The Rumours Collection

Jaz pulled out from under his hold and crossed her arms over her body. ‘No. I don’t want to even think about that night. I don’t even know if I gave the guy the okay to mess around. I was the one who started flirting with him in the first place. But then things got a little hazy. It would be his word against mine and you know what the defence lawyers would make of that. I was too drunk to know what I was doing.’

‘But he might’ve spiked your drink or something,’ Jake said. ‘He committed a crime. A crime for which he should be punished.’

‘That only happens in the movies,’ Jaz said. ‘I’ve moved on. It would make things so much harder for me if I had to revisit that night in a courtroom.’

His frown made a road map of lines on his forehead. ‘I can see why you hate me so much. I’m as guilty as that lowlife.’

‘No,’ she said. ‘That’s not true.’

‘Isn’t it?’

Jaz bit her lip. ‘I know it looks like I’ve blamed you all this time but that’s just the projection of negative emotion. I guess I used you as a punching bag because I felt so ashamed.’

Jake came over to her and took her hands from where they were wrapped around her body, holding them gently in his. ‘You have no need to be ashamed, Jaz. You were just a kid. I was the adult and I acted appallingly. I shouldn’t have given you any encouragement. Leading you on like that only to throw those girls in your face was wrong. I should’ve been straight with you right from the get-go.’

Jaz gave him a wobbly smile. ‘You just called me Jaz. You haven’t done that in years.’

His hands gave hers a gentle squeeze. ‘We’d better get a move on. My client isn’t the most patient of men. That is if you’re still okay with going? I can always tell him you had something on and go by myself.’

‘I’m fine,’ she said. And she was surprised to find it was true. Having Jake of all people being so understanding, caring and protective made something hard and tight inside her chest loosen like a knotted rope suddenly being released.

He gently grazed her cheek with the backs of his knuckles. ‘Thank you for telling me.’

‘I’d rather you didn’t tell anyone else,’ Jaz said. ‘I don’t want people to look at me differently.’

‘Not even Miranda?’

She pulled at her lip with her teeth. ‘Miranda would be hurt if I told her now. She’d blame herself for not watching out for me. You know what a little mother hen she is.’

Jake’s frown was back. ‘But surely—?’

‘No,’ Jaz said, sending him a determined look. ‘Don’t make me regret telling you. Promise me you won’t betray my trust.’

He let out a frustrated sigh. ‘I promise. But I swear to God, if I find out who hurt you I’ll tear him apart with my bare hands.’

CHAPTER SEVEN

LATER, IN THE car going back to Jaz’s place, Jake wondered how on earth he’d swung the deal with his client. His mind hadn’t been on the game the whole way through dinner. All he’d been able to think about was what Jaz had told him about that wretched night after she had left his room. He was so churned up with a toxic cocktail of anger, guilt and an unnerving desire for revenge that he’d given his client, Bruce Parnell, the impression he was a distracted, lovesick fool rather than a savvy businessman. But that didn’t seem to matter because at the end of the dinner his client had signed on the dotted line and wished Jake and Jaz all the best for their future.

Their future.

What was their future?

Jake was so used to bickering with her that he wasn’t sure how he was going to navigate being friends with her instead. While it had been pistols and pissy looks at dawn, he’d been able to keep his distance. But now she’d shared her painful secret with him he couldn’t carry on as if nothing had changed. Everything had changed. The whole dynamic of their relationship was different. He wanted to protect her. To fix it for her. To give her back her innocence so she didn’t have to carry around the shame she felt. A shame she had no need to feel because the jerk who had assaulted her was the one who should be ashamed.

But Jake too felt shame. Deep, gut-clawing shame. Shame that he hadn’t handled her infatuation with him more sensitively. His actions had propelled her into danger—danger that could have been avoided if he had been a little more understanding. He could see now why Jaz had stepped in with the engagement charade when Emma Madden had turned up at the door. She had been sensitive to the girl’s need for dignity, offering her a safe way home with someone at the other end to make sure she was all right.

What had he done? He had sent Jaz from his room in an acute state of public humiliation only to fall into the hands of some creep who’d plied her with drink and drugs and God knew what else. Had that been her first experience of sex—being groped and manhandled by a drunken idiot? He couldn’t remember if she’d had a boyfriend back then. Miranda had been going out with Mark Redbank from a young age but Jaz had never seemed all that interested in boys. Not until she’d developed that crush on him.

