his eyes on the sofa. "It's leather. And I'm sure Rob and Jess have done it

here before."

She tapped his forehead lightly. "Kane!"

"Well, I'm sure they have," he said innocently. "Have you seen how hot those two

can get for each other?"

"That doesn't matter. I don't want to ruin their things."

Kane sighed and got up. "Stay here. Don't move. I'll get a towel."

She smiled and nodded, bringing her legs back together.

"I said don't move," he growled playfully. He grabbed her ankles and moved her

legs back to their previously splayed position. "You're so fucking hot," he murmured as he

admired the erotic pose he created.

"Hurry," she urged him, keen to continue their lovemaking. Plus, at the rate he was

making her soaked, she needed that towel underneath her quickly.

As she waited for Kane, a naughty thought hit her. Could she? Would she? She'd

never done it before in front of a man. The thought excited her. And with Kane, she felt

she could push some boundaries.

She heard his footsteps coming down from upstairs. Swallowing her shyness, she

placed her left hand on her breast and her right hand between her legs.

"Here it —" Kane stopped in his tracks, mouth opened wide, as he saw what she

was doing.

"You were taking too long," she said seductively.

"I'm glad I did," he croaked as he gawked at her, mesmerised. Slowly, he took off

his shirt, his eyes not leaving her body. "Don't stop," he rasped.

She let out a little moan, her fingers and his obvious pleasure at watching her

turning her on even more. Her eyes drifted to the pronounced bulge in his pants and she

was ready for something else. She stopped touching herself and sat up.

"Hey, I was enjoying that," Kane protested.

"I think you'll enjoy this even more," she said as she reached for his belt, popped his

button and unzipped his fly. She pushed down his pants and briefs to free his hard and

heavy erection.

Kane groaned as she ran her hand on his velvety rod.

She pumped him a few times before licking his length and twirling her tongue on the

engorged head.

"Ahh, Jasmine," he cried through gritted teeth.

"Do you like this?" she asked softly as she put him in her mouth.

"You know damn well I do," he panted.

She bobbed her head up and down as her mouth worked on him, thrilled as his hips

gently pushed in time with her actions.

"Enough," he rasped after a while and quickly stepped back from her. He grabbed

the towel he dumped at the coffee table and laid it on the couch. He smoothly pushed

her back and the next thing she knew, she was again spread-eagled before him.

"Now, what was I about to do before you distracted me with towels and touching

yourself and sucking me? That's right, I was about to lick you," he said lasciviously.

Her giggles turned into a long moan as Kane's tongue worked its magic on her

swollen nub. When he pushed a finger in her and stroked inside as his mouth pleasured

her clit, she thrashed on the couch, calling his name out loud as an intense orgasm

surprised her with its swift onset.

When her body started to relax, Kane moved up to cover her. Eagerly, yet slowly, he

filled her with his delicious cock.

"Oh, baby," he breathed. He ran a caressing hand on her hair, staring in her eyes

with tenderness that touched her heart powerfully.

Her eyes moistened and her heart swelled so that it became hard to breathe. She

touched his face as her body moved in cadence with his.

"I love you, Jaz," Kane whispered, looking at her intently.

She smiled at him, tears escaping through the sides of her eyes. "I love you too,

Kane."

He groaned softly and captured her mouth, his thrusting increasing in speed. They

rocked together as their bodies and heartbeats shared the same rhythm.

Higher and higher they climbed, their pleasure sounds mingling, until they reached

the crest and exploded together, gasping for air and breathing in each other's love.

*******

Jasmine smiled as Kane kissed her cheek loudly.

"What are you doing?" he asked, his lips against her ear as he leaned to peer at her

laptop screen.

"I'm just responding to Facebook messages from some of my readers."

"Ah, fan mail."

She laughed. "I guess you could say that."

"Anything interesting?"

"They're mainly short messages about how they enjoyed my books."

"Do you get any weird, super fanatical ones?"

"No," she snorted. "My readers are mainly very nice. A couple of them have even

become my pen friends."

"Really? Why?"

She shrugged. "Something just connected I guess."

Kane kissed her hair before straightening up. "I almost forgot to tell you I'll be

coming home late tomorrow night. I'm having dinner with my fellow directors for some

serious pow-wow. Two of the properties I designed have just been nominated for

international awards and we want to maximise whatever exposure we can get out of

that."

She jumped up and threw her arms around him. "Really? Wow? Congratulations,

honey! Which ones?"

"An executive retreat in Singapore and a country estate in Kangaroo Valley."

"I'm so proud of you, baby."

"Thank you," Kane beamed at her.

"What do you think your chances are of winning?"

"Don't know," he answered with a shrug. "The other properties nominated have

their own strengths. The main thing would be managing the press this would generate.

There was a firm that won a prestigious award a couple of years ago but instead of

getting good publicity, some nosy tabloid journalist aired the architect's dirty laundry

instead."

"What kind of dirty laundry?"

"Something about his predilection to call girls. I think that shouldn't have been

anyone else's business. But somehow, these things do get out and get magnified at

inopportune times. Anyway, their firm lost out on a couple of big contracts because of

that. The clients preferred not to get attached to any negative publicity so they chose not

to go with them even though they were originally the front runners. I know this because

we picked up those clients."

"Wow. That was tough for your competitor. Why were the clients so strict? Why

should the exposé on the architect affect them?" she asked.

"The clients were big multi-nationals. When those types of corporations build new

developments they themselves seek, even drive, good PR for themselves. They don't

want any news about their big projects muddled with undesirable associations."

"I see."

"So I'm sorry I can't have dinner with you tomorrow night, but I should be home

before eleven."

She sighed, a bittersweet feeling engulfing her.

"I'm really sorry, sweetheart," Kane murmured as he pulled her to him and nuzzled

her neck.

"It's okay," she assured him. "I wasn't sighing because you have to work tomorrow

night."

"Then what's the sigh for?" he asked, tilting her chin with a finger.

"I was just thinking how very soon, we'll be spending more time apart than together

for two whole months. The past month has got me used to having you around every

night."

"I know. Me too," he said, sighing deeply himself. "And unfortunately I will have to

do some travelling for work in the near future. Do you think you could take some time off

to travel with me?"

She played with his shirt collar as she thought about his question. She didn't think

her boss would allow her to take more time off so soon after being away for five weeks.

Oh, but his offer was so tempting. And she could already see herself missing him like

crazy.

"I'll see what I can do," she said eventually.

"Please try hard."

"I will," she promised, although she didn't really know how she'd manage it.

"In the meantime, let's make the most of the next few days," Kane said, hoisting

her up and tossing her on the bed.

She giggled, resolutely pushing away a deep sense of foreboding that arose out of

the blue.

CHAPTER TWELVE

"I'm back!" Jasmine cried as she hugged Kristen McCann, who opened the door for her.

"I missed you!" Kris responded, hugging her back tightly. "Sam's trying out a new

recipe," Kris whispered, shaking her head in mock exasperation.

Jasmine laughed, already thinking of the cleaning up they would have to do after

dinner as she walked into the large open plan living room/dining room/kitchen of the

apartment shared by the cousins Samantha and Kristen. After dropping her bag on a

chair, she went up to Sam, who was frowning as she tasted the food she was whipping

up.

Sam loved being adventurous with her cooking and judging from the number of used

bowls and cups on the counter top and her friend's scowl, this was another one of those

times when she pushed her creativity too far.

"What are we having tonight?" she asked as she gave Sam a quick peck on the

cheek. She knew not to distract her too much when she had that intense look on her face.

"Hi Jaz. Just give me a minute to fix the flavour in this dish. I think I might have

added too much of something."

"Okay. You want us to leave you alone?"

"Yes, please. We should be ready in a few minutes, once I'm happy with it."

Jasmine smiled and followed Kris to the sofa. As she looked around, melancholy hit

her. This had been her second home for so long. She and her two best friends had shared

some of their innermost secrets and biggest dreams in the very room she was standing

in. But soon, she'd be too far away from them to simply get in her car and drive the ten

minutes it took to get from her current apartment to this place.

"What's wrong, Jaz?" Kris asked, hands on hips. "Don't tell me that Kane guy has

hurt you already?"

She chuckled at her friend's stance. Kristen was a highly emotive person who would

defend the people she loved with everything she had. Sometimes she went overboard

with her expressiveness and rubbed people the wrong way, but those who understood

her knew she had a massive heart of gold.

"No. I was just thinking how there's not long to go until I'll only see you guys

occasionally instead of a couple of times a week."

"Oh, I know, hon," Kris cried, her arms dropping to her side. "We hate the thought

too, but we know you have to take bigger opportunities for yourself."

"Yeah," she said as she slumped down on the sofa.

"So, have you told your boss you're taking the Sydney role?"

"No. I have until Monday to tell him my final decision. I'm still moving to Sydney, but

there's another option that's been playing in my mind. I want to talk to you and Sam

about it."

"Okay. We can discuss it over dinner. But first, I have something to show you." Kris

picked up an open laptop and placed it on her lap. "What do you think of this?"

She gasped in delight. It was the book cover for her fourth novel and she loved it.

Kris had done another marvellous job with her cover design.

"Thank you so much," she gushed, placing an arm around her friend's shoulders and

squeezing her tightly. "This is perfect, Kris. You really should start marketing yourself for

this. You're so good at it."

Kris snorted. "You know I do it when I'm in bed and can't sleep. I'm happy to do it

for you, Jaz, but if I make it a business, that would eat up my dancing time."

She laughed out loud. Dancing was Kris's passion. If she could find a way to make a

reasonable living out of dancing, Kris would give up her job as the executive assistant of

a big shot CEO in a flash.

"Eating time," Sam called, carrying her unnamed dish to the dining table.

"It looks delish, Sam," Jasmine said sincerely as she inspected the concoction.

"I hope you guys like it," Sam responded. "It's not as bad as the casserole I cooked

before you left for Sydney."

Jasmine shook her head at her friend, who absolutely loved cooking but had a bad

habit of minimising her skills in the kitchen. "Sam, that casserole was good. It wasn't your

best but it was darn good."

"Okay, thanks," Sam said, sounding unconvinced. "Anyway, I heard you say you

wanted to discuss something with me and Kris."

"Yes," she responded as she tried her first mouthful of Sam's new creation. "Hmm,

this is really yummy, Sammy!"

"Hmm! Really good, Sam," Kris agreed.

Sam beamed at them. "Thanks, girls. I know I can always count on you to praise

me. Now, Jaz, you were saying —?"

Jasmine nodded her head. "Well, I'm moving to Sydney."

"Yes, we know that. It seems that having a new boyfriend there was the push you

needed to make a definitive decision."

A hankering for Kane hit Jasmine. It had only been three days since they were last

together but she was already missing him so. He said he'd visit again in two weeks, but

that just seemed so far away.

"Gosh," Kris said. "You've really fallen hard for this guy, haven't you, Jaz? Look at

your face—all wistful and horny."

She blushed. "He's really hot," she responded honestly.

The cousins spluttered in laughter. "Finally, someone has captured Jasmine Allen's

heart," Sam declared. "I can't wait to meet him. I can't believe you didn't introduce him

to us last weekend when he was in town."

"Come on, Sam," Kris said, "if the guy is as hot as Jaz says he is, I'd lock him in the

room for the whole weekend, too."

Jasmine pouted dramatically. "I won't see him again for another two weeks."

"Oh my God! You have got it bad, girl."

"Well, you'll be working in Sydney in a couple of months, anyway. You won't have to

suffer the distance for too long."

"Oh, that's what I've been wanting to talk to you about," Jasmine said. "I'm thinking

of not taking the Sydney role my boss offered."

"What?!"

"That doesn't make sense!"

"Okay, hear me out," she said to her shocked friends. "Kane's firm has clients all

over the world. He has to travel overseas often, sometimes for months at a time when he

works on big projects. Even if I take a week off work here and there, it would still mean a

lot of time apart. So I've been thinking, what if I leave my job and concentrate on my

writing? Then I could travel with Kane wherever he goes. That also means I could

produce books at a faster rate and have more time with marketing activities."

She stopped speaking to catch her breath.

"I think that's a brilliant plan, Jaz. It would be a dream come true for you," Kris said.

"Yeah," Sam agreed. "Besides, Kane sounds like he could afford to support you if

finances become dire."

Jasmine scrunched her face, knowing her royalties could dry up at any time. "That's

what I want to avoid. I don't want Kane to think he has to support me just so I can

indulge myself with my writing 'hobby'. Ugh, this is a bad idea; forget I even brought it

up. It was just a fantasy I had."

"Hey, before you discard it altogether, why don't you see how he would feel about

it? If the two of you are serious about each other—and from what you've told us, you are

—then maybe he'd love this idea."

She chewed her lip. The vision of being with Kane as he travelled and her writing

books from different corners of the globe excited her. "You're right, Sam. I should talk to

him about this."

"Great. So what does this have to do with you not taking the job in Sydney? Surely

you'd still want financial security while you talk things through with Kane?"

"If I accept, the company will pay for my move. I don't want them to invest more

money in me when I'm likely to resign within a few months of getting to Sydney."

"I see your point. So what are you going to do?"

"I have until Monday to decide. I will have spoken to Kane by then."

*******

Jasmine felt the room spin as her heart beat erratically. She gripped the edge of her

study table, squeezing her eyes shut and taking deep breaths to ward away the panic

attack that threatened to overcome her.

This couldn't be happening.

Slowly, she opened her eyes, hoping that the email she just read was but a figment

of her tired, overactive mind.

Unfortunately, it wasn't. It glared at her from her computer screen. How the hell did

Hannah find out about her?

She composed herself, knowing she needed to read the email again to be sure of

what it contained.

Jasmine,

Yes, I know about you. You're the woman who dates engaged men and breaks up

relationships. I don't know how Kane could be so blind about your true colours, but I

suppose men will be men.

In case you don't know who I am, I'm Hannah, his ex-fiancée. As you can imagine,

I've slept with him countless times so I know how much he loves sex. Unfortunately,

when I lost Kane's baby (yes, I was pregnant with his child), I hadn't been in the right

frame of mind to give him what he needed in the bedroom. I guess that was why he

turned to someone like you. Understandable, and I could forgive him for that.

But hear this, Missy. I'm not going to let you ruin what Kane and I have built

together. And Kane is a wonderful man who doesn't deserve to be conned by a slut like

you. If you have any heart at all you will understand what I'm about to say to you in the

rest of this email.

Kane and his architectural firm have recently been nominated for two international

awards. If you don't know what this means to him then I'll tell you. IT MEANS THE

WORLD TO HIM. Whether he will win would be up to the judges. But having two

properties nominated in the same year is enough to shoot his profile up in the

international scene. Some publications would no doubt want to dig up some dirt on him

to sell their wares.

What does this mean? Well, you're probably clapping your hands in glee at the

thought of Kane showering you with gifts because of his heightened success. But he's not

yours. You stealing him from me doesn't rate because you're not serious about

relationships. I am.

And here's another problem that I have with you. You're a threat to his success. A

big one. Why? Because of who you are and what you do.

The world does not need to know that Kane was an unfaithful man who cheated on

me. The world does not need to know that he left me while I was still grieving over the

loss of our child and the death of my mother for some woman who has a history of being

a relationship wrecker. If this gets out, you can just imagine what it would do to his

reputation.

As long as you're with Kane, he is in danger of losing what he has worked so hard

for.

You probably don't care about that but I do and I'm not beyond a little blackmail if

it's for a good cause. What blackmail, you ask? Well, have a look at the attached

documents and you'll know what I mean. I must admit I don't know where you publish

your stories, but I wouldn't be surprised if you sell them to those pornographic

magazines.

So this is the deal, Jasmine Allen. If you leave Kane alone now, the chances of

someone finding out about you will be slim. That will be good for Kane and I won't have

to resort to actions that would be bad for you. But if you don't leave Kane alone, I will

send these documents to the company you work for and your family and friends. And if a

negative article about you and Kane appears in the press, I will post these documents on

the Internet.

If you think you could find a way to shut me up, think again. I have friends who also

hold these documents. You won't be able to shut them up.

Be clear about this. I will do everything to get Kane back. We belong together so

LEAVE HIM ALONE. If you do then I give you my word that your secret will be safe with

me.

All you need to do now is break up with Kane. I'll be generous and give you five

days to do it. If you don't, you know what will happen.

Hannah

With shaky hands, Jasmine opened the documents Hannah attached to her email. There

were two of them.

She burned with anger as she read the first one. Someone had written a smutty

short story about two men being 'serviced' at the same time by one woman. And whoever

put together the crass, poorly written story included the name of the author. Jasmine

Allen.

When she opened the next one, all she could do was gape in shock. A pornographic

picture with about ten naked people in various positions jumped out of her screen. She

didn't have to read the story, for it was clear it was about an orgy. She stared at the

words just below the title. It said by Jasmine Allen.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Jasmine's hand shook with nerves and anger as she dialled George's number. She hadn't

planned what she was going to say to him. All she knew was she needed this whole thing

sorted out immediately.

