His Sweet Fix

by Sofia Grey

  “Are you okay?” I wished I could take the words back. It was obvious he was anything but.

  Jasper glanced at me. “Uh huh. It’s Karma.” He must have interpreted my blank expression correctly. “My dogs knocked you over.”

  The jogger picked up his stick and handed it to him. “Are you sure there isn’t anything I can get for you?”

  “It’s okay,” he said. “Keep a tight hold on Chewie.”

  “I will. Thank you.”

  I supported him the two steps to my car, and then helped him into the seat, slow and steady.

  When he tried to lift his bad leg, to maneuver into position, he flinched and bit his lip. “Fuck,” he whispered. “That hurt.”

  “Are you okay?” I asked again, and then hurried to clarify. “I mean, can you handle the ride home, or do you want to rest a while first?”

  He wiped his face with a trembling hand. “I need some strong painkillers and to lie down for half an hour. Don’t suppose you can help with either?”

  “Actually, yes. My apartment is only five minutes’ drive, and I have drugs. Legal ones.”

  *

  My apartment block also had a working elevator, and it wasn’t long before I helped Jasper hobble along the corridor to my place. Each step looked painful, and his face held a green tinge that suggested he wasn’t far from throwing up. He leaned heavily against me, and after a moment’s hesitation, I slipped one arm around his waist.

  He was all hard muscle beneath the fleece and T-shirt, and my X-rated dream leapt back into my head. As if I needed to be thinking about inked ivy leaves. With some effort, I pushed the images away and focused on getting him into my lounge.

  I guided him to the armchair and eased him into a sitting position, hating the hitch in his breath when his ass hit the seat. I left him to regroup, and bustled around, gathering what he needed.

  The large beanbag was first. I settled it in front of him. “When you’re ready, rest your leg on this. It’ll adapt to your shape.” Next I handed him a glass of water and a blister pack of painkillers. “These are prescription strength. Take two. I had a bad back last year and only used a couple of them. They’re good but can make you sleepy.”

  He gave me a ghost of a smile. “Thank you.”

  I went back into the kitchen, all of six steps away, and returned with a pair of warmed wheatbags, fresh from the microwave. “These will help too. Once you get your leg up, I can drape them around the painful zones, and they’ll prevent your muscles from locking up.”

  Jasper nodded. “Sounds fucking amazing. Help me get into position?”

  While he lifted his leg, I shifted the beanbag into place, and then at his direction, wrapped the wheatbags around his lower leg. He groaned, swallowed two of the pills, and gulped down the water.

  “Thanks again. I fucked up your plans for this evening, didn’t I?”

  I shrugged. “My plans are fluid, and I’d rather not drive back in this weather. You can have the bed. I’ll sleep on the sofa.”

  “I won’t take your bed.”

  “It’s no big deal. We could do with something to eat, too. What do you feel like?”

  “What do you have?”

  “Not much. I cleaned out the fridge before I left for the beach. I’ll order in. There’s a great Malaysian place up the street. It’s basic food, but big portions and yummy.”

  “Sounds good. Let me pay, though.”

  “Nah. I’ve got it.”

  He and Holly had been so helpful, it felt good to be the other way around, for a change. I grabbed the printed menu from the chalkboard in the kitchen and placed an order, charging it to my debit card.

  I woke this morning from the sexiest dream ever, and tonight I might have Jasper sleeping in my bed for real. Without me, of course, but even so, this was guaranteed to send my rampant libido into overdrive. I wanted to hug myself at the thought.

  Chapter Fifteen

  I pottered about while we waited for the food to arrive, sorting out plates and cutlery and glasses of water. Jasper looked more comfortable, and flicked through the movies on Netflix while I busied myself in the kitchen.

  “Found it,” he said. “Independence Day, the original. You have to watch it, Caitlin. Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, and aliens. What’s not to like?”

  His good humor made me smile. I’d already decided to make the most of this evening and enjoy it for what it was. How often would have I have the pleasure of spending it with someone as adorable as Jasper? He wasn’t just beyond hot to look at, he was also kind and generous, and my stomach did little flips when he was near.