He couldn’t bear the thought of her being touched in such a despicable way. Was that why she only ever dated men she could control? None of her ex-fiancés were what one would even loosely consider as alpha men. Was that deliberate or unconscious on her part?

Jake glanced at her sitting quietly in the passenger seat beside him. She was looking out at the rain-lashed street, her hands absently fiddling with the clasp on her evening bag. ‘You okay?’ he said.

She turned her head to look at him, a vacant smile on her face. ‘Sorry. I think I used up all my scintillating conversation at dinner.’

‘You did a great job,’ Jake said. ‘Bruce Parnell was quite taken with you. He was being cagey about signing up with me but you had him at hello.’

‘Did you know he fell in love with his late wife the very first time they met? And they married three months later and never spent more than two nights apart for the whole of their marriage? He would fly back by private jet if he had to just to be with her.’

He glanced at her again between gear changes. ‘He told you all that?’

‘And he’s still grieving her loss even though it’s been ten years. It reminded me of Miranda after Mark died.’

‘Luckily Leandro got her to change her mind,’ Jake said. ‘I was sure she was going to end up a spinster living with a hundred cats.’

Jaz gave a tinkling laugh. ‘I was worried too, but they’re perfect for each other. I’ve known it for ages. It was the way Leandro looked at her. He got this really soft look in his eyes.’

Jake grunted. ‘Another one bites the dust.’

‘What have you got against marriage? It doesn’t always end badly. Look at Mr Parnell.’

‘That sort of marriage is the exception,’ Jake said. ‘Look at my parents. They’re heading for another show-stopping divorce as far as I can tell. It was bad enough the first time.’

‘Clearly Julius doesn’t hold the same view as you,’ she said. ‘And yet he went through the same experience of your parents’ divorce.’

‘It was different for Julius,’ Jake said. ‘He found solace in studying and working hard. I found it hard to adjust to boarding school. I pushed against the boundaries. Rubbed the teachers up the wrong way. Wasted their time and my own.’

‘But you’ve done so well for yourself. Aren’t you happy with your achievements?’

Was he happy? Up until a few days ago he had been perfectly happy. But now there was a niggling doubt chewing at the edge of his conscience. He moved around so much it was hard to know where was home. He had a base in London but most of the time he lived out of hotel rooms. He never cooked at home. He ate out. He didn’t spend the night with anyone because he hated morning-after scenes. He didn’t do reruns. One night was enough to scratch the itch. But how long could he keep on moving? The fast lane was a lonely place at times. Not that he was going to admit that to Jaz—or to anyone, when it came to that.

But this recent drama with Emma Madden had got him thinking. Everyone saw him as shallow and self-serving. He hadn’t given a toss for anyone’s opinion before now but now it sat uncomfortably on him like an ill-fitting jacket. What if people thought he was like the man who had groped Jaz? That he was taking advantage of young women who were a little star-struck. It had never concerned him before. He had always enjoyed exploiting his parents’ fame. He had used it to open doors in business and in pleasure. But how long could he go on doing it? He was turning into a cliché. The busty blondes he attracted only wanted him because he was good looking and had famous parents. They didn’t know him as a person.

Jake pulled up outside Jaz’s flat above her boutique. ‘How long have you been living above the shop?’ he asked as he walked her to the door.

She gave him a wary look. ‘Is this another “how to run your business” lecture?’

‘It’s a nice place but pretty small. And the whole living and working in the same place can be a drag after a while.’

‘Yes, well, I was planning to move in with Myles but he put the brakes on that,’ she said, scowling. ‘His parents don’t like me. They think I’m too pushy and controlling. I think that’s the main reason he wanted a break.’

What’s not to like? What parents wouldn’t be proud to have her as their daughter-in-law? She was smart and funny, and sweet when she let her guard down. His parents were delighted with their ‘engagement’. He hadn’t figured out yet how he was going to tell them when it was over. They would probably never speak to him again. ‘Do you really want to take Myles back?’

Her chin came up. ‘Of course.’

‘What if he doesn’t want to come back?’

She averted her gaze. ‘I deal with that if it happens.’

