Summer Sins

d. On their very first date he’d mentioned kids and kittens and puppies, which had worked like a charm; she never could walk past a pram or a pet shop without a quick adoring peek.

The sound of Jasper’s powerful car pulling up outside reverberated through the thin walls of her flat and she twitched the curtain aside to sneak a look at him. He unfolded his tall frame from the car, his black hair shiny in the bright spring sunshine, his white casual shirt teamed with dark blue jeans emphasising his spectacular fitness. His skin was a deep olive tan, which never seemed to fade in spite of the cold winter Sydney had just experienced. No doubt he’d been sunning himself at a tropical resort with a host of bikini-clad women while his father had drawn his last breath, she thought with a deep twinge of resentment.

She turned from the window and, scooping up her bag and cardigan in case the light breeze grew cold later, opened the door just as he was climbing the stairs to her floor.

‘Nice to know how eager you are to see me,’ he said with a teasing light in his dark eyes.

She gave him a quelling look. ‘Actually,’ she said in a lowered tone, ‘my neighbour is a nurse currently on night duty. Your car made enough noise without you ringing the doorbell as well.’

He led the way to the car and waited until they were on their way before he spoke again. ‘I’ve spoken again to Raymond about the ceremony.’

‘Oh?’

‘Apparently he’s got another wedding to do but I can’t help feeling he’s relieved he doesn’t have to be a party to this set-up.’

‘I guess he’s right in a way when you think about it,’ she said. ‘We’re not exactly doing this for the right reasons. Marriage is meant to be for life.’

‘What a pity your mother didn’t share your view,’ Jasper said with a curl of his lip.

He felt her stiffen as if the mention of her mother upset her and, flicking a quick glance her way, felt his chest tighten again when he saw what those small white teeth were doing to her bottom lip.

‘Sorry,’ he said after a lengthy pause.

‘It’s fine,’ she said, looking down at her hands. ‘I understand how you feel about my mother. I really do.’

‘Have you seen her lately?’ he asked, frowning at the way she was twirling her engagement ring almost agitatedly.

‘No …’

He waited for a three-or-four beat silence to pass before he said, ‘I would prefer it if she didn’t come to the wedding.’

‘I understand …’ she said. ‘She wasn’t invited to my wedding to Myles either.’

There was another little silence.

‘He’s a creep, Hayley,’ he said. ‘A first class honours creep who was using you.’

‘So what does that make you then?’

He drew his lips together tightly. ‘I’m not using you.’

‘Yes you are. That little kiss routine the other day was part of it. You think you can sweet talk me into not taking half your assets when our marriage is over, but it won’t work. I hate you and I don’t see that anything you can do, including buying me an outrageously expensive ring to butter me up, is going to change that.’

He shifted the gears with unnecessary force and overtook a stream of cars with a roar of the engine. ‘You think that’s why I bought you that ring?’

‘Isn’t it?’

‘No,’ he said. ‘The truth is I took one look at the ring Lederman had given you and thought what a rotten cheapskate he was. I might not be marrying you for the best reasons in the world, but I thought you at least deserved real diamonds.’

Hayley turned away so he couldn’t see the colour flooding her cheeks. ‘It was a real diamond,’ she said, but she knew her voice lacked conviction.

He snorted again. ‘Sure it was.’

She turned and looked out of the window rather than face his derision. ‘I’d rather have a fake diamond from a man who loved me than a whole bunch of real ones from a man who doesn’t,’ she said.

‘Myles loved the prospect of getting his hands on your money, not you,’ Jasper said. ‘At least I haven’t lied to you about my feelings. I feel the same way about you I always have.’ Now isn’t that the truth? he thought to himself. Desire hot and strong was keeping him awake at night just as it had done ever since she’d sprouted a chest and a kissable pout all those years ago.

She curled her lip. ‘Oh, please, spare me another bludgeoning blow to my ego.’