  The way he teased me was the same as the way he spoke to Holly. He probably saw me as another sister. Nothing more—and I had to remember that. I could crush on him, but it would be one-sided.

  Jasper was more suited to the sylph-like blonde in the bar last night. I could picture them together. Running on the beach... Working out together in Jasper’s gym...

  He was only spending some time with me, because he was in too much pain for me to drive home. I pushed away the uncomfortable thoughts. I wanted to enjoy his company, not battle my demons all evening.

  The buzz of someone at the door made for a great distraction. A soaking wet delivery-man stood there, a steaming brown paper bag in his hand.

  “It’s still raining?” I asked.

  He snorted with amusement. “You think? Enjoy your food.”

  I heard the rain against the living room window when I went back in there. It had intensified in the last half-hour, and the wind had risen too. My little apartment felt cold, and I switched on the electric heat pump and closed the curtains against the gloomy weather.

  “Dinner smells good,” said Jasper. “Can I help with anything?”

  “Thanks, but no. Stay where you are.” I served up portions of the fragrant chicken curry, with fluffy roti and spoonfuls of the eye-wateringly spicy pickle that was the specialty of the restaurant.

  With our plates on our laps, we settled down to eat and watch the movie. To my surprise, I enjoyed it. I loved the flashes of comedy, and soon found myself caught up in the story.

  Jasper’s phone pinged with a text from Holly, and he read it aloud. “Hey. Can you stay in town tonight? A landslip is blocking SH1, and half of Wellington is flooded-slash-lost power. Are you both okay?”

  With the TV volume up for the movie, I hadn’t noticed the wind howling, but now I realized it sounded bad. The city was used to stormy weather, and small landslips were common, if inconvenient.

  “I already said you can stay the night,” I said.

  “Thanks.” His thumbs flew over the screen of his phone, and he spoke as he typed. “Cheers, Sis. Yeah, I’ll stay with Caitlin. All good here. See ya.”

  I took the opportunity to clear away the remnants of dinner and put the leftovers in the fridge, before settling down on the sofa again. Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, and the rest of the cast were fleeing into the sky in Air Force One, and it was edge-of-the-seat action.

  Jasper looked at me. “Good, huh?”

  The screen went black. The soft glow from the uplighter disappeared. The apartment was silent. No hum from the heat pump. Nothing, until a heartbeat later came the sound of someone hurling a bucket of gravel at the windows. Hail.

  “Shit.” When the power tripped like this, it normally came back on a couple of seconds later. Not this time.

  Jasper fumbled for his phone and turned on the flashlight. It cast a bright glow around the room.

  “It might be a fuse,” I said, “but I have candles and battery-powered lamps anyway. Give me a minute to grab something.” My first move was to tug the curtains open, onto a sea of blackness. No street lights. No shops lit up, and no welcoming glow from behind the neighbors’ curtains. This was bigger than just my fuse box. After Holly’s text I wasn’t surprised. “I spoke too soon.” I tried to sound confident and amused, and failed.

  “Eh, it’s just an outage. It happens.” Jasper didn’t sound bothered, and
I envied his calm.

  There weren’t words to describe how I hated the lights going out. Fear uncoiled in my belly at the memory of the earthquake. My heart raced, and I fought to take a deep breath.

  I could see my way around the room. My emergency kit was in a box in the kitchen, a few steps away. “Lift your phone and point it into the kitchen,” I said.

  He did, and I stumbled the scant distance, like I was taking part in a cross-country race.

  The sturdy plastic tub was where I’d left it, and moments later I unclipped the lid and retrieved the first of the two camping lanterns, along with a cellophane pack of fresh batteries. My fingers slipped on the opening, and I cursed.

  “You okay?” Jasper sounded curious, rather than concerned.

  “I hate outages. I hate the dark.”

  He laughed softly. “You wouldn’t like living up the coast, then. They’re a regular feature of beach life.”