Jake looked at her for a long beat. ‘You’re not in love with him.’

Her eyes flashed back to his. ‘And you know this how?’

‘Because you’re more concerned about what other people think of you than what he does. That’s what this thing between us is all about. You’re trying to save face, not your relationship.’

She flattened her lips so much they disappeared inside her mouth. ‘I know what I’m doing. I know Myles better than anyone.’

‘If you know him so well why haven’t you told him about that night?’

She flinched as if he had struck her. But then she pulled herself upright as if her spinal column were filling with concrete. ‘Thank you for dinner,’ she said. ‘Good night.’

‘Jaz, wait—’

But the only response he got was the door being slammed in his face.

Jaz was at the boutique the next morning when Miranda came in carrying coffee and muffins. ‘I thought I’d drop in to start the ball rolling on my wed—’ Miranda said, but stopped short when her gaze went to Jaz’s ring hand. ‘Oh, my God. Did Jake buy that for you?’

‘Yes, but it’s just for show.’

Miranda snatched up Jaz’s hand and turned it every which way to see how the light danced off the diamonds. ‘Wow. I didn’t realise he had such good taste in rings and in women.’

Jaz gave her a speaking look. ‘You do realise none of this is for real?’

Miranda’s eyes twinkled. ‘So you both say, but I was just at Jake’s office and he’s like a bear with a sore paw. Did you guys have a tiff?’

‘That’s nothing out of the normal,’ Jaz said, taking her coffee out of the cardboard holder.

Miranda cocked her head like an inquisitive bird. ‘What’s wrong?’

‘Nothing. We just argued...about stuff.’

‘All couples argue,’ Miranda said. ‘It’s normal and healthy.’

‘We’re not a couple,’ Jaz said. ‘We’re an act.’

Miranda frowned. ‘You’re not seriously still thinking of going back to Myles?’

Jaz pushed back from her work table. ‘That’s the plan.’

‘It’s a dumb plan,’ Miranda said. ‘A stupid plan that’s totally wrong for you and for Myles. Can’t you see that? You’re not in love with him. You’re in love with Jake.’

Jaz laughed. ‘No, I’m not. I’m not that much of a fool.’

‘I think he’s in love with you.’

Jaz frowned. ‘What makes you think that?’

‘He bought you that ring for one thing,’ Miranda said. ‘Look at it. It’s the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen—apart from my own, of course.’

‘It’s just a prop.’

‘A jolly expensive one.’ Miranda leaned over the counter and lifted the scarf Jaz had tied around her neck. ‘Aha! I knew it. More diamonds. That brother of mine has got it so bad.’

‘It’s a goodwill gesture,’ Jaz said. ‘I helped him nail an important business deal last night.’

Miranda stood back with a grin. ‘Has he sent you flowers?’

Just then the bell at the back of the door pinged and in came a deliveryman with an armful of long-stemmed snow-white roses tied with a black satin ribbon. ‘Delivery for Miss Jasmine Connolly.’

‘I’ll take that as a yes,’ Miranda said once the deliveryman had left.

‘They might be from Myles,’ Jaz said. Not that Myles had ever bought flowers in the past. He thought they were a waste of money—ironic, given he had more money than most people ever dreamed of having.

‘Read the card.’

Jaz gave her a brooding look as she unpinned the velum envelope from the arrangement. She took out the card and read the message: I’m sorry. Jake.

‘They’re from Jake, aren’t they?’ Miranda said.

‘Yes, but—’

Miranda snatched the card out of Jaz’s hand. ‘Oh, how sweet! He’s saying sorry. Gosh, only a man in love does that.’

‘Or a man in the wrong.’

Miranda’s smooth brow furrowed in a frown. ‘What did he do?’

Jaz shifted her lips from side to side. Why was everything suddenly so darn complicated? ‘Haven’t you got heaps of dusty old paintings to restore?’ she said.

Miranda chewed at her lower lip. ‘Is it about that night? I know that’s always been a sore point between you two. Is that what he was apologising for?’

Jaz let out a long breath. ‘In a way.’

‘But he didn’t do anything. He didn’t sleep with you. He’s always flatly denied it. He would never have done anything like that. He thought you were just a kid.’ Miranda swallowed. ‘He didn’t sleep with you...did he?’

