by Tania Joyce
“Jess, don’t.” His jaw flexed as he spoke, his eyes full of concern.
“Don’t what, Nate? Sorry, I momentarily forgot that this was just an affair. No strings attached, right?”
He sighed. “I have to go.” He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her body hard up against his. He pressed his lips tightly to hers and took the breath from her lungs. She tried to push him away, pressing the palms of her hands into his chest. But his arms held on to her so tightly, feeling so strong and protective around her. Her brow furrowed as his lips smothered hers. His kiss so full. Intense. Passionate. She struggled, but all her efforts were futile and her knees grew weak. She opened her mouth and kissed him in return, entwining her hands around his neck. With one final deep luscious kiss, he released her from his embrace. His breath was hot upon her skin. “I’m so sorry, Jess, but this is how it has to be. No strings because business always wins. Always will. I’ll see you in a few weeks.”
Nate slipped out the door. Jessica stood there stunned, staring at the back of it. Her heart struggled to pump her blood through her constricted veins. What just happened? She ran her hand through her hair as she recalled the last few minutes of conversation and replayed it over and over in her head. ‘Business comes first, business wins’. She had told him that she was falling for him and somehow their conversation went off on a different tangent. Fuck! Her heart beat painfully as she realized he was gone. Business came first. They had to avoid the gossip. She could only conclude that their affair was over. Work was his priority and always would be. And who was she trying to kid? Because work was her priority as well.
Come on. She tried to pull herself together. This was a good thing. A little pain now instead of a total heartbreak at the end. That was the logic. But why was it so hard to even contemplate moving? Her whole body ached and she felt emotionally drained. Surely this was for the best, because there was no possibility of a happy ever after in the story of Nate and Jessica.
Chapter 13
Nate ran his hand through his tousled hair as the driver sped toward the airport. With Jessica’s words spinning around in his head, he felt the early stages of a headache coming on. He closed his eyes and rubbed his fingertips against his temples. Why did she have to go and fall for him? What could he possibly offer her other than a casual affair? He fought off the ache inside his chest as he thought how nice something long-term would be. But his future was the Somers empire. He’d sworn to himself never to get close to anyone again after learning the hard way with Rachael. And he was more than happy with that resolution. Well … content anyway. He shouldn’t have let his fling with Jessica get this far. But the look in her eyes when he walked out of her house made his heart falter. He never wanted to hurt her. He never wanted anyone to experience what he went through with Rachael or what he saw his mother go through.
Yet here he was, speeding toward Sydney airport, about to board a plane to go and see the woman who’d turned his heart to ice.
As his fists clenched tight and his nails dug into the palm of his hand, he had to remember he was no longer that young, naive man from all those years ago. He’d be paying for that for the rest of his life, especially now Rachael used their innocent daughter to tie herself permanently to his wallet. No. There was no way that anyone was going to screw him over again.
But thoughts of Jessica kept on bombarding him. She shot his tainted memories of Rachael out of his mind like a fighter pilot shooting targets from the sky. As streetlights flickered across his face, he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. The scent of Jessica’s perfume lingered on his clothes. The feel of her lips was still imprinted on his mouth. She was so different from anyone else he had ever met before. He wanted to spend evenings at home with her, cooking meals and lazing about on her couch. Take walks along the beach and have dinner together with friends. She had created a sense of longing in him that he’d never comprehended before—ever.
When did things change? It surprised him, but didn’t have him running scared when he realized that his frozen heart had certainly started to melt around her.
The vision of Jessica’s long legs wrapped around his waist, along with her breathtaking smile, filled his mind. He’d been enraptured by her from the first moment they met. So much for a casual affair! He was in a relationship whether he liked it or not. All those times he didn’t understand why he’d concocted some crazy reason to see her and get her into his bed. Now it was all starting to make sense. He’d been falling in love with her. As he brushed his hands over his face, an overpowering sensation grew in his chest. There was no way he could deny his feelings for her anymore.
