CHAPTER TWELVE
WHAT HAD HAPPENED?
Serena had been trying to make sense of what had happened to their perfect evening ever since Jackson had withdrawn from her. That had been last night and now, not quite twenty-four hours later, he was still unusually quiet.
Had she misread everything last night?
Impossible. There was no way she’d misread his kisses—his very stirring kisses. Those kisses had left promises of more to come. Oh, he had been into her just as much as she had been into him. So where had it all gone so wrong?
Or was it for the best to put a halt to their desires? After all, every man that she’d let get close had hurt her. Why should Jackson be any different?
But the truth was, she wanted him to be different. She wanted him to be the exception to everything she knew about men—that they were critical, careless with their words and didn’t believe in love for love’s sake but rather for what it could do for them and their careers.
“Hey, what has you so deep in thought?” Jackson’s deep voice stirred her.
At last he was talking to her. A smile came to her face. Maybe she was making too big a deal of things. Perhaps he’d just been tired last night. After all, the doctor did say that the boot on his ankle would tire him out.
“I was just thinking about what I’m working on.”
“I’m sorry to interrupt.” Jackson had a mug in each hand and held one out to her. “I just thought you might like this.”
“Oh, coffee. I always like coffee.”
“It’s not coffee.”
“It isn’t?” She accepted the mug and glanced into it to find little marshmallows and hot chocolate. “Thank you.”
“I just thought that with it snowing again this might be fitting.”
“It is.” She took a sip of the milky chocolate. It was perfect. “This is the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had.”
He smiled proudly. “Thank you.”
“Is this from a packet? If so, I have to make a note to buy some when I get back to the States.”
He shook his head. “It isn’t from a box. I made it.”
She took another sip and moaned in pleasure. “How did you make it?”
He eyed her up as though trying to decide if he should divulge the information. “Can you keep a secret?”
“Definitely. I just have to be able to make this again. It’s that good.”
“Well, while we were at the Christmas market yesterday, I bought some chocolate.”
“Why don’t I remember this?”
“Because you and Gizmo were at the stall with the gourmet dog biscuits. Anyway, that’s my secret.”
“So you melted chocolate into milk.”
“Not just any chocolate but dark chocolate. However, you can’t tell anyone. It’s our secret.”
She smiled, liking the idea that they shared confidences. “I can’t believe you are so good in the kitchen.” And then she realized that he might not take her words as a compliment. “It’s just that you are so busy. I don’t know how you find the time.”
“I don’t have a busy social calendar, not anymore. Anyway, once you learn how to cook, it’s like riding a bike, you never forget.”
“I wouldn’t know.”