  His steady voice soothed my jangled nerves a fraction. This wasn’t too bad. I wasn’t alone. Not like last time.

  I ripped the package open, shoved the batteries into the slot, and flicked the switch. Light poured out, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Next to come out of the box were tealight candles in their holders and a box of long-stemmed matches. My heart still galloped along, as though I’d completed a marathon, but the panic receded.

  I had light. I had company.

  It wasn’t another earthquake.

  Chapter Sixteen

  It was tempting to turn the lantern up to its highest setting and banish the darkness, but common sense prevailed. The power could be out all night. I needed to set the lamp to a dull glow and think of it as mood lighting. I held back a semi-hysterical giggle. Was there a setting for quietly freaking out?

  By the time I’d set half a dozen tealights burning around the room, I felt less shaky and more able to hold a conversation.

  I curled up on the sofa and tugged a cushion to my chest. “My name is Caitlin, and I’m afraid of the dark.” I spoke brightly, and expected Jasper to laugh. Caitlin the Comic, in action.

  He didn’t, though. He rested his chin on one hand and gazed at me across the room. “It didn’t use to bother me until I wrecked my car. I was stuck in the wreckage for a couple of hours before they cut me out. The first hour, nobody knew I was there.” His voice was matter of fact, and it took a moment before the words sank in.

  “How are you not climbing the walls right now? You’re so calm.”

  He huffed a soft laugh. “Your pills must have something to do with it. I’m a wee bit high.” He lifted his free hand and opened a tiny gap between forefinger and thumb. “Just this much.”

  He gazed at me, his eyes reflecting the candle flames. His face was shadowed, his cheekbones sharper than usual. He rolled his neck, and when a lock of hair fell across his forehead, I longed to sweep it back with my fingers.

  Nope. Not going to happen. I hugged the cushion tighter and sought my words with care. “Do you want to talk about it? Your accident?”

  “Not really. Tell me why you don’t like the dark, instead.”

  I shrugged, wanting to appear casual and unworried. “It was never a problem until the earthquake last year. I was spending the night with my fiancé, and he had a place on the waterfront—one of the new blocks. It shook badly, and I lost my shit. I hid under the dining room table. Not my finest moment.”

  Jasper scrunched his brows together. “One of the best places to take cover. How high up were you?”

  “Fifth floor of a ten-floor building. I kept thinking about everyone above me, and if the floors collapsed.” I had to stop. I forcibly relaxed my death grip on the cushion. “When Bruce got home, I was still there. It was four in the morning, and it took him another hour to coax me out.”

  “The quake was around midnight. Where was he?”

  I wasn’t sure I wanted to tell Jasper the next part and appear even lamer.

  “Caitlin?”

  “He was with his girlfriend,” I said in a rush. “Only she wasn’t his girlfriend then. Not officially. She was—is—his best friend, and he’d been helping her with something. And I was too dumb to see the writing on the wall.” I wiped my hot eyes. “You talked about the fat lady singing? She was halfway through her solo, and I still didn’t realize.”

  The ugly argument played in my head.

  “She’s fragile. She needs me, Caitlin.”

  “And I don’t?”

  “No. You’re bombproof. You cope with everything.”

  “He stayed with her, instead of coming to you?”

  “Yep. I guess that was when I figured out what I meant to him.”

  “But you were engaged.” Jasper sounded outraged.

  I smiled. “I think he proposed to me to make Pammy jealous. He wanted her all along.”

  “He sounds like an asshole. I’m sorry.”

  “What are you sorry for?”

  He shrugged. “He hurt you. That’s not cool.”

  His sympathy made my eyes sting. Enough sharing on my part. No way was I telling him about my temporary madness in agreeing to supply the cake for Bruce’s wedding. I dragged my mind away from my faithless ex. “Your turn to spill the beans.”

  Jasper gazed at his glass of water. “I kinda wish this was something stronger. I haven’t even told Hol all the details—or what I remember, anyway. Bits of it are still a blank.”

  He fell silent, so I prompted him. “How long ago did it happen?”