Had he just screwed everything up between them? He didn’t want his affair with her to end. Not like this. Business had been his number one priority for so long he’d forgotten how to care about anyone or consider anything else. Although their remaining time together was limited, he wanted to spend as much of it as possible with her. Plans to win her back were already formulating in his head. He desperately willed the next two weeks to pass quickly so he could return to her. If it cost him his soul, she would be worth every penny.
* * *
Shaking off the tiredness and tension he felt in his shoulders, Nate was looking forward to a few days off with his daughter. A much-deserved break after a week of board meetings and business developments. When Rachael arrived in London with Lucy, Nate was stunned at how much his daughter had grown in the few months since he’d seen her last. She was definitely two or three inches taller. Her beautiful little face now had a dusting of freckles across her nose. Her long, straight black hair, just like her mother’s, nearly reached down to her waist. As he picked her up and twirled her around in a big bear hug, he realized how much he missed her.
There was no love lost with Rachael when she left for Edinburgh. Lucy even seemed to come alive the minute her mother stepped out the door.
“Where to first? Grandma’s or the park?” Nate asked as he rattled his brain. He had no idea what a seven-year-old girl would like to do for entertainment.
“Grandma’s!” his daughter squealed in delight.
After lunch with his mother, a long afternoon in the park and an early dinner, Nate managed to tuck Lucy into bed. He felt exhausted as he sank into the leather chair in his home office and sipped on a steaming hot cup of tea. Oh, he’d missed the strong taste of a good Yorkshire blend! In his haste of making the fresh pot, he’d left the lid off while it brewed. He’d frozen and stared at it lying on the bench. Yet another one of his grandmother’s superstitions had played loudly through his mind. Bad news was on the way! It wasn’t a good sign. The hotel launch was on track. There was no major fallout from his photograph taken with Jessica. His father was lying low. What could possibly be on the horizon for him now?
Whatever was coming his way, he needed to be prepared. Refreshed and re-energized. A few days away to spend some time with Lucy sounded like heaven. As he glanced through the extensive list of emails on his laptop, he was further convinced of the need to get out of London. He picked up his cell phone and dialed Mindy, his assistant while Brooke stayed behind in Sydney.
* * *
As Nate sat down in the seat on board the Somers’ private jet, he remembered he’d forgotten to call Jessica and let her know of his whereabouts. For business purposes, of course! He chuckled to himself because it felt strange finally admitting that he cared about someone after so long. He was making plans for a reconciliation with her when he returned to Australia, but that was under wraps for now. With a deep breath, he reached for his cell phone and rang her number. One quick call before take-off.
“Hey Jess.” It felt so good to hear her voice. “I’m about to board a plane. For a bit of a holiday, I’m taking Lucy to Paris for the week.” He glanced over at his daughter, who was sitting quietly next to him in her seat, drawing a picture on her iPad. “We’re going to Disneyland, do some sights and some shopping. Then I’ll be back in London for a day or two before heading back to Sydney. Br
ooke is also going to take a week off from this Friday, so for anything work related call William or Martin at the hotel.”
“Um, sure.” Jessica said. “Will do. You two have a good week.”
Hearing her on the phone tugged at his heart. She sounded so distant, and not just because of the miles that lay between them. He wanted to tell her he was sorry and make up for the words said when he left. But that type of conversation was inappropriate in front of Lucy. Now was not the time. And he would much rather do it in person with the high probability of some great make-up sex. He hung up and closed his eyes. He missed Jessica and was counting down the days until he could be back in her arms.
* * *
Since Nate left for Paris, Jessica had only received the odd work-related email from him and one or two missed phone calls—no messages. The different time zones were a struggle, and she had so much to discuss with him about the launch. Nate was supposed to return in a few days, but suddenly her skin started to crawl with an uneasy sensation. Something didn’t feel right. Her intuition was in overdrive and suspicion spread like a nasty disease. Surely it was nothing, she was just being silly.
