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He picked up her hand and, turning over her palm, pressed a kiss on the sensitive underside of her thumb, his dark eyes holding hers like a powerful magnet. Hayley felt her stomach drop like an out-of-control elevator, her legs turning to water as his tongue came out and tasted the centre of her palm.
‘Mmm … what’s that flavour?’ he asked, sniffing her palm.
‘Um …’ She sucked in a prickly little breath. ‘It’s probably vanilla hand cream …’
He released her hand and looked down at the appointment book. ‘Well, what do you know?’ he said. ‘You’ve got the whole afternoon free. Lucky me.’
‘I’m supposed to be doing paperwork,’ she said, tightening her mouth.
‘It can wait. I have something to give you.’
‘You can give it to me here,’ she said.
‘What I want to give you demands absolute privacy,’ he insisted.
Her eyes widened a fraction. ‘I hope you’re not getting any funny ideas about our relationship,’ she said, gripping the counter to steady herself from the onslaught of his smouldering dark gaze.
The door pinged open behind him and Hayley had to strip the glare off her face and smile past Jasper’s broad shoulder as one of Lucy’s regulars came in. ‘Hello, Mrs French,’ she said. ‘I—I’ll just let Lucy know you’re here.’
Mrs French smiled up at Jasper as Hayley went out back. ‘You must be Hayley’s new fiancé. I’ve heard all about you. I must say you’re a big improvement on the last. I thought he was far too old for her.’
Jasper smiled down at the older woman. ‘I’m very glad you approve.’
‘Oh, I do,’ Mrs French said. ‘That dear girl needs a man with a bit of get up and go in him. It always seemed to me Myles Lederman’s get up and go got up and went a long time ago.’
Hayley came back out to hear Jasper chuckling with amusement and sent him a cold little look as Lucy ushered her client through to the treatment room.
‘What’s so funny?’ she asked.
‘Nothing,’ he said, still smiling.
She pursed her mouth at him again. ‘Let’s get this over with,’ she said, and retrieved her bag from beneath the front counter. ‘But I can’t be away long. Lucy’s fully booked and our part-time receptionist is off today.’
‘This won’t take long,’ he said, and led her out to his car parked outside.
Hayley strapped herself into the seat belt, trying not to notice how very close his muscular thigh was to hers with only the gear stick to separate them.
She felt herself being thrown back in the seat by the G-force of the car as it surged out of the parking space and she clutched at the arm-rest in alarm. ‘Do we have to go so fast?’ she gulped as he shifted his way through the gears.
He flicked a playful glance her way. ‘You said you were short of time.’
‘You don’t have to break the speed limit.’
‘I won’t break any rules,’ he said, and turned back to the traffic, ‘or at least not unless I’m tempted way beyond my endurance.’
She turned in her seat to look at him. ‘What on earth do you mean by that?’
He gave her one of his enigmatic smiles. ‘Just don’t tempt me, baby girl,’ he warned. ‘Otherwise you might find yourself flat on your back with me showing you just how good my get up and go is.’
Hayley felt the scorch of embarrassment firing in her cheeks. ‘You wouldn’t dare!’
‘You know all about me and your little dares,’ he said.
‘We made an agreement,’ she reminded him tersely.
‘I know, but the way I see it living together is going to test that agreement to the limit.’
‘I don’t see how since you made it perfectly clear you’re not the least bit attracted to me.’
