‘Jennifer.’ His other hand came up to caress her cheek and she leaned in to it, sighing at the gentle caress.
‘What is this thing?’ she whispered as her eyelids fluttering closed.
‘I don’t know but it’s too good to ignore.’
She looked at him once more. ‘But we should ignore it.’
‘Why?’
‘Because we work together.’
He shook his head. ‘I’d like to say that’s a lousy reason but…’
‘But we both know we can’t risk our working relationship by following this one.’ Jennifer saw the logic breaking through his desire.
Jasper breathed in deeply. ‘True.’
‘And then there’s the most important reason of all.’
Jasper raised an eyebrow in question.
‘The girls,’ she stated. ‘If we start something and it doesn’t work then the girls will get hurt, and they’ve already been through too much in their little lives.’
The fact that she cared so much about his daughters and their well-being spoke volumes about her. She was special, this fragile woman before him, and he wished that somehow they could figure out the puzzle before them.
‘So where does that leave us?’ He couldn’t help but caress her cheek once more, knowing what she’d said was correct and totally logical, but he didn’t want to be logical right at this moment. He wanted to start something…a real something which would lead to…Well, he wasn’t exactly sure where. He certainly hadn’t planned this intense attraction they felt for each other, and perhaps Jennifer was right, for now.
‘Still at friends?’
For a moment, he stared at her as though she couldn’t possibly be serious but he knew she was. He wanted more, though…or at least his heart did. His head, however, was prepared to do anything to protect his heart. He’d lived through so much pain, so much grief and while he’d picked up the pieces of his life and soldiered on, taking a step of this magnitude needed a clear head.
‘I don’t know, Jen. Sure…Of course we can be friends but I like seeing you. I like spending time with you. I really enjoyed our dinner the other night. No hospital. No children. No matchmaking friends. Just the two of us, and for the record, it’s been a long time since I’ve felt totally comfortable with someone else while sharing a good meal.’
She nodded. ‘I felt it, too, but, Jasper, what else can we do?’ Jennifer held out her hands, palms up, indicating she was open to other suggestions. Jasper caught her hands in his and held them firmly.
‘We’re already colleagues and I hope we’re becoming friends.’
‘Yes,’ she confirmed.
He didn’t let go of her hands. Instead, he rubbed his thumbs over the backs of her knuckles, caressing them. Jennifer looked down, marvelling at the fact that she couldn’t remember anyone ever touching her in such a caring yet intimate way. ‘Right. Friends.’ Jasper breathed in deeply, filling his lungs with the scent of her before somehow finding superhuman strength to break the contact. He stood, taking two steps away and raked a frustrated hand through his hair. ‘For the record though, let it be noted that I’m very interested to see where this might lead…if we decide to be more than friends, I mean.’
Jennifer’s body heated all the way through at his words and her eyes widened for a moment, wanting exactly the same thing, before she pulled herself together. She hadn’t necessarily come back to Parramatta to start a romantic relationship. She’d come here to find herself, to reconcile her past and her present in the hope that she’d have a happier future. Building friendships had been part of her plan, and friendship was what she needed most from Jasper. Still…when he looked at her like that…When he said things like that…She swallowed over the dryness in her throat and nodded. ‘Noted.’
‘Anyway, none of this is helping you to make a decision about the house. You say that you’re interested?’
‘Most definitely. I’ll get in contact with my solicitor and have the house inspected within the next few days. If everything checks out all right, I can’t see why it wouldn’t be perfect. It’s close to the hospital, has somewhere for me to park the car, not too far from Sara’s place…’
‘Close to here. Er…I mean,’ he began when he saw a puzzled look cross her face, ‘it’s good to have neighbours that you can turn to, can trust—in case of an emergency.’
‘Of course.’
‘And on your days off, you could always drop in and chat with my mother. She’d like that. Give her a short break from the girls.’