But her liquid doubts solidified when an email arrived in her inbox early on Friday morning, two days before his return.
To: Jessica Mason
From: Nate Somers
Subject: Delayed
Jess,
Will be delayed in London on business. Fly out on Wednesday. Talk soon.
Nate.
Jessica’s heart sank. Even though their affair was over, she was still looking forward to seeing him again. She glanced at her watch and made the quick calculation. It was evening in London, about ten o’clock. She could fit in one quick call to Nate before she headed into her first meeting for the day. She dialed his cell phone and listened to it ring.
No answer.
She gazed out the window. Usually seeing the city gardens come back to life in springtime made her feel re-energized after the long cold winter months. But today the sight of blossom-filled planters and bright green shoots breaking out on all the trees did little to brighten her mood. She needed to shake off this melancholy quickly. If she could kick herself, she would. She gritted her teeth and slapped her hand down on her desk. Enough was enough. No man was worth brooding over. A smile tugged at her lips as she felt her hard-headed determination kick back to life.
The bounce returned to her step as she launched a new fashion magazine in the evening, watched Conner’s game on Saturday and attended the Spring Horse Racing Carnival Dinner that night. Sunday she woke up near midday, shocked that she’d managed to sleep in to such an hour. Lazily she stretched out among her crumpled sheets, puffed up her pillow, turned on her side and dozed off again.
It was good to be back in the office on Monday morning. Sitting at her computer with a freshly brewed tea in hand, she truly felt revitalized and ready to tackle the week ahead.
Out of the corner of her eye, her daily media alert email gathering news on Somers Hotel caught her attention. Rather than a listing of items highlighting the opening, this one was overflowing with articles on Nate.
Jessica blinked and had to read it twice. Three times in fact.
The paparazzi had been hot on Nate’s tail since he’d arrived in London two weeks ago. There’d been photographs of him laughing and playing in the park with Lucy, out eating dinner with his mother, and several images of Rachael or Nate ducking in and out of what looked like a hotel lobby—she assumed they would have been dropping off and picking up Lucy.
But the headlines were different today. She opened the file and clicked on the first item. There was a photo of Nate dashing into a building, his hand outstretched trying to block the cameras, Rachael running beside him and his arm protectively tucked around her. The news sites read:
“Nate Somers out on the town with ex-wife. Relationship rekindled?”
“Seen at London hospital. Is a baby on the way?”
“Back with his Asian Princess.”
“Nate Somers reunited with Rachael Lang.”
Jessica stared at the screen. She was gobsmacked as she read article after article and saw photo after photo of Nate with Rachael—in the car, on the street, having a cup of tea, and more—all announcing Nate was back with his ex-wife. Unable to comprehend what she was seeing, Jessica picked up the phone to call him. She didn’t care what time it was.
* * *
“Hello. This is Lucy speaking.”
“Oh. Hi Lucy, this is Ms Mason calling. Is your dad there, please?”
“He’s in bed with Mommy.”
What? She coughed as she heard his daughter’s innocent voice, and a stab of pain shot through her heart.
Nate is in bed with Rachael! What the hell was going on?
“She’s sleeping.” Lucy said.
“Okay. That’s fine. I’ll talk to him later.” Jessica trembled uncontrollably as she hung up the phone. Paralyzed, she stared at nothing for a good five minutes as her head reeled from the news.Goddamnit!
She yanked the phone into her hand and called him once again. Maybe she was a sucker for punishment. Maybe she just wanted the truth.
“Ha-lo,” a woman with broken English said on the end of the line.
“Hello, this is Ms Mason. Is Mr Somers available, please?” Taking a big deep breath didn’t help much to calm Jessica’s jitters.
“No. Sor‒ree.”
“May I ask who’s speaking, please?”
“I’m the nanny.”
Thank goodness it wasn’t Rachael. But why is the nanny in London? And why was Lucy up at such a late hour? “I need to speak with Nate on a matter of urgent business, please.”
