Secret Words (Secret Dreams Contemporary Romance 1)

by Charles, Miranda P.

  "Okay, Miss Author, whatever you say. All I want is for the three of us to promise that we will try our darnedest best to get together for one weekend every two months," Sam said.

  "Yes," she answered, "unless of course I'm overseas with Kane. But we'll Skype regularly."

  "Speaking of Kane, how come he's not here yet?"

  "He'll be here soon."

  "I can't wait to meet him. I want to see how hunky he is," Kris said.

  "You know what I can't wait to see?" Sam asked.

  "What?"

  "His house. I wonder how big his kitchen is."

  "I can't wait to see it either," Jasmine said. "Hey, instead of staying in a hotel when you guys visit me in Sydney, you can stay at Kane's house. I'm sure he won't mind."

  "Sam and I have our heart set on a nice five-star hotel with a swimming pool, spa and gym," Kris said. "But if your kitchen is big enough and exciting enough for Sam, then we may take you up on your offer to stay at your house instead."

  "It's not my house," Jasmine retorted.

  "It will be when you marry him."

  "He hasn't even proposed yet!"

  "Aha. Did you hear your slip of the tongue, Jaz? You said yet. That means you're expecting him to."

  "Well, I'm hoping he will. But I don't want to jinx anything by expecting it, so let's stop this talk about proposal and marriage. And don't you dare mention it to him."

  The security buzzer rang and Kris ran to answer it. "Is this Jasmine Allen's hunky lover?"

  "It better be," came the reply.

  They giggled at Kane's response.

  "Come on in, then."

  "Look at you," Sam said to Jasmine laughingly as they waited for Kane to walk up their floor.

  "What?" Jasmine asked.

  "Not more than two minutes ago you were teary because you were leaving us and now you can't keep that grin off your face."

  "Sorry," she responded. "It's been three weeks since I last saw him."

  Sam walked to her and gave her a big hug. "I'm really so happy for you, Jaz. I'm glad you've fallen in love with someone who seems crazy about you. And I'm glad your dream of becoming a full time writer has come true."

  She returned her best friend's hug fiercely. "Thank you, Sam."

  Kris joined them for a group hug. "Things are not going to be the same without you here, Jaz."

  "I know, Kris. But will you two promise me you'll work towards your dreams too?"

  "What dreams?" Kris asked.

  Jasmine rolled her eyes. "Your dream to run a dance studio, Kris, and your dream to open your own café, Sam."

  "Yeah, right. Maybe when we win Lotto," Sam responded.

  A rap on the door interrupted their conversation.

  "I'll get it," Kris said. "I want to check him out and make sure he's good enough for our Jasmine."

  "Of course he is," Jasmine said confidently.

  Kris opened the door, placed a hand on her hip and looked at Kane up and down in an exaggerated fashion.

  Kane spread his arms wide to his side. "Do I pass?" he asked.

  "Only if you promise you'll always look after Jasmine," Kris responded.

  "With everything I have."

  "Then you may enter our humble abode," Kris said theatrically.

  "Thank you, Kris," Kane said as he entered the apartment with an equally theatrical bow.

  Kris glanced at Jasmine in surprise. "Hey, he knows my name. You get full points for that, Kane."

  "Thank you. Hi, Sam," he said waving to Sam, who was checking something in the oven.

  "Hello, Kane. Get used to my cousin because you'll see a lot more of her from here on in."

  Kane chuckled and turned his attention to Jasmine. "Hi, baby," he whispered, his face full of tenderness.

  "Hi," Jasmine responded, snaking her arms around his neck and lifting her lips to his.

  Their kiss was way too brief for her liking but she could wait until they were alone. For now, she wanted to enjoy her last night as a Melbourne resident with her best friends and her boyfriend.

  "Wow, Sam. Jaz wasn't exaggerating when she said you're a good cook," Kane commented.

  "Thanks, Kane. You do know there's no need to score points with me. You already have a perfect ten."

