Seventeen
‘You should’ve seen the other guy,’ Jasper said, when I opened the front door to him at nine fifty-nine the next morning.
I’d given a huge gasp at first. The black lines beneath his eyes seemed darker, deeper and wider this morning than they had appeared yesterday. But now I laughed and so did he. As usual, since the broken nose, he soon regretted that.
‘Are you taking pain killers?’ I asked, stepping aside to let him in.
‘No. They gave me some at the hospital but I haven’t taken any today. Yet.’
‘Does it hurt a lot?’
‘Only when I laugh. Or sneeze. That really hurts. Or breathe.’
‘So that’s a yes then?’
‘Pretty much. How’s your shoulder?’
‘It doesn’t hurt at all, thanks.’
He shook his head and pretended to curse under his breath.
‘Life can be so unfair at times.’
‘True,’ I said.
And then, as if he’d tempted Fate, I tripped over his ladder and fell backwards against his chest.
I heard the ‘thrump’, and the shot of pain in my head told me I had come into contact with a hard part of his body, as did the ‘Arghh’ he let out.
But he held me in his arms and stopped me from falling further, and when I managed to regain my footing and turned to face him, he was rubbing his chin with one hand.
‘I’m so sorry, Jasper. I didn’t do that on purpose. Honestly.’
‘Well, at least the bruise will match the others,’ he said. ‘So thanks for that.’
And then he looked down into my eyes and I realised he still had one arm around me even though I’d swivelled around to face him.
Tingles of excitement ran up and down my spine as we stared at one another for several seconds. Then his eyes scanned my face, my neck, and my cleavage. I’d worn a slightly lower cut sundress today in the very hope that it would attract his attention. And it had.
But his gaze soon returned to my face. I could tell he was looking at my lips as intently as I was looking at his.
When he sucked in a quiet breath and half closed his eyes for a brief moment, I was sure he was going to kiss me.
‘I’ve been told to avoid contact sports,’ he said, his voice sounding deeper, sexier, and slightly breathless. ‘Apparently, the medical profession considers kissing a contact sport, or so the doctor at the hospital informed me.’
I looked into his eyes. ‘Sorry,’ I said, a frisson of excitement making me feel a little giddy.
‘Me too.’
I gave him a friendly smile to try to reduce the sexual tension between us, and turned slowly in his arm and went to walk away.
But he tightened his grip and somehow twisted me back to face him and then he looked into my eyes again and bent his head to kiss me.
It had the makings of being one of the best kisses I’d ever had. But it was also one of the briefest.
‘Oww,’ he said, removing his mouth from mine moments after I’d felt how soft and tender and yet how powerful, passionate, and positively addictive his lips were. ‘I should’ve listened to the doctor. Sorry I’m such a wimp.’
‘You’re not a wimp,’ I said feeling more frustrated than I’d ever felt in my life. ‘But out of interest. How long did he tell you to ... refrain from contact sports for?’
‘He said about six weeks. Or possibly sooner, if it felt comfortable and I didn’t experience any pain.’
‘Six weeks? I … I’m only here for five at the most.’
‘Then I’d better man-up, hadn’t I? I’m sure they always exaggerate. They said my nose should heal in three, so once that’s mended, I’ll be fine. And probably sooner than three. I’ve always been a quick healer.’
‘Some things are worth waiting for,’ I said. ‘Let’s see how it goes.’ I eased myself away from him and slowly walked towards the kitchen, and then I turned and glanced back at him with the sexiest smile I could muster as he followed me. ‘And even if kissing is still … uncomfortable after three weeks, there are other things that don’t involve putting any pressure on your nose.’
His sharp intake of breath was audible and the expression on his face and tension in his body, were giveaways.
‘Nothing like an incentive to concentrate the mind,’ he said. ‘What, exactly, are you suggesting?’
Jasper Lord was as interested in me as I was in him.
But for now we’d have to put that to one side and get this wedding back on track.
‘Nothing, for now, I’m afraid. We need to focus on this wedding. Have you spoken to Marcus? Oh, and why didn’t you tell him about your nose?’
He gave his head a little shake as though he needed to clear it of everything else and then he shrugged.
‘I thought he had enough on his plate without me telling him about that. Besides, it’s not as if there’s anything he could do. And it’ll heal in … two weeks.’ He grinned. ‘I’m an optimist.’
