"Oh God. Listen to the two of you. Leave her alone," Kane ordered his brothers. They should listen to him. He was the oldest.
Faye appeared in the doorway. "Kane, Mum wants you."
"Oh, right." He got up to follow Faye, but not before throwing a glare at his two mischievous siblings.
~~~~~~~
"What's up, Mum?" Kane asked as he entered the kitchen where his mother was plating up some food.
"Kane. There you are. I've been meaning to ask you about Hannah. How is she?"
"She's fine."
"I spoke to her father a couple of hours ago."
His eyebrows shot up. "You did? Why?"
"He rang. He wanted to talk to your dad and me about providing Hannah some emotional support. He's very worried about her. Apparently her moods were up and down when she was in London. He wanted her to stay with them longer but she insisted on coming back here because she wanted to be with you."
He winced, a blend of guilt and frustration assailing him.
"How are things with you two?" his mother prodded.
He pressed his lips together. "We've broken up, Mum," he answered.
Linda and Faye glanced at him sharply.
"Well, I guess that was to be expected," Linda said after a brief silence. "I'm just surprised you did it so soon."
"If I'd waited, it would have been harder. I didn't want her planning a wedding that was never going to happen."
"So how did she take it?" Faye asked quietly.
"She didn't take it well in the beginning but she seems to have accepted it now. She'll stay at my house until we find her a new place. I promised to help her with that."
"Right. Is there anything we can do to help? Is there anything you need?"
"Well, I told her I'll be staying here until she finds a place. Mum, if she ever calls you, could you confirm that to her?"
"Yes, of course. But you have to keep an eye on her, Kane," Linda responded. "She's probably even more fragile now that you've ended things with her."
He rubbed his face with his hands. After her recent actions, including her nightmare which he doubted was real, he was positive Hannah was manipulating the situation to keep him tethered to her. The only thing stopping him from putting a complete end to it was the fear that he might push her into severe depression.
"I'll talk to her and get her to share more with her friends. They'll be more than happy to support her. But she just doesn't want anybody to know yet that we've broken up. She said she's not ready for all the fuss and attention. And yet, she expects me to be there every time she needs me, even though we're not together anymore."
"She doesn't want anyone else but you, Kane," Faye said with sympathy. "Do you think she'll accept help from me?"
"She probably would but only because you're my sister. I know she's still hanging on to some hope that we'll get back together. I'm sorely tempted to just cut the ties and leave her to her own devices," he said with a touch of bitterness.
"Make her see a counsellor, or at least her other friends. Then you can move on without guilt that you're leaving her in a fragile state of mind without support. Right now, you're the only one she's likely to listen to."
"Okay, I will," he said with resignation.
"So you're moving back here for a while, darling?" Linda asked. "I'll get one of the rooms ready for you."
"Um." He glanced at Faye as he tried to find a good excuse to tell his mother.
"Hey, I've got an idea," Faye interjected. "Why don't you stay with me and Ray for a couple of weeks? That way we can help you with whatever you need to do for Hannah, like help look for a place for her or something."
"You can do that even if Kane's here, Faye," their mother said. "I'd love to have one of my kids stay with me again, even for just a few weeks."
"Uh, you know, Mum, I think Faye's got a point. We're all very busy with work and it will save some time if I stay with them while they help me with whatever I need."
"What, you don't want to live with your folks, Kane Summers?" Linda asked with a tinge of hurt in her voice.
"I do, Mum!" he replied, draping an arm around his mother's shoulders. "Just give me a couple of weeks with Faye and Ray, then I'll move in here. I'm sure it will take more than a month before we get Hannah settled into a new place, so you can have me for at least two weeks."
"Okay, then. Whatever you think. Now you two bring those dishes to the dining table," Linda said as she strode out of the kitchen carrying a platter.
Kane enveloped Faye in a hug when their mum was out of sight. "Thank you. You're the best sister in the world."