  Jasmine and Kris groaned.

  "Just say 'thank you' and then stop, Sammy," Jasmine chided. To Kane, she added, "She never thinks people are serious with their compliments."

  "I was being serious!" Kane said with an affronted look.

  "Okay, fine, thank you. Really," Sam said, blushing.

  "Sam has something to ask you, Kane," Kris said.

  "Sure."

  "I do?" Sam asked her cousin.

  "Yes. You want to ask him about his kitchen."

  "Oh, right. How big is your kitchen, Kane?"

  "It's pretty big," Kane answered.

  "Do you cook a lot?"

  Kane laughed. "No. I don't cook at all, so the kitchen is hardly used."

  "Jaz loves cooking. She's a pretty good cook too."

  "I know," Kane said fondly, smiling at Jasmine.

  "I can't wait to see your house, baby," Jasmine said.

  "Our house. You live there now, too," Kane corrected her.

  Kris snorted. "That's what we told her. It's her house, too."

  Jasmine gave Kris a warning glance. "I told the girls they could stay there when they visit Sydney. That is, if you don't mind," she said to Kane.

  "Of course I don't mind. And Sam's free to cook in the kitchen," Kane said with a wink at Sam. "Hey, Sam, you do know I'm being honest when I say I love Jasmine, right?" he asked.

  "Yes, of course," Sam said readily.

  "Well, I'm being just as honest when I say I really love the food you cooked tonight, too."

  Sam beamed at him.

  Jasmine squeezed Kane's hand under the table in gratitude. Life was blissful.

  If only the whole blackmail drama was well and truly over, she could fully relax. But simply having received no emails from George in the last three weeks didn't mean he had abandoned his malicious intentions. It still made her very nervous, especially now that she was going to live with Kane.

  *******

  Jasmine walked around from room to room, inspecting Kane's property in awe. She had guessed it was big but she had no idea it was this big. It had a massive master bedroom with an equally massive walk-in wardrobe and an en suite complete with a spa bath. There were three more bedrooms, three more bathrooms, Kane's study room, a games room, formal living and dining rooms and her favourite room in the house, the huge open plan area that housed the entertainer's kitchen, informal dining and second living room.

  Something sparkled outside and her breath caught in her throat. A swimming pool hugged the whole living area side of the house and the clear floor to ceiling glass wall gave the impression the house was floating on water.

  "Wow," she said under her breath as she walked towards it.

  "You want to go out?" Kane asked, opening a glass sliding door that led to the outdoor deck.

  Wordlessly, she stepped out and felt the gentle warmth of Sydney's winter sun.

  "It's beautiful out here," she murmured, already imagining herself lounging on the day bed with her laptop not far away. "What's in there?" she asked as she spied a small building separate from the house.

  "It's a cabana. I've also got some gym equipment in there."

  She grinned. Kris and Sam would love visiting her here. Oh, and Ari, too.

  "What do you think?" Kane asked softly.

  "It's breathtaking, Kane," she said sincerely. "You've designed an incredibly beautiful home."

  He smiled, pulling her in an embrace. "I'm glad you like it," he said huskily. "You can redecorate it however you want. You have free rein."

  An unpleasant thought entered her mind. Was some of the current decor Hannah's? Or a previous girlfriend's? When he designed this house, did he have a girl in mind? Perhaps one he had wanted a family with? It was most
certainly not a bachelor pad.

  "May I ask you something?" she asked with a hint of trepidation.

  "Sure."

  "Did, uh, one of your previous girlfriends help you decorate?"

  He laughed. "No. One of our interior designers did the work. My company has an interior design arm."