‘Good. So am I. How do you take your tea? Other than down the front of your T-shirt.’
His eyes danced with amusement. ‘Strong and hot. Like my women.’
I laughed despite the old joke, and then switched on the kettle.
I leant against one counter; he leant against the one opposite, and we gazed at one another in silence. But the look he was giving me was making my temperature rise. At this rate, I was going to beat the kettle to the boil.
I turned my back to him and busied myself with getting two mugs from the cupboard, two spoons from the drawer, and milk from the fridge, but I could feel his eyes on me all the while and it sent little bursts of excitement up and down my entire body.
I made tea for him and coffee for me and then asked, ‘Sofa over there and coffee table,’ and nodded towards them, ‘Or dining room table.’
He raised one brow. ‘Excuse me? Are we back to the contact sports?’
I rolled my eyes and picked up both mugs, one in each hand.
‘No. We’re here to discuss your cousin’s wedding. All my notes are on the dining room table, but we might not need them for this, and bearing in mind you’re in pain, I wondered if you’d rather sit somewhere comfortable, than at a table. The choice is yours.’
‘Sofa. Definitely. If we need your notes, we can move. Let me carry those. I’ve got a broken nose. My hands are fine.’
I glanced at his hands. They were more than fine, and I trembled slightly in anticipation. Tanned, agile-looking, and more like those of someone who had spent their life doing nothing, or working at a desk. Not those of someone who did manual labour as an electrician.
‘Thanks. But I’ve got them.’
He’d already taken a step towards me.
‘Are you sure? he asked, as our drinks lapped in our mugs as I almost spilt them. ‘I can take them, Erin.’
‘No need. Go and sit down. Unless you want another mug of tea spilt down you.’
He held both hands in the air. ‘Nope. I give up. Are you always this independent?’
‘Yes. Biscuit?’
‘No thanks. So what’s this all about? You said Marcus and Adele are considering a postponement. Didn’t their Spa break go well?’
‘Apparently not as well as Marcus hoped.’
I placed both mugs on the coffee table, his in front of him and mine at the other end, and then I sat on the sofa, leaving a large gap between us.
He raised a brow ever so slightly but didn’t comment until he took a gulp of tea.
‘Great tea. Exactly the way I like it. Did Marcus elaborate? Or was that it?’
‘He told me that Adele is behaving in a manner he hasn’t seen before, and that it was as though she’s a different person. Her emotions are constantly up and down, and he doesn’t know what to do for the best. He wants me to have a talk with her and see what she really wants to do. If she doesn’t want the wedding to go ahead, he’d rather know. I think he may be getting cold feet himself. Even though he said he loves her, it sounds as if he may be starting to wonder if she truly loves him.’
‘That’s probably because of Cara.’
‘His first wife?’
‘Yeah. I only met her a couple of times when I popped back over here, and I never liked her. I didn’t make it to their wedding, due to unforeseen circumstances.’ He grimaced. ‘A woman driver knocked me off my bike in a hit and run. Hey! It wasn’t you, was it?’
‘What? No. Oh. You’re joking.’
‘Yeah. But not about the hit and run. That part is true.’
‘Were you badly hurt?’
‘Not that badly, fortunately, but bad enough that I had to remain in hospital for several days, which is where I was when Marcus married Cara.’
‘Blimey. I know Sam loves bikes, and so does Lucy now, but I’m not a fan.’
He grinned at me. ‘I wasn’t on a motorbike, Erin. It was a bicycle. One of those ‘see the city, rental bikes’, in Montreal. Which is ironic, really, because it’s ranked as one of the top cycling destinations in the world.’
‘A bicycle? Really? In Montreal? Wow. You meant it when you said you moved around.’
‘I wanted to see as much of Canada as I could and it’s a big country. Anyway, my parents have always lived here, and both Mum and Dad told me how badly things had gone wrong between Adele and Marcus who’d been friends long before he met Cara. I must admit I wasn’t that surprised when they told me about Cara’s lies, or her affair with Marcus’ best friend, Jeff. But I was when they said she’d left Marcus and moved in with Jeff. Mainly because Jeff lived next door in Middle Cottage. That must’ve been hell for Marcus. They moved away fairly quickly and she got a divorce, then last Christmas she married Jeff. But I expect you know all this don’t you?’
