His Sweet Fix

by Sofia Grey

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Jasper looked surprised to see me but gave me a genuine smile, rather than looking horrified. “Hey,” he said. “I think—”

  He didn’t get chance to finish. He stared over my shoulder, and his words stalled.

  Behind me, Cindy said, “Jassy. Thank God. I need to talk to you. In private.“

  That was my cue to go.

  Holly followed me outside. “Wait up, Caitlin.” She touched my elbow, and I turned to look at her. “Thanks for looking after Jas last night. I hope it wasn’t too much of a pain, having a surprise guest.”

  If only all guests delivered orgasms like that.

  I dragged my focus back to the conversation and shrugged. “It was fine. No biggie.” Curiosity about Cindy burned in my gut, and I couldn’t resist asking, “Cindy is his ex, right? Were they together long?”

  “I’m not sure. I only moved back here when he crashed his car, and they’d broken up by then. Maybe a year?”

  “She seems nice.”

  Holly made a snorting noise. “She’s a manipulative bitch. Oops. That came out a bit harsh.” Her lips curved up. “No, I was right first time. Jasper is a classic example of someone with Galahad Syndrome. He can’t stop himself from rescuing damsels in distress. Cindy. Steph. The dogs.”

  “Steph? Another ex?”

  “Yeah. No. It’s complicated.”

  We stood under the overhang, out of the drizzle and also out of earshot. Holly didn’t seem to think it odd that I was interrogating her about Jasper. Did she guess how I felt about him? It was academic.

  “It took a long time before I found the right guy.” She sounded thoughtful, her eyes dreamy. “I want Jas to do the same. The right girl, though. He’s not into guys.”

  I couldn’t resist smirking. I could confirm, if asked, that Jasper was definitely into girls, but I wouldn’t say anything to his sister.

  The rain looked as though it might be easing. It was a good time to leave. “I’m cutting my holiday short and going back to Wellington, by the way. I didn’t tell you, but I’ve found a new unit. Thanks for all your help yesterday. I appreciate it. I’ll move my stuff out as soon as I can.”

  “That’s a shame. I was hoping to get to know you better.” She pulled a funny face. “I’m thrilled you found somewhere, though, and so quickly. Maybe we could celebrate tonight? Go out for drinks or something to eat?”

  Spend another evening with Jasper? No, thank you. It was hard enough, seeing him when he walked in. I couldn’t pretend he didn’t mean anything to me; I wasn’t that good an actress. “Thanks, but I’ll pass. I’m busy.”

  Holly stared at me, and I was convinced she saw through my lie. “What did my idiot brother do?”

  “Nothing,” I said, quickly.

  “He stayed with you last night, but you came home separately. Did he disappear for a hookup or something?”

  There was nothing I could say without combusting from embarrassment. My cheeks burned already, and Holly must have seen them.

  “Did you and he—?” Her voice rose, her astonishment clear. I clapped my hands to my face, in a faint attempt to cover the flush, and she grinned. “You did. I’m surprised. You’re totally not his type. But hey, what do I know?”

  As if I didn’t know that. I was seeking my escape route, but I’d have to push past Holly to do that. I should shut up, but my voice didn’t get the memo. “I know. Look at me. Just as well the lights were out.” I huffed a laugh I didn’t feel.

  “What?” Holly smacked her forehead. “I didn’t mean like that. He normally goes for the dizzy blondes, the broken ones that need fixing. You’ve got brains, Caitlin. You’re smart.” She gave me a hug. “You’re confident and sassy, and you don’t need anyone to swoop in and rescue you.”

  Jasper thought I did when he first found me on the beach. Maybe that was all I was—someone else who needed fixing?

  There were things I’d regret about this trip, and Holly was one of them. I’d like to be friends with her, if things were different. If I hadn’t slept with her brother and made an idiot of myself. Standing on her doorstep, I didn’t know whether to shake her hand to say goodbye, hug her, or walk away. I chose the latter.

  I needed an hour to pack my bags and tidy up, and then I’d go back to my real life. If only I could pack thoughts of Jasper away as neatly—fold up the memory of our night together and squeeze it into a tiny box, to be opened on rare occasions.

