Forever Yours

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Chapter One

Twenty years, two months, four days.

And counting.

That was how long Jasmine Shane had been in love with Cade Rossi. It had all started when she was nine years old and he launched a strategic series of water balloons at her from the Rossis’ front porch. No amount of ignoring it, denying it, or being mad about it would change it. Sadly, she’d tried each approach, and all of them had failed.

For years, she’d ignored every skip of her heartbeat and the way her palms grew sweaty every time he arrived to torture her and his sister, Daphne. Once Jasmine finally did admit to herself that no one else made her heart skip beats, or make her perennially dry palms damp, she’d attempted denial. There was no way she was in love with her best friend’s older brother. Absolutely not.

When that had failed—and they’d reached an age where they began to engage in the dating activities of grownups—she’d grown mad. Mad that Cade Rossi was the undisputed lothario of Park Heights, Brooklyn. Madder still that he saw her as nothing more than his little sister’s best friend. But worst of all, mad that she refused to step out of that role to put her heart and her girl balls on the line and do something about the endless ache in her chest.

It was particularly unpleasant to address that fact as she sat in one of the trendiest steak houses in the borough on a date with an attractive, interesting man who, by all rights, should have her full attention this evening.

Your name’s come up for the prosecution team on the Bernard case.

Jasmine pulled her attention from the striking couple hovering in the doorway, talking up the maître d’, and focused on her dinner companion.

Gardner Cross. Perfect. Elegant. And a rising star in the DA’s office. They’d been officially dating since the Fourth of July, with intermittent time away from each other since then. She’d had a large case that had taken up all her time the last two weeks of July, and he’d been sent up to Albany for a training session the first week of August. Both had given her an opportunity to delay the advancement of their relationship beyond anything but some serious kissing and a few make-out sessions in her living room.

Which should have been more than a clear sign she needed to let the very attractive man move on to someone else. Especially since he’d only added to his personal brand of perfection by not pressuring her.

And oh, was the man attractive.

He had eyes dark as midnight, a physique that was the subject of more than a few daily sighs in the public defenders’ office, and sleek, dark skin that begged for a woman’s touch.

Everything about Gardner Cross screamed young, eligible man, and Jasmine knew they made a striking pair. Her mother had hinted more than a few times that she was pleased with the match, and even his biggest fans at the office—the ones Jasmine had dubbed the swooners—were happy for the two of them.

Which made putting off the big finale—finally sleeping with the man—a silly delay tactic that she needed to get over. She’d had relationships before. Damn good ones, full of compatibility, laughter, and outstanding sex. Cade Rossi might make her boiling mad, but she wasn’t dead.

Yet something in her had hung back from taking that last step with Gardner.

Jasmine? Do you want to be part of the prosecution team? His smile had remained firmly intact but didn’t fully reach those eyes as he flicked a glance toward the door before returning his focus to her.

Damn. She’d been caught staring furtively at Cade and his date.

Reframing her attention on her attractive dinner companion, she nodded. Of course I do. It’s a huge opportunity. We’ve got a good case and the chance to show my skills to the office brass is huge.

Huge because media darling Jason Bernard had been caught defrauding the good taxpayers of the State of New York on multiple counts, and the DA’s office was gunning for him. Personally huge because her star had been rising, and a chance to work on the case would put her firmly on track for a promotion.

So why couldn’t she get more excited about it?

She’d put in the time. Worked hard. And hell, she wanted the opportunity. But no matter how hard she tried to get it all together, life hadn’t been the same since the prior December, and no amount of smiling or dating or big opportunities at work had managed to change it.

Ignoring the problem hadn’t worked too well, either.

Just like Cade.

She glanced over once more—his broad smile seemed to light up the front corner of the restaurant—before turning her attention fully to Gardner. And her future. She had a right to it, damn it. She’d earned it. Hell, she’d survived that December night to have a future.

She might as well get busy living it.

* * *

God deliver him from the small talk.

The thought raced through Cade Rossi’s mind as he sat down across from his latest date, the deliciously lovely Sarah Albright.

Albright was all right. Wasn’t that what his partner had said at work on Friday when he’d mentioned he was taking Sarah out on their third date?

And she was. Long blonde hair. High, firm breasts, lush enough to make a man weep tears of joy. Even her conversation skills were a pleasant surprise. She’d already mentioned an article she’d read the past weekend in the Times, which meant there was something cooking in her brain besides keeping up with hair and nail appointments.

Yet even with that, he was bored.

Frustrated.

And unable to keep his stare from wandering toward the back of the restaurant.

None of which had anything to do with the delectable Sarah Albright and everything to do with the ridiculous direction of his thoughts that, until recently, hadn’t given the object of his attention in the back of the restaurant much consideration. Which was his own raging stupidity, coupled with a major side of what-the-fuckery.

Jasmine was here with Mr. Perfect. The asshole.

On general principle Cade didn’t dislike many people. He was the youngest son of five children—fourth in line followed only by his baby sister—and he’d long ago earned the moniker of the easygoing one. He knew when to turn it on and off, but Cade had found early that it was easier to sit back, offer up a laconic smile, and do whatever he wanted than it was to get worked up about anything.

It was a philosophy that had served him well. He didn’t get riled up over the small stuff, and he managed to skate through life with minimal stress, except when it came to wearing the badge.

Not a bad trade-off.

That attitude—and the jawline and bedroom eyes passed down from his Poppy Dominick—was his trademark.

But no amount of humor or relaxed attitude could assuage the endless rounds of small talk that seemed to consume his dating life.

By his latest count, Sarah was the twelfth woman he’d gone out with this year. No one lasted much longer than a month, and where that had once been a source of enjoyment—maybe even pride—it had become tedious of late.

The over-bright smiles.

The inane conversations about reality TV.

The hemming and hawing about which salad on the menu would have fewer calories.

He didn’t care about any of it. And sitting through those dull conversational pearls simply to get laid wasn’t getting the job done,