Jasmine threw her front door open and stepped into her apartment and threw her handbag on the couch. She was tired. She'd been tired a lot lately... She noticed. Tired and frustrated. Work had been more stressful lately, but at least all that stress had paid off. Her company had gotten the much needed account they had been after for months and she was glad that now she could have more time to rest. That was a good thing. . Except for the fact that now that she didn't have much work to do, she had more time to think... And she had noticed that whenever her mind wandered that way, she ended up thinking about Collins Templeton. He hadn't called since their second night together at her apartment. She remembered waking up the following morning... Alone in bed... With nothing but the memory of their time together. She knew they'd agreed that they were only going to have that night together, but a part of her had hoped... Wanted him to be by her side when she woke up. Instead, the other
And she always had a cappuccino...except she'd gone off coffee, preferring a sweet cup of tea which seemed to settle the queasiness she felt most mornings. Still, at this time of day one cappuccino should be manageable.Unfortunately Favour had also ordered cream cakes and rich pastries that curdled Jasmine's stomach just looking at them. Cucumber sandwiches would have been infinitely preferable. They did serve elegant afternoon teas here in The Cortile, a huge two-storeyed area that had once been part of the old treasury building, nowincorporated in this very classy hotel. The colonnaded walkways running around it gave it a leisurely atmosphere, as did the cane armchairs in which they sat, and the grand piano being played by an excellent pianist, providing pleasant background music. It should have been very relaxing and would have been if Jasmine didn't have to guard her tongue.'No morning sickness yet?' she asked once the waiter had gone. Favour laughed and shook her head. 'I gue
Favour shrugged and helped herself to a second pastry. 'I feel hungry all the time. Must be my hormones getting out of balance or something.' Again her sister rattled on, leaving Jasmine to wonder how many lies she would end up telling. Deceit did not sit comfortably with her. Better to avoid meetings like this until she was ready to confront everyone with the truth. It was a relief when Leonard arrived, lilting the onus of a one-on-one conversation with Favour. Though again Jasmine found herself wracked with envy at the love so openly expressed between her sister and brother-in-law in their greeting and manner to each other. Worse was their mutual exhilaration in having a baby on the way. Favour preened as Leonard fussed over her, adoring the mother of his child, only too eager to watch over her every comfort and carry out her every pleasure.So it should be, Jasmine savagely told herself, and if that was not her lot it was because of the choices she'd made and it was now up to he
She walked across the living room to the goldfish bowl and smiled at Rhett and Scarlet who were responding eagerly to her presence. She didn't have to hide anything from them. They gave her pleasure and made no demands...except for food. It cost her very little to supply that. A baby would cost a great deal more, on many levels. But whatever the price she would pay it...somehow. She would never, never ask Collins for anything. She'd taken the gift of a child from him. He owed her nothing. But the child was not all hers. The big question was...how would he react to it? Her phone rang, drawing her away from her thoughts. Any distraction from her thoughts was welcome. She didn't speculate on who might be calling. She simply reached for her bag and withdrew her phone. She paused when she looked at the caller ID and saw Collins name. She waited two more rings before she could bring herself to pick the call. When he said her name, she held her breath. There was a moment of silence then h
One night with that female egomaniac and the impulse to call the only woman he really wanted had been too strong to deny. The sweet relief of hearing her simple yes-no scatty questions, no fluffing around, no irritating drama, just yes-had put a smile on his face for days afterwards. He just hoped she hadn't been reading more into this invitation than there was. A week with her was all he could fit in. But what a week it was going to be!Jasmine...his heart seemed to lift with the lovely rhythm of her name. He was grinning as he towelled himself dry, the excitement of having her here, waiting for him in the next room, was like a fizzy cocktail running through his blood. He strode back to the bed. She hadn't stirred. The need to touch, to awaken an awareness of him would not wait. He lifted the sheet and slid his body down beside hers, propping himself up on one elbow, wanting to watch for the first flicker of her long eyelashes. With featherlight fingertips he stroked the wavy hair
Triumph coursed through him as he rocked deep within her, as he felt her dissolve beneath him, heard the cries of her assent. And he wanted to join her, to tip into oblivion, but the climb to the summit was wondrous. Here the air was clearer, the sounds more vivid, the colours brighter, and he wanted to linger, to find the answer to what would happen if he stayed, if he lingered, if he ventured on to an uncharted place… He kissed her for sustenance, took her weary, shocked lips in his and confirmed his intent. And then he told her, stared into the lusty black of her pupils and showed her a different way.‘This is how it could be.’She had thought her body spent, yet it was nowhere near. The languorous, slow lovemaking he had teased her with before was replaced, and the urgent, demanding pressure she had sought earlier was given to her now. He was relentless, his arms wrapped around her, his face smothering hers, kissing her eyes, her mouth, her face, her ears, driving deep into her as