  I gazed at the sea in the distance and thought of Cindy. Why did she need to see Jasper so urgently? And why did I care? I swiped at my face, at the sudden dampness on my cheeks. Sea spray. I wasn’t crying.

  It didn’t take long to gather my stuff. As I worked, I forced myself to think about the lovely new location I was moving into. The advertising I needed to do. The cutesy Instagram posts. Maybe a new range of cupcakes? A theme?

  I had a missed call on my phone. The number shown was that of this morning’s real-estate agent. I was about to call him back, when a voicemail popped up.

  “Ms. Mortimer, this is Adrian from MB Property. Please call me back as soon as you can. Thank you.” His tone suggested this wasn’t good news.

  I pressed the dial button, and as it connected, someone knocked on the door. Seeing Jasper was a shock, but I couldn’t turn him away. I let Jasper into the kitchen at the same time as the voice in my ear said hello. I held up a warning finger and wiggled the phone.

  He nodded and stood there frowning at me.

  “Adrian.” I made my voice bright. “This is Caitlin Mortimer. You asked me to call you back.”

  “Ah. Caitlin.” He sighed, and alarm prickled my nerves. “I have bad news. The unit you viewed this morning is no longer available. I’m sorry.”

  His words made no sense. It was fine a few hours ago. What could have changed? “I don’t understand.”

  “The owner changed his mind about renting. He’s had an offer to sell and withdrew the property. I can only apologize for any inconvenience. If you’d like to look at anything else on our books, let me know.”

  “Right. Thank you.” —The fuck? I dropped into the nearest chair and laid my phone on the table. In that second, I could have happily thrown it into the sea, but that would be dumb.

  “You okay?” Jasper took a seat beside me, and I gazed at him. I’d forgotten he was there. What else was going to happen this weekend? Rage simmered inside. I’d lost my business, come face to face with a giant cockroach, and slept with an angel. And it was only Sunday afternoon.

  “I thought I had a new property, but it was pulled at the last minute.” I groaned and sank my head into my hands. “Fuuuuuck.”

  “Shit. I’m sorry.” He rested a hand on the back of my neck, and I froze.

  “What are you doing here, Jassy?” I sat up straight and twisted away from him, so his hand fell to his side.

  “I want to apologize. I was an ass this morning.”

  “Yes, you were.”

  “So this is me, apologizing.” His tone was deadly serious. “I’m sorry I was rude and stormed out.”

  “Me too.” I echoed his words from earlier.

  “Hol says you’re cutting your break short. Can I persuade you to stay?”

  Despite the bad news and disappointments, a tendril of hope unfurled inside me. He wanted me to stay. Wanted to see me again? Did he sense the spark between us?

  “I don’t know,” I whispered, my voice deserting me. “Can you?”

  “We’ve barely started on your exercise plan.”

  The exercise that sprang to mind was another vigorous workout between the sheets, but doubt assailed me. “Go on.”

  “I promised I could get you fit.”

  Yup. He meant jogging and stuff.

  I had nothing to lose by being blunt. “You’re not thinking of anything else? Last night was good.”

  Jasper dropped his gaze, finding a sudden interest in the grain of the tabletop. He rubbed at the lines absently with one finger, and that was al
l the answer I needed.

  “I think you’d better go,” I said.

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Jasper made no move to leave. “There’s something else,” he said. “I think I can help you.”

  I resisted the urge to scream in frustration. He could help me by walking the fuck away and letting me figure out my next move, not distracting me with his soft hair and soulful eyes.

  “Help me with what?” I almost added, Diet tips? I didn’t want another dose of criticism. Today sucked. It was official.

  “If you can cope with working outside of Wellington, I know a place you can use.”

  “How far outside?”

  “Here. Kapiti.” He hesitated. “My place.”

  Galahad Syndrome. He was trying to rescue me again. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, and instead sighed. “You may have a large kitchen, but it would need to be certified. That takes time and money, and as grateful as I am—”

  “No. Not my house.” He sat up straight. “My gym. It has a kitchen. We got the certification done last year, when we planned to add a juice-and-salad bar, but we never went through with it.”

