Secret Words(4)

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."