Her black stretch jeans, matching battle jacket, the red top that skimmed rather than hugged her waist, and Reeboks on her feet—that should take her anywhere with reasonable style and comfort. Once fully dressed, she relaxed enough to lake some time over her hair and a bit of make-up. There was no telling whom they might meet and she wanted Collins to feel proud of her. Fortunately the sleep had done her good. She was no longer feeling like death warmed up, as she hadafter the long flight, and the queasiness had left her stomach. But what about tomorrow morning? she asked herself as she brushed the tangles out of her hair. How long could she keep deceiving Collins about her pregnancy? More to the point, did she want to? Apart from subjecting herself to the panic that had just churned through her, she wasn't ever going to feel right while she kept this secret from him. She could feel herself tensing up at the thought of the next few hours in his company, pretending she had nothing to
When Collins stroked her stomach, would their baby feel his touch as she did, deep in her womb? Would he love it if he knew it was there? Would he come to love her? She needed so much from this week with him. The waiter came to take their orders. Jasmine decided on what she hoped was a bland chicken dish, not wanting anything to upset her stomach tonight. Collins ordered steak and a bottle of wine, which she knew she wouldn't share. Maybe a glass of it wouldn't hurt, but she was glad water was served without her even asking for it. After the waiter had gone, Collins sat back and eyed her with a rueful twinkle . 'I really want to race you back to the hotel. Why do you suppose you have this effect on me?'It was another chance to probe his feelings and Jasmine seized it. 'Favour says...maybe we don't get to pick whom we love. They just complement something in us.' she said. 'Love...' Collins repeated. He frowned over the word, a dark rejection of it in his eyesas he tersely asked, '
He pressed a finger to her lips. “Shh. I don’t want to hear that word cross your lips. It’s me who is sorry. I was an ass. I said despicable things to you.” Her eyes widened, and she felt the ridiculous urge to cry again, as if she hadn’t done enough of that in the last few days. “First, I want to talk about this,” he said as he drew out the dreaded newspaper clipping from his pocket. She froze, her stomach seizing with dread. “Don’t look like that. I don’t believe a word of it. But it’s obviously an important part of your past. It hurt you and it’s affected a good portion of our relationship. I want you to tell me what really happened.” Her lips trembled and she twisted her hands nervously in her lap. “I got out of college, intending to rule the world. I loved it…I loved my job. I was in a big, busy city, and I was away from home, away from my family. At the time that was important to me. I was stupid.” “I think we all go through the desperate need to get away from our family,”
It was written in the guise of an article announcing the deal brokered between Packard Enterprises and Golden Gates promotions. It detailed her job history, colorful as it was, to the present and hinted broadly about there being a relationship between her and Timothy. Nothing was left to the imagination. Everything she’d worked so hard to overcome had been splashed in excruciating detail. She should be angry. Furious even. But what she felt was…..resignation. She looked up into the worried eyes of Bryce as the realization hit her. It would always be something. Timothy was right to be angry that she’d placed more importance on what others thought of her than she did what he thought of her. As long as the people she loved knew the truth, it shouldn’t matter what some stranger thought. Evan believed in her and her abilities. She had the backing of her agency. She had people who loved her unconditionally. Timothy evidently didn’t care who knew they were involved, so why should she? For
Love was such a messy emotion. It was bound to be inconvenient. You sure couldn’t put it on a schedule and love never played by the rules. He liked rules. And schedules.. Ah, hell, he was absolutely in love with her. It was why he was sitting here in such a terrible mood that his usually easygoing office staff wouldn’t come near him for fear of being decapitated. He looked again at the article, and his chest utterly caved in. Chloe. God, he’d been such an idiot. A complete and utter, madly-in-love moron. He’d reacted just like a petulant child, furious that his favorite toy was being taken away. In this case, Chloe had wanted to put their relationship on hold and all he could see was that she was pushing him away, and sacred that she'd leave him again, he had panicked. He’d been a total ass. She needed him. Needed his support. And he’d told her to take a hike. Worse, he’d arrogantly told her not to bother changing her mind and come crawling back. He winced. Holy hell in a bucket