"You're welcome. You do know you've made your life just a tad more complicated?"
"Yes. Can you blame me?"
"No. I just hope everything works out for all of you in the end. And don't toy with Jasmine's feelings! Or Jess wouldn't be happy with me for helping you move into her house with Jaz for two weeks."
"I have no intention of ever hurting Jaz. If I do, it won't be deliberate."
~~~~~~~
Kane's annoyance came back ten-fold when he spotted Jasmine laughing with Dylan. Wasn't Dylan supposed to be playing pool, not chatting up his girlfriend?
He'd never been in this situation before, where one of his brothers was also keen on the same girl and he didn't know how to handle it. Well, the sooner Dylan knew Jasmine was his, the better. He couldn't afford Dylan—or Brad—falling in love with Jasmine. That would be disastrous. At least Brad appeared to have given up.
"Dinner's ready," his mum called.
As everyone started heading off to the dining room, he stood at the threshold and waited for Jasmine. She was still engrossed in a conversation with Dylan, and they were walking ever so slowly.
"Dylan! Dinner!" he called to them. "Jasmine's ears are gonna fall off if you don't stop yapping."
Dylan grinned at him and walked faster. Jasmine gave him a smile that made his heart dance in his chest.
"Jasmine, would you sit next to me?" Linda asked. "I'd love to talk to you about a dish Jessa mentioned you cook really well."
"Oh, I want to know about that, too," Faye said as she chose the seat on the other side of Jasmine.
Great. He couldn't even sit next to his girlfriend. Worse, Dylan beat him to the chair right opposite her.
Grudgingly, he sat next to Dylan. He glanced at his dad, who appeared engrossed with discussing the state of the economy with Ray and the twins. With his mum and Faye busy chatting about food with Jasmine, he could have a serious talk with Dylan without being too conspicuous.
"Dyl, what were you and Jaz talking about?" he whispered.
"Oh, you know. The usual," Dylan said with an enigmatic smile.
"What usual?"
"We were exchanging notes, talking about things we like and don't like. Turns out we both enjoy similar things," Dylan said as he dug into his food enthusiastically.
Kane glanced at Jasmine. Surely she wouldn't have led his brother on? Or was she so concerned about hiding their relationship from his family that she was using Dylan's interest in her to cover it up?
"You do know she has a boyfriend," he said with a frown.
"Yeah, I heard her say she was afraid so."
"That's not what she meant," he bristled.
"Oh? What do you think she meant?"
"Dylan, don't be obtuse."
"Kane," his dad called.
He turned his head to his father who wanted his opinion on how the current level of demand for new housing was affecting the economy. He sighed and reluctantly dropped his conversation with Dylan. They'd have to continue it later.
~~~~~~~
"Make sure you join us again for dinner before you go back to Melbourne, Jasmine."
"Thank you, Linda. I'll do that. I really enjoyed tonight. Thank you for having me."
"It was a pleasure. Kane, are you heading off, too?"
Kane nodded. "I'm driving Jasmine home."
"Oh, I thought she drove here," his mum r
eplied.
"No. I picked her up," he responded.
"Maybe Dylan can drive Jasmine home and you can sleep here tonight. You can start staying at Faye's tomorrow. Your dad hasn't had the chance to talk to you, and I know he wants to."
He tried to keep an impassive expression. "You can tell Dad what we talked about, Mum. I'm kind of tired of the topic. I want to give it a rest for tonight."
"Oh, okay, darling. No problem."
They said their goodbyes to everyone. To Dylan, he said, "I'll talk to you tomorrow."
"Sure. What about?" Dylan asked innocently.
"Tomorrow," he replied.
Kane's eyes narrowed as Dylan hugged Jasmine goodbye. It was, again, far too long for his liking.
CHAPTER NINE
Jasmine peeked at Kane's profile as he drove them back to Jessa and Rob's. He seemed introspective – cranky, even.
"Kane, is everything okay?" she asked, placing a hand on his thigh.