Distress swamped her when a recorded voice said that the number she had called

was not connected.

"Damn it!"

She dropped the phone on her desk and buried her face in her hands. How could she

fix this? By the looks of it, Hannah had been contacted by George, who told her lies.

George must have played on Hannah's feelings for Kane and convinced her that she

needed to do all she could to save Kane from the evil clutches of Jasmine Allen, the

witch-whore.

But how did George know about Hannah? Or even Kane, for that matter?

She gasped as the answer came to her.

Tim.

How could she get in touch with that man? She didn't have his number. His caller ID

was blocked on her mobile phone.

She went back to her computer and Googled his name. There were too many entries

for Tim Smith or Timothy Smith. And she had been too uninterested in him to bother

knowing where he worked.

There was no other choice. She had to find his number from her dad without him

knowing the true reason why she wanted it. She couldn't afford to have her father

reacting adversely until she had got to the bottom of things. She didn't trust Tim to hold

back on doing something that might damage Kane's reputation.

~~~~~~~

"Hello, Tim," she said coldly.

"Jasmine?" an incredulous voice answered.

"Yes," she said flatly, trying to calm her outrage so she could have a rational

discussion with the man who was endangering Kane's career.

"Wow," he said. "I'm glad you rang. I've been meaning to call you for so long but

I'm just too gutless."

She frowned. Tim sounded apologetic. Not what she was expecting at all.

"Well, here I am, Tim. Fire away," she said in a still-icy manner.

"I'm really sorry, Jasmine," Tim said. "I believed it when I heard you were …"

"What, Tim?" she asked quietly when his pause became too long.

She heard him sigh heavily. "I was told that the reason you wouldn't go out with me

was because I was a goody-two-shoes looking for a relationship when you weren't. When

you broke up with George, he told certain people you were ready for your next casual

relationship. He also said you preferred aggressive men who did a lot of chasing—that

you like writing about it in your … porno stories."

She gasped.

"I'm sorry. That's what I heard," he said contritely. "My dad was very ill at the time.

I was angry and worried. I felt hemmed in with the pressure of taking over Dad's work. I

hated that none of my other siblings wanted to help and I was lumped with everything. I

was in a low point when I decided to go for what I wanted. Trouble was, I did it in a very

immature way. I drank too much at your sister's wedding and got miffed that you found

another guy and I missed my chance again. I said to myself if you weren't after a serious

relationship then fine, I'd just enjoy a night with you. So I decided to take a chance and

acted aggressive and playful."

Her mouth hung open as she listened to Tim explain his actions.

"Jasmine? Are you still there?"

"Yes," she managed to croak.

"I truly do apologise. When I think about some of the things I said to you, it makes

me cringe."

"Tell me everything, Tim. I don't believe you've told me everything yet."

"There's not much after that. When you kept on responding angrily to my misguided

courting, I realised you were not that kind of girl. I always knew you weren't. I guess I

was just lonely and feeling sorry for myself. But that's no excuse."

She closed her eyes. "How do I know you're not lying to me to justify your stalking?"

He laughed mirthlessly. "I don't expect you to believe me, Jasmine. That's why I

never called you."

She ran her hand over her face. Tim had a point. He didn't call her. She called him.

"I need to talk to George. Could you give me his phone number, please? The one I

have has been disconnected."

"George? I don't have his current number either. He's … ah … he's disappeared."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, apparently he had a joint bank account with his ex-fiancée. He took a lot of

money from it and disappeared."

"What?!" she said in disbelief.

"I guess I didn't really know him all that well. George was immature in a lot of

respects, but I never thought he'd do something like that."

Damn it. She needed to talk to him. She held her head in her hand.

"Why do you need to talk to George, Jasmine?"

She sighed. "It's a long story I'm not prepared to share with you right now. If you

happen to get George's new contact number, could you please let me know?"

"Sure. And Jasmine, I'm really sorry."

"Okay. Bye, Tim."

She let out a frustrated yell when she hung up the phone. If she couldn't get to

George, and if no one knew where he was, how was she going fix this?

Well, there was only one option she could think of.

~~~~~~~

Hannah,

I don't know where to start. Your email came as a big shock to me. But please let

me clarify some very important things.

First, I am deeply sorry for the loss of your baby and your mother's passing. Please

know that neither Kane nor I ever meant to add to your hurt.

I am not a slut who breaks up relationships. I'm sorry for bringing this up but my

understanding was that Kane had already made the decision to end your relationship

after you lost the baby. That was before he met me. Kane breaking up with you was

going to happen even if I had never entered the picture. Still, I want you to know that

Kane and I didn't sleep together until after he broke up with you. We knew you deserved

that consideration.

I did not write the stories that you attached to your email but I think I know who

did. That someone is out to destroy my reputation and I think I know why. When I dated

him, I didn't know he had a fiancée. I only found out about her after I broke up with him.

I really don't know why he intends to hurt me and Kane. My only guess is that he wanted

revenge for me 'badmouthing' him (even though all I did was clarify the situation to his

fiancée).

Please be careful with your dealings with him and don't believe anything he says.

Kane and his firm winning the award would mean the world to me, too. Hannah, for

Kane's sake, please don't let yourself be interviewed by anyone. That way, no one could

misinterpret the situation involving you, me and Kane that could cost Kane his reputation.

This is in your hands, Hannah, not mine.

I love Kane, Hannah. And he loves me. I ask you to please accept that. I beg you to

please do the right thing.

Jasmine

P.S. If you do release the documents to my work and to my family and friends, as you

have threatened to do, I will be within my rights to take legal action. I hope it doesn't

come to that.

~~~~~~~

Jasmine,

I have read your email. Sure, you make some sense in some parts, but if you are telling

me the truth then there is still a massive problem.

The person who has told me about you seems to hold plenty of ammunition against

you. I confess to not knowing who he/she is. But the fact remains he/she obviously knows

you well enough.

This person said that Kane cheated on me with you. Even if I believed your side of

the story (I'm still not sure if I do) and pretended I was okay with you and Kane getting

together, this person could still hurt you and Kane. (You yourself believe that's what he is

out to do).

And even if I don't let myself be interviewed about how Kane treated me, I'm afraid

my story is out. I have already shared it with this person.

Therefore, as you can see, you being with Kane is STILL a big problem whether I'm

in the picture or not. YOUR bad press could still hound him, even if I stay silent.

No, this is not in my hands, Jasmine. It is in yours. If you really love Kane, then do

the right thing by him. Stay away from him so your own personal problems don't affect

his career and the professional reputation he's worked so hard to build.

Hannah

~~~~~~~

Jasmine had read the email at least ten times already and she read it again. Every time

she did, the more she could see Hannah was right. While George was out there intent on

revenge or whatever it was that motivated him, she had to stay away from Kane.

She buried her face in her hands and sobbed, her heart breaking into pieces. She

had no choice. She had to break up with Kane—at least for a short while. It would be

pure selfishness on her part to make him risk not only his reputation but his firm's. He

had colleagues and staff who would be affected if they lost big contracts. This went

further than the two of them.

She feared that if she told Kane about the emails from Hannah, he might not even

agree to a pretend breakup. He'd want to find ways around the problem. He'd want to

hunt George down and he'd want to talk to Hannah. That could push those two into doing

something terribly vindictive.

She didn't want to take any risks, especially at a time when Kane had the biggest

opportunity of his career. The cost to him would be enormous.

As far as she could see, the only way to protect the man she loved with all her heart

was to convince him she didn't want to be with him anymore—just until she had sorted

this out. And hopefully, with Tim's help, she'd find George and put a stop to this madness.

Then she and Kane could resume their relationship.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Jasmine Allen, if you try to defend yourself against the sordid truth about you, or if you

get Kane Summers to try to defend you in any way, you will both regret it. Unfortunately

for Kane, he has much more to lose than you. Stay with him and he can kiss his

impeccable reputation goodbye. Leave him and he'll be fine.

As for you, your reputation may be beyond repair. But I might still feel sorry for you

one of these days if you show remorse for what you've done in the past.

Fresh tears escaped Jasmine as she re-read the email she had received earlier that day.

It was unsigned and it was from an address she didn't recognise. She doubted it was from

Hannah. She could only surmise it was from George.

Whatever hope she still harboured about being able to disclose to Kane the threat

to his reputation disappeared with this latest message. The message was very clear.

Kane must not know. It seemed George wanted her to suffer. For what? For ruining his

love life? Whatever his reasons, he had found the most efficient way to hurt her.

She jumped at the sound of her phone ringing and took a deep breath before

answering it.

"Hi," she said as casually as she could.

"Hi, honey. How are you?"

Jasmine almost sobbed out loud at Kane's endearing voice. It was a good thing they

weren't on a video call. At least she wouldn't have to explain her red and puffy eyes.

"Not too bad," she said with a clogged up voice.

"Hey, did you catch a cold?" he asked with concern.

"Yeah, I did."

"Not good. How are you feeling?"

"Crap," she answered truthfully.

"Oh, baby. Are you taking something for your cold?"

"Just some Vitamin C."

"Is everything else okay? You sound a bit down."

Damn it. Why does he have to notice. "I'm just not feeling very well," she

responded, unable to keep the dejection from her voice.

"Have you seen a doctor yet? I think you should go see one."

"I'll see one tomorrow," she lied.

"I miss you," Kane said softly.

She clamped her mouth with her hand, forcing herself to remain silent even when

her whole soul wanted to scream 'I miss you, too'.

"Jaz?"

"I'm really feeling a bit tired tonight, Kane. Do you mind if we talk some other

time?" she said in as neutral a tone as she could manage. She didn't know yet how to tell

him they were over.

"Okay," he said but continued his worried interrogation. "Does your mum know

you're sick?"

"No."

"You don't sound too good, Jasmine. You should tell your mum so she can visit you

and make sure you're okay."

Damn you. Why do you have to be so caring?

"I wish I was there to take care of you," Kane continued tenderly.

A tear escaped her. "I have to go, Kane. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

There was a short silence before he acquiesced. "All right. Have a good rest, baby. I

love you."

"Bye." She hang up and buried her face in her pillow.

*******

"I'm so sorry I'm ruining your trip," Jasmine said guiltily to Ari.

"Don't be silly. I came here for the weekend so you could help me heal my broken

heart. Now it just means I get to return the favour," Ari responded softly.

"Thank you," she said sincerely as her doorbell rang. "That'll be Sam and Kris."

She opened the door and watched her friends' smiles transform into shock.

"Jaz, what the hell?" Kris asked while Sam stared at her with wide eyes and a

gaping mouth.

She chuckled despite her grief. "Geez, I must really look a mess to have that kind of

reaction."

Her friends gently pushed their way in, taking her with them.

"This is Ari, girls," she said, smiling at her new chum. "Be nice to her so she can

enjoy her weekend. I'm not being much of a help."

Sam and Kris warmly introduced themselves to Ari before all three of them turned

their attention back to her in dismay.

"Have you been crying all night?" Sam asked.

"All night and all of this morning, I'd say," Ari said. "When she picked me up from

the airport, I almost didn't recognise her."

"This could only mean one thing," Sam said gravely.

"That Kane Summers hurt you, didn't he?" Kris asked in a demanding tone, hands on

hips.

"No," she sniffed, her heart once again contracting at the thought of how much she

would be hurting him.

"Then what is it?"

"I'm breaking up with him," she whispered.

"Why?"

"I have no choice. I have to."

"Okay, let me make some tea and coffee, then you'll start from the beginning," Sam

said, already filling up the kettle with water.

She nodded, grateful that her friends were around her. She needed all the support

she could get. She was already falling apart and she hadn't even done the deed yet.

Somehow, she had to find the strength to do it for Kane.

She held on to hope that sometime in the very near future, George's conscience

would kick in and he would stop all this craziness. Then after that, maybe she and Kane