‘No, but someone else tried to,’ Jaz said.

Miranda’s eyes went wide in horror. ‘What do you mean?’

‘I stupidly flirted with this guy at the party after I left Jake’s room,’ Jaz explained. ‘I only did it as a payback to Jake. I don’t know how it happened but I suddenly found myself fighting off this drunken guy in one of the downstairs bathrooms. I thought he was going to rape me. I was so shocked and frightened but somehow I managed to get away.’

Miranda’s hands were clasped against her mouth in shock. ‘Oh, my God! That’s awful! Why didn’t you tell me?’

‘I wanted to tell you,’ Jaz said. ‘Many times. But I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. You were dealing with Mark’s cancer and I didn’t want to add to your misery. I felt so ashamed and dirty.’

‘Oh, you poor darling,’ Miranda said, flinging her arms around Jaz and hugging her. ‘I wish I’d known so I could have done something to help you. I feel like I’ve let you down.’

‘You didn’t,’ Jaz said. ‘You’ve always been there for me.’

Miranda pulled back to look at her. ‘So that’s why you only ever dated vanilla men, isn’t it?’

She scrunched up her nose. ‘What do you mean?’

‘You know exactly what I mean,’ Miranda said. ‘Bland men. Men you can control. You’ve never gone for the alpha type.’

Jaz gave a little lip shrug. ‘Maybe...’

Miranda was still looking at her thoughtfully. ‘So Jake was the first person you’ve ever told?’

Jaz nodded. ‘Weird, huh?’

‘Not so weird,’ Miranda said. ‘You respect him. You always have. That’s why he annoys you so much. He sees the you no one else sees.’

Jaz fingered the velvet-soft petals of the roses once Miranda had left. Why had Jake sent her white roses? They were a symbol of purity, virtue and innocence. Was that how he saw her?

Miranda was full of romantic notions because she was madly in love herself. Of course she would like to think her brother was in love with her best friend. But Jake wasn’t the type to fall in love. He was too much of a free agent.

Not that Jaz had any right to be thinking along those lines. She was on a mission to win back Myles. Myles was the man she planned to settle down with. Not a man like Jake who would pull against the restraints of commitment like a wild stallion on a leading rein.

Myles was safe and predictable.

Jake was danger personified.

But that didn’t mean she couldn’t flirt with danger just a wee bit longer.

Jake had never been so fed up with work. He couldn’t get his mind to focus on the spreadsheets he was supposed to be analysing. All he wanted to do was go to Jaz’s boutique and see if she was still speaking to him. She hadn’t called or texted since they had parted last night. The absence of communication would have delighted him a week ago. Now it was like a dragging ache inside his chest. She was a stubborn little thing. She would get on her high horse and not come down even if it collapsed beneath her. That was why she was still hung up on Myles. She wasn’t in love with her ex. It was her pride that had taken a hit. She hadn’t even told the guy the most devastating thing that had happened to her.

Jake couldn’t think about that night without feeling sick. He blamed himself. He had brought that on her by being so insensitive. Why hadn’t he gone and checked on her later? He could at least have made an effort to see she was okay. But no, he had partied on as if nothing was wrong, leaving her open to exploitation at the hands of some lowlife creep who had tried to take advantage of her in the worst way imaginable.

Jake’s phone buzzed with an incoming message. He picked it up to read it:

Thanks for the roses. Jaz.

He smiled and texted back:

Free for dinner tonight?

Her message came back:

Busy.

He frowned, his gut tensing when he thought of whom she might be busy with. Was it Myles? Was she meeting her ex to try and convince him to come back to her? He waited a minute or two before texting back:

We still on for the w/end?

She texted back.

If u r free?

Jake grimaced as he thought of wandering around a wedding expo all weekend but he figured a man had to do what a man had to do.

He texted back.

I’m all yours.

CHAPTER EIGHT

JAZ WAS READY and waiting for Jake to come to her flat on Friday after work to pick her up. They had only communicated via text messages since yesterday. He had called a couple of times but she hadn’t answered or returned the calls. Not that he had left a voice mail message. She hadn’t realised how much she had been looking forward to hearing his voice until she checked her voice mail and found it annoyingly silent. Myles, on the other hand, had left several messages asking to meet with her to talk. They were each a variation on his earlier call where he’d told her Jake would never stick around long enough to cast a shadow.