He glanced at her. "You seemed to enjoy tonight," he commented.
"I did," she said with a smile. "Your whole family's great."
"Dylan really enjoyed your company, too."
She frowned at the tone of his voice. "Why did that come out sarcastically?" she asked.
"Did it? I didn't notice," Kane replied, still full of sarcasm.
"Don't tell me you're jealous, Kane," she said, horrified.
"My brother was obviously keen on you. Didn't you think how messy it would be if he thought you were interested in him, too? I know you didn't want my family knowing about us yet, but did you have to flirt with Dylan to hide what's going on between us?"
"Oh my God! Kane! You can't seriously think I was leading Dylan on! How could you even think I'd do something like that?" she asked in disbelief.
Kane's expression changed from stony to uncertain as he took in her outburst. "The two of you seemed to hit it off," he said defensively.
She gasped in shocked disgust, then crossed her arms tightly across her chest and stared straight at the road ahead. Did he think she was an insensitive bimbo? How could he accuse her of flirting with his own brother at his parents' place? He mustn't think much of her at all!
Kane remained silent. Well, she was fine with that. She didn't have anything to say to him.
She worked to hold off the tears that threatened to spill. She had been understanding of his situation and had trusted him even when he still chose to attend to his ex-fiancée's needs. All she did was relax in his brother's company and he had the hide to accuse her of flirting with Dylan when all she wanted was to be close to him and feel his touch.
Well, he could keep his goddamn hands to himself!
They got to the house and she was out of the car even before Kane had switched off the engine.
"Jasmine," he called out exasperatedly as he hurried after her.
She turned around to face him.
"Your mum wanted you to sleep at their place tonight. Now that seems like a good idea to me," she said crossly before heading into the house.
Kane locked the door behind him and caught up with her, pulling her into his arms and burying his nose in her hair.
"Jaz, explain to me what I saw tonight. I need to understand," he pleaded softly.
She took a deep breath, slightly pacified by his changed demeanour.
"How could you think I was flirting with your own brother, Kane? In front of you?" she asked.
His arms around her tightened, thawing her some more.
"When I was talking to Dylan, he seemed to be really enamoured by you," he said, kissing her temple. "I don't want him to fall for you, Jaz. That would be a nightmare of a situation."
She looked up at him in surprise. "I think Dylan was pulling your leg," she said. "When you went to the kitchen, he quietly asked me if you and I were together. He said he could tell you were being jealous and possessive. I said yes, we're together, but that we didn't want anyone to know yet because of Hannah and the fact that I didn't want your family to misinterpret the situation. He said he was happy for us—and he looked it, too. For the rest of the night, we mainly talked about you. He told me stories from when you guys were kids."
Kane stared at her in consternation and shook his head. "I wanted to deck him. Maybe I still will after that stunt he pulled on me. Even when we were having dinner he still made it out as if he wanted to make a play for you."
"He was definitely teasing you then," she said. "You guys seem really close."
"We are. And yes, sometimes we enjoy pushing each other's buttons. I'll get him back for this," he said fondly. Kane cupped her face and kissed her lips. "I'm sorry, sweetheart."
"Okay."
"I'm still staying with you tonight, right?"
She smiled. "If you still want to."
"God, I more than want to. I'm dying to," he said as he re-captured her lips for a searing kiss.
~~~~~~~
"Mmmm, again?" Jasmine giggled as Kane's tongue played with a nipple. She was still coming down from the clouds from their stunning orgasms and her man was raring to go again.
"We haven't even done everything that was in chapter nine yet. Or was that chapter ten?" he said seductively.
The onset of anxiety made her freeze. Was this the time to tell him? How would he react?
"Baby? What's wrong?" Kane lay on top of her, bracing himself with his elbows.
"I have something to tell you," she said apprehensively.
"What is it?"
"Um, actually, it would be better if I show you. I need my laptop."
"Now?"
