Free The Rebound Guy by Fiona Harper

couldn’t quite ignore the steady thrum deep down in her core.
    Unsettled, she pulled her hand away, not daring to look at him, then she turned and walked back to her desk, closing the office door behind her.
    Don’t be stupid, Kelly. It was just a handshake, that was all. Nothing to get dramatic about. Just a simple handshake.
    She walked round her desk, dropped into her chair and stared at her blank computer monitor. They could do this, couldn’t they? They could work together without sex getting in the way. Couldn’t they?
    * * *
    Over the next couple of months they did manage to keep sex out of their relationship—on the surface, at least. And that was good enough for Kelly. It was always there, simmering away underneath, but she told herself she was getting used to it, like a dull toothache you put off going to the dentist about.
    She didn’t regret backing away from whatever had been brewing between them. Jason had spent the intervening time cementing her sense of self-righteousness on that front. While he obviously hadn’t been dating anyone at work, he had been dating.
    Kelly had a list on the notepad on her desk. A list of names. Girls’ names.
    When a new one called they’d sound breezy and hopeful. Kelly had now started adding to the list just based on a particular tone of voice on the other end of the line. But the women whose names were at the top of the list had lost that optimism now. If they called at all, they sounded tearful and stressed. More than one had shouted at her on the phone when she’d told them Jason wasn’t there or was unavailable, thinking that Kelly was covering for him.
    She hadn’t been. If he wasn’t busy she put them straight through. He could deal with them himself. Definitely not part of her job description.
    One morning, Jason buzzed through and asked her to come into his office. Kelly rose from her desk and opened the door. The little kick of attraction still came as she spotted him bent over his desk, scribbling furiously on a pad, but she didn’t dread or even resent it anymore. You’re alive, it told her. She almost welcomed the daily reminder, even missed it on the weekends.
    One day, maybe, she’d find a man who made her heart jump the same way, a man who was ready to be a grown-up about his relationships. One who wouldn’t run when the going got tough. If there were such a fairy tale creature, of course....
    Jason looked up as she crossed the office and sat down in the chair opposite him. She smiled gently as she met his gaze.
    It wasn’t this one. No, definitely not this one.
    â€˜Any updates?’ he asked her.
    She nodded and looked down at her notepad. ‘Yes, all three runners have received the sample shoes. Emerson’s out of the country at the moment, but the other two hope to test them out within the week and give us a verdict.’
    â€˜Good,’ Jason said, nodding. ‘I want to go to contract as soon as possible on this. We need to find us a face that fits.’
    He made a little gesture with his mouth, pulling it down at the edges.
    â€˜What?’ she asked.
    He shrugged. ‘Nothing.’
    â€˜Are you unhappy with any of the three we’ve shortlisted? Because we can keep looking...’
    He shook his head. ‘No. They’re all...fine.’ And then he started to tell her about the ideas he’d been discussing with the marketing department and the advertising company they’d hired. She scribbled away on her pad, noting down names and dates and times. Things for her to do and things to remind Jason of later, when the next amazing idea hit and he’d half forgotten about this one.
    When their brief meeting came to an end, she rose to return to her desk.
    â€˜You’re coming to the company picnic next Saturday, aren’t you?’ Jason asked. ‘Bring your sons, there’ll be plenty of other kids to play with.’
    Kelly looked back at