could be together again.

~~~~~~~

"There must be some other way," Sam said insistently. "How stupid is it that you guys

are in love and you allow some thieving dickhead to tear you apart?"

"If you can tell me what I can do to be absolutely sure nothing sullies Kane's name,

I'm all ears," Jasmine said.

"This is doing my head in," Kris muttered, pressing her hands to her forehead. "Tell

me again why you can't tell Kane about this?"

"Because either he would insist on fixing this thing, or at the very least ignore

George's threat. He can't do either of those. George's threat was clear. He will do

something that would damage Kane's reputation if I don't stay away from him. News

about Kane has already started appearing, not just in architectural publications, but in

other places, too. I even found an article that said he should be nominated for Bachelor

of the Year!"

"Really?"

"Yes. I think he'd pass up on that. But you see, if they see me with him, they'll be

interested in who I am. Then George could just easily swoop in with his malicious

untruths."

"Well, if lies do come out about the two of you, surely you could refute that?" Ari

asked.

"But not after they have already done some damage. Kane has told me that some

clients with international standing don't want negative publicity attached to them, so

some may desert his firm if that happens. It's not just about his reputation; it's also about

his business and all the people who work with him."

"So you'll really break up with him?"

"I have to," she replied resolutely. "But I won't stop looking for George so I can put

a stop to this mess. I just hope I have enough self-restraint not to wring his neck when I

do find him."

"Well, the sooner we find George Fucking Paulson, the better," Kris declared. "Then

even if you have to stay away from Kane now, hopefully it won't have to be for too long."

"Yes, we'll help you sort this out anyway we can," Sam said.

Ari nodded her head enthusiastically.

Jasmine smiled gratefully at her friends but her heart was being ripped to shreds. It

was really going to happen. The four of them couldn't see any other way.

She would have to say goodbye to the love of her life.

*******

"Hi, Kane," Jasmine said, her whole body breaking in sweat and her heart pounding

painfully in her chest.

"Hi, baby!" Kane replied cheerfully. "I was just about to call you. How are you

feeling?"

"A bit better, thanks," she responded flatly.

"Your voice sounds a bit better but you're still not well, are you?"

She could imagine him scowling hard and a bittersweet smile formed on her face.

She inhaled deeply, willing herself to get on with it.

"Kane, I'm not moving to Sydney."

"What did you say?"

"I'm staying here in Melbourne. After coming back here, I realised this is where I

want to be," she replied in a calm voice.

"Is it because you won't enjoy the role they have for you in Sydney? You prefer your

job there?"

"Partly," she lied.

"Okay, I suppose that means I'll be flying a lot to Melbourne then," he said

cautiously.

"Kane, I don't think you should come." She tried to ignore the lancing pain in her

heart.

"What?" he asked in a low voice after a long, uncomfortable silence.

"I don't think we should see each other anymore." She bit her lower lip to keep from

bursting into tears.

"Jasmine, what are you saying?" he asked in a panicky tone.

Be strong, she urged herself.

"I've thought about it and it's just too hard, Kane. You'll be away from home a lot

and I have my work that would prevent me from going with you. Sooner or later, we'd

hate the fact that we're not together often enough. I think it's better that we don't let our

relationship develop any further and end things now, before we're in too deep."

"No, you don't mean that."

She heard his voice crack and a tear fell down her face. She picked up the printout

of the malevolent email she had received and read it, gathering courage from the fact

she was doing this because she loved him.

"I do mean it, Kane," she said quietly.

"But we can work it out, Jaz. You love writing, right? Why don't you quit your job

and travel with me? You'll be able to write more books quicker. Please, think about this,"

he begged, his distress evident.

She shut her eyes tight. Oh, how she would love to do that! But unless the danger

of George's ill will had gone, it would do Kane more harm than good if she went with him.

"I've already made up my mind, Kane."

"No, you couldn't have. Just last week you were telling me how much you were

going to miss me, how you couldn't wait for the two weeks before we see each other

again, how much you loved me!"

"I'm fickle, Kane. That's one thing you didn't know about me."

"Jasmine, I don't believe you."

"You have to!" she said with force.

"But why? Did I do something wrong? If I did, I'm sorry. Whatever it is, I'll make it

up to you. I promise. I love you," he said brokenly.

"Kane, please. It's over," she whispered, tears running down her face unchecked.

"Why?"

"It just is."

Her heart shattered at the soft sobbing on the other end of the line.

"I'm sorry," she choked and ended their call.

*******

Jasmine re-arranged the contents of her mother's very full pantry, urging her mind to

concentrate on the task she had volunteered to do. She had to keep herself busy while

they waited for Jessa and Rob to arrive for their first visit to their parents after their

honeymoon. Either that or cry quietly in a corner.

A Google Alert had notified her earlier that day of a news snippet on Kane. It was a

picture of him in a magazine taken from a black tie event he attended three nights ago—

with a very pretty brunette as his date. She had her hand on his arm as he escorted her

through the entrance of the gallery. They were smiling at each other. Sweetly.

You should be happy, Jasmine. Kane should now be safe from George's spiteful

intentions.

Mindlessly, she moved cans and jars around as her mind played back the pleading

messages Kane had left on her phone when she didn't pick up his calls. He had begged

her to reconsider, saying multiple times he loved her. It killed her that she had hurt him

badly but she still couldn't see any resolution to the problem he didn't even know existed.

Fearing she would eventually cave in if he kept on sending those kinds of messages,

she texted him:

*Please stop. Please stay away.*

It worked because she hadn't heard anything from him in the last two weeks.

She knew she was in for some dark and gloomy moments, but she never expected

the intensity of the physical pain that clutched her heart and spread throughout her body

at the thought that Kane might have moved on. Who was the woman in the picture? If,

through some miracle, George turned up today and said he had decided to leave them

alone, would Kane be prepared to take her back if she explained everything to him? Or

had he reached a point of no return concerning her?

"Jazzie!"

She turned around and smiled at her sister who seemed to look more radiant than

she did on her wedding day.

At least someone's happy, she thought with a tinge of envy. She hugged Jessa and

appreciated the tight squeeze her sister gave her.

"How are you?" Jessa asked, holding her at arms' length to check her out.

"I'm fine," she said with a fake, bright smile. "I'm just helping Mum organise her

pantry. You know how it gets when she goes on a shopping binge for groceries. How are

you? Where's Rob?"

"I'm here, Jaz," Rob called out as he stepped into the kitchen. His hello hug was as

equally tight as Jessa's was. "How've you been, sis?"

"Good, thanks. I think Mum's roast still has another half an hour to go. I'll join you

guys in the living room as soon as I'm finished here. Mum wants to finish the movie she's

watching before we eat."

"I'll help you," Jessa offered. "I like going through Mum's pantry too."

Jasmine hid her sigh. She wanted to be alone, but there would be no chance of that.

Rob gave Jessa a swift peck on the lips. Jasmine had to look away from the

tenderness in their gazes as some unspoken communication passed between husband

and wife. She hurt too much to watch other people be so in love.

"You didn't tell me about you and Kane," Jessa said without accusation as she

started checking out the contents of the cupboard when Rob left the kitchen.

Her head swivelled to Jessa, eyes wide and heart palpitating.

"Faye mentioned it to me."

"Are you mad at me?"

Jessa looked at her in disbelief. "Mad? Why on earth would I be mad at you?"

"Because we stayed in your house?"

Jessa snickered. "No, Jaz. Rob and I are not mad. We just want to make sure

everything's okay with you. We heard it's over."

"Yes. You know me. I don't stay in relationships for longer than three months," she

said jokingly but not quite able to stop the involuntary gulp at the end of her statement.

"Apparently, Kane took it hard," Jessa said softly, looking intently at her.

Tears formed in her eyes. Damn it! Control yourself!

"I didn't mean to hurt him," she said, avoiding Jessa's gaze and trying not to blink to

prevent the tears from falling.

"Well, he seems to have recovered. I heard he had a great time at a black tie event

he went to the other night. He brought a date with him."

A tear fell. And another. And another.

Jessa sighed. "Jaz? It's not as simple as you make it out to be, is it? Will you tell me

about it?"

She turned to her sister and fell into her arms. She sobbed quietly as Jessa rocked

her, stroking her hair consolingly.

Then she told Jessa all about it.

"You're J.A. Nell?" Jessa asked, astounded.

"Yes. You've heard of her? I mean, my pen name?"

"I'm a fan! I've read all of your books. When's the next one coming out?"

Jasmine shook her head in wonder. Her sister was one of her fans.

"Unfortunately, my next book will be delayed. I haven't written anything at all in the

last few weeks."

"Oh, Jaz. I'm so proud of you. But let's talk about that later. Shouldn't we report

George to the police?"

"And tell them what? That an ex-boyfriend threatened to tell people about some

hardcore porn I supposedly wrote and I want to stop him so my current boyfriend's

reputation wouldn't be tarnished? Actually, Kane's not my boyfriend anymore," she added

sadly.

"So are you just going to sit there and let Kane date other women?"

"What else can I do, Jess? I don't want his reputation and business to suffer."

"So you'd rather suffer. You really love him, don't you?"

"Yes. I do."

"There must be something we can do to either stop or neutralise George's threat,"

Jessa asserted.

Jasmine sighed. It always came back to that. She'd been looking for an answer for

the last three weeks and she hadn't found it yet.

"Are you going to Dylan's birthday next weekend?" Jessa asked.

She shook her head. "Dylan invited me when Kane and I were still together. I don't

know if I'm still welcome. And I don't think I can see Kane without falling apart."

"Oh Jaz. I'm sure Dylan would want you there. You're a family friend. Besides, I

think you should go. You shouldn't let Kane forget about you while we find a solution to

your problem."

Hmm. That's a point.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

"Happy birthday, Dyl!" Kane gave his brother a big man-hug before walking into the

apartment already half-filled with guests.

"Thanks. Glad you're here, bro. How are you going?"

"I'm great! So you have any new dates here for me?" he joked.

Dylan chuckled. "What? Just because a friend of mine put her hand up for your glitzy

black tie event, you now see me as your date supplier?"

"You know more single girls than I do," he replied dryly. Dylan had plenty of female

friends, some of whom he'd had one-night-stands with. He didn't know how Dylan did it.

It was something he couldn't manage.

"Well, Brenda's here tonight. She enjoyed your date so much she's keen to go to the

next function with you. I've already warned you she's not the shy type, right? I'm sure

you've already noticed that. But I don't think you should ask her to go with you again if

you're still not over Jasmine."

Kane repressed a sigh. Dylan's tone was casual but his gaze was anything but. Not

that he could blame him for worrying about his intentions. After Jasmine dumped him, he

had a few days of utter foolishness when all he could do was ask anyone who cared to

listen how he could get Jasmine back. Well, her last text woke him up. He may have been

too idiotic to believe she loved him, but he wouldn't be stupid enough to hang on when it

was blatantly obvious she didn't want him anymore.

"Speaking of Jasmine," Dylan said warily, "she's coming tonight."

He gaped at his brother in shock.

"I hope that's okay with you. She only told me yesterday. I didn't tell you because I

wanted you to come. It wouldn't be the same if you weren't here."

"Hey, even if you told me she'd be here I would still have come. It's your birthday.

Besides, I'm old enough to bump into an ex without losing my head," he assured Dylan.

Dylan patted him on the back. "Well, mingle around, bro. Have fun tonight, okay?"

He laughed. "I should be the one saying that to you. This is your party, not mine."

~~~~~~~

Kane did his best to have a great time. Okay, maybe it was all superficial but he was

intent on not spoiling his brother's party.

His heartbeat accelerated when the front door opened. Jasmine. She had arrived.

His eyes squinted as she gave Dylan a kiss on the cheek and a warm hug. He

looked away, cursing himself for feeling jealous of the friendly gesture. His eyes

involuntarily went back to her just as she was introducing a female friend she had arrived

with to Dylan.

He shook his head. The ache that he thought was lessening by the day had come

back in full force. Fuck. Maybe he wasn't prepared to be in same room as her yet.

He turned and walked out to the balcony. He would just have to keep his distance

from her as much as he could. He leaned against the railing and gazed at the stars,

ignoring the chatter going on around him.

"Kane!"

He recognised the voice of the woman who had volunteered to be his date during

his all-important function a few nights ago. He put on a big smile for her as he turned

around. "Hi, Brenda."

Brenda snaked her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek. "So would

you take me again to another one of your high glamour events? I'm afraid this party

doesn't rate compared to the ones you get invited to."

He chuckled, placing his hands casually on Brenda's waist. He learnt a few nights

ago that Brenda was a massive flirt—shameless but harmless in a fun sort of way.

"You better not let Dylan hear you say that."

"Oh, he's big enough to take it. So, when's the next one, Mr. Summers? I have to

get a new outfit for it," Brenda purred as she locked her fingers behind his neck.

"I don't know yet," he answered, knowing there was one coming up but not wanting

to commit to taking Brenda with him.

"You'll let me know when you know, yes?"

"Sure," he lied.

"Do you want a drink? What can I get you?" Brenda asked, stepping away but

running her hands on his chest as she did so.

"I'm fine, thanks. I'll grab something a bit later."

"Okay, then. Well, I better leave you and see who else I can flirt with tonight."

He laughed out loud at her outrageousness.

~~~~~~~

Kane pretended to smile at the jokes being told by one of Dylan's friends. He was

grateful he had an excuse to stay out in the balcony. Even though his heart was saying

otherwise, he was respecting Jasmine's wishes that he stay away from her.

A part of him had hoped she would approach him for a chat but it had been a while

now since she arrived and she hadn't even said hello. Obviously, she didn't want to have

anything to do with him tonight—or ever again. She really meant it when she said it was

over. Lord, it was hellish, but he had to accept it.

His attention was caught by Dylan motioning for him to come inside. He pressed his

lips tightly but wove through the throng of people in the balcony to go to his brother. So

much for hoping to remain where he was until he could leave.

He forced himself not to look around for Jasmine as he stepped back into the living

room. "What's up, Dyl?"

"Faye wants you. She's in my bedroom."

He frowned. "Your bedroom? Why?"

"Just go," Dylan replied with a shrug.

He rounded the corner and opened the door to Dylan's bedroom. To his surprise, it

wasn't only Faye that was there. Ray and Jessa were with her and all three of them were

looking at him in a nervously expectant way.

"What do we have here? A party?" he drawled.

"Close the door, Kane," Faye replied.

He raised his eyebrows at them as he did what his sister asked.

"We want to ask you something."

"Okay. I don't know why I feel like I just walked into an inquisition, but go ahead."

"We want to know how you really feel about Jasmine," Faye asked softly.

He shook his head imperceptibly. Had it been obvious to them he was struggling

with his feelings tonight?

"Why do you want to know?" he asked, needing time to process a good-enough

answer.

"We just do," Jessa answered. "We're worried about the two of you."

He sighed. He really should work on his acting. He hadn't been very convincing, so

here were people who wanted to make sure he had stopped falling apart.

"Jasmine was someone I used to care about. It didn't work out. It hurt me a lot. But

I'm okay now. I've moved on," he said with a conviction he didn't feel.

"Are you sure?"

"Faye, yes," he said with frustration. The more they let him be, the quicker he'd

recover from his broken heart.

"That girl you were out in the balcony with—she was your date at that big function

you went to the other night, wasn't she?" Jessa asked.

"Brenda? Yes, she was."

"Do you like her?" Ray asked.

His eyebrows lifted. Hmm. Maybe this was an opportunity to get them off his back.

"Yes, I like Brenda. She's a lot of fun," he said with a genuine-looking smile.

Jessa exhaled loudly and glanced down on the floor. He frowned. Shouldn't she be

relieved he was now fine after her sister tore his heart to pieces? Or was that a sigh of

relief?

Jessa looked up at him with a smile of understanding. "Kane, if you say you're over

Jaz, then that's that."

He kept a passive expression. "I honestly appreciate all of your concern. But

everything's fine. I'm good."

"Okay."

"Can I go now?"

"Yes."

He left the room and closed the door behind him. He took a deep, calming breath

before he strode back to where the party was happening. He'd have another drink in the

balcony, then leave. He just hoped Jasmine didn't decide to get some fresh air. He just

gave a great performance in Dylan's bedroom and he didn't want to undo the fruits of his

efforts.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Jasmine looked out the car window, feeling despondent and achy all over.

"I know just what you need," Ari declared as she stopped at the set of lights.

Jasmine glanced at her friend with an apologetic smile. "You really should have

stayed at the party, Ari. I could have caught a cab back to your place."

"Don't be silly. Besides, you were the invited one, not me. I was just your tag-along

and I didn't know anyone there."

"You already met loads of people in the fifteen minutes we were there. I'm sure you

would have had lots of fun with them."

"Jaz, please don't feel guilty about it. I know you would have done the same for me.

And if I was in your shoes, I would have left too."

She sniffed, unable to contain her tears. Kane had a new girlfriend. And it cut her

deeper than anything had ever had.

"It was all my fault, of course," she said almost in a whisper. "I was the one who

pushed him away."

"You did it because you loved him," Ari reminded her softly.

"Yes. And now he doesn't love me anymore." Saying that out loud magnified the

pain in her heart a hundred times.

"Well, let's stop this drama. Let's move on. And like I said, I know just what you

need."

She smiled, forcing herself to shake off her despair. She was staying with Ari for the

weekend and she didn't want to be a sad-faced friend the whole time. "So what is it that

I need?"

"New clothes."

She chuckled. "Yes. Some retail therapy would do me good. We can start early

tomorrow."

"Oh, but we are starting tonight, my dear."

"All the shops are closed! Or are we shopping online?"

"You'll find out when we get to my place," Ari replied with an air of mystery.

"I'm looking forward to it."

*******

"Okay. First, before we do this I want you to know this is on me. Clear?" Ari said.

Jasmine stared at Ari. "You're buying me clothes? I can't let you do that," she

responded.

Ari smiled. "I'm not exactly buying you clothes. I'm giving you clothes."

"You want to clean out your wardrobe and you want me to take some of your

discards?" she joked.

"Ha-ha. No. I'm going to make you clothes."

Jasmine gaped at her friend. "You make clothes?"

"Well, I design them and I get someone else to sew them for me."

"You're a designer? You never told me!"

"I'm just a wannabe designer. I don't have the guts or the resources to make a

living out of this. As it stands, I spend a lot of my salary making samples that are not

going to make it to production. So you could say this is a very expensive hobby."

"Show them to me," Jasmine cried, letting her excitement for her friend cover up her

pain.

Ari gave her a dazzling grin and opened a section of her wardrobe. She pulled out

two gorgeous dresses and held them up for her. "What do you think?"

"Wow! They look amazing. You designed these for yourself?" Jasmine asked, feeling

the soft material between her fingers.

"Yes. Do you want to try them on? You and I have the same dress size."

"Yes, please."

Jasmine took off her dress, not at all shy at being in her undies in front of her friend.

She put on the first one and admired herself in the mirror as the material hugged her trim

figure perfectly.

"Ooh, that looks good on you," Ari said.

"It does, doesn't it?" She twirled around in front of the mirror, checking out the

garment from different angles. "How did you learn to make dresses like these?"

"I worked for different fashion houses for ten years and I've always been interested

in designing, so I made sure I learned as much as I could," Ari replied.

"So how did you end up working for Eros?" she asked, wondering why her friend now

worked for makers of intimate apparel.

"Six months ago, I developed this desire to design lingerie. I was already getting

disillusioned at my old company so I left and joined Eros."

Jasmine nodded. "You really want make something out of this, don't you, Ari?"

"Yeah, I do. I don't know how yet."

"Well, I reckon you should continue looking for ways and develop your connections

in the industry. You have real talent for this," she said sincerely.

Ari laughed. "No need to flatter me. I'm already making you that dress. Now try the

other one and see if you like it, too."

"Let me pay for the cost of the materials, Ari. Please," she said as she changed

dresses.

"Not for these first two. I still have excess materials for them. I'm just excited that

someone else apart from me will be wearing my designs. Whoopeee!"

Ari danced around the room while Jasmine laughed and buttoned herself up. Ari's

exuberance was successfully distracting her from the pain of her broken heart.

She turned to the mirror, a big grin spreading to her face. "I definitely love this one

too! Are these the only designs you have?"

"No, I have three more. The others are more casual. These are cocktail party type

dresses."

"Show me all of them. If I like the others, I'm paying for them."

"Okay, I'm so excited," Ari said as she pulled more clothes out of her wardrobe.

Jasmine tried Ari's casual designs and decided she also wanted them.

Ari stilled and looked at her gratefully. "Thank you."

" No , thank you for your wonderful creations. And thank you for being such a

wonderful friend. I'm glad I met you."

"Me too, Jaz."

They hugged briefly and she changed back to her own clothes.

"Have you designed some lingerie already?" Jasmine asked.

"I've already sketched some. Wanna see?"

"Oh, yes!"

Ari pulled out a sketch pad from a drawer and they sat on her bed to inspect them.

"Oh my God. These are hot," Jasmine gushed.

"I know. They are, aren't they? I designed these after I broke up with that cheating

ex-boyfriend of mine. I wanted to create something that would make me feel sexy and

desirable after being dumped. I guess I should thank him for giving me the motivation."

Jasmine gazed at her friend in wonder. "Ari, that was deep. Thank you."

"Was it?" Ari asked with a chuckle.

"Yes. I've been struggling to finish my fourth book because of my breakup with

Kane. But you know what? I should put all the emotions I've gone through into my books

and then create the happily ever after that I want. I could use Kane as an inspiration to

come up with new material instead of letting my pain halt my writing progress."

"Yes! Let me go get us glasses of wine and we can toast both our exes."

As she watched Ari bounce out of the room, Jasmine smiled a bittersweet smile. She

wouldn't be surprised if the ache she felt in her chest became a permanent fixture in her

life. She loved Kane. He was the only man she'd ever loved. And by some cruel set of

circumstances, she lost him. But she could choose to focus on the love they had shared

and celebrate that over and over again through her books.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

"Hello, Dylan. Happy birthday again," Kane said as he walked into their parents' place.

"Thank you. Isn't it great to have two birthday parties? I should do it again next

year—throw a party that Mum and Dad aren't crazy about attending so Mum will hold

another one here."

"Good thinking, bro," Kane said, patting Dylan's head patronisingly as they headed

for the games room.

"Brenda wanted to come tonight but I told her it's family only," Dylan informed him.

"She's waiting for her next invite from you, and she's bugging me about it. Next time she

annoys me, I'm giving her your phone number."

"What? No! Dylan, I'll kill you if you do," he threatened as a delicious aroma hit his

nostrils. A table was set up against one wall of the games room, and it was laden with

food.

"Jesus. How many people did you invite, Dylan?"

"No one. Just family and the twins' girlfriends. Mum thought I was going to ask

some of my friends to come. She forgot I already celebrated with them last week."

"It doesn't matter," Linda said as she offered her cheek to Kane. "You can all come

back tomorrow and eat the leftovers."

"I bet that was your intention all along, Mum," Kane said with a grin as he went to

hug his dad.

"It was your fault, Kane," his dad said. "Your mum loved it so much when you were

here for two weeks that she's enticing you guys back with her cooking."

"Don't worry, Mum," Dylan said, rubbing their mother's back. "We'll pack all the

leftovers in takeaway containers and we'll freeze them when we get home. Then every

night, we'll microwave them and eat them. It'll be like you feeding us for a week except

that we're not physically with you."

Linda shook her head at Dylan's cheeky response.

Faye and Ray arrived, carrying a cake each.

"Yes!" Kane said. "You should always make two cakes every time from now on,

Faye."

"I don't really have a choice. You and Ray complain to me all the time that you

never have enough."

"How can you complain, bro?" Kane asked Ray. "You live with her. She makes it for

you all the time."

"Not anymore," Ray said with a pout. "She said she didn't want me to get fat."

"I said it's unhealthy for you to eat too much cake. I didn't say anything about you

getting fat," Faye retorted.

"So you'll still marry me even if I get fat," Ray joked, snaking his arms around Faye's

waist.

"I'll still marry you even if you're as big as an elephant," Faye responded, placing

her arms around Ray's neck and tiptoeing for a kiss.

"Oh, please," Kane said with an eye roll. "You'll make everyone sick with all the

sweetness we have to consume with our eyes."

The engaged couple ignored him and continued their kissing. He still couldn't

believe how Faye managed to turn Ray from a private kind of person to someone who

was ultra-comfortable with public displays of affection.

"Everyone's here," Linda announced as the twins and their girlfriends walked in and

greeted everyone.

"Let's eat. I'm starving," Dylan said, rubbing his hands in anticipation as he

approached the buffet table.

"Isn't Brenda joining us tonight?" Faye asked.

"No. She wanted to come but I said it's family only," Dylan responded, filling his

plate with food.

Uh-oh, Kane thought. I'd be busted.

"So," Faye whispered to him, "you're not ready to include Brenda in our family

gatherings? Brad brought his new girlfriend. They've only been going out for a couple of

weeks."

"No," he whispered back. "After Hannah and Jasmine, I don't want to bring another

woman here too soon."

"Ah," Faye replied with a nod of her head.

He hid a relieved sigh. He knew Faye wouldn't stop snooping if she thought

something was out of place.

He'd been doing so well with not mentioning Jasmine to anyone in the past week.

Wasn't that a sign of recovery? Sure, she still occupied his mind every minute of every

day, but the fact that he could shut his mouth about her must mean he was making good

progress. Well, he'd like to believe that or he would cave in with the heaviness of losing

her.

He busied himself with plating some food, grateful no one was looking at his eyes to

see the sadness there.

A phone rang loudly and Dylan fished it out of his pocket. Dylan groaned and shoved

the phone in front of him. "Here, you answer that," his brother said.

He glanced at the screen. Brenda.

"No. She's calling you," he said, turning away from Dylan.

"This is the tenth time today, Kane. All she wants is to talk to you. If you don't take

this, I'm giving her your phone number," Dylan said, exasperated.

"Fine." He grabbed the phone from Dylan, walked out of the room and answered it.

He promised Brenda he would call her if he needed a date for another high-end

function, and asked her not to annoy Dylan or he might suggest another date for him to

take instead of her. Brenda seemed suitably chastened. She promised to just wait for his

call.

He walked back into the games room and handed Dylan back his phone. "You owe

me. She won't be annoying you again."

"What did you say?" Dylan asked.

"Something," he answered with a shrug as he picked up his plate and sat on the

nearest chair.

"How come Brenda doesn't have your phone number, Kane?" Faye queried. "I

thought you're going out with her."

Dylan choked on his food and stared at Faye in disbelief. "Are you kidding me?

Where did you get that idea?"

Kane avoided his sister's eyes as she glared at him.

"Kane told us he liked her," Faye responded.

"Oh really now?" Dylan said with mischief. "Wait 'til I tell Brenda that."

"Don't you dare, Dylan," Kane growled.

"So you lied, Kane," Faye observed.

"Not really. I do like her as a fun kind of person. That doesn't mean I want to spend

a lot of time with her."

Faye shook her head in censure.

"It's not such a big deal, Faye," he said with a hint of contrition.

"If I ask you a question now, will you tell me the truth?" Faye demanded.

Kane got nervous. He didn't like where this was going. "It depends on the question,"

he responded.

"Are you really over Jasmine?"

He dropped his fork. He didn't expect her to just come out with it.

"Why is my answer so important?" he asked as he walked over to the buffet table to

get clean cutlery.

"You have no idea how important it is," Faye sighed.

"But why?"

He saw Faye glance at Ray with a determined look and noticed Ray's tiny nod.

What's going on?

"Your answer determines the kind of help we could give Jasmine," Faye said.

He scowled. His heart started to beat so fast he found it hard to breathe. "What on

earth do you mean?"

"Give me your answer first."

He took a deep breath and released it slowly. "No, I'm not over her," he admitted as

he slumped back in his chair.

"So you still love her?" Faye asked softly.

"Yes," he whispered.

"Oh Kane. You should have been more open with us last week."

"Well, I'm being open with you now. So tell me what you mean about helping

Jasmine. What does she need help with?"

Faye held his gaze intently. "Jasmine broke up with you because she was being

blackmailed by her ex-boyfriend George."

His heart stopped. "What the fuck do you mean?"

