Page 43 of Discretion

He’d made me laugh. He made everything feel so…easy. When I’d been drowning, he felt like a lifeline.

As Kai and I followed Jasper into his bathroom, the sound of sniffing and panting threw me. And then I spied a little gated area with towels on the floor. A cute little dog jumped up and barked, and Kai froze.

“Oh. My. Gosh,” he whispered. “Oh. My…” He turned to me, his eyes bulging. “Mum!”

“I know.” I laughed, that bubble of anxiety that had been building inside me popping.

“How cute are you?” Kai squealed.

And she was adorable. A small wire-haired Dachshund with a brown-and-black coat. Her ears had curly fur, and she was so expressive.

“Is she yours?” Kai asked Jasper.

“Yep.” Jasper beamed. “A rescue pup.”

I narrowed my eyes at Jasper. What was he playing at?

But Jasper’s attention was on Kai, a warm smile on his face. “Here,” he said, stepping forward. “Let me open the gate, and you can play with her.”

“Really?” Kai looked between us as if he couldn’t quite believe his luck. “Can I, Mum?”

“If it’s okay with Jasper, sure.”

“You’d be doing me a big favor,” Jasper said. “She’s been whining all night because she’s lonely, and I wouldn’t let her sleep on the bed. I’m fu—” He stopped himself. “I’m exhausted.”

I patted Jasper on the shoulder. “Welcome to parenthood.”

His expression changed, and the shift was so subtle I would’ve missed it if I hadn’t been watching him so closely.

“Ack!” Kai shouted. “She slobbered on my face. Yuck!”

“Where are your washcloths?” I asked, opening a few drawers. Razor blades neatly in a row. Bars of soap with the Huxley Grand logo. And…oop! Condoms. I slammed the drawer shut. Damn. That was a lot of condoms. All labeled with the Huxley Grand logo.

“Here you go.” Jasper handed me a washcloth, and I prayed that he hadn’t seen me open that drawer.

I held the washcloth under the sink and then wrung it out before handing it to Kai. “Here yougo.”

Kai was in heaven. And the dog seemed pretty happy too, clambering over his lap, playing tug-of-war with the edge of a towel.

“Mum, look!” Kai giggled as the pup licked him. “I think she likes me.”

I laughed. “Yeah. I think she does too.” I turned to Jasper. “Does she have a name?”

“Not yet.” He leaned his hip against the bathroom counter, looking sexier than any man had any right to. “Any ideas?”

Why did he have to be so handsome? A strong jawline,high cheekbones, full lips. A wayward curl that often fell over his face.

Professional. Just be…professional.

To distract myself, I leaned over the fence and smoothed my hand down the puppy’s fur. Though she kept trying to nip or lick me. “Fiddlesticks.”

“Fiddlesticks?” Jasper asked.

I peered at him over my shoulder, only to find him staring at my ass. I quirked an eyebrow, and his eyes met mine. He didn’t even try to hide the fact that he’d been checking me out.

Oh, this is bad.

“Fiddlesticks,” Jasper said again.