She sighed. “I’m in love with him. And now he hates me.” All four men’s mouths rounded into Os. There was marked silence, and she regretted having blurted out that fact. Love was girly stuff, and none of the men looked like they had a clue what to say or do next. “Look, I appreciate you guys. I love you all to pieces. I don’t know what I would do without you. I don’t expect you to fix this for me. I’m not a little girl anymore. I’ll figure out something. I just needed a place to lick my wounds and regroup.” Peter frowned. “Now, you wait just one damn minute. You’re family, Chloe. I don’t care how old or how big you are.” Even Darell scowled and nodded his agreement. Bryce merely squeezed her hand and told her bluntly to shut up. “You can always come to us when you need us and we'll be here for you,” Darell said in his soft, gravelly voice. “That doesn't and will never change. We love you and we’ll always be here for you to come running to. You got that?” “Yeah, I do.” “Now com
"Maybe you did… or maybe not," Chloe replied. "I think I did the same with Timothy, and I understand how you feel. But you and Tina are soul mates. You have been married for years. You have been been through so much together, and I believe that if any couple can pull through this, then the both of you can… just like you did before" "How is that supposed to happen when she won't even let me see her or speak to her? She fucking hates me" "I don't think she does. As a woman, I understand her perfectly. You screwed up, don't pressure her into forgiving you. That will only make her resent you even more. Give her some space. The truth is that you can't make her forgive you, so what you have to do now is stay away… even if it's for a while and let her decide if she wants you back" "And if she doesn't?" Evan asked, dreading the reply. "Then you have to live with it. It's hard, but it's the consequences of your actions. That's life…" Evan felt dejected and stared at the closed door for
There was a wary look in his eye that warned her this wouldn’t be easy. But then he didn’t give a damn about what people thought. He wasn’t ruled by the opinions of others. As she had so many times before, she wished she could be like him. Instead of answering him, she rummaged in her bag for the stupid gossip rag and then she thrust it at him as if it was self-explanatory. And it was in a way. He glanced over the paper and then looked back up at her. “So? What’s the problem?” he asked. She knew he’d react that way. Positively knew it, and it drove her crazy. She wanted to scream and rail at him, but she’d come across as some hysterical banshee, and then he’d never take her concerns seriously. “That’s not all,” she said stiffly. “It’s all over the Internet. An advertising community site has it on their blog along with some snotty little line about how I got the account after the announcement of you signing with golden gates.” He looked blankly at her. “I fail to see what the big
With a sigh, she explained the whole sorry tale about her her history with Timothy, their reunion and their trip to the beach house. She left out the mushy details she’d shared with Ann. Evan was, after all, A. her boss and B. a man. He didn’t need to know that she’d stupidly fallen in love with a man she’d be working with for a long time to come. It made things entirely too messy. What if they broke up? Would Evan feel weird about continuing the relationship with Packard enterprises or would he take his business elsewhere? There were a million reasons why she should have never ever gotten involved with Timothy , and yet, she hadn’t heeded any of the warning signs. “I overheard what Ann said about how it shouldn’t matter to me how you got the account. I won’t lie. It doesn’t. Furthermore, it’s none of my business unless you broke the law or did something to damage the reputation of Golden Gates. I don’t think this qualifies. My concern is for you. I know how devastated you were by w
Chloe and Timothy returned from their trip as a couple, but he had to go back to his home and so did she. After a Sunday of fielding curious questions from Bryce and his brothers about where she had been the past week, Chloe was relieved to go into work on Monday. She wasn’t ready to admit to them that she and Timothy were anything more than business associates. She loved them for their undying loyalty and their absolute faith in her. But for some reason she was reluctant to confess to a relationship with Timothy. She was late, thanks to a traffic snarl that lasted an entire hour and an already late start from her apartment. By the time she made it off the elevator, it was closing in on noon, and her mood was in the toilet. When she saw Caroline, she knew something was wrong. The usually cheerful receptionist eyed Chloe with something that looked suspiciously like pity, and she refused to hold her gaze for long. Not even wanting to know what that was all about, Chloe bypassed her us
Evan Reese opened the front door of his house and headed straight to the kitchen. His wife, Christina stood at a table, frosting a cake. She looked up in surprise to see her husband and dropped the piping bag. "You are back, " she said. "Is something wrong? Did you forget something?" Evan shook his head. "No… I mean… yes." He scratched his head and then buried his face in his hands and sighed deeply, which made Christina even more concerned. She immediately washed her hands in the sink and came towards him, but when she reached out to touch him, he pulled away. "Please don't. Not right now please." said Evan. He was afraid that if he let her touch him, he would change his mind about doing the right thing. He wanted to keep his marriage, but he knew that secrets like this were of no use. They usually ended up coming to light, and he feared that the damage it might cause would be even worse. It was best to rip out the bad aid and face the consequences of his actions. "Tina, there'