Secret Words (Secret Dreams Contemporary Romance 1) (4 page)

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.