~~~~~~~

Kane buried his face in his hands as Faye detailed to him Hannah's involvement, the fake

porno short stories and the unsigned threatening email Jasmine received.

His head and heart were pounding with a blend of emotional extremes and he didn't

know whether to laugh or cry.

Jasmine still loved him. That made his heart swell so large it erased his biggest pain

in a flash.

But he was also angry. Angry at George, angry at Hannah, and most of all, angry at

Jasmine for not sharing with him something so critical and significant. Didn't she think he

would do anything he could to help her with this?

"Kane, Jaz said you told her about a firm who lost clients because the architect had

some negative matters about his private life made public. Because of your firm's profile

and the types of clients you cater to, she wanted to be absolutely sure that couldn't

happen to you. That was why she did what she did."

He melted. Jasmine was crazy. The love of his life was crazy. And it humbled him

that she loved him that much.

He looked at Faye, his vision suspiciously blurry. "Why didn't you tell me this last

week?"

"Jaz was going to. That was why she went to Dylan's party. We managed to

convince her to tell you everything after we showed her how we could neutralise George's

threat even if we couldn't stop him. Ray was going to devote several pages in Lifestyle by

Design for an article on you and put you on the cover. Ray and Jess came up with an idea

of what to write so even if a bad one came out somewhere else, it wouldn't be taken

seriously by people that mattered. Your international clients are more likely to read and

believe what's written in Lifestyle than what's in some tabloid magazine." Faye paused,

looking at him with compassion.

"So why didn't she?" he prodded.

"Because she saw you at the balcony with Brenda."

"Oh God!" he groaned. He could only imagine how hurt she must have felt.

"She left the party not long after that," Faye continued. "But before she did, she

made us promise not to tell you anything. She said there would be no need for what we

had planned because George's threat was only valid if she stayed with you. And from

what she had witnessed, she believed you had moved on. She thought it was better that

you didn't know anything so you wouldn't have to contend with all the drama.

"But of course, we just couldn't leave it at that. Jess and I decided we needed to

find out how you really felt. If you didn't love Jaz anymore, then we had to drop the

subject. And last week you told us you'd moved on."

"I said that because I thought you guys were worried about me. I just wanted to be

left alone so I could heal in my own time," Kane croaked, his throat tight from unshed

tears.

"Oh Kane," Faye cried, reaching over and placing a comforting hand on his arm.

"So we're going ahead with the article," Ray interjected.

"Yes, please," Kane responded humbly.

"It would be much more effective if Hannah cooperated. Is there a way we could

swing her over to our side?"

"I'll talk to her," Kane answered. "I'll bribe her with anything she wants, as long as

she doesn't ask for me."

Everyone chuckled.

He looked at Dylan. "Dyl, you won't mind if I leave now, will you? I might still be

able to catch the last flight to Melbourne."

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Jasmine tried her best to appear carefree as she set down a pot of tea in front of her

parents. It wasn't very often that her mum and dad turned up at her doorstep

unexpectedly, so she suspected they were there to probe into why she had been

lacklustre and way too quiet for the last two and a bit weeks.

She thought she got away with not seeing her parents this weekend, not that she

didn't want to spend time with them, but the effort to look happy for their benefit was

such a strain that she took the easy way out. She told them she couldn't go to dinner with

them because she had work she needed to do that night. Well, now Alice and Joe were

sitting in her living room for a quick cup of tea.

"So what did you buy, Mum?" she asked, eyeing the shopping bag sitting next to her

mother's purse.

Her mother blushed while her father let out a nervous chuckle. What?

"It's just some new nightwear," Alice replied.

"Oh, I see," she said with a big grin. It must be the romantic in her that didn't get

uncomfortable with the thought of her parents spicing up their sex life. It actually made

her feel good knowing that true love was real, and more importantly, enduring.

"How come you're working on the weekend, Jazzie? Especially on a Saturday night,"

her dad asked.

"I'm putting together a new training manual and we need to send it to the printers

on Monday. It's taking me longer than expected to finish it," she babbled and busied

herself with pouring tea for all of them.

She felt her parents' eyes on her. They must know she was lying. Her face always

gave her away. That was why she preferred lying over the phone. That was the only way

she could be a convincing fibber.

"We're sorry to hear about you and Kane, Jaz," Joe said softly.

She gasped and stared at him in surprise.

"Jessa told us you two got together when you were in Sydney. We're sorry it didn't

work out."

She inhaled deeply, begging her composure not to desert her. "Thanks, Dad."

"We thought he was a very nice man when we met him at your sister's wedding. Is

there really no chance of you getting back together? We can tell this has been very hard

on you," Alice said softly.

"I think he's moved on, Mum," she replied with a shrug.

Joe leaned forward. "Jasmine, Jessa said you broke up with him because you

wanted to stay here. It's not because of us, is it?"

She smiled. "No, Dad. Jess and I suspect that you guys might consider moving to

Sydney, too, if I decided to transfer."

"You're right. But not before your mother and I had gone to our second honeymoon,

pretending we don't have any kids."

They laughed.

"So you really just prefer to stay? From how you look, you don't seem happy with

your decision," Alice quizzed, looking confused.

"I believe it's for the best if Kane and I aren't together," she said carefully.

"He's not against you writing romance novels, is he?"

Her jaw dropped to the floor.

"Jessa told us about that, too," Alice said. "I just finished reading your first book and

it was wonderful! I really loved the story. I was surprised about how detailed you were

with the sex scenes—I must admit I blushed when I first read them—but they did

enhance the story for me. You should be proud. We are."

Tears rolled down her face as she was rendered speechless by her mother's words.

She had been so worried about what they might think.

"You're mother's right, Jazzie. I haven't read it but only because I'm not much of a

fiction reader, but I don't see why you would want to hide the fact you wrote books that

are selling very well."

"I don't mind if you never read my books, Dad," she said, only half-joking.

"You know, I've always wanted to write a book," Alice said dreamily.

"Really, Mum? Why don't you?"

"Oh, I'll leave the writing to you and Jessa," her mum replied with a dismissive flick

of her hand.

"We must have gotten the writing gene from you. We certainly didn't get it from

Dad," she teased as she wiped her eyes with a tissue.

Joe laughed. "Give me numbers over words anytime."

"So, Jaz," Alice said in a subdued voice. "Was Kane against your books?"

"No, Mum. He loved them," she said, melancholy hitting her with force, making her

eyes water again.

"We don't want to pry. We just want to see if it was because you were worried

about leaving us here."

"It's definitely not because of you guys. It's just one of those things that didn't work

out."

"Okay, honey. We just want you to be happy."

"I know. Thank you."

*******

Jasmine sat up on her bed as her security intercom buzzed harshly, waking her from a

deep sleep. Her gaze flew to the alarm clock on her bedside table. 11:45pm. Who the hell

could that be?

She tried to shake off her sleepiness, her mind fuzzily imagining different sorts of

emergency situations.

The buzzer rang again just as she was about to answer it. With a pounding heart,

she pressed the button to talk to the caller. "Who's there?"

"Jaz, it's Kane."

"Kane?"

"Yeah."

"Kane?" she repeated, not quite believing her ears. She did recognise his voice but

her brain was questioning if she was dreaming or not.

"Yes, it's me."

"Are you sure?" she asked stupidly.

"Yes, baby, I'm sure," he answered with a chuckle.

She pressed the button to let him in the building then walked to her door. She

opened it and waited, still unsure if she was fully awake. She wouldn't be surprised if her

mind was playing a trick on her. She hadn't been sleeping well since she broke up with

Kane. But after her parents' visit that afternoon, a certain amount of peace came to her

and, for the first time in a long time, she had fallen asleep without too much tossing and

turning.

Kane appeared in her line of sight and her breathing shallowed. She stared at him,

drinking in his form thirstily. She hadn't seen him for so long, and now he was standing

right in front of her.

"You look beautiful, sweetheart, but I think we should go in before someone else

walks past," he croaked as he gently pushed her in, his eyes roaming her body.

She looked down and realised she was wearing the new lingerie she bought to

make her feel sexy after being tossed aside for another woman.

"Oh! I forgot what I was wearing," she mumbled, her heart dancing madly in her

chest.

Was she really awake? She could swear Kane called her 'baby' and 'sweetheart'. And

she could see he was looking at her like a starving man.

"Kane, what are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to you."

She gaped at him and shook her head. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

"Because I didn't want you to come up with excuses not to see me."

She sighed and walked to the sofa. "You woke me up. And you scared me."

"Sorry. I know it's late. But I was lucky enough to catch the last flight to get here."

"So … why are you here?"

Kane sat next to her and took her hand. "Jaz, I know about the blackmail."

She looked at him in alarm.

"I'm sorry," he continued. "If I had known about this earlier, we wouldn't have had

to suffer for this long. I understand why you didn't tell me. But I'm still a bit mad at you

for not trusting that we could have found an answer together instead of trying to work it

out on your own."

"Well, okay. Now you know," she said. A glimmer of hope touched her heart but her

mind played the scene she saw in Dylan's balcony. She pulled her hand from his grasp.

"Ray is going ahead with the article," he informed her, his eyes wary.

"That's good," she said with a small smile. "I suppose that would help in making

sure George wouldn't be able to hurt your reputation." She looked away, unable to

maintain eye contact without wanting to cry.

"Jaz?"

She glanced up at his face and felt a pinch on her heart at his anguished expression.

"Please tell me we're not really over," he entreated.

She melted. He wanted her back. The dark clouds parted as blood started singing in

her veins.

"You still love me?" she whispered.

He cupped her face with his warm hands. "What kind of question is that? I never

stopped loving you."

She couldn't stop the tears that ran down her cheeks, or the smile that spread on

her face.

"You don't love Brenda?" she asked, needing to be sure.

"No, baby. Brenda is just one of Dylan's flirty friends. I never went out with her."

She frowned. "But I saw the picture of you together when you took her to that big

black-tie event you had."

"That wasn't a date in a strict sense. I had to go to the function and I needed to

take someone with me. Dylan suggested Brenda because she was the least likely of his

female friends to expect or want a relationship. All she wants is the chance to go to high-

glamour events."

"You looked sweet together," she muttered, remembering Brenda's arms around his

neck and his hands on Brenda's waist. Plus, the woman ran her hands over his chest!

"That's just Brenda, baby. She's that kind of a flirt but she's harmless. If you stuck

around long enough at the party, you would have seen her flirt like that with five other

men, including Dylan."

She searched his eyes for two seconds then her lips tugged into a relieved smile.

"Okay."

"Oh, Jaz, I missed you," he groaned, capturing her lips and giving her a sweet,

sweet kiss.

