Page 53 of Love Everlasting

The thought was so out of left field, he actually blinked, downright ticked off for even thinking that way. Jazz was a modern woman, for pity’s sake, just like he’d been a modern man, part of a society where anything goes. Pleasure-seekers all, yes, but searching for love in all the wrong places. And utterly blind to something Shannon had taught him well.

Love does not act improperly, is not selfish …

He sighed as his gaze veered off into another dead stare ...

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Sam looked up when Jack stuck his head in the door with a suspicious grin on his face. “Hey, buddy, your last appointment is here.”

Sam’s gaze darted to the clock on his wall and back, brows in a scrunch. “I don’t have anymore appointments today.”

Grinning, Jack pushed the door open, and Jasmine walked in. The scent of her Bombshell perfume was true to its name, all prior thoughts of anything else in his brain completely blown to bits.

“Oh, but you do, Dr. Cunningham,” she said with a seductive smile, “and I’m afraid it’s an emergency.”

“Jazz …” Her name faded on his tongue as he rose to his feet, gaze traveling her body in natural reflex. Skin-tight jeans and a well-fitting white crop top made his mouth go dry, offering inviting peeks at a tanned and toned stomach. Attraction buzzed through his body like electricity, making it hard to concentrate. “This is a nice surprise …”

“I’m heading out, Ham.” Jack gave him a knowing wink. “But I’m sure you can take it from here. Good night, Jazz.”

She glanced over her shoulder, silky blonde hair trailing bronzed shoulders. “G’night, Jack, and thanks for the encouragement.”

Jack waved and closed the door, and Jazz faced Sam again, a hint of timidity in her manner that he’d never seen before. “Hi,” she said softly, teeth nibbling on those luscious lips that had once been his drug of choice.

“What encouragement?” He rounded his desk and perched on the front edge with a smile, arms crossed in a loose fold. “And I thought today was your day off—what are you doing here?”

She moved in close enough to make his pulse sprint when her body almost grazed his knees. “I came to see you, silly, since I haven’t seen or heard from you in over a week …”

He blinked. Had it really been that long? He scratched the curls at the back of his head, heat creeping up his neck. “Sorry, Jazz, it’s been pretty crazy at work …”

“Weekends too?” she whispered, the barest trace of hurt in her tone.

The heat converged in his face. “Yeah, I’m pretty slammed on weekends, too, unfortunately. I’m still mentoring and coaching inner-city basketball like before, but now I’m occasionally volunteering at Camp Hope—”

“That never stopped you before,” she said softly, halting his pulse altogether when she idly smoothed the curls he’d rumpled at the nape of his neck. Her eyes were pools of concern, like the time she’d been insecure about her relationship with Jack. “At least not on Saturday nights as I recall …”

His shoulders lifted in an awkward shrug, smile sheepish. “You’re going to laugh when I tell you this, I know, but Jack’s been pestering me for months to go to his church, so I finally caved.”

Her eyes grew. “You went to church?”

He grinned. “Well, not church exactly, but I played volleyball with the singles and young marrieds’ group in the church gym, so you know Jack—it’s only a matter of time till he gets me in the pews.”

Jazz traced a gentle finger down his arm, her eyes following the motion rather than looking at him. “Was she there? Your new best friend?”

“Jack’s sister?” Heart stammering, Sam sensed the first shred of jealousy he’d ever seen in Jasmine before—at least with him.

“Yeah.” Her lashes flipped up as she stared at him with a tinge of apprehension. “Shannon, is it?”

He expelled a long wavering breath, hardly able to believe the shoe was finally on the other foot with the woman he loved. “Yeah, Shan was there. Why?”

She gave a little shrug, as if feigning indifference. “No reason. It’s just that I thought you and I were friends, too, Sam, but I don’t see you nearly as much as Shannon does.”

There was a time when he would have teased her about being jealous, gloating that he could elicit a response out of her like she always did with him. But not anymore. Now his heart ached that he’d hurt her. Unleashing a heavy sigh, he drew her into a tight hug. “Jazz, you know I love you, both as a friend and as the only woman I’ve ever really wanted. But you belong to Derek right now, and I doubt he’d appreciate my spending so much time with you.”

“I don’t belong to Derek,” she whispered.

The air swirled still in his lungs. Pulse pounding, he held her at arm’s length. “What do you mean ‘you don’t belong to Derek’?”

“I mean I broke it off,” she said with a shy chew of her lip, the sheen of hope in those green eyes shimmering with possibilities. “I finally figured out I’m in love with my old boyfriend.” Caressing his jaw with her fingers, her eyes drifted closed as she grazed her lips against his.