The Forbidden Billionaire (The Sinclairs Book 2) (17 page)

“What do you consider proper?” She’d give this man anything he wanted. “Thank you for the phone, and everything you’ve done for the business. I’ll reimburse you for it. I probably really do need a cell.” If her business was going to start booming like this, she needed to be reachable at all times, and she could access the Internet with her phone.

“I don’t want you to pay me back. It’s a gift. I want you to kiss me,” he demanded bossily.

“I’d do that anyway. The things you give me have nothing to do with how much I care about you.” Her love for Jared was just there. But the thoughtful things he did just made her fall deeper and deeper in love with him.

“Show me.” His tone was domineering, but his eyes were pleading.

Leaning down, her mouth so close to his that she could feel his warm breath on her face, she murmured seriously, “We have to solve your big problem before I get to work.”

“Do I have a big problem?” Jared sounded puzzled.

Wiggling her hips, she pressed her core against his hard erection. “Very big.”

“You’re the only woman on earth who can fix that now,” he replied, both challenge and desperation in his voice.

“Done,” she whispered as she lowered her head and kissed him senseless.

She didn’t get her orders started until noon, but it was time well spent. When she finally started cooking to fill orders, she did so with a whimsical smile on her face.

CHAPTER 16

Mara’s Kitchen kept right on growing, and Jared was there every step of the way, clearing out other problems so she could focus on the products. She started working early and finished late at night. But she’d never been happier in her life.

The evening before Sarah’s wedding, she and Jared sat at the living room table signing the contracts he’d finally produced. It had taken another threat of switching her business partnership to include Evan instead of Jared to get him to finally do the business paperwork. Mara had hated every moment of using that against him, but she’d hate herself even more for continuing to take advantage of Jared’s kindness.

He’d hired a few teenagers temporarily for a summer job because her orders were getting overwhelming. She now had Nina to help her do some of the basics with the cooking prep, and Todd to do the continual cleaning of the kettles and equipment she needed several times every day. Jared had asked Emily to help him recruit the teens, both of them coming from families that Emily knew could really benefit from the extra money, since she ran the Youth Center and was aware of which families in the area were in need. Both of them worked hard at their assigned tasks, and it took a considerable amount of pressure off Mara to have their help every day. Jared worked on the marketing and business aspects of Mara’s Kitchen, and he was doing an incredible job, judging by the explosive amount of orders she was getting on a daily basis. She knew that Jared was also starting to work on contracts for restaurants and businesses outside of Amesport to use her products on a regular basis.

“We need a hell of a lot bigger site for production, and a bunch of permanent employees,” Jared grumbled as he signed his name grudgingly to the contracts that gave him equal interest in the company after Mara had signed.

Mara smiled at him, both of them sitting at the dining room table, papers spread out in front of them. “We can keep going like this for a while. We need to make money before we spend it.”

“You need to invest money to make more money,” Jared rumbled. “And you can’t keep working these kinds of hours.” He paused for a moment before he asked hesitantly, “Do you miss the doll shop?”

“No,” she answered honestly. “I still regret the irreplaceable things I lost, stuff that belonged to my mom, but I’ve always loved making my consumable products more than I loved making dolls. I’ll enjoy it as a hobby someday when I have more time, but making my products for the market has always been my favorite thing to do. Coming up with new things is challenging, new products that can be used for different recipes. Cooking has always been my first love.” Mara sighed. “I wanted to hold on to my mother, but I’ve realized I didn’t need the doll shop. She’ll always be here.” She put her right hand over her heart, her finger adorned by her mother’s wedding ring. “I think she’d be proud of what I’m doing now. I may not be making dolls, but I’m still using traditions that have been passed down for generations, with my own twist. Honestly, I don’t think she would have cared what I decided to do as long as I was happy doing it.”

Jared leaned toward her and clasped the hand over her heart, bringing it to his lips to kiss her palm gently. “I think she would, too, baby,” he said huskily.

“Do you think you’ll ever go back to doing what you really love someday?” she asked him carefully. His former love of restoring old homes was a touchy subject.

“How did you know?” He released her hand gently, busying himself with arranging the papers they had signed.

“Evan. He told me you loved restoring old homes, that it was your first choice of careers. It’s what you were going to do with Alan. I know you have some bad memories about that, but I want to see you be happy doing what you want to do.” Would he ever be able to do it again? If she were in his place, she wasn’t certain whether or not she could go back. Mara wasn’t even positive that he should unless he could completely let go of the bitterness associated with what he loved. But the fact remained that it was his passion, something that gave him an immense amount of satisfaction. It broke her heart to think he might never pursue it again someday.

