Page 36 of A Mother for His Twins

‘No. Just sounding old,’ she countered.

‘Thank you very much.’

Jennifer laughed again and placed a hand on his arm. ‘I didn’t mean it like that. You’re only two years older than I am so it wouldn’t do me much good to rib you about your age.’

‘No, it wouldn’t.’ He looked down at where her hand rested on his arm, feeling the warmth, her humour and her natural ability to care. Jennifer was the type of person who didn’t want anything to be misconstrued if she could help it. Jasper had also realised that not many people got to see this side of her yet she was allowing him to. It made him feel quite privileged.

As though she realised she was touching him, she quickly removed her hand, hoping he didn’t think she was making a pass at him or leading him on in some way. Slowly, she raised her eyes to meet his and found him smiling. Letting out the small breath she’d been holding, she watched as he crossed his muscled arms over his chest, the fabric of his cotton shirt pulling taut over his biceps.

‘Who told you my age?’

Jennifer, trying desperately to ignore the way her body responded to his, opened her mouth to answer, but he’d already figured it out.

‘Sara,’ he continued.

‘Well, yes, but it’s also in your personnel file.’ Her eyes widened as she realised he might take that the wrong way.

‘Been checking on my academic transcript, boss?’

Jennifer lifted her chin slightly and Jasper couldn’t help but smile. He was coming to love it when she did that.

‘I’ve been checking up on all my staff, if you must know.’ But she wouldn’t tell him she’d pored over every aspect of his for quite some time. It was as though she was becoming obsessed with him, with wanting to know everything about him, thinking about him…dreaming about him. ‘It’s not uncommon for a new head of unit to want to know the capabilities of the staff, both practically and academically.’

‘No. Not uncommon at all.’ He was still smiling and he sounded as though he didn’t believe her one little bit but, thankfully, it appeared he was going to let her get away with it. They stood there, looking at each other, the atmosphere intensifying. She needed to break the moment. She knew that but the signals her brain was sending to her limbs, particularly her legs, that they should move were being interrupted by the hypnotic way Jasper was looking at her.

‘Uh…Jen.’ He cleared his throat, surprised to find he was a little nervous about asking her out.

‘Mmm?’

‘Are you free this evening?’

Her eyebrows raised. ‘Free?’

‘Not busy? And I’m not talking about paperwork. That is not a valid excuse.’

‘What would be a valid excuse, then?’

‘An emergency.’

She waited for him to give her other options but none were forthcoming. ‘That’s it? An emergency is my only form of excuse?’

‘Yes.’ He smiled, feeling more sure of himself. ‘Anyway, I have tickets.’ He dug into his trouser pocket and pulled out two tickets, showing her. ‘It’s for a concert tonight at the Sydney Opera House and I just thought that if you weren’t…’

Jennifer took a ticket from him and examined it more closely. ‘Rock ’n’ roll classics?’

‘It’s not opera or anything like that. It’s just different well-known Australian bands playing their favourite rock ’n’ roll classics. Given that you like that period of music so well, I just thought…’ he shrugged ‘…that you might like to go.’

Jennifer looked at the ticket and then back at Jasper. ‘You bought tickets?’

‘Obviously.’

‘When?’

‘Two days ago. I wasn’t sure what the rosters would be, given people were off sick.’

‘Fair enough.’

‘So?’ he prompted, when she didn’t say anything else, still staring at the ticket as though she couldn’t quite believe it. ‘Would you like to go?’

Jennifer nodded, excited by not only the prospect of going to a concert—something she hadn’t done since she’d been a med student—but of going with Jasper. ‘Yes, please.’

Jasper couldn’t believe the relief he felt at her answer. ‘Great. Excellent.’ He indicated the ticket in her hand. ‘Do you want to hold onto that or would you like me to keep it for you?’

‘Keep them together.’ She handed it back. ‘They’re a pair.’

He grinned at her words. ‘Yes, they are.’ Was that an indication that she was ready to take their own relationship up another step? To be a pair? He certainly hoped so. ‘I’ll start praying for no big emergencies tonight.’

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