  "Oh." She relaxed a bit and let go of her other question. She didn't want to know if he had designed the house for an ex he had wanted a family with. That shouldn't matter now.

  ~~~~~~~

  Jasmine surveyed the master suite with a critical eye while she waited for Kane to finish an email he had to send to someone in Japan. It was an impressive room but she noted that the decor, even the bedding, was a little on the masculine side.

  A certain part of her approved. It meant that it was mainly Kane's, even though Hannah had stayed there for a couple of months. It hit her that she needed to see herself in this room to erase the irrational jealousy she felt.

  She decided to go shopping and spend some money making this room hers and Kane's. And since she'd have to buy a new car, she could only afford to touch this room. She'd need to watch her spending now that she was no longer an employee with a guaranteed salary every two weeks. Her books had started selling well but there were no guarantees they would continue that trend month after month.

  She jumped as strong arms encircled her waist from behind.

  "Why are you standing here staring into space?" Kane asked as he kissed her near her ear.

  "I'm going to buy us some new bed sheets and towels and maybe put up some photo frames and candles in this room. Is that okay?" she responded, rubbing her cheek against his.

  "Of course. I've said you have free rein to do whatever you want."

  "Thank you. Just this room would be fine."

  "What about your own study? You can convert one of the other spare rooms. Get yourself a desk you'd love to work on."

  "I can work on the dining table, even on the bed."

  "But you'd be working from home most of the time. Wouldn't you want a dedicated work space for yourself?"

  "Yeah. But I have to wait another month for my big royalty payment."

  "What do you mean?" Kane turned her around to face him, frowning.

  "I have to buy a new car and I want to buy stuff for this room first. The other rooms can wait."

  "Jaz, I don't want you to spend your money on the house. I'm getting my bank to issue you a supplementary credit card. You can use that, even for your car."

  "What? No!" she cried in alarm.

  "Jasmine …"

  "Kane, I don't want you to support me."

  "Why not?" he scowled. "I make way more than enough for the two of us."

  "But I want us to contribute equally! I don't want to feel like I'm sucking off you."

  Kane sighed and tightened his arms around her. "Honey, I certainly don't want you to feel that way. But until you're regularly getting good royalties from your books—which I have no doubt you will soon—could you think of yourself as contributing to this relationship in a different way instead of focusing on the financial aspect?"

  "Like how?" she asked, her mind already trying to seek the answer to his question.

  "For me, your most important contribution is how you relax me."

  She snorted. "Relax you? After all the stress and drama you just went through because of me?"

  He laughed before resuming a serious countenance. "Let me say that again. For me, your most important contribution is how you make me feel good. I'm not just talking about the sex, which is incredible with you, but generally, you make me feel like I'm doing what I love."

  She frowned. "What do you mean?"

  "I love looking after you. I love keeping you safe. I love being with you. You inspire me to reach for more stars, to conquer more mountains, to achieve more goals. You make my life so much more meaningful. For me, my way of thanking you for all that is to give you what you need so you can make your own dreams come true."

  Her eyes filled with tears. She had never felt so loved and appreciated as she did in that moment. She wrapped her arms around Kane and buried her face in his neck. "Thank you."

  "It's my honest-to-goodness pleasure, baby. Now will you let me give you a credit card? And will you use it? This is not me being driven by my male ego to provide for my girl. I'm never going to stop you from making money for yourself. But I want you to earn your money from your writing, because I know that's what you most love to do."

  She leaned back in his arms and smiled. "Okay. And I promise to write great books that people will love to buy, not because I want to stop you from looking after me, but because that will be my way of thanking you for supporting my dreams."

  She sealed that promise with a kiss.

  *******

  Hello, Jasmine. You really are something, aren't you? There I was thinking your hotshot boyfriend dumped you after seeing him in the papers with another woman, then the next thing I heard, you've moved in with him!

  Well, I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised. What else could I have expected from a gold-digger like you?

