‘Not really. Slightly longer than we’ve been together, that’s all.’
Jasper put his knife down to give me a proper look.
‘That sounds wrong,’ he said. ‘The way you imply we’ve only just met. I mean, objectively, to outside eyes, we have only just met. But do you feel like that?’
‘No,’ I admitted, going over to the sink to wash my hands. ‘Not at all.’
‘Neither do I. To be honest, I have difficulty remembering the time before I met you. It seems incredible that I used to go through my day oblivious to you.’
‘Same here,’ I said, swooning inside.
‘Well.’ He stood behind me at the sink, clasping me around my middle. ‘Now we don’t have to, do we? Never again.’ He kissed my neck just above the collar. ‘Because you are mine.’
‘Rosie admired my collar. I got the feeling she’d like something similar for herself.’
‘Girl’s got good taste,’ said Jasper. ‘In jewellery and in friends.’
‘And in men,’ I said, interested to know Jasper’s reaction to this.
He sucked in a breath.
‘Dangerous ground, love. I thought you were the one who was totally against playing doubles?’
‘I don’t mean I want to shag him. Just that he’s … interesting.’
‘Just you make sure your interest is purely academic,’ he whispered into my ear. ‘Is that clear?’
Chapter Five
‘Did we really order this much booze from Ocado?’
Jasper was filling the wine rack while I got the plates ready for lunch. Our guests were in the dining room, testing the first bottle.
He looked up.
‘What? It’s New Year in a couple of days. And we have guests.’
‘You’ve already got a cellar full of wine.’
Jasper barked out a laugh. ‘That’s vintage, love. It’s not for boozy lunches with kinky body doubles.’
‘Ooh, you’re a snob! I had no idea.’
Jasper straightened himself, giving me what I tended to think of as his spanking eye.
‘You’re really loving that dangerous ground today, aren’t you, my dear? I wonder why you don’t build a house on it while you’re at it?’
‘Just calling it as I see it,’ I said, dodging a little way back from him all the same.
‘Where do you think you’re going?’ He crooked a finger at me. ‘Over here, missy. Now.’
I darted a quick glance at the kitchen door.
‘Jasper,’ I hissed. ‘We aren’t alone.’
‘I know that.’
His expression was implacable.