Page 74 of Tempted

Chapter Twenty-Four

Victor caughtJasmine, before she could fall to the ground. Hooking his arm beneath her knees he picked her up. “Someone, call an ambulance,” he shouted as he cradled her against him.

A man wearing an intense expression appeared at his side. “I’ll take care of her. Jasmine is my responsibility.”

With a frown Victor looked him up and down, not liking the proprietary look this man had given to Jasmine. “Your responsibility?”

“She’s my fiancée.”

Victor froze. “What?”

“I said—”

“Victor, oh my God. What’s happened to Jasmine? She shot out of the bathroom like lightening.” His mother looked horrified, her face drained of color.

“Sir, an ambulance is on the way,” a woman Victor assumed was the manager joined them.

By now, a small crowd began to gather around them offering assistance. Victor held on to Jasmine, damned if he’d let her go. His focus was now on the stranger who claimed to be Jasmine’s fiancé. He’d hired a private detective agency to find Jasmine and he’d turned nothing up, yet in a twist of fate they’d come face to face in this restaurant.

A frown marred his rival’s face. “Meade?”

Victor frowned. “How do you know my name?”

Topaz eyes narrowed. “You’re Jasmine’s former employee. She told me how you kicked her out without giving her a chance to explain. As you can see she doesn’t need the stress you’d bring to her life so I suggest you let me handle her, and we’ll be on our way.”

Anger coursed through Victor’s chest. Who the hell did this guy think he was? Before he could respond, Jasmine groaned, stirring within his arms. Everyone surrounding them stilled, including Victor.

She slowly opened her eyes, one lid at a time. Jasmine’s gaze locked with his and Victor’s heart skipped a beat. She was every bit as beautiful as he remembered, yet there were shadows beneath her lovely brown eyes and lurking within their depths was an emotion that tore at his heart. Fear. He’d put that there and it cut deep.

“Jasmine, what happened?” he asked. Victor had not envisioned their reunion quite like this.

Instead of answering, she turned her head away from him, squirming in his arms and pushing against his chest as she sought out her companion. “Jason. Please get me out of here,” she whispered.

So this was Jason. Jealously raged within him but he tempered down the urge to lash out.

“I said I can take care of her.” Jason held out his arms as if he expected Victor to hand Jasmine over to him.

“She needs medical attention,” Victor said firmly, reluctant to release his hold on her. She was light as a feather in his arms. What the hell had she been doing with herself these past few months besides getting engaged to another man?

“What she needs is for me to take her home so she can rest.”

“Please, put me down.” Jasmine’s voice sounded weak, even her struggles were sort of pitiful. She was skin and bones.

Jason narrowed his eyes. “You heard her. Let her go.”

Reluctantly Victor placed her down. When Jasmine wavered from side to side, Jason was at her side in an instant.“Put your arms around me, sweetheart,” the other man instructed gently, making Victor want to tear his limbs from their sockets.

Doing as she was told, she allowed Jason to pick her up. She buried her face against his chest. “Get me out of here,” she whispered.

“Of course.”

Madeline who’d been standing by spoke up. “Jasmine? Are you going to walk away without a word?”

For a second Victor thought she’d ignore his mother, but finally, Jasmine lifted her head. “Madeline, I’m sorry, but it’s better this way.”

Madeline’s mouth fell open as if she’d been slapped. “Just like that?”

“I’m sorry.”

---