She didn't know for how long they kissed tenderly but she didn't mind when he

started devouring her mouth. She moaned, revelling in their intimate connection. Desire

flared in her belly and rapidly spread to her whole body. Kane was back. With her.

She gasped as his hand went to her breast and kneaded, just as his mouth left hers

to trail heated kisses on her neck. She was already ready, the frustrations and pain of the

past weeks magnifying her arousal.

"Kane," she breathed, arching her back to push her breast farther into his hand.

He moaned, a sexy, low sound that excited her even more.

"Do you always wear these things to bed, even when you're alone?" he asked as he

pushed a strap down her arm, revealing a heavy breast eager for his attention.

Her answer got caught in her throat as his lips closed on her erect nipple. "Ah!" she

cried, feeling the sensation all the way to her already wet centre.

"Hmm?" he asked, lifting his head to look at her.

"What?" she asked dazedly.

"I said do you always wear sheer, sexy nightgowns even when you're in bed alone."

"I like being prepared. You never know if a neighbour might come calling during the

night," she teased.

She was surprised at the ferocious look on his face.

"What? You're mine," he growled.

She giggled, enjoying his possessiveness. "I was joking! My friend Ari designed

herself some lingerie to make her feel sexy and desirable after her boyfriend dumped her.

I thought it might help me, too. I got this after I saw you with Brenda."

"Oh, baby." Kane ran his fingers over her face tenderly.

That very touch told her he loved her. It was just what her heart needed. But her

body was crying for much more. She had missed him so.

"Kane," she said with yearning as she clutched his hair and tried to pull his head

down to her needy breast. He resisted.

"Yes, Jasmine?" he asked with a wicked smile, sitting up straight.

"Continue, please."

"Continue what, baby? Our conversation?" he asked with laughter in his eyes.

She made a face then kneeled on the sofa so her chest was level with his head. She

moved closer to him and slipped the other strap down, letting the soft material fall down

around her knees.

His hungry eyes stared at her body, his mouth agape. "You're so beautiful. You've

been wearing something like this every night?"

"No. I've been hiding in my oversized flannel pyjamas. I got this a while ago but this

is the first time I've worn it. Maybe I'm psychic and I sensed you were coming tonight."

He grinned salaciously. "Oh, yes. I'm definitely coming tonight. And so are you."

"So what are you waiting for then?" she asked seductively, untying the bows on her

hips that held her panties in place.

His grin disappeared as his gaze fixed on her now naked sex, his chest heaving as

he breathed. Swiftly, he took off his jacket followed by his shirt. She waited for him

patiently, running her hands slowly on her body as she watched him undress. Her

leisurely movements were in stark contrast to the rushed busyness of his hands as he got

rid of his shoes, pants and underwear.

When he was fully unclothed, he tugged her hand and hastily led her to the

bedroom. She was ready to jump on the bed when he cupped her face and stared at her

with love and lust that made it hard for her to breathe.

"Sit on the edge of the bed," he said softly.

She did so, not taking her eyes off his face.

He knelt in front of her and rubbed her thighs as he kissed her mouth senseless.

She fisted his hair and took as much as she gave. She made a protesting sound

when he broke their torrid kiss but stilled when she guessed his next move.

He parted her legs wider and ran butterfly kisses along the inside of her sensitive

thigh. She watched avidly as his mouth got closer and closer to that part of her that was

throbbing with need. When he ran his tongue on her slit and up her clit, she threw her

head back and moaned lustily.

Kane licked and sucked her enthusiastically, pleasure sounds escaping him like she

was the most delicious thing he'd had for a long, long time.

"Oh God … Kane," she breathed. "You're going to make me come too quickly."

He stopped long enough to say "good" before sending his tongue flicking again and

inserting a finger into her wetness.

That was enough to drive her over the edge, her cries of gratification filling the

room as her body clenched forcefully, repeatedly.

He lifted his head when her body relaxed, a satisfied smile playing on his lips.

She smiled back at him, feeling languid but eager to give him as much pleasure as

he'd just given her. She sat up straight and encouraged him to stand. Pushing him back

slightly, she knelt in front of him and ran a greedy tongue over his steely erection.

"Ahh, yes," he whispered.

She wrapped her fingers around his thick length and stroked him as she closed her

mouth on the head, tasting the dew that formed at the tip. She twirled her tongue, her

mouth sucking and head bobbing, as one hand tugged him at the base while the other

caressed his heavy balls. His panting moans and harsh breathing told her he was close.

His hips flexed faster as she maintained her rhythm. Then he stilled for a heartbeat

before groaning out loud and spurting in her mouth.

"Jaz, baby."

She heard the wonder and gratitude in his voice as she grinned up at him.

He sighed in contentment and crawled on the bed. "Come cuddle with me, honey."

She eagerly went into his open arms as they pulled the covers over them. They

kissed softly for long minutes before Kane's caressing hands became more insistent. He

pressed his body closer to hers and she felt his hardening member on her belly. Oh, yes.

His fingers and his mouth got busy showing her again how much he desired her—

and how quickly he could arouse her until she was ready to beg for more.

"Kane." Her need was evident in her voice.

"Yes, my love?" His fingers continued to stroke her clitoris as his mouth played with

a nipple.

"Please."

He abandoned her breast to bring his face close to hers but his fingers didn't stop.

"Inside me," she whispered.

"Like this?" he asked as he slipped two fingers in her.

She gasped with pleasure but shook her head. "You."

"This is me," he said with a wicked smile, moving his fingers in and out of her.

He loved teasing her, and she must admit, it made her hotter.

She reached for his erect manhood and stroked. "Don't you want to put this inside

me?"

"Uh-huh," he said with an eager nod.

"Good." She pushed him onto his back and straddled him. Gingerly, she positioned

his hard cock on her waiting pussy and gently slid down.

Their moans mingled as she rocked on top of him. Oh, it felt so good. More than

good. In no time, she was screaming his name as she violently shuddered in an intense

orgasm.

She slumped on his chest as she caught her breath. She smiled as she felt Kane's

hips straining to move beneath her. She propped her hands on her chest and moved her

hips up and down, feeling his hard shaft get thicker inside of her. She stopped abruptly

and gazed at him.

"Baby, please move," he begged.

Kane placed his hands on her buttocks and she knew he was going to lift her hips so

he could thrust. Well, she wanted him to have freedom of movement. She got off him and

lay down on the bed, pulling him on top of her.

He grunted as he re-inserted himself in her and drove in, hard and fast and

unstoppable.

"Jasmine … fuck … Jasmine."

She didn't know how he did it, or how she could be so responsive. But just seeing

him undone and out-of-control triggered another climax. She shuddered and tightened on

his cock over and over.

"Oh, baby … arrgh … arrgh!" he groaned loudly as he exploded inside her.

*******

Jasmine opened her still-sleepy eyes and squinted. It seemed late and she wondered

what time it was. She propped on an elbow to check her clock. It was almost eleven in

the morning.

After a marathon sex session with Kane last night, she wasn't surprised she slept in.

And she wasn't surprised at the stiffness in some parts of her body. They just couldn't

seem to get enough of each other. But then, that wasn't anything new.

She twisted to face him. He was sleeping on his side, turned towards her.

Tenderness engulfed her as she drank in his beloved features. She thought she'd lost him

because of her decisions. But she knew she'd make those same decisions again if it

meant protecting all that was important to him. She loved him, plain and simple.

She reached out to touch his face, enjoying his relaxed look while he slept. His

eyelids fluttered open and drowsy blue eyes gazed at her warmly.

"Hi," he said with a happy smile.

"Hi."

"What time is it?"

"Almost eleven."

"Did I tell you last night my flight back is at three this afternoon?"

She frowned as a pang of disappointment hit her. "Why so early? Could you take a

later one?"

He caressed her arm. "I need to talk to Hannah and I want to do it before the

evening so I can avoid having dinner with her."

"Why?" Panic started rising to her throat.

"Ray and I think the article would be more effective in silencing that blackmailing

psycho if Hannah is involved in clarifying the story."

"But Hannah believes you cheated on her with me. And she thinks I'm an evil witch

who seduces engaged men then dumps them after they leave their fiancées."

He laughed. "I love your description. But you see, if we could get Hannah to also tell

the truth then George's stories would stand out as the lies they really are. The only thing

he could still scare us with would be those fake porn stories he put together. But we'll sue

any publication that attributes them to you."

"I don't care about the porn stories. There must be a hundred Jasmine Allens around

the world. Having that name attached to a story wouldn't make people jump to

conclusions I'm the Jasmine Allen who wrote it. And I already thought about the suing

thing if it's necessary. I'm more worried that if Hannah stubbornly refuses to believe us,

then it's more likely she and George would act out their threat against you."

"That's a risk I'm willing to take."

"See, this is exactly why I didn't want to tell you or anyone else about this," she said

angrily, sitting up on the bed. "Do you understand what you are risking, Kane? Do you

realise what you stand to lose?"

He also sat up and faced her. "Yes, I do," he insisted. "I might lose a few clients. It

might impact the business and I might have to work extra hard on damage control. But

eventually, I'll get back on top of it. But I refuse to let that son of a bitch George run our

lives. And I refuse to break up with you ever again," he said, pointing a finger at her face.

"I suffered for one whole month just so you won't have to lose what you've built,

Kane. Please don't take that lightly," she said as a last-ditch effort to make him protect

his career.

"Why did you do it?"

"You know why. Because I love you!"

"What about me, Jaz? I love you, too. Much more than you know. I'd rather lose my

reputation and my clients than lose you. I'd rather be painted as the man who cheated on

his fiancée than not ever be with you," he said hoarsely.

She sobbed in a breath, her eyes swimming in tears.

Kane cupped her face. "Please," he pleaded, "let's focus all our energy on meeting

our challenges head-on rather than wasting our time avoiding them. My career is not the

most important thing in the world to me, Jaz. You are."

She sighed, nuzzling her face against his hand. "Okay," she responded, finding

herself unable to bear even the thought of giving him up again.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

"I can't believe I'm leaving tomorrow," Jasmine said sadly as she gazed at her best

friends Sam and Kris. Three weeks had gone by so fast since she and Kane got back

together. Tomorrow morning, she would be flying to Sydney with some of her clothes and

personal items. She was moving in with Kane.

She had sold her furniture and her car. Kane had suggested she buy a new car in

Sydney, as hers was already a few years old. She agreed. She had some money for that.

She'd been a good saver.

She still had some clothes and non-essential items that were now stashed in her

parents' garage but she would take them with her next time.

"I bet you're not as sad as we are, Jaz," Kris said. "After all, you'll be living in a big,

architect-designed house and following Mr. Summers around the world."

"Not to mention not having to work for a living," Sam said enviously.

Jasmine gasped. "Hey, I still work for a living! I'm just a full-time writer now. Sure,

I'll be sitting on my ass, but it will be sitting on my ass making up stories and trying to

sell them."

The other girls snickered. "And she calls it work," Kris said.

"Well, it is," Jasmine said with a smile. "It's not an easy job, especially the

marketing bit."

"Okay, Miss Author, whatever you say. All I want is for the three of us to promise

that we will try our darnedest best to get together for one weekend every two months,"

Sam said.

"Yes," she answered, "unless of course I'm overseas with Kane. But we'll Skype

regularly."

"Speaking of Kane, how come he's not here yet?"

"He'll be here soon."

"I can't wait to meet him. I want to see how hunky he is," Kris said.

"You know what I can't wait to see?" Sam asked.

"What?"

"His house. I wonder how big his kitchen is."

"I can't wait to see it either," Jasmine said. "Hey, instead of staying in a hotel when

you guys visit me in Sydney, you can stay at Kane's house. I'm sure he won't mind."

"Sam and I have our heart set on a nice five-star hotel with a swimming pool, spa

and gym," Kris said. "But if your kitchen is big enough and exciting enough for Sam, then

we may take you up on your offer to stay at your house instead."

"It's not my house," Jasmine retorted.

"It will be when you marry him."

"He hasn't even proposed yet!"

"Aha. Did you hear your slip of the tongue, Jaz? You said yet. That means you're

expecting him to."

"Well, I'm hoping he will. But I don't want to jinx anything by expecting it, so let's

stop this talk about proposal and marriage. And don't you dare mention it to him."

The security buzzer rang and Kris ran to answer it. "Is this Jasmine Allen's hunky

lover?"

"It better be," came the reply.

They giggled at Kane's response.

"Come on in, then."

"Look at you," Sam said to Jasmine laughingly as they waited for Kane to walk up

their floor.

"What?" Jasmine asked.

"Not more than two minutes ago you were teary because you were leaving us and

now you can't keep that grin off your face."

"Sorry," she responded. "It's been three weeks since I last saw him."

Sam walked to her and gave her a big hug. "I'm really so happy for you, Jaz. I'm

glad you've fallen in love with someone who seems crazy about you. And I'm glad your

dream of becoming a full time writer has come true."

She returned her best friend's hug fiercely. "Thank you, Sam."

Kris joined them for a group hug. "Things are not going to be the same without you

here, Jaz."

"I know, Kris. But will you two promise me you'll work towards your dreams too?"

"What dreams?" Kris asked.

Jasmine rolled her eyes. "Your dream to run a dance studio, Kris, and your dream to

open your own café, Sam."

"Yeah, right. Maybe when we win Lotto," Sam responded.

A rap on the door interrupted their conversation.

"I'll get it," Kris said. "I want to check him out and make sure he's good enough for

our Jasmine."

"Of course he is," Jasmine said confidently.

Kris opened the door, placed a hand on her hip and looked at Kane up and down in

an exaggerated fashion.

Kane spread his arms wide to his side. "Do I pass?" he asked.

"Only if you promise you'll always look after Jasmine," Kris responded.

"With everything I have."

"Then you may enter our humble abode," Kris said theatrically.

"Thank you, Kris," Kane said as he entered the apartment with an equally theatrical

bow.

Kris glanced at Jasmine in surprise. "Hey, he knows my name. You get full points for

that, Kane."

"Thank you. Hi, Sam," he said waving to Sam, who was checking something in the

oven.

"Hello, Kane. Get used to my cousin because you'll see a lot more of her from here

on in."

Kane chuckled and turned his attention to Jasmine. "Hi, baby," he whispered, his

face full of tenderness.

"Hi," Jasmine responded, snaking her arms around his neck and lifting her lips to

his.

Their kiss was way too brief for her liking but she could wait until they were alone.

For now, she wanted to enjoy her last night as a Melbourne resident with her best friends

and her boyfriend.

"Wow, Sam. Jaz wasn't exaggerating when she said you're a good cook," Kane

commented.

"Thanks, Kane. You do know there's no need to score points with me. You already

have a perfect ten."

Jasmine and Kris groaned.

"Just say 'thank you' and then stop, Sammy," Jasmine chided. To Kane, she added,

"She never thinks people are serious with their compliments."

"I was being serious!" Kane said with an affronted look.

"Okay, fine, thank you. Really," Sam said, blushing.

"Sam has something to ask you, Kane," Kris said.

"Sure."

"I do?" Sam asked her cousin.

"Yes. You want to ask him about his kitchen."

"Oh, right. How big is your kitchen, Kane?"

"It's pretty big," Kane answered.

"Do you cook a lot?"

Kane laughed. "No. I don't cook at all, so the kitchen is hardly used."

"Jaz loves cooking. She's a pretty good cook too."

"I know," Kane said fondly, smiling at Jasmine.

"I can't wait to see your house, baby," Jasmine said.

"Our house. You live there now, too," Kane corrected her.

Kris snorted. "That's what we told her. It's her house, too."

Jasmine gave Kris a warning glance. "I told the girls they could stay there when

they visit Sydney. That is, if you don't mind," she said to Kane.

"Of course I don't mind. And Sam's free to cook in the kitchen," Kane said with a

wink at Sam. "Hey, Sam, you do know I'm being honest when I say I love Jasmine, right?"

he asked.

"Yes, of course," Sam said readily.

"Well, I'm being just as honest when I say I really love the food you cooked tonight,

too."

Sam beamed at him.

Jasmine squeezed Kane's hand under the table in gratitude. Life was blissful.

If only the whole blackmail drama was well and truly over, she could fully relax. But

simply having received no emails from George in the last three weeks didn't mean he had

abandoned his malicious intentions. It still made her very nervous, especially now that

she was going to live with Kane.

*******

Jasmine walked around from room to room, inspecting Kane's property in awe. She had

guessed it was big but she had no idea it was this big. It had a massive master bedroom

with an equally massive walk-in wardrobe and an en suite complete with a spa bath.

There were three more bedrooms, three more bathrooms, Kane's study room, a games

room, formal living and dining rooms and her favourite room in the house, the huge open

plan area that housed the entertainer's kitchen, informal dining and second living room.

Something sparkled outside and her breath caught in her throat. A swimming pool

hugged the whole living area side of the house and the clear floor to ceiling glass wall

gave the impression the house was floating on water.

