Secret Words (Secret Dreams Contemporary Romance 1) (16 page)

"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.