“Mr Nate … with Ms Rachael. In bedroom. Busy. Do not disturb.”
Jessica hung up and anger boiled through her blood. How could she have been so stupid? Nate was back with his ex-wife. All his talk about his horrid ex-wife was all bullshit. That bastard! That asshole! He’d lied to her. He’d seemed so genuine and honest. Humiliation raised its ugly head as she stood up and paced the floor behind her desk. How could she have been so vulnerable? So gullible?
She stopped in her tracks and a chill washed over her. A pain clenched tightly around her heart as she clutched her hand to her chest. It was in that moment her heart broke in two. This was worse than when he left because now she knew she’d been betrayed. Her eyes filled with tears and resentment bubbled through her veins.
There was a knock at her office door.
“What?” Jessica snapped.
It was so out of character. Jessica saw Zoe jolt back in surprise. “Um. I have the radio station promotional campaign schedules you requested.” She shuffled a folder full of papers onto the desk. “Are you okay?”
Jessica wiped away a tear from her eye and sat back down in her chair. Drawing on her inner strength she did her best to pull herself together. She was never emotional in the office—ever. “I’m fine. Absolutely fine. Just a lot of work on and feeling a bit stressed.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes. Thanks for these. I’ll go over them soon.”
* * *
Several days passed and Jessica had still not heard a word from Nate. She absorbed herself in her work, rolling out new campaigns, schedules for the launch and overseeing artwork from her team. It was late in the office on Wednesday evening when an email notification from Nate popped up on her computer screen. She toyed with idea of ignoring it, but she couldn’t, of course. She clicked on the link.
To: Jessica Mason
From: Nate Somers
Subject: Drama
Sorry haven’t called. Lucy was in an accident and broke her leg on Saturday afternoon. She’s okay. I’ll be staying in London for two more weeks until she can fly. Rachael also staying.
It is crazy over here as I’ve started a new project as well. I’m about to head into a day of meetings and budget planning.
Talk soon.
Nate
For a split second
Jessica was full of concern for his daughter. That quickly disappeared when the daily news alert brought the latest headlines.
“Rachael moves back in.”
“Romance blossoms.”
“Happy family reunited.”
Jessica covered her face with her hands. The horrid facts had finally been hammered into her head as the pictures ground salt into her wounds. On top of this, he’d simply cut off nearly all forms of communication with her. He never answered his cell any more, didn’t reply to texts or return calls she made directly to his office. And this had been one of the first emails from him in ages.
Another week disappeared, and slowly but surely Jessica’s resilience returned. Each day, she dug a little deeper and tried to lock away her feelings for Nate in the dark dungeons within, and throw away the key. It was so much harder than she thought it would be. Her chest felt hollow, her soul incomplete. But she was tough. She’d get over it. She’d done this before.
Nate was gone. Life would go on.
* * *
Jessica massaged her shoulder and tried to knead out some of the tension, aches and pains she felt from working too many late nights in a row. Four weeks had passed since Nate had left. Not that she was counting. She needed a breather; Gumtrees was the solution. But could she avoid Troy? She didn’t want to deal with him with her current state of affairs … or lack thereof.
With a slight hesitation, she picked up her phone.
“Gumtrees Winery and Retreat, Marie speaking.” Jessica realized she’d been holding her breath.
“Hi, it’s Jessica Mason. I know it’s short notice, but what’s the likelihood of a cabin being available this weekend?”
“Let me check.” Jessica could hear Marie’s fingers clacking away on the computer keyboard. “Yeah, we can squeeze you in. Even in your usual cabin.”
“Great. Um … will Troy be there?” She closed her eyes and said a silent prayer. Please no. Please no.
“I’m sorry, no. He’ll be in Melbourne at a conference. Do you still want to make the booking?” Marie and Nick had been surprised at finding out about her past with Troy. They all made a good joke about it and concluded that it was a small world.