Jared released a heavy, masculine sigh and pinned her with an open gaze. “I don’t know. I’ve never stopped studying the latest methods of restoration, or looking at old homes and imagining how they could be restored to their former glory, but I’ve never quite been able to gather the same enthusiasm I had when I first finished college.”

Mara felt her eyes begin to water. Jared was an enigma to her sometimes. He was over-the-top gorgeous, and completely confident in running his commercial real estate company. He was a dirty-talking, arrogant, completely alpha male who seemed like he was in command of everything he touched. But there were times when he was vulnerable, exposing a gentle, wounded spirit that she was fairly certain was only visible to her. Now was one of those moments. “I just want you to be as happy as I am right now. It doesn’t seem fair that I’m getting my dream and you aren’t.”

“I’m happier with you than I’ve been in my entire life, sweetheart. Don’t cry for me.” Leaning over, he snatched her out of her chair and into his lap. “I like helping you build something that you want. I’m enjoying what I’m doing right now.”

“But later—”

“Later will take care of itself. Right now all I want is you,” he growled. “You fill all of the lonely, unhappy places inside me, Mara. That’s a damn miracle for me.”

His words made the tears flow, and she hugged him to her, hoping the Fates would let her keep him forever. “I love you.” The three little words popped out of her mouth unchecked. She’d been wanting to say them, needing to say them, but she’d been hesitant, unsure of whether he wanted to hear them or not. Now, she needed him to hear her, needed him to know he was loved. Between his loveless childhood and the big betrayal, Jared Sinclair needed somebody who loved him no matter what.

“What did you say?” he asked dubiously, as though he wasn’t certain he’d heard her correctly.

“I said that I love you,” she said firmly. “It doesn’t have to mean anything to you, and I’m not saying it to trap you into anything. I just need to say the words and have you know how I feel. I promised myself and you that I’d be open. That’s how I feel. I love you. It’s just that simple. We don’t need to act on it in any way. I just wanted to be able to tell you.”

“Tell me again,” he demanded, taking her face between his hands and forcing her to meet his gaze. “And it does mean something. It means everything to me.”

“I love you, Jared Sinclair.” Her voice was even louder, certain now that it was something he needed to hear.

He jerked her lips down to his, as though he was trying to capture the words with his mouth. Mara wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, opening to him and shivering at the fierceness of his embrace. He devoured her as though he hadn’t had a meal in days, penetrating her mouth desperately, but with a reverence that made her heart melt. The kiss was as worshipful as it was erotic, and the combination made her heart skitter as she tangled her tongue with his, needing the connection as desperately as he did.

Having said the words, she felt vulnerable, defenseless. But Jared’s reassurance was in his nonverbal communication, wrapping her in his protection with every stroke of his tongue. His hands threaded through her hair, holding her mouth exactly where he wanted it and kissing her until she was breathless.

Finally, he released her mouth and buried his face in her hair, his powerful arms holding her tightly against him. “I need you, Mara. I need you so damn much that I can hardly breathe. Don’t leave me. Please don’t ever leave me.”

Her heart wrenched with pain, his agonized voice shooting a burning ache through her soul. Everyone he’d ever cared about had left him and betrayed him. If he was feeling as raw as she was right now, he had to be in hell. “I won’t. Not ever.” And she meant it. He’d have to pry her off him to get rid of her now, unless he didn’t want her around anymore. She wanted to be with him forever, help him heal all of his wounds. She wanted him to finally be happy.

“If you do leave, I’ll find you,” he growled.

Mara smiled against his chest at his sudden arrogance. He was a conundrum . . . again. But he was getting easier to unravel. Hot and cold. Demanding and kind. Dominant and vulnerable. She loved every single stubborn part of this man she was clinging to at the moment, because she was starting to understand every one of his reactions. His strength of character was incredible. Though he may have buried the sensitive part of himself for protection, it was still there. It showed in just about everything he did, even though he tried to hide it, tried to bury it forever.

“How hard would you look?” she asked him teasingly.

“I’d follow your beautiful ass to the ends of the earth,” he vowed fiercely. “Now that I know that you love me, you’re never getting rid of me.”

Like she’d ever want to? Highly unlikely.

She shivered at his declaration. When Jared was possessive and dominant, he gripped and jerked an answering carnal response from her that she couldn’t deny.

The jarring ring of Jared’s cell phone interrupted her thoughts, and she glanced up at the clock. “The family dinner,” she reminded Jared reluctantly. “It’s probably Emily. We’re late.”

“You think I give a shit right now?” His lips skimmed over the vulnerable skin of her neck.

“Yes,” Mara answered with a feigned calm she wasn’t feeling at the moment. “