"Wow," she said under her breath as she walked towards it.

"You want to go out?" Kane asked, opening a glass sliding door that led to the

outdoor deck.

Wordlessly, she stepped out and felt the gentle warmth of Sydney's winter sun.

"It's beautiful out here," she murmured, already imagining herself lounging on the

day bed with her laptop not far away. "What's in there?" she asked as she spied a small

building separate from the house.

"It's a cabana. I've also got some gym equipment in there."

She grinned. Kris and Sam would love visiting her here. Oh, and Ari, too.

"What do you think?" Kane asked softly.

"It's breathtaking, Kane," she said sincerely. "You've designed an incredibly

beautiful home."

He smiled, pulling her in an embrace. "I'm glad you like it," he said huskily. "You can

redecorate it however you want. You have free rein."

An unpleasant thought entered her mind. Was some of the current decor Hannah's?

Or a previous girlfriend's? When he designed this house, did he have a girl in mind?

Perhaps one he had wanted a family with? It was most certainly not a bachelor pad.

"May I ask you something?" she asked with a hint of trepidation.

"Sure."

"Did, uh, one of your previous girlfriends help you decorate?"

He laughed. "No. One of our interior designers did the work. My company has an

interior design arm."

"Oh." She relaxed a bit and let go of her other question. She didn't want to know if

he had designed the house for an ex he had wanted a family with. That shouldn't matter

now.

~~~~~~~

Jasmine surveyed the master suite with a critical eye while she waited for Kane to finish

an email he had to send to someone in Japan. It was an impressive room but she noted

that the decor, even the bedding, was a little on the masculine side.

A certain part of her approved. It meant that it was mainly Kane's, even though

Hannah had stayed there for a couple of months. It hit her that she needed to see herself

in this room to erase the irrational jealousy she felt.

She decided to go shopping and spend some money making this room hers and

Kane's. And since she'd have to buy a new car, she could only afford to touch this room.

She'd need to watch her spending now that she was no longer an employee with a

guaranteed salary every two weeks. Her books had started selling well but there were no

guarantees they would continue that trend month after month.

She jumped as strong arms encircled her waist from behind.

"Why are you standing here staring into space?" Kane asked as he kissed her near

her ear.

"I'm going to buy us some new bed sheets and towels and maybe put up some

photo frames and candles in this room. Is that okay?" she responded, rubbing her cheek

against his.

"Of course. I've said you have free rein to do whatever you want."

"Thank you. Just this room would be fine."

"What about your own study? You can convert one of the other spare rooms. Get

yourself a desk you'd love to work on."

"I can work on the dining table, even on the bed."

"But you'd be working from home most of the time. Wouldn't you want a dedicated

work space for yourself?"

"Yeah. But I have to wait another month for my big royalty payment."

"What do you mean?" Kane turned her around to face him, frowning.

"I have to buy a new car and I want to buy stuff for this room first. The other rooms

can wait."

"Jaz, I don't want you to spend your money on the house. I'm getting my bank to

issue you a supplementary credit card. You can use that, even for your car."

"What? No!" she cried in alarm.

"Jasmine …"

"Kane, I don't want you to support me."

"Why not?" he scowled. "I make way more than enough for the two of us."

"But I want us to contribute equally! I don't want to feel like I'm sucking off you."

Kane sighed and tightened his arms around her. "Honey, I certainly don't want you

to feel that way. But until you're regularly getting good royalties from your books—which

I have no doubt you will soon—could you think of yourself as contributing to this

relationship in a different way instead of focusing on the financial aspect?"

"Like how?" she asked, her mind already trying to seek the answer to his question.

"For me, your most important contribution is how you relax me."

She snorted. "Relax you? After all the stress and drama you just went through

because of me?"

He laughed before resuming a serious countenance. "Let me say that again. For me,

your most important contribution is how you make me feel good. I'm not just talking

about the sex, which is incredible with you, but generally, you make me feel like I'm

doing what I love."

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I love looking after you. I love keeping you safe. I love being with you. You inspire

me to reach for more stars, to conquer more mountains, to achieve more goals. You

make my life so much more meaningful. For me, my way of thanking you for all that is to

give you what you need so you can make your own dreams come true."

Her eyes filled with tears. She had never felt so loved and appreciated as she did in

that moment. She wrapped her arms around Kane and buried her face in his neck. "Thank

you."

"It's my honest-to-goodness pleasure, baby. Now will you let me give you a credit

card? And will you use it? This is not me being driven by my male ego to provide for my

girl. I'm never going to stop you from making money for yourself. But I want you to earn

your money from your writing, because I know that's what you most love to do."

She leaned back in his arms and smiled. "Okay. And I promise to write great books

that people will love to buy, not because I want to stop you from looking after me, but

because that will be my way of thanking you for supporting my dreams."

She sealed that promise with a kiss.

*******

Hello, Jasmine. You really are something, aren't you? There I was thinking your hotshot

boyfriend dumped you after seeing him in the papers with another woman, then the next

thing I heard, you've moved in with him!

Well, I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised. What else could I have expected

from a gold-digger like you?

But you know what? Life's a bitch and you have to be able to take what you dish

out. You've stuffed up other people's lives so you should know what it feels like to have

yours stuffed up.

By the way, congratulations! I heard your stories just got picked up by a XXX

magazine (wink-wink). How much did they pay for them? Where did you get those really

naughty pictures from? Did you get those people to pose for you?

You know what? I could just imagine how much more popular you would be if your

smutty stories included an author's profile—with a naked picture of you with your bio…

Jasmine gasped in shock. Surely George didn't have a naked picture of her. She had never

allowed any boyfriend to take a naked picture no matter how hard they pleaded. Could

he have taken one when she wasn't looking? She honestly hoped not.

And what did he mean about 'her' stories appearing in a XXX magazine? Did he

submit them on false pretences? Which magazine? It worried her that a porno magazine

might be carrying stories with her real name and picture as the author.

It was clear from the email what George's motivation was. Revenge. But why was

he blaming her for stuffing up his relationship? She hadn't done anything but set the

record straight with his ex. What was more, she didn't approach the woman, his ex was

the one who found her!

She shook her head in disbelief. The guy was clearly insane. It was obvious he

meant to continue to hound her until he got tired of it—or until he was stopped.

*******

"I'm going to kill this fucker when I see him," Kane said vehemently as he paced the

length of their bedroom, raking his hand through his hair repeatedly. "Are you sure he

doesn't have a naked picture of you? Or one lying somewhere that he could have

accessed?"

"No one has ever taken a naked picture of me. And I don't know how he could have

taken one without my knowledge."

"Perhaps when you were asleep? Did you ever sleep naked with him?" The thought

of Jasmine having slept with someone else was enough to make his gut clench. That she

might have slept naked next to a deranged man made him feel sick.

"No. We never stayed overnight in each other's places. No wonder he was against it.

He was hiding me from his fiancée."

Kane breathed a sigh of relief.

"We're going to the police with this, Jaz. And we're seeing a lawyer, too," he said

quietly. "If this guy is as loony as he appears to be, he just might do something really

stupid, beyond sending you these disturbing emails. We still don't know for sure if he

does or doesn't have a naked picture of you."

"Okay," she agreed after a short silence. "I thought you're the one we're trying to

protect, not me," she said teasingly.

"This is serious, Jasmine," he chided.

"Yes, Kane," she said in a chastened voice.

"I just don't want this guy destroying your reputation."

Jasmine smiled. "That's what I've been saying all along about your reputation. Now

you know how I feel."

"Well, this time, we're working on this together. Not you taking matters into your

own hands and breaking my heart in the process," he said, his tone tinged with hurt from

the memory.

"Oh, honey," Jasmine said softly. "Will you ever forgive me for that?"

He exhaled loudly and reached out for her. "Of course. I love you."

He frowned as worry enveloped him. "Maybe you shouldn't stay in the house all by

yourself when I'm at work."

"Kane, your house is so secure you don't have to worry."

"Our house. Still, I worry you're by yourself. Maybe you can work in one of our

boardrooms in the office."

"I'll be fine here. Honestly, you're the most overprotective person in the world."

He heard the exasperation in her voice and smiled. "It takes one to know one."

Until this blackmailer was stopped, Kane could see himself having hellish days at

work, missing her and worrying about her.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Jasmine hummed to herself as she loaded her groceries into the boot of her mother's car.

As she pushed the empty trolley to the bay, she turned her mind to the dinner she'd cook

at her parents' place tonight.

She loved that Kane had business to attend to in Melbourne today. It was a

pleasant surprise to her parents that they were visiting unexpectedly. They were even

staying overnight at her mum and dad's before flying back home tomorrow.

"Jasmine?" a voice called out.

She froze. She knew that voice. Her head turned to where the sound came from.

There was George, staring at her in amazement.

"Hi! I'm surprised to see you here. I thought you'd moved to Sydney," he said

conversationally.

Anger flared within her. Here was the man who had singlehandedly messed with her

head and had threatened to ruin her and Kane's future, yet he stood there as if he hadn't

done anything wrong.

"How dare you," she hissed, daylight and other people walking about the public car

park cloaking her with a sense of safety.

George's jaw dropped, seemingly taken aback by her fierceness.

"What do you mean?" he asked, astonished.

"You know perfectly well what I mean, George. Don't you have a heart? Or a

conscience? You are a liar, a thief and a blackmailer." She looked at him straight in the

eye, her voice full of venom.

His mouth opened wider, along with his eyes.

"Why did you do it?" She wanted to hear his reason straight from his mouth.

"I can't believe you're still mad at me for …" He paused and sighed. "But I guess I

never really explained or apologised. I'm really sorry, Jasmine."

"Why did you do it?" She asked again, crossing her arms across her chest and

glaring at him.

"Where do I start?" he asked as he looked around, as if searching for guidance.

"From the beginning," she responded coldly.

"Do you want to go sit inside a coffee shop or something?" he asked, gesturing

towards the shopping mall.

"No, George. Here. Now."

"Okay," he said resignedly. He inspected the ground before glancing up at her and

looking away again. "When I read your sexy story, I assumed you were … adventurous in

bed. See, my ex-fiancée has a cousin who used to go out with a girl who wrote stories for

porno magazines. I guess that was my frame of reference because she was very

adventurous. Although I must say your story was a lot classier than hers. Yours was hot

but nice hot, if you know what I mean."

Her eyes narrowed at him but she kept silent.

"Anyway, when you got angry and you threw me out of your apartment, I knew I

got it all wrong. I was too embarrassed and ashamed of myself to even see you again to

apologise to you. I know I shouldn't have looked at your laptop and I don't know what

came over me when I sent myself a copy of your story from your computer. But Jasmine,

I'm truly sorry. I'm not really that kind of person. My only excuse is that I was so angry

about why I became bankrupt that I wasn't thinking straight."

She closed her eyes to clear her head. She didn't even know George was bankrupt.

"What did you tell Tim about me?"

"Tim? I haven't spoken to him since that time he confronted me for going out with

you. I wouldn't be surprised if he's still mad at me."

"Look at me, George," she demanded. When they were eye-to-eye, she asked, "Why

are you blackmailing me? What do you get from threatening to ruin Kane's and my

reputations?"

She saw his expression turn from apologetic to full-on disbelief and

incomprehension.

"What on earth do you mean?"

"Why did you contact Kane's ex and send me those threatening emails?"

George continued to look at her incredulously. "I honestly don't know what you're

talking about, Jasmine. I was at pains to avoid you ever since that day I did that stupid

thing. And who on earth is Kane?"

She pressed her hands on her head. George looked like he was telling the truth. If it

wasn't him who was responsible for all the blackmail, then who was?

*******

"Kane is arriving any minute. Don't be surprised if he tries to hit you when I tell him who

you are," Jasmine said to George in warning.

"I still don't know what I've done that we need to have this … meeting," George

said, glancing nervously at Jasmine's parents, who sat quietly on the couch, looking

equally concerned.

Jasmine propped her elbows on her thighs and leaned her head on her hands. She

was so confused that she didn't even know how to explain to her parents why she

brought George to dinner.

"Are you okay, Jaz?" her mum asked.

"Yes, Mum. I just need for Kane to get here already." She needed him not just to

help her sort the whole story out, but also for comfort.

"Jazzie," her dad said softly. "Can you start somewhere for us?"

"I guess we could start with the fact that George and I used to go out together," she

responded. "One day, he saw a lovemaking scene I was writing on my computer and

assumed I write for porno magazines. Then he suggested we have a threesome with

someone else."

Her mum gasped in horror and her dad jumped to his feet.

"But that's not what this is all about," she said hastily, waving at her parents to

calm down. Goodness, they hadn't even got to the worst part yet and they were already

up in arms.

Where was Kane? Her mind flashed a picture of him lunging at George and worried

things might actually get more out of hand when he got there. She cleared her head and

took a deep breath. It was up to her to control the situation and manage everyone's

emotions.

The doorbell rang and she hastened to open the door.

Kane had a breathtaking smile for her and she couldn't help but respond in kind.

"Hi, baby," he said, kissing her on the lips.

"Hi." She grabbed his arm while she closed the door, not wanting him to rush to the

other people in the room.

"Hello, Kane," Alice said warmly, walking towards them. "We're glad you and Jaz

could come visit us again so soon."

"Hello, Alice. It's good to be here," he responded, giving her mum a hug and a peck

on the cheek.

"How was your meeting, Kane?" her dad asked. He patted Kane's shoulder a little

too enthusiastically, a sign he was impatient and itched to know what was going on.

"It was very productive, thanks, Joe," Kane responded, unruffled.

"Uh, baby," she interjected, slipping her hand in his and squeezing tight. "There has

been a new development about that matter we still haven't discussed with Mum and Dad.

And there's someone here who can hopefully help us shed some light on a few issues."

Kane gave her a quizzical look before spotting the stranger standing a few steps

away from them.

"I'd like you to meet George," she said, watching Kane's face carefully.

His face reddened and he stepped purposefully towards George with a decidedly

menacing expression. She quickly stepped in front of him and cupped his face, forcing him

to look at her.

"Kane, I don't think it was him," she whispered.

"What?"

"I bumped into him in the shopping centre and he said he didn't know what I was

talking about when I asked him about it. So I invited him here so he could tell us his side

of the story."

"Jasmine!" Kane exclaimed angrily. "Why didn't you wait for me before you did

anything? How do you know he can be trusted?" He glared at George furiously.

Whoa. That was a scary look. She didn't know how George reacted to that since she

kept her gaze on Kane. He needed to calm down.

"We'd really like to know what's going on," Joe interrupted in a low voice.

She and Kane looked at her dad.

"Okay, we'll start. But please, no fisticuffs," she said authoritatively, looking

pointedly at Kane.

His lips twitched. "Okay."

She went to sit on the couch, dragging Kane with her. When they were all seated,

she relayed the whole story, starting with Tim's behaviour at Jessa and Rob's wedding,

with Kane interjecting some details here and there. They mentioned Kane's broken

engagement to Hannah and the baby they lost, and the fact that he practically lived with

her at Jessa and Rob's to protect her from Tim's stalking. They also divulged Hannah's

hostile email.

Her parents listened without interrupting, their eyes wide. George was just as wide-

eyed, which made her feel more sure he'd told her the truth.

When she told them about the last email she got, including the veiled threat to send

a naked picture of her to a porno magazine, their audience of three couldn't have looked

more shocked.

"Jasmine, I swear I never sent those emails," George blurted out. "I didn't even

know who Kane and Hannah were before today. And like I said earlier, I haven't seen or

spoken to Tim since we had a fight after I asked you out. It was most definitely not me

who told him you sleep around to seek ideas for your stories."

"So if you're not responsible for this, who is?" Kane asked George, his expression

still antagonistic.

"I have no idea."

"Who else did you tell about Jasmine's chapter that you stole from her computer?"

"No one! I swear that on my mother's life. I deleted it as soon as I got home that

day," George replied before a horrified look formed on his face. "Wait a minute. I did tell

my ex-fiancée Minerva that the woman she blamed for our breakup was someone I was

just having a casual relationship with, that she was like her cousin's ex-girlfriend who

wrote for porno magazines," he said dazedly as some realisation dawned on him.

"What? I don't understand. Explain," Kane commanded intimidatingly.

George leaned back on his chair and closed his eyes. ""Before I met Jasmine, I got

engaged to Minerva, the daughter of the owner of the company I worked for. I dated her

because she pursued me and I proposed to her because I was two months away from

bankruptcy and was desperate for money. But a couple of weeks after we got engaged, I

realised I'd rather go bankrupt than live with a domineering woman I wasn't really in love

with so I broke off our engagement.

"Minerva is an immature spoiled brat who never worked for anything in her life. Her

dad gives her everything she wants so she has this attitude of entitlement. She thinks if

she wants something, she should get it.

"When I broke up with her, she went ballistic. I think her reaction was more to do

with her fear of being a laughingstock amongst her friends rather than her feelings for

me.

"She continued to pursue me but I made sure she didn't know about you, Jasmine. I

didn't want to deal with the drama if she found out about you. But after you broke up

with me—after what I'd done—I was really down in the dumps. Some friends guessed I

was in that state because of a woman. I think that was what made Minerva guess I had a

girlfriend after I left her.

"One day, she came to my place and demanded I tell her who this girl was that

came between the two of us. I told her no one got between us. I simply didn't want to

marry her. Typical of Minerva, she didn't believe that. She ranted that she would make

life hell for the relationship wrecker.

"I already felt guilty for what I did to you, Jasmine. I knew I had to make Minerva

believe I didn't have a real girlfriend because I knew she could hound you and make you

miserable. So I told her that the girl I went out with was just some passing casual sex

partner. Minerva said if I'd wanted sex, why did I have to go to someone else for it."

George rolled his eyes upwards, shaking his head. "Minerva was that thick. She just

couldn't believe someone would reject her. Anyway, to appease her, I said you weren't

relationship material, that I didn't go out with you to replace her but just to enjoy myself.

I said you were similar to her cousin's ex-girlfriend who was sexually aggressive and

would try anything and everything sex-wise because you also wrote for porn magazines. I

was making things up as I was talking to her and that was the story that came out of my

mouth," he said with embarrassment.

"So you did tell Minerva that Jasmine was a … slut?" Kane hissed, his body tense

from controlling his anger.

"No, no! I never told Minerva Jasmine's name!"

"But she did know who I was," Jasmine said. "She accosted me in a coffee shop and

said I stole you from her."

George's face paled as he shook his head vigorously. "I never told her your name,"

he said insistently.

"There's another person who could clear this up for us. I'm calling him right now,"

Jasmine said as she retrieved her phone and started dialling. She turned on the speaker

and put the phone on the coffee table so everyone could hear.

"Hello?"

"Tim, it's Jasmine."

"Hi, Jasmine. I'm afraid I still haven't found George or a number to reach him on."

"I want to ask you something else, Tim."

"Go ahead."

"Who told you that George said I was into casual sex and that I write porn stories

for XXX magazines?"

"Uh, it was Minerva, George's ex-fiancée."

She shook her head in dismay. "Why didn't you tell me that before?"

"Well, you didn't ask and it didn't seem important."

George stood up and moved closer to the phone. "Tim, it's George. Did Minerva

specifically mention Jasmine's name when she spoke to you?"

"George? Where the hell have you been, man?" Tim asked in obvious shock.

"Later. We need to sort things out for Jasmine and Kane first."

"Well, Minerva stormed into my apartment not long after you and Jasmine broke up

and asked me what I knew about the … uh … slut you replaced her with. I got angry and

told her that Jasmine Allen was not a slut and that she shouldn't use that term on her."

"And then what did she say?" George prodded.

"That's when she started telling me what you said about Jasmine."

"Tim, it's Kane. Can you tell us the story using the exact words Minerva used, as

best as you can remember?"

"Uh, hi, Kane, okay," Tim answered, sounding flustered.

"Take your time," Kane said encouragingly.

"Minerva said I was wrong, that Jasmine was only after hardcore sex with various

men because she wrote stories for porn magazines. I was shocked, of course. I said we

must be talking about a different girl. She said if I was talking about George's girlfriend,

then we were talking about the same girl because that information came from George.

She said Jasmine liked going out with different men to get ideas for her stories.

"I told her that wasn't the Jasmine I knew, that in fact, I'd been wanting to go out

with Jasmine for months and she kept on turning me down. Minerva said it must be

because I was some goody-two-shoes and was too boring for someone like Jasmine. She

even suggested I should try being more aggressive, more predatory, because that

seemed to be what Jasmine preferred. It was hard for me to believe her but she swore all

that information came from George."

There was silence around the room as a major piece of the puzzle was revealed.

"I can't believe you swallowed that story, Tim," George said eventually.

"I know. I'm sorry. I did try to contact you to confront you about it but your phone

was disconnected and no one seemed to know where you went. I called Minerva to ask if

she knew where you were and she said she wasn't surprised you disappeared because

you stole money from her."

"What?!" George exclaimed.

"She said you took money from your joint bank account."

George slumped into the nearest chair, disbelief written in his features for the

umpteenth time that day. "We didn't even have a joint bank account," he said weakly.

Heavy exhales were heard from around the room.

"Mystery solved, by the looks of it," George said. "Now I know why a lot of my

friends have deserted me. They think I'm a thief, a cheat and, what did you say earlier,

Jasmine? A blackmailer?"

Jasmine gave him a sympathetic smile. "There's one more thing that's unclear. How

did Minerva know about Kane and Hannah?" she asked.

"I'm afraid I'm responsible for her knowing about Kane," Tim said contritely. "After I

realised how wrong I was to believe that crap talk about you, Jasmine, I called Minerva

and gave her a piece of my mind. She said your new boyfriend must be some lowlife thief

like George. I said she was wrong about that, too, because your boyfriend was Kane

Summers and if she Googled Kane, she'd find out that he was a high-profile, well-

respected architect. I don't know anything about Hannah, though. Who's she?"

"Kane's ex," Jasmine explained. "Minerva could have found out about Hannah

through Googling Kane."

"Gosh, guys. I'm so sorry. I really am," Tim said sincerely. "And I thought I was

doing the right thing by defending your reputation, Jasmine."

"It's okay. I think we finally got to the bottom of things," Jasmine said softly.

"Yeah," Kane agreed.