  My inner cynic was about to rubbish the idea, but I squashed her down. Could it work? My transport costs would be huge, and I’d need to be ruthless about scheduling deliveries, instead of doing them at all times, but it wouldn’t be impossible. “Do you have an oven and prep surfaces? How much space is there?”

  He shrugged. “It’s as big as that first one we saw.”

  “And you’re not using it?”

  “Not really. We’re storing energy drinks in the fridge, but we can get a beer fridge for those.”

  It was too good to be true. I wanted to say yes, to grab the opportunity before he changed his mind, but there had to be a catch. “How much rent are you asking? And how long do you need me to sign up for? If—when—I find somewhere in town, I’ll want to relocate again.”

  He shrugged. “Like I said, it’s not in use. Just cover the utility costs. That’s all. If it makes you feel better, we can draw up a contract, to guarantee your tenancy for as long as you need but keep it flexible for when you want to move.”

  Wow. I stared hard at him. “Thank you. I’d be a fool to turn you down.” I chewed on my lower lip as I tried to find the right words. “Why are you doing this for me?”

  He held my gaze. “Because I can. Because sometimes we all need a helping hand.”

  Or because he felt misplaced guilt for sleeping with me? Pride wanted me to refuse, but practicality won the brief battle. I held out my hand. “In that case, thank you again. How soon can I move in?” I laughed. “I haven’t even looked at it yet.”

  Relief flashed in his eyes, and he took my hand and held it tight. It felt too good. “We can go there now, if you’d like.” His voice was husky and reminded me of the night before. Why did he have to be so nice? He was easier to cope with when I thought he was an asshole.

  He squeezed my fingers before releasing me.

  “Let’s go,” I said.

  Apart from directing me on the ten-minute drive to the nearby town and showing me the closest place to park, Jasper stayed quiet.

  I was glad. My brain was working at light speed, and holding a conversation at the same time would be impossible.

  There were too many questions to consider. How long would it be, before I found new premises in the city? My little cottage was only rented until the end of next week, and then I’d have to go home and commute to the coast daily. That was workable, if I did my deliveries at the end of every day. How would I grow my customer base from up here? Could I expand to local markets? Was there also a local market for products like mine?

  “That’s it.” Jasper pointed out the window at a two-story building. “We have the whole of the first floor.” There was a note of pride in his voice, and I recalled I wasn’t the only one to run my own business.

  “Will it be busy?” The prospect of walking past a crowd of super-fit people made me uncomfortable.

  “Nah. Not on a Sunday. This time in the week, for sure. We do twilight classes that are popular when people get in from work. At the weekend, though, the mornings are busiest.”

  “What about your partner? What will he say?”

  “He’s cool with it. I called him before I spoke to you.”

  “And the new owner? The guy you’re selling to? Will he have a problem?”

  “Sam? Nah. He’ll be fine.” Jasper flashed me a grin. “I promise you there are no cockroaches.”

  Why was I hesitating? I had no idea. I pasted a smile on my face and followed Jasper. He was slow to climb a set of stairs, and I dawdled behind, but he waited for me at the top. A pair of swing doors carried a swirling logo and the gym name, Koru Fitness.

  Jasper touched the design etched into the glass. “Our logo is based on the Koru, the Maori fern. It symbolizes growth, strength, and peace.”

  “Appropriate for a gym.”

  “Yeah. We thought so.” He quirked his lips. “Shall we?” He held out a hand, and after a moment, I took it.

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Muted bass beats thrummed in the background while I took in the clean lines and long windows around the reception area. A guy I recognized from the website as Andy came forward to greet us. The yellow-blond tips to his cropped, dark hair made me think of buttercream icing on chocolate cake, and I hid my smile.

  “Hey.” He stuck out his hand to me. “You must be Caitlin. I’m Andy. Welcome to Koru.” He glanced at where my fingers were entwined with Jasper’s, and widened his eyes.