  But you know what? Life's a bitch and you have to be able to take what you dish out. You've stuffed up other people's lives so you should know what it feels like to have yours stuffed up.

  By the way, congratulations! I heard your stories just got picked up by a XXX magazine (wink-wink). How much did they pay for them? Where did you get those really naughty pictures from? Did you get those people to pose for you?

  You know what? I could just imagine how much more popular you would be if your smutty stories included an author's profile—with a naked picture of you with your bio…

  Jasmine gasped in shock. Surely George didn't have a naked picture of her. She had never allowed any boyfriend to take a naked picture no matter how hard they pleaded. Could he have taken one when she wasn't looking? She honestly hoped not.

  And what did he mean about 'her' stories appearing in a XXX magazine? Did he submit them on false pretences? Which magazine? It worried her that a porno magazine might be carrying stories with her real name and picture as the author.

  It was clear from the email what George's motivation was. Revenge. But why was he blaming her for stuffing up his relationship? She hadn't done anything but set the record straight with his ex. What was more, she didn't approach the woman, his ex was the one who found her!

  She shook her head in disbelief. The guy was clearly insane. It was obvious he meant to continue to hound her until he got tired of it—or until he was stopped.

  *******

  "I'm going to kill this fucker when I see him," Kane said vehemently as he paced the length of their bedroom, raking his hand through his hair repeatedly. "Are you sure he doesn't have a naked picture of you? Or one lying somewhere that he could have accessed?"

  "No one has ever taken a naked picture of me. And I don't know how he could have taken one without my knowledge."

  "Perhaps when you were asleep? Did you ever sleep naked with him?" The thought of Jasmine having slept with someone else was enough to make his gut clench. That she might have slept naked next to a deranged man made him feel sick.

  "No. We never stayed overnight in each other's places. No wonder he was against it. He was hiding me from his fiancée."

  Kane breathed a sigh of relief.

  "We're going to the police with this, Jaz. And we're seeing a lawyer, too," he said quietly. "If this guy is as loony as he appears to be, he just might do something really stupid, beyond sending you these disturbing emails. We still don't know for sure if he does or doesn't have a naked picture of you."

  "Okay," she agreed after a short silence. "I thought you're the one we're trying to protect, not me," she said teasingly.

  "This is serious, Jasmine," he chided.

  "Yes, Kane," she said in a chastened voice.

  "I just don't want this guy destroying your reputation."

  Jasmine smiled. "That's what I've been saying all along ab
out your reputation. Now you know how I feel."

  "Well, this time, we're working on this together. Not you taking matters into your own hands and breaking my heart in the process," he said, his tone tinged with hurt from the memory.

  "Oh, honey," Jasmine said softly. "Will you ever forgive me for that?"

  He exhaled loudly and reached out for her. "Of course. I love you."

  He frowned as worry enveloped him. "Maybe you shouldn't stay in the house all by yourself when I'm at work."

  "Kane, your house is so secure you don't have to worry."

  "Our house. Still, I worry you're by yourself. Maybe you can work in one of our boardrooms in the office."

  "I'll be fine here. Honestly, you're the most overprotective person in the world."

  He heard the exasperation in her voice and smiled. "It takes one to know one."

  Until this blackmailer was stopped, Kane could see himself having hellish days at work, missing her and worrying about her.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Jasmine hummed to herself as she loaded her groceries into the boot of her mother's car. As she pushed the empty trolley to the bay, she turned her mind to the dinner she'd cook at her parents' place tonight.

  She loved that Kane had business to attend to in Melbourne today. It was a pleasant surprise to her parents that they were visiting unexpectedly. They were even staying overnight at her mum and dad's before flying back home tomorrow.

  "Jasmine?" a voice called out.

  She froze. She knew that voice. Her head turned to where the sound came from. There was George, staring at her in amazement.

  "Hi! I'm surprised to see you here. I thought you'd moved to Sydney," he said conversationally.

  Anger flared within her. Here was the man who had singlehandedly messed with her head and had threatened to ruin her and Kane's future, yet he stood there as if he hadn't done anything wrong.

  "How dare you," she hissed, daylight and other people walking about the public car park cloaking her with a sense of safety.