~~~~~~~

Jasmine settled herself on Kane's lap and laid her head on his shoulder, feeling exhausted

yet hopeful that the situation was well on its way to being resolved.

That it was Minerva who was blackmailing them was now clear. The woman

obviously thought she was responsible for the failure of her relationship with George and

hated her guts for it. In any case, Minerva clearly didn't have any naked picture of her.

That was a bluff.

She felt so sorry for George. Heaven knew what other falsehoods his ex-fiancée had

been spreading about him to other people. She hoped he could get his finances sorted

and get his life back on track. He'd made stupid decisions in his life and had done some

idiotic things, but she could now see he wasn't a bad person.

"So what's the next step, Kane?" Joe asked as he sat back down on the couch after

seeing George off.

"I'll speak with Ray Thackery and tell him about these new developments. I'm

hopeful Ray will be able to influence Minerva's father to get his daughter to toe the line.

No business owner in his right mind would want to antagonise the owner of Lifestyle by

Design magazine. It also wouldn't hurt to point out that the people Minerva is hurting are

the sister of Lifestyle's senior writer and the future brother-in-law of the owner himself."

"Okay, that sounds good. Hopefully that will finally put an end to this," Joe said.

"Are you still going ahead with the article about you?" Jasmine asked Kane.

"Yes. I'm still waiting for Hannah to let us know if she'd be happy to be interviewed

for it or not. But regardless of her decision, we're going ahead with it."

"I'm glad we now know who the blackmailer is," she said as she burrowed her head

in Kane's neck. She smiled as she felt his arms tighten around her in return.

"Yes," Kane agreed. "But I'm still mad at you for talking to George alone when you

didn't know if he was dangerous or not. Don't do anything like that again."

She lifted her head to look at her overprotective boyfriend and grinned at his

expression. He looked so cute when he pouted.

"I'm sorry." She tried to look contrite.

"No you're not," he muttered.

"Well, you have to admit, if it wasn't for the blackmail, you wouldn't have known

how much I love you."

Kane's eyes glowed. "And you wouldn't have known how much I love you," he

responded softly, placing a tender kiss on her forehead.

She sighed with contentment and leaned back into his embrace. If they didn't have

an audience, they'd be tearing each other's clothes off by now. But her parents were

watching them.

Her gaze flicked to her mum, who had a serene, happy smile on her face. Her

parents had never seen her this lovey-dovey with a man before but considering the

circumstances, she had no doubt they were very pleased. Her mother, especially, had

been eager for her to find a man she could be serious with. Well, here he was, sitting in

their lounge room and holding her close in front of them.

She heard Kane's tummy grumble softly and chuckled. Reluctantly, she disengaged

herself from him and stood up. "Do you guys want to order home delivery or go out to

dinner?"

"Go out to dinner," three voices said together.

"And have a drink or two," Joe added.

She sighed, knowing none of them would feel fully relieved until they had heard

from Minerva herself that she would stop her ridiculous actions.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Jasmine sat patiently in one of the boardrooms of the offices of Krand Architects. She was

glad she was alone for the time being, while she thumbed through the latest issue of

Lifestyle by Design. Kane was taking an important phone call in his office and they were

still waiting for Minerva's dad and Minerva herself to arrive.

She flicked the pages back to the four-page article she had already read numerous

times, smiling again at the pictures of Kane, his co-directors and the properties for which

he'd received nominations. Even the one photo of him and Hannah taken during the

interview made her lips tug upwards.

Jessa had written a wonderful article on Kane. It highlighted his career

achievements and his latest award nominations but it smartly incorporated details about

his private life and the challenges he faced as a high-profile professional. His openness

about his grief at Hannah's miscarriage and his honesty about his relationship with

Hannah were raw, poignant and touching.

Hannah had agreed to participate in the interview. She had talked about Kane's

generosity with his time and his understanding of her feelings while she was grieving.

She'd even mentioned the new man in her life, who was her current source of support.

Jasmine hadn't been sure if Hannah had told the truth about having a new boyfriend

but Kane had assured her she had. Apparently, the guy had accompanied Hannah to the

interview. She felt relieved by that.

There was hardly any mention of her in the extra-long article except towards the

end, and it was perfect. Jessa wrote:

As we were wrapping up the interview, I asked Kane if there was anything else he would

like to add. This was his answer: Oh, just let everyone know I'm in love with your sister

Jasmine.

She grinned. What had she done to deserve such a sweet, wonderful man?

The boardroom door opened, banishing her romantic glow and replacing it with

nervousness.

In walked a distinguished-looking man in his late fifties and the girl who had once

splashed water in her face. They were followed by Kane, who gave her a comforting

smile.

She stood up as she was introduced to David Green and Minerva Green. Kane gave

her hand a surreptitious squeeze before he invited everyone to sit down.

David Green cleared his throat and spoke. "I don't want to take up too much of your

time, Kane, Jasmine. I just thought it was important to see the two of you in person so

we could put this all behind us. My daughter here would like to apologise for her very

childish and, quite frankly, disturbing behaviour." He glared at his daughter.

Minerva sighed exasperatedly. She was like a sulky teenager who had just been

berated by her parent, not a woman who should be acting maturely.

"Listen, I've already told my dad it was George who told all those lies about you,

Jasmine," Minerva said with a look that indicated she expected to be excused for her

behaviour.

"Minerva," Jasmine responded in a soft but firm voice, "it wasn't George who sent

those emails to Hannah and me. It wasn't George who made up those sex stories with

pornographic pictures and said they were mine. It wasn't George who told me to stay

away from Kane or else both our reputations would suffer."

Minerva glanced at her father, who was scowling at her. "Okay, well, I'm sorry about

those," she muttered.

Kane sighed and sat up straight in his chair. "David, I appreciate you coming here

with the intention of apologising. Jasmine and I accept your apology. We don't want to

wallow in this any more than you do, so why don't we close the book on this? All we ask

is that this ends here and now. Permanently. I'm sure you understand when I say that if

something comes out in the press or the Internet or anywhere relating to the lies that

were woven by your daughter, all gloves are off. If your daughter or any of her friends

hassle Jasmine again, you know I'll do everything to protect her, and I won't be the only

one."

"I understand, Kane. And Minerva also understands what she's going to lose if she

carries on further with her madness, don't you, Minerva?" David asked his daughter

authoritatively.

Minerva simply nodded her head.

Jasmine shook her head surreptitiously. She couldn't help but feel a little bit sorry

for Minerva. She seemed but a child in a woman's body.

"Okay. I think we're done here. Thank you both so much for your time," Kane said,

rising from his chair.

They all stood up after him.

"Thank you for your patience and understanding, Kane." David shook Kane's hand

then turned to her. "Jasmine, I'm truly sorry."

She gave him a genuine smile. "It's okay, David. It's all sorted out now."

She stayed in the boardroom as Kane escorted father and daughter out. She looked

out the window, feeling appeased. Finally, this whole saga had ended. She could stop

worrying about this now.

She chuckled to herself, knowing her next challenge could be just around the corner.

But she'd learnt her lesson. Next time, she'd share it with Kane straight away.

She heard him walk back in and turned to face him, a happy smile playing on her

face.

"I was going to ask how you are but I can see you're fine," he said with a grin.

"Yes, I'm fine. Are you?"

"Absolutely." He kissed her on the lips.

"I better go so you can go back to work," she said.

He looked at his watch. "Do you want to hang around in the shops for about an hour

while I finish up here, then we could go out to dinner and celebrate the conclusion of this

mess?"

"Great idea."

*******

Jasmine woke up to a hand gently frisking her body. She groaned and swatted the hand

away. It was too early in the morning and she was not a morning person. It came back to

knead her breast, making her nipple react. She grabbed the hand and held it between her

boobs tightly to stop it from wandering.

A mouth started nibbling her shoulder and she pretended not to be affected by it.

"Wake up, sweetheart," Kane whispered in her ear.

"Why?" She peered at the clock to check the time. Just as she suspected, it was way

too early on a Saturday morning.

"Because there's something I can't wait to do," he answered huskily.

She smiled but kept her eyes shut. "Didn't you get enough of me last night?" she

teased. It had only been five hours ago when they finally went to sleep.

"You know I never get enough of you," he murmured.

"I'm still sleepy. Give me a couple more hours of shuteye and you can do whatever

you want with me."

"Can I help you wake up?" Kane asked, his lips now on her neck.

She debated with herself. If she gave Kane two more minutes of kissing and

caressing, she knew she would end up begging him for more. But right that second, she

was still too drowsy to want anything but sleep.

"Umm," she murmured, uncertain herself of what she wanted.

"I planned to do it tonight but I woke up and I don't want to wait anymore," he said

softly.

She snickered. "That's not surprising. I don't remember you having the patience to

wait until nighttime to have sex on a Saturday. The latest we've done it on a weekend

was around midday."

"I'm not talking about sex."

"Oh?"

"I want to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"I need you to be definitely awake before I ask, so I know for sure you mean your

answer."

Her foggy mind tried to make sense of what Kane was saying. He wanted to ask her

a question. What question?

Something clicked and she was fully alert.

"I'm awake now," she said as she shifted to fully face him, her eyelids opened wide.

He chuckled. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. See?" She grinned brightly and gave him an exuberant little wave.

He laughed out loud and rolled on top of her, capturing her mouth for a lingering, I-

love-you kiss.

She moaned and kissed him back enthusiastically. Now she was really awake. Her

body had started wanting more. But first, she wanted him to ask his question.

"So what do you want to ask me?" she asked against his sweet mouth.

Her phone rang on her bedside table and she groaned. She'd forgotten to put it on

silent again. It was Kane's fault. He'd distracted her last night.

"Let me get that first," she said reluctantly, thinking it must be something important

for someone to call so early.

Kane rolled back on to the bed as she reached for her phone. It was Ari.

"Hi, Ari," she said cheerfully as Kane lazily ran a hand over her thigh and belly.

"Hi, Jaz. Am I calling too early? Am I disturbing you guys?"

Something in Ari's voice made her frown. "No, it's fine. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, everything's okay," Ari replied a little too quickly. "I just want to tell

you something before you hear it from someone else."

"Okay," she said, starting to get nervous.

"Last night when I went out clubbing with my workmates, I bumped into Dylan,

Kane's brother. And, uh … well … I slept with him."

"What?" She bolted to a sitting position on the bed, making Kane sit up too.

"It was just a one-night stand," Ari explained. "We're both very clear on that and

we're both okay with it. I wanted to tell you because I'm not very good at keeping these

things to myself. And it was already starting to bother me that you might hear it first from

Dylan or one of his friends instead of me."

"Okay," Jasmine responded, too stunned to say anything else.

"You're fine with it, right, Jaz? And Kane would be okay with it, too?" Ari said

worriedly.

"Of course. As long as you and Dylan are okay with it."

"Yes, definitely. Like I said, we're both very clear it was just a one-night stand and

we're both totally fine with that."

"Then there's no problem," she assured her friend.

"Good," Ari replied with a relieved sigh. "Well, I'll let you go. Please let Kane know

what I just told you. And I'll see you in a few days."

"Okay. Bye."

"What was that about?" Kane asked as she placed the phone back on her bedside

table.

"Ari and Dylan bumped into each other at a club last night. And they had a one-

night stand." Her voice still held the astonishment she felt at the news.

Kane's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "Your friend Ari and my brother Dylan?"

"Yes."

"And … is she okay?"

"She's fine. She said they're both fine."

Kane nodded. "Are you worried?" he asked.

"Well, I'm just wondering if they'll be okay being in the same room together after

that. Or will they feel uncomfortable with each other from here on in?"