  There was a single moment of confusion, but then Jasper released me, and I shook hands with Andy. “Thank you for letting me use your kitchen.”

  “No worries.”

  “Come on,” said Jasper. “It’s through here.” He led me across an open-plan area, past doors that led to changing rooms and a glass-walled studio, through another swing door, and into a kitchen.

  It was smaller than my old place, but the white surfaces gleamed, and upon examination, it was spotlessly clean everywhere. The fridge was half-filled with bottled drinks, but even as it stood, there was enough room to store my perishables. Lots of power sockets, a built-in pantry, and plenty of natural light too. It couldn’t be better, and I had to swallow the lump that appeared in my throat.

  Jasper to the rescue. Again.

  “I dug out the paperwork for you.” Andy held up a plastic folder. “You can check it’s all in order, but it was only signed off a few months ago. It’s all up to date.”

  I nodded. “I can’t thank you enough—both of you. This is amazing. Perfect. If I move my stuff over today, I can start work again right away. Don’t you think it’s funny, though, to have a cake maker in the kitchen of a gym? They don’t go together.”

  Andy grinned. “Unless you also make a healthy cake we can sell?”

  What a brilliant concept. Ideas flooded my brain, quicker than I could process them. “I can. Definitely. Bran muffins, sweetened with apple puree. And I have a low-fat, gluten-free brownie recipe that’s very popular.”

  “Mm hmm. I’d volunteer to sample your sweet goods.” Andy winked.

  Jasper groaned, and then punched Andy in the arm. “Dude. Don’t scare her off.”

  Andy laughed, his eyes crinkling in the corners. Standing there with his arms folded and legs slightly apart, he looked buff and handsome, in a cocky way. He was ripped, for sure, but he knew it. I much preferred Jasper, even with his almost permanent scowl.

  It didn’t matter how much I liked him. He regretted sleeping with me, and that stung like a million bees at once.

  I gave Jasper an apologetic smile. “We spent a lot of yesterday moving my gear into your place, and now we need to move it out again.”

  “I can help,” said Andy before Jasper could reply. “Do it now, if you’d like? I’ve got an SUV outside. It’s nicer than Jasper’s truck.”

  “My truck’s fine. She’s a classic.”

  “And my mum
’s the Queen of Sheba.”

  They looked completely at home, ribbing each other, and I watched, amused. This was another side of Jasper I could grow to love. To like. There was no room for love in our non-relationship. One night of earth-shattering sex was not enough for me to give my heart away. Yeah, right.

  “Caitlin?” Jasper broke into my thoughts. “Get you set up tonight, or leave it until tomorrow?”

  I wasn’t sure I had enough energy left to do anything more than faceplant onto my bed and sleep, but Jasper and Andy were waiting for my answer. “Tonight, I guess. If you’re sure?”

  “On second thought, you stay here,” said Jasper. “I’ll go with Andy, and you can figure out where to put everything.” When I opened my mouth to argue, he raised a hand. “I insist. You can buy the beers later. Sound fair?”

  It was wholly unfair, and it made me uncomfortable to think about Jasper struggling up and down the stairs, but it wasn’t my place to tell him what to do.

  ****

  Two hours later, with every muscle aching and then some, the move was done, my equipment and supplies settled into my new kitchen. I needed to rearrange the shelves and cupboards, and bring the most-used items to the front, but it was workable.

  I had a mile-long list of things to do, from calling Deanna to updating my website and recalculating delivery charges, but they could wait until morning. In theory, I was on holiday for another week. Maybe I’d spend the entire time asleep? That sounded attractive.

  People buzzed around me. Andy. A gym instructor they introduced as Tane. Jasper. And Holly, who showed up bearing three giant pizza boxes.

  “Dinner,” she announced. “Dig in, everyone.”

  Andy turned up the music, and we had an impromptu picnic on the floor, now that the clients had left. Slugging back energy drinks and gorging on pepperoni pizza, I felt almost happy. Tane, a tall, dark-skinned guy, flirted with me non-stop, and I fluttered my eyelashes and pretended to be interested. Holly had a good-natured argument with Andy and Jasper, about sci-fi movies.