I nodded. ‘I do.’
‘Well, bearing in mind that Marcus and Adele hadn’t spoken for so long, to then find out they were suddenly an item was a massive surprise to many people. Especially as, after dating for just a couple of weeks, Adele had moved in with him. That sent a few alarm bells ringing. When he proposed to her on Valentine’s Day some people, according to Mum and Dad, did wonder what was going on and if it was a sort of rebound from Cara. So the fact that Adele believes that to be the case now, and that even Marcus is having second thoughts, makes sense in a way.’
‘Does it? From what I heard, Marcus has always loved Adele, deep down. He was going to ask her out but Jeff persuaded him not to. Who needs friends like that, eh? Then Marcus met Cara, and we all know how that panned out. I heard that he felt awful for the way he’d treated Adele and he thought she hated him, so they kept their distance due to a misunderstanding. I also heard it was Noelle who got them together. She had a long talk with both of them, separately, and made them each realise they wanted to be together.’
‘I heard that too. I’m not convinced I buy that.’
‘Really? Why not?’
‘Would you let your best friend talk you out of dating someone you really liked? And if you did, and all that other stuff happened, surely, when you had a chance to put things right, you would do so right away?’
‘I don’t know. We’re all different. What makes total sense to one person seems like madness to someone else. Don’t you think Marcus and Adele are meant for one another?’
‘Hmm.’ He shrugged and shook his head. ‘I don’t know. I haven’t been here to see them together. From what he’s told me, he loves her a lot. And Mum and Dad said they believe that she adores him. But if that’s the case, why is she having so many doubts? Isn’t love about trust? And friendship? And believing what someone tells you? Surely if the ravings of one woman can turn your world upside down and make you believe the man you love is only with you because you’re a convenience, then you didn’t really believe he loved you in the first place.’
‘That’s easy to say when you’re an extremely handsome, confident, globetrotting guy, but Adele isn’t like you. I know this is about her doubts and insecurities, not Marcus’ behaviour, but even so.’
‘You think I’m extremely handsome?’
He tilted his head slightly, and subtly twisted in his seat, leaning back a little and stretching his long legs out so that his feet were just an inch or so from mine. He wore trainers again today, not flip flops, and I wasn’t sure if I was pleased or disappointed as I slowly inched my sandalled feet away from his. Which only seemed to make his delighted smile grow wider.
‘And don’t forget,’ I continued, after a quick cough to clear my throat, ‘Marcus trusted Cara – and also his best friend – and look how that turned out. I’ll talk to Adele, if you’ll talk to Marcus. We need to sit them down and find out what is really going on. What’s the point of them having this wedding if it’s not going to be the happiest day of their lives? But if they do decide to go ahead with it, we need to make sure the entire day is perfect.’
‘No pressure then.’
‘Nope.’ I smiled.
‘Why does this matter so much to you?’ Jasper asked. ‘Haven’t you only just met them?’
I let out a sigh. ‘Because sometimes it’s true that two people really do belong together. That they were made for one another. But I also know that things happen, and that sometimes we have to fight to have what we deserve. Also, because I believe in the power of love.’
‘Okay. You’re a true romantic then?’
‘Absolutely.’ And then I grinned at him. ‘Plus … Marcus has some excellent wine, and I’m getting another case of it if this wedding goes ahead.’
Now he twisted even more to look me directly in the eye. ‘How come? He hasn’t offered me a case of his wine.’ He gave a little pout but I could see he was amused.
‘Ah, but you’re not their wedding planner, are you? Help me sort this out, and I’ll go halves with you.’
‘Deal,’ he said, holding out his hand.
After a momentary hesitation – because I knew touching him would give me all those tingles again – I slid mine into his.
And yep. The moment his fingers closed around mine a surge of excitement raced through me.
‘Deal,’ I squeaked, as his thumb pressed gently against the back of my hand.
‘When do we start?’ he asked, a slight huskiness in his voice now.
Still holding my hand, his eyes locked with mine, and, as his thumb traced tiny circles gently grazing my skin, bursts of sensual pleasure exploded in places I’d forgotten existed.
‘I thought we already had,’ I said, swallowing the lump in my throat.