LITMIR.BIZ

      CHAPTER TWO

      JACKSON WATCHED JESSICA. Her brown eyes lightened to fudge and darkened to burnt coffee depending on her emotion, flicking back and forth so fast sometimes she must give herself a headache. Talk about an enigma. One moment all shy and unsure of herself, the next flipping a sassy comment at him like she wanted him. Which was the real Jess Baxter?

      Suddenly the months looming ahead didn’t seem so long and depressing. Instead, they were beginning to look interesting. Could he spend some time with Jessica and get to know her? Have some light-hearted fun for a while and find the real woman behind that sharp mind and sad face? He enjoyed puzzles, but right now he didn’t even know where to begin solving this one. They were hitting it off fine. There might be some fun to be had here.

      But— Yeah, there was always a but. He didn’t want involvement. Especially not with a woman who’d require him to stay on at the end of those months, to become a permanent resident in the one place that he’d decided before he’d turned fifteen wasn’t right for him. Too small, too parochial. Too close and personal. Nasty, even. He’d never forget the gut-squeezing, debilitating hurt and anger when Miriam Blackburn had accused him of getting her pregnant. He’d only ever kissed her once. No wonder big cities held more attraction. Easy to lose himself, to avoid the piranhas.

      From the little Sasha had told him, he understood that Jessica had come home permanently. That she’d begun mending bridges with the people she wrongly believed she’d hurt years ago. Apparently she wanted her son to grow up here, where he’d be safe and looked out for. There was no arguing with that sentiment.

      He definitely wasn’t looking for commitment in any way, shape or form. Commitment might drag him back to the place he’d spent so long avoiding. He wasn’t outright avoiding women. But Jessica wasn’t like his usual type of woman. Those were sophisticated and well aware of how to have a good time without hanging around the next day. Women who didn’t get under his skin or tug at his heartstrings.

      Jessica would want more of him than an exciting time. She’d want the whole package. Settle down, have more babies, find a house and car suitable for those children. And what was so awful about that? No idea, except it was the complete opposite from what he wanted.

      Back up. He mustn’t forget why he’d decided to stay on after his sister’s wedding. He needed to spend time with his family, to help Mum and Dad as they came to terms with the multiple sclerosis that had hit Mum like a sledgehammer. He’d also like to get to know his niece. Melanie was so cute and, at three months old, had wound him round her little finger. Already, memories of her smile, her cry, her sweet face were piling up in his head to take back with him to Hong Kong.

      Then there was the small issue of needing to rest and recoup his energy, to find the drive to continue his work in Hong Kong and keep his promise to his dead colleague. That motivation had been slipping away over the last year, like fine grain through a sieve. The catastrophic events of last month had really put the lid on his enthusiasm for his work. But a promise was a promise. No going back on it.

      Clink. ‘Drink up.’ Jessica was tapping her glass against his again.

      Yeah, drink up and forget everything that had happened in the past month. Let it go for a few hours and have some uncomplicated fun. ‘Cheers,’ he replied, and drained his glass. Picking up the bottle, he asked, ‘More?’

      He saw her hesitating between yes and no, her eyes doing that light then dark thing. He made up her mind for her. ‘Here, can’t let this go to waste.’ When he’d filled both glasses, he lifted them and handed over hers, taking care not to touch her fingers as they wound around the glass stem. That would be fire on ice. ‘To weddings and families and friends.’

      She nodded, sipped, and ramped up his libido as she savoured the sparkling wine, her tongue licking slowly over her lips, searching for every last taste. So much for avoiding contact. She could heat him up without a touch. That mouth... He shook his head. He would not think about her champagne-flavoured lips on his skin. Or her long, slim body under his as he plunged into her. While he lost himself for a few bliss-filled moments. Hours, even.

      She was talking, her words sounding as though she was underwater.

      Focus, man. Listen to Jess. Ignore your lust-dazed brain. ‘What did you just say?’

      ‘Looks like the happy couple are on the move.’ Her eyes followed his sister and new brother-in-law as they did the rounds of their guests, hugging and kissing and chatting.

      ‘You and Sasha never used to be mates.’

      Jess had been the girl with the rich parents who had bought her anything and everything she could ever have wanted. Yet she’d never seemed genuinely, completely happy, always looking for more. Definitely a party girl, always in the thick of anything going down in Takaka, but at the same time she’d seemed removed from everyone. Like a child looking out the lolly-shop window at the kids gazing in at the sweet treats.

      Yet she’d had more than the rest of them put together, having spent most of her childhood apparently travelling to weird and wonderful places. Hadn’t she had love? Had that been her problem? It would go a long way to explaining why she’d always bought her pals anything they’d hankered after. Perhaps she had been buying affection and friendship. Talk about sad.

      Right

Скачать книгу