"Yes … unless you think I should do it later?" she asked hopefully, close to chickening out.
Kane's eyes narrowed. "You've intrigued me. Let's do it now." He got up and fetched her laptop sitting on a chair near the bed.
She opened it and went to her writing software. Her unfinished fourth book filled the screen. She scrolled to the last sex scene she wrote and looked at him gravely. "Read this," she said, placing the computer on his lap.
She watched his expression as he did so. An eyebrow rose just as his lips curled into a sensuous smile.
"Is this another book from J.A. Nell?"
"Uh-huh."
"So you want us to do this scene?" he asked with a grin full of carnal promise.
"Um, if you want," she replied, her whole body heating up from desire as well as discomfort. "But that's not why I showed that to you."
"Oh. Why then?"
"If you scroll through, you'll find that it's not finished yet."
He frowned as his fingers moved over the trackpad. "So how did you get this then?"
"Well, it's mine."
He looked at her, perplexed. "Yours?"
"Yes," she responded, swallowing visibly. "I'm not finished with it yet."
His jaw dropped. "You're writing this?"
"Uh-huh."
"You're J.A. Nell?" he asked, his eyes wide.
She nodded.
His face slowly broke into a smile. "Wow," he breathed.
She let out a nervous snort. "Wow?"
"My girlfriend's a writer. Wow."
She lunged herself at him, laughing with relief.
He moved the laptop out of the way and held her tightly. "Were you scared of telling me about it?"
"A little."
"Why?"
"You might feel uncomfortable."
"Uncomfortable? Why? Because of the sex scenes?" he asked, bewildered.
"Yes. Sex is a very private thing and some people don't want to be too open about it. Also, some people may think that what I write is based on my real sex life. If they find out I'm J.A. Nell, they might feel I've practically discussed my sexual activities with them because of what they've read. And since you're my boyfriend, you may not feel comfortable with it."
"Well, it doesn't bother me," he said, caressing a strand of hair off her forehead. "I think it's amazing you've written novels. I wouldn't even be able to write a ten-page story fit for reading
, to save my life. And I must say, the one book you got me to read was really good. I already planned to read the other two. Besides, you're using a pen name. I love the idea of having a big secret," he said with a genuine smile.
"Thank you," she said with quiet sincerity.
Kane shifted suddenly and she found herself on her back, with his head poised between her legs.
"After our enactment, I want to know everything about J.A. Nell."
She moaned in response as he let loose his talented mouth on her clit. All thoughts of J.A. Nell flew out the window, replaced by the notion that Kane's expertise in bed surpassed anything she'd ever written.
~~~~~~~
Jasmine lay contentedly in Kane's arms. Sleep threatened to take over but she resisted. She'd just been thoroughly made love to and she wanted to revel in the afterglow.
There were twelve short days to go before she had to go back home. Yes, she would be coming back to Sydney two months after that but still, they would be apart for a long time. For the next few days, she was determined to simply enjoy being with him before they were forced apart by distance.
The tranquil silence was broken by Kane's ringing phone.
He stretched his arm towards the bedside table and reached for it.
When he held the screen up, she saw who the caller was. She held her breath as he answered the call.
"Hannah, what's up?"
Kane sat up on the bed at Hannah's response.
Her heart raced. What did she want?
"Calm down," Kane said soothingly. "It's just another bad dream."
She could hear the indistinct sound of an upset woman as Kane listened to Hannah, but she couldn't make out any of the words.
"Okay," Kane said with a loud exhale. "I'll be there soon."
"What's wrong?" she asked as she flicked the lamp switch on.
"She had another nightmare. She's pretty upset and said she's scared to be alone in such a big house. I have to go there and help her calm down."
She stared at Kane as mixed emotions whirled inside her. "Is she really that vulnerable?" she asked him gently. "A grown woman scared of a bad dream and of being alone in a house?"
Secret Words (Secret Dreams Contemporary Romance 1) Page 7