Page 68 of Stolen Kiss

He circled the sofa and waited for her to join him. When she got to his side, he pulled her down to the wide cushions, moved her to her side and hemmed her in on his side so they were front to front with her back pressed against the back of the sofa.

“I need to hold you for this conversation. I need to have the contact in case it’s the last time I get to hold you. You may not want to have anything to do with me after this talk so I want the memory of your body against mine imprinted on my brain forever.”

Heidi’s mouth was inches away from his. She closed the gap and kissed him briefly. “Tell me what happened?” she asked with a whisper.

Jason smiled and his eyes seemed to turn to liquid. Turning on his back, he positioned her to drape over him until one arm wrapped around her shoulder, the other hand lifted her leg at her thigh and rested there. Heidi had never been so comfortable on a sofa and she decided that there was no need for a blanket if she was cuddled to Jason. She tucked one arm to her chest and rested her other hand on his chest. She felt his heart hammering against her hand and tilted her head up.

“Are you okay?”

“One of the things Keith said last night was that I wasn’t good enough for you. He’s right but I want the chance to prove I might be in the future.”

“Jason, why would he say that, why would you think that?”

“My family has traditions. I thought I knew them all, but it seems there is one vital tradition I never knew about. There may be others, only time will tell.”

Jason took a deep breath and then tucked her head under his chin, holding her tighter.

“My aunt is from another world and when she found out you and I were a couple, she instigated her plan earlier than she wanted to. All four of us were to have arranged marriages to keep the Turner line.”

“What about Archer?”

“She didn’t need to worry about him, he hadn’t fallen in love.”

Heidi gasped, “Jason.”

“You’re gonna need to let me get all this out, sweetheart.”

Heidi remained quiet and relaxed against his body.

“I need to find out from Keith how it went down but as far as my conversations went with my aunt she approached him and told him I was engaged to be married.”

Heidi sat up and scrambled to the end of the sofa. She was breathing deeply, her hand on her chest as she stared at Jason,feeling betrayed and dirty. She would not and never would be involved with a man who was promised to another.

“But it wasn’t true,” Jason said holding up a hand, fingers pointed her way, relaxed like he was reaching out to assure her.

She was far from assured. There was a woman out there that thought she would be marrying Jason Turner.

“Who was she?” Heidi asked.

“I don’t know. I never knew my life had been planned this way. My father’s choice for a wife was his choice, and he wasn’t coerced into marrying Imelda Boyle.”

“How did he get away with that?”

“I don’t know and now my dad’s dead, I’ll never know.”

“You could ask your mum?”

“I have no plans to talk to her, not now, not ever.”

Jason’s reply was so sharp, so sure, she didn’t push it.

“Can you come back here, I can’t explain this unless I’m touching you.”

Heidi crawled along the sofa. When she was in touching distance, Jason grabbed her waist and sat her on his lap, then leaned back against the sofa. Heidi pulled up her knees and went with him, tucking her head under his chin.

“I can’t begin to explain why my aunt is the way she is. My heart is breaking for all the wasted time.”

Heidi nodded, feeling the same way. She knew of Jason Turner her whole life. Everyone knew about the Turners, knew what they looked like. The whole family spent most of their time up at the estate. She’d sit with Freya plotting how to sneak up onto the cliff and take a look around the grounds. They never managed it. Her brother had been friends with Jason but they never met at the house. She didn’t really know where they met, but it was never around her.

---