being woken up bright and early after only a few hours’ sleep.’
His eyes were becoming intense now and Jennifer knew she wasn’t strong enough to handle it. It was as though this thing between them was slowly increasing in intensity. Something that was more than either being colleagues or friends. She wasn’t sure what it was and she didn’t know if she wanted to find out.
Edging back, she removed her hand from his touch and took a few steps away, needing distance. Her mind searched for something to say but for a few seconds it appeared to be blank. Thankfully, she recalled what he’d just said and almost pounced on it.
‘Come to think of it, where are your girls? I mean, you’re here at work. Do they have a day-care lady or a friend who looks after them at night?’
‘They’re with my parents.’
‘Oh, of course. I forgot your parents usually look after them. Sara did mention that. So, do your parents live close?’
Jasper thought of them living on the first floor of his house. ‘Uh…you could say that.’
‘So the girls have a room at their house and just sleep over when necessary?’
He shrugged nonchalantly. ‘Something like that.’
‘Jasper, you’re being coy.’
‘Coy?’ He laughed at that. ‘Men aren’t coy . Only women are coy. I’m being…deliberately evasive.’ He shook his head and chuckled. ‘Coy. What a word. You do make me laugh, Jennifer.’
‘I think that’s a compliment.’
‘It is.’ His tone and his look were equally as expressive. He stared at her for a moment, as though not sure what to say next.
‘Oh.’ Jennifer wasn’t used to getting such direct compliments. In fact, she wasn’t used to getting compliments, full stop.
‘And if you must know,’ he continued, ‘my parents live with us.’
‘You still live at home?’ She was surprised at that, her lips twitching with amusement.
‘No. No,’ he said firmly. ‘I said my parents live with us. There’s a difference.’ He looked around them but there was no one else about. ‘I’ll have you know that I moved out of home a long time ago. I bought my own house, got married, had a couple of kids, then when Elisha died, I remodelled the house so that my parents could sell their big rambling home and move in. It’s an arrangement that works well for everyone, especially the girls.’
‘Fair enough.’ She was touched that he’d explained because it showed her he really was willing to cross that line between the professional world and the personal one they were both so desperate to keep separate. Jennifer knew she’d been crossing the line more often than not of late and to know he was willing to do it too made her feel a little more comfortable.
‘So are we going to get this next patient done so we can both go home?’
‘I guess so but honestly, Jasper, you can go now and—’
‘Paper beats rock.’ He took her hand in his, wrapping his fingers loosely around hers again, watching the way her eyes flared with a spark of excitement before it was quickly veiled. ‘Remember?’
Jennifer’s breath caught in her throat not only at his touch but at the look in his eyes. It was deep, rich and seriously intimate. Where his touch had been mildly playful before, this time it was as sensual as if he’d brushed a thumb across her lips. His body was close to hers, closer than before, and as her heart rate increased, she found it was becoming increasingly difficult to breathe.
‘Jasper?’ His name was a confused caress on her lips and as his eyes dipped to take in the lush fullness of her mouth, her breath caught in her throat. ‘Don’t look at me like that,’ she whispered hoarsely.
‘Why not?’
‘Because you make me sizzle and I don’t know how to deal with that.’
‘Sizzle?’ His resolve to keep things light, to keep on ignoring the enormous tug he continually felt towards her, was beginning to crack. He’d felt the tug of something new and exciting between them since the first moment
His eyes were becoming intense now and Jennifer knew she wasn’t strong enough to handle it. It was as though this thing between them was slowly increasing in intensity. Something that was more than either being colleagues or friends. She wasn’t sure what it was and she didn’t know if she wanted to find out.
Edging back, she removed her hand from his touch and took a few steps away, needing distance. Her mind searched for something to say but for a few seconds it appeared to be blank. Thankfully, she recalled what he’d just said and almost pounced on it.
‘Come to think of it, where are your girls? I mean, you’re here at work. Do they have a day-care lady or a friend who looks after them at night?’
‘They’re with my parents.’
‘Oh, of course. I forgot your parents usually look after them. Sara did mention that. So, do your parents live close?’
Jasper thought of them living on the first floor of his house. ‘Uh…you could say that.’
‘So the girls have a room at their house and just sleep over when necessary?’
He shrugged nonchalantly. ‘Something like that.’
‘Jasper, you’re being coy.’
‘Coy?’ He laughed at that. ‘Men aren’t coy . Only women are coy. I’m being…deliberately evasive.’ He shook his head and chuckled. ‘Coy. What a word. You do make me laugh, Jennifer.’
‘I think that’s a compliment.’
‘It is.’ His tone and his look were equally as expressive. He stared at her for a moment, as though not sure what to say next.
‘Oh.’ Jennifer wasn’t used to getting such direct compliments. In fact, she wasn’t used to getting compliments, full stop.
‘And if you must know,’ he continued, ‘my parents live with us.’
‘You still live at home?’ She was surprised at that, her lips twitching with amusement.
‘No. No,’ he said firmly. ‘I said my parents live with us. There’s a difference.’ He looked around them but there was no one else about. ‘I’ll have you know that I moved out of home a long time ago. I bought my own house, got married, had a couple of kids, then when Elisha died, I remodelled the house so that my parents could sell their big rambling home and move in. It’s an arrangement that works well for everyone, especially the girls.’
‘Fair enough.’ She was touched that he’d explained because it showed her he really was willing to cross that line between the professional world and the personal one they were both so desperate to keep separate. Jennifer knew she’d been crossing the line more often than not of late and to know he was willing to do it too made her feel a little more comfortable.
‘So are we going to get this next patient done so we can both go home?’
‘I guess so but honestly, Jasper, you can go now and—’
‘Paper beats rock.’ He took her hand in his, wrapping his fingers loosely around hers again, watching the way her eyes flared with a spark of excitement before it was quickly veiled. ‘Remember?’
Jennifer’s breath caught in her throat not only at his touch but at the look in his eyes. It was deep, rich and seriously intimate. Where his touch had been mildly playful before, this time it was as sensual as if he’d brushed a thumb across her lips. His body was close to hers, closer than before, and as her heart rate increased, she found it was becoming increasingly difficult to breathe.
‘Jasper?’ His name was a confused caress on her lips and as his eyes dipped to take in the lush fullness of her mouth, her breath caught in her throat. ‘Don’t look at me like that,’ she whispered hoarsely.
‘Why not?’
‘Because you make me sizzle and I don’t know how to deal with that.’
‘Sizzle?’ His resolve to keep things light, to keep on ignoring the enormous tug he continually felt towards her, was beginning to crack. He’d felt the tug of something new and exciting between them since the first moment
Similar Books