  He glanced up at me and held my gaze. “August last year. Nine months ago.”

  There was another loaded silence before he continued. “I was stupid. It was a race. Over the Pae-kok Hill road. I was angry with everything. I’d broken up with my girlfriend. Argued with my business partner. Racing was the last thing I should be doing.”

  He gulped at his drink and stared at me, but I got the impression he was miles away. “It was a mild winter last year, aye? And then we had some heavy rains, and the road was muddy. I went over the edge.”

  Fear gripped my chest. Over the edge? The hill road was one of the highest points around here. “You survived,” I whispered.

  “Yeah. Dumb luck, I think. When I didn’t make it to the bottom, the others went back to look for me.”

  “I’m glad they did.”

  He shrugged. “I had a lot of time to think, y’know? And I promised myself, if I survived, I’d do things differently.” He tapped his knee. “This is slowing me down, but I’ve got plans. Nothing like a near-death experience to give you a new perspective.”

  “Go on, then. What are you planning?”

  His lips quirked into a half-smile. He lifted one hand and counted against his fingers. “Stop obsessing over Cindy. Find someone to buy me out of the gym. Go travelling for a year.”

  “Wow. Big decisions.”

  “Yup. And I’m partway there. I’ve found my investor for the gym, and I’ve booked my flight to the U.K. I leave in three weeks.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  I shivered, not just from the chill creeping into the room, but also the knowledge Jasper would only be around for a short time. “I’m sorry it’s so cold in here. The heater wasn’t on for long enough to really warm up the place. I’ll grab a couple of blankets from the bedroom.”

  “In the movies, this is the part where I offer to share my body warmth.” A smile teased at Jasper’s lips. “It would be the noble thing to do.”

  My stupid pulse kicked up at the thought, and I tamped down my thoughts. “And as the plucky heroine, I guess I snap you up. Purely for survival, of course.”

  “You only want me for my body.” Was it my imagination, or did Jasper’s voice go husky? “I could cope with that.”

  Was he serious? The air between us felt heavy and loaded with uncertainty. I could make this into a joke or say yes.

  “There’s an irony here,” I said, trying to be funny but failing. “I have plenty of padding. I should be the one warming you.”

  His frown retur
ned. “Okay.” He drew the syllables out. “Help me out, here. I don’t understand why you keep dissing yourself. I like you, Caitlin. I’d like to get to know you better.”

  I wanted to hug myself with glee. He liked me. At the same time, the dark side of me rolled her eyes. Was this another way of saying he wanted sex? A quick fling before he left the country? “Feels like there’s a but coming,” I said, before I could rein back my tongue.

  “Maybe. Dunno.” He looked adorably confused and scratched at the stubble on his jaw. “You’re gorgeous. I don’t see your problem.”

  But I’m fat, I wanted to wail. Are you blind, or is that just a line to get me into bed? I waited until I could speak evenly. “Thank you, but that’s not how I see myself. It’s why I’m trying to exercise and lose weight. I don’t like what I see in the mirror.”

  Jasper stared for the longest time. When I was about to crack a joke, he cleared his throat. “Can I sit next to you?”

  I nodded, and he slowly pushed himself to stand before joining me on the sofa. We still had a gap between us, but he twisted to face me, easing his bad leg onto the cushions.

  “Let me tell you what I see when I look at you,” he said. He held my gaze, and I couldn’t have dragged it away for anything. I nodded, and his lips tilted into a lop-sided smile.

  Jasper lifted a hand and touched my temple. “Bright, intelligent eyes. You’re smart. You run your own business, and you’re good at it.” He trailed his fingertips down the side of my face. “You have a pretty mouth. Your cheeks are going pink, and it suits you, that flushed look as though you just had amazing sex.”

  I was probably beet-red, rather than pink, but I didn’t want him to stop.

  “You’ve got curves, Caitlin, in all the right places.” He glanced at my chest, my breasts straining against the bra that confined them. “I don’t understand why women want to be stick thin.”