"Don't worry. Dylan seems to have a knack of becoming good friends with women

he's had one-night-stands with."

"Really?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, I don't know how he does it."

"Okay. I guess I won't worry, then."

"Good. Now come back here. I haven't finished kissing you."

"You were going to ask me something first," she reminded him.

Kane's mouth curved into a nervous smile and she saw excitement in his eyes. He

got out of bed and reached for her hand. "Come."

Eagerly, she took his hand and let herself be led to the spare room next to his

study. Out of all the rooms in the house, this was the least furnished. It only had a two-

seater sofa bed against one wall, a tall lamp beside it and a big, round rug in the middle

of the floor.

Her heart was beating fast. Was he going to pop the question in here?

Kane put his arm around her shoulders. "Jaz, could we go buy you a desk and

everything else you need to make this your study?"

She gaped at him. That was the question he wanted to ask?

"Uh, sure," she said, trying to swallow her disappointment.

"Good. Because you really have to start treating this house as yours." His voice was

serious and his expression deadpan.

She smiled at him. "I just need to get used to the idea, that's all."

He pulled her in his arms. "I want you to treat everything of mine as yours."

She sighed, touched by his sentiment. But she wouldn't feel comfortable —

She gasped as Kane suddenly went down on one knee. His hand was clammy as he

held hers.

"Jasmine, ever since I met you, nothing else in my life matters unless you're there

to share it with me. Will you marry me?"

It took her a few heartbeats to take in what he'd just said before happy tears rolled

down her cheeks. "Yes," she whispered through the tightness in her throat.

Kane's face split into a wide, relieved smile as he slid a ring on her finger.

Her eyes opened wide. She didn't notice that he was carrying a ring. Where was he

hiding it?

She lifted her hand to inspect the glittering diamond that sat on her finger. It was

big and beautiful. And she couldn't take her eyes off it.

"Do you like it?" Kane asked uncertainly as he stood up. "We can exchange it if you

would prefer something else."

"No!" she cried, covering her left fingers with her right hand protectively. "I love it. I

really do."

He chuckled, his relief evident, and pulled her back to him. "Since you're awake

now, how about some sex with your future husband?"

She giggled as she clasped her arms around his neck and wrapped her legs around

his waist. Kane carried her back to their bedroom. They stayed in bed for the rest of the

morning as they expressed their love for each other in an intensely pleasurable way.

###

SECRET DESIGNS (SECRET DREAMS BOOK 2) EXTRACT

The love story of Ari Mitchell and Dylan Summers

CHAPTER ONE

Arielle Mitchell shook her head, unable to believe the passionate woman who had been

unleashed last night. Was that really her? She'd never been that responsive, energetic, or

—okay—damned horny with anyone else before. If she hadn't known Dylan Summers

beforehand, she might even suspect he had put an aphrodisiac in her drink or something.

Well, come to think of it, she really didn't know Dylan. She'd only met him once

before, when her friend Jasmine Allen pleaded with her to accompany her to his birthday

party six weeks ago. They only stayed for fifteen minutes, so she hadn't even talked to

him that much.

Yes, Dylan could very well be someone who would put an aphrodisiac in a woman's

drink. What else could have made her so lustful last night?

She snorted at her ridiculous thoughts. Don't blame someone else for your wild and

wanton ways, Ari!

Okay, then. The truth was Dylan turned her on—really turned her on; turned her on

enough that she found herself doing things she'd never done before.

"Hi, Ari!"

Ari jumped at the sound of Jasmine's voice on the other end of the line.

Oh, right. She'd almost forgotten the phone against her ear—almost forgotten that

she'd called Jasmine. To confess. Geez.

"Hi, Jaz," she responded. "Am I calling too early? Am I disturbing you guys?" She

grimaced at the thought that Jasmine's boyfriend Kane might be listening in on their

conversation.

"No, it's fine," Jasmine answered. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, everything's okay," she replied, trying to sound casual. "I just want to

tell you something before you hear it from someone else."

"Okay."

Ari inhaled deeply, then spilled it out. "Last night when I went out with my

workmates for Friday night drinks, I bumped into Dylan, Kane's brother. And, uh...well...I

slept with him."

"What?" Jasmine asked in surprise.

"It was just a one-night stand," she explained hastily. "We're both very clear on that

and we're both okay with it. I wanted to tell you because I'm not very good at keeping

these things to myself. And it was already starting to bother me that you might hear it

first from Dylan or one of his friends instead of me."

"Okay," Jasmine responded, still shocked from the news.

"You're fine with it, right, Jaz? And Kane would be okay with it, too?" she asked

worriedly.

"Of course. As long as you and Dylan are okay with it."

"Yes, definitely. Like I said, we're both very clear it was just a one-night stand and

we're both totally fine with that," she replied, feeling the need to repeat herself.

"Then there's no problem," Jasmine stated.

"Good. Well, I'll let you go. Please let Kane know what I just told you. I'll see you in

a few days."

"Okay. Bye."

Ari placed the phone down on her coffee table with a relieved sigh, glad that was

out of the way. She stood up from the sofa and stretched. As she walked to the kitchen,

the stiffness of her muscles and the delicious soreness between her legs made her blush.

Unbidden, her recent physical exertions played back again in her head. Where the hell

was the stop button for her memory banks?

Enough already, she berated herself as desire continued to unfurl within her.

"It was just a one-night stand, Ari," she said out loud as she poured granola, then

milk, in a bowl. "Forget about him. It won't happen again. It can't happen again."

She plonked in a chair with a heavy exhale and knew it wouldn't be easy to push

away the last ten hours from her memory. The image of a gorgeous, dark-haired, blue-

eyed guy with a seriously hot, muscular body loomed large in her thoughts. Dylan

Summers was way too hot to be forgotten quickly—especially when he'd just given her

the best night of sex in her life.

She propped an elbow on her dining table and rested her chin on her hand,

breakfast forgotten. She'd only had three hours sleep. She was tired, but if Dylan were

still around she would be keen for more sex. Goodness, wasn't she the one who

instigated the last round after they woke up? Well, she'd had to. She wouldn't have

another chance. Dylan had only agreed to a one-night stand.

Last night was meant to be about celebrating the end of a busy week with her

workmates in one of Sydney's popular nightspots. She didn't go with the intention of

hooking up with someone. But how was she to know her ex-boyfriend would be there,

too? With the woman she had once considered a good friend? The same woman she'd

caught in bed with him while they were still together?

That had called for a third glass of wine. Two was her usual limit. Anything more

than that and her good judgment went out like a light.

Dylan saw her first. He and his two friends had approached their group. Somehow

the two of them had ended up in a corner talking and flirting with each other for close to

an hour. She couldn't even remember ordering a fourth drink, but she must have had one,

because her good judgment went comatose on her while she was still wide awake.

She blushed as memories of her forwardness came flooding back.

"How about you come home with me, Dylan?" she'd asked.

His handsome face had expressed a blend of desire and concern. "Are you sure,

Ari?"

She'd placed a flirtatious hand on his arm. "Why not?"

"I'm only looking for some fun, Ari," he'd replied warily.

Dylan's cautious reaction made her more determined to get him to go home with

her. No doubt the alcohol was mainly responsible for such brazen behaviour, but more

than that, she didn't want to feel like a reject all over again.

"Great. So am I," she'd responded.

Dylan's eyes had flared with heat that had made her heart pound hard in her chest.

"I'd love to go home with you tonight, Ari. But are you sure you don't have a problem

with just a one-night stand? You're Jasmine's friend and I'm Kane's brother. It could be

real awkward if we can't handle it."

"No, I don't have a problem with it. Do you?" she asked breezily.

"Absolutely not."

After hasty goodbyes to their group, they got into a taxi. Dylan's hands were

incredibly naughty during their trip to her apartment, creeping way up her thigh and

burrowing under her top—at one point, successfully unhooking her bra. She lost count of

the times she laughingly swatted a wandering hand away, conscious of the driver

watching them from the rear-view mirror. She wondered if taxi drivers were used to

having couples make out in the backseat of their cabs.

Their night together had been...amazing. Dylan was incredible and insatiable. So

was she—insatiable, that was. Their morning sex had proven that.

Then he was gone.

Was it normal for someone to feel empty and at the same time have unstoppable

fluttering butterflies in the stomach after a one-night stand? She hadn't done it before, so

she didn't have anything to compare this reaction with.

Oh, well. She wasn't doing herself any favours by dwelling on the feelings swirling

within her. Better to get on with her day than re-live her hot night with a hunky guy.

There was no point stoking a desire that couldn't possibly be satisfied by the same man

again.

*******

"Hello, darling. We've been waiting for you. We've already started dinner, like you told us

to."

"Hi, Mum," Dylan said as he enfolded his mother Linda in a warm embrace. "Sorry

I'm late. I was at a friend's birthday party and she wouldn't let me leave. I had to wait

until she was drunk enough to not notice that I was gone."

"Dylan! Honestly, I don't know why you surround yourself with immature friends.

You're already thirty-two, in case you've forgotten. Don't you think it's time to tone down

your social activities a little bit? Maybe find someone to settle down with?"

He playfully rolled his eyes at his mother's censuring tone, used to this mini-lecture

for being the second-oldest of five siblings and having never taken a girl home to

introduce to his parents.

He couldn't help it that he wasn't as romantically inclined as his three brothers and

only sister. Wasn't there usually one in every family who went the opposite way from

everyone else? It didn't bother him in the least that, in his family's case, he was the odd

one out—the one who didn't want to settle down in a permanent relationship.

"Mum, you know I'm your black sheep," he said, putting an arm around Linda as

they walked to the dining room. "But you have to admit that my social life is the only

thing you could complain about. In every other way, I'm the perfect son," he joked, giving

his mother a kiss on her forehead.

"I complain about some of your friends and I complain that you don't want a steady

girlfriend. So that's two things I'm not happy with, not just one," Linda retorted.

"Aww, but you love me anyway."

This time his mother rolled her eyes at him. But she had a resigned smile on her

face.

"Hello all!" he said to everyone squeezed around his parents' big dining table. He

went around to give the women a kiss on the cheek and the men a pat on the shoulder.

Everyone was there: his parents, his sister Faye and her fiancé Ray, his twin brothers

Riley and Bradley and their girlfriends, and his older brother Kane and his girlfriend

Jasmine.

Seeing Jasmine brought back memories of the night he'd had with a beautiful,

chestnut-haired woman with expressive brown eyes. Phew, last night was easily one of

the most incredible nights he'd ever had. Just thinking about it made him hot and

bothered. If Ari Mitchell wasn't Jasmine's friend, he wouldn't think twice about

propositioning her for another tumble or two.

But experience had taught him he couldn't remain friends with girls he'd had sex

with for more than one night. For whatever reason, his track record was quite consistent:

he didn't have problems developing friendships with women he'd had one-night stands

with, but once it went beyond the one time, maintaining the friendship became difficult.

So a repeat of last night with Ari was not in the cards, not if they would have to continue

being friendly with each other because of Kane and Jasmine.

"Woo-hoo! Dylan! Are you listening?"

Kane's voice snapped him out of his musing. He sat on the empty chair and grinned

at his brother. "Sorry, were you saying something?"

"I said, I'm sorry we dragged you out of your friend's party. But thanks for being

here."

"Oh, sure. No worries. I might head back there after we finish here. What made you

call a family dinner tonight, anyway?" he asked Kane.

"Well, now that everyone's here, I can announce my good news," Kane replied, a

blissful grin settling on his face. There was a dramatic pause before Kane finally

announced, "Jasmine and I are getting married."

Cheers erupted around the table as everybody congratulated the couple.

"I had a feeling that was why you wanted to have dinner with all of us tonight,

Kane," Faye said. "I'm so happy for you guys. Do you have a ring yet?"

"Yes, it's here in my pocket," Kane responded as he pulled out a small box. "We

wanted to surprise everyone so Jaz took it off so no one would guess our news." He took

the ring out and placed it on Jasmine's finger before giving her a kiss.

"This is wonderful news," Linda said, touching the corner of her eye to dab a happy

tear away. "Have you set a date yet?"

"Not yet," Jasmine answered. "But it would be a good few months after Faye and

Ray's wedding."

"What do you mean a good few months?" Kane asked with a frown. "Why couldn't

we get married a month after them?"

Jasmine chuckled. "They're getting married in less than two months, honey. We

need time to prepare for ours."

"Isn't three months enough?" Kane persisted.

"I don't know," Jasmine answered.

"It's possible," Faye said. "As long as the venue and service providers you want

aren't already booked. Jessa and I can help you prepare."

"See," Kane said to Jasmine. "Your sister and my sister have already done all the

research for their own weddings. They can help organise the kind of wedding you want

within three months. Right, Faye?"

"Sure. As long as Jaz wants to get married that soon, of course. Maybe she'd prefer

to wait a little longer."

Kane looked at Jasmine with a hint of concern.

Jasmine laughed and placed a hand on Kane's cheek. "Okay. A month after Faye

and Ray's wedding."

Kane smiled brightly and gave his fiancée another quick kiss.

Dylan watched the obvious affection between his brother and Jasmine. He glanced

around the table and saw the happiness in each of the person sitting there—happiness

they shared with their significant other. He was the only one who sat alone and did not

have someone to share a knowing look with, or a squeeze of the hand, or a peck on the

lips. He scratched the back of his ear, strangely unsettled. Why did he feel left out, all of

a sudden?

~~~~~~~

"Did you have a good time last night, Dyl?"

Dylan looked at Kane in surprise. His brother was lining up his shot at the pool table

but arched an eyebrow at him when he didn't respond straight away.

"Last night was good," he answered.

"Yeah? What did you do?" Kane asked as he hit the cue ball. He sank a solid.

"I was out with Trey and Adam."

"Where did you go?"

"The Establishment. Then Ivy."

"Okay. Anything exciting happened?"

Kane's questioning was too casual, Dylan thought. He positioned himself to take a

shot after Kane missed.

"I saw Jasmine's friend Ari at Ivy," he said after sinking a striped ball.

"Oh, right. How was she?"

How was she? Dylan couldn't help the smile that tugged his lips. "She was great."

He concentrated on his next shot but missed. When he looked up, Kane was staring

at him in a funny kind of way. He narrowed his eyes at his brother.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Like what?" Kane asked innocently.

"Like you know something."

"Is there something to know?"

Ah. Kane did know something. Had Ari told Jasmine about last night, already?

"Ari and I hooked up," he admitted to Kane.

"You like her?"

"It was just a one-night stand, Kane."

Kane nodded, as if he knew it already.

"Is Jaz cool with it? Are you?" he asked with concern.

"Sure. As long as you two are okay with being in the same room after what

happened. With Jaz and I getting married, I'm sure you'll see more of Ari."

"I know that. You know me, Kane. I can be friends with women I've slept with."

"That's not exactly a secret," Kane said dryly. "I don't know how or why you do it."

"Hey, I'm just a friendly kind of guy. I naturally get along well with girls I sleep with,

otherwise, they wouldn't have attracted me in the first place. See, the trick is to limit the

sex to one night only. Once it gets past a one-night stand, it's damn difficult to manage a

friendship. Somehow, women's expectations change when you sleep with them too often.

Remember that," he told his brother.

Kane chortled. "Why on earth would I need to remember that? I'm getting married

in case you haven't heard the news."

He grinned. "Well, with you out of the market, that means more opportunities for

me."

"Oh, Dylan," Kane said resignedly. "I don't know why you won't just find yourself a

steady girlfriend instead of drifting from one girl to the next."

He simply shrugged. "I'm still happy with my lifestyle."

"Well, it's your life. As long as you don't make Jaz unhappy by playing games with

Ari. But it looks like Ari's fine with it, too, anyway."

"Ari told Jaz?"

"Yes, she rang this morning."

"Okay, good. No one has to make a big deal of it, then."

Dylan watched Kane concentrate on his next shot but his mind had already left the

game. All this talk about Ari was disconcerting him.

It was a strange feeling. For the first time in a long, long time, he was missing a

woman. He was missing Ari.

Damn, she was hot.

***

Secret Designs (Secret Dreams Book 2)

now available.

Thank you so much for reading! If you would like to be the first to know about new book

releases and updates, please

click here

OTHER BOOKS BY MIRANDA P. CHARLES

Secret Dreams Series

Secret Designs (Secret Dreams Book 2)

The love story of Ari Mitchell and Dylan Summers.

Secret Moves (Secret Dreams Book 2)

The love story of Kris McCann and Trey Andrews

Lifestyle by Design Series

Will To Love (Lifestyle by Design Book 1)

The love story of Clarise Carson and Will Matthews.

Heart Robber (Lifestyle by Design Book 2)

The love story of Jessa Allen and Rob Granger.

Ray of Love (Lifestyle by Design Book 3)

The love story of Faye Summers and Ray Thackery.

Be the first to know about new book releases and updates:

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Document Outline

Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Secret Designs Extract
Other Books by Miranda P. Charles

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