The funny thing was Jake had cast a very long shadow. It was cast all over her life. She could barely recall a time when he hadn’t been in it. Ever since she was eight years old she had been a part of his life and he of hers. Even once their charade was over he would still be a part of her life. There would be no avoiding him, not with Julius and Holly’s wedding coming up, not to mention Miranda and Leandro’s a few months after. Jaz was going to be a bridesmaid at both. There would be other family gatherings to navigate: Christmas, Easter and birthdays. His mother Elisabetta was turning sixty next month in late November and there was no way either Jake or Jaz could ever do a no-show without causing hurt and the sort of drama everyone could do without.

The doorbell sounded and her heart gave a little flutter. Jake was fifteen minutes early. Did that mean he was looking forward to the weekend? Looking forward to being with her? She opened the door to find Myles standing there with a sheepish look on his face. ‘Myles...’ Jaz faltered. ‘Erm... I’m kind of busy right now.’

‘I have to talk to you,’ he said. ‘It’s important you hear it from me before you hear it from someone else.’

‘Hear what?’

‘I’m seeing someone else. It’s...serious.’

Jaz blinked. ‘How serious?’

‘I know it seems sudden but I’ve known her for ages. We were childhood friends. Do you remember me telling you about Sally Coombes?’

‘Yes, but—’

‘I wasn’t unfaithful to you, if that’s what you’re thinking,’ Myles said. ‘Not while we were officially together.’

Jaz hadn’t been thinking it, which was kind of weird, as she knew she probably should have been. All she could think was that she had to get rid of Myles before Jake got here, as she didn’t want Jake to end their ‘engagement’ before she attended the wedding expo. She couldn’t bear to go to it alone. Everyone would be taking photos and posting messages about her being so unlucky in love. Not a good look for a wedding designer. What would that do to her credibility? To her pride? People would find out eventually. She couldn’t hope to keep Jake acting as her fiancé indefinitely. But one weekend—maybe another couple of weeks—was surely not too much to ask? ‘But you’ve been calling and leaving all those messages,’ she said. ‘Why didn’t you say something then?’

‘I wanted to tell you in person,’ Myles said. ‘I’m sorry if I’ve hurt you, Jaz. But I’ve had my doubts about us for a while now. I guess that’s why I instigated the break. It was only when I caught up with Sally I realised why I was baulking. As soon as we started talking, I realised she was the one. We dated when we were younger. She was my first girlfriend and I was her first boyfriend. It’s like it’s meant to be. I hope you can understand and find it in yourself to forgive me for messing you around.’

‘I don’t know what to say...’ Jaz said. ‘Congratulations?’

Myles looked a little pained. ‘I want you to be happy. I really do. You’re a great girl. I care about you. That’s why I’m so concerned about your involvement with Jake Ravensdale. I don’t want him to break your heart.’

Jaz stretched her lips into a rictus smile. ‘I’m a big girl. I can handle Jake.’

Myles looked doubtful. ‘Sally and I aren’t making a formal announcement for a week or two. We thought it would be more appropriate to wait for a bit. I just wanted you to be one of the first to know.’

‘Thanks for dropping by,’ Jaz said. ‘I appreciate it. Now, I’m sure you have heaps to do. I won’t keep you. Say hi to Sally for me. Tell her if she wants a good deal on a wedding dress I’m the person she needs to see.’

‘No hard feelings?’ Myles said.

‘No hard feelings,’ Jaz said, and was surprised and more than a little shocked to find it was true.

Myles had not long disappeared around the corner when Jake’s sports car prowled to the kerb. Jaz watched as he unfolded himself from behind the wheel with athletic grace. He was wearing dark-blue jeans and a round-neck white T-shirt with a charcoal-grey cashmere sweater over the top. His hair was still damp from a recent shower as she could see the deep grooves where either his fingers or a wide-toothed comb had been. His jaw was freshly shaven and as he came up to where she was standing on the doorstep she could smell the clean, sharp citrus tang of his aftershave.

Funny, but she hadn’t even noticed what Myles had been wearing, the scent of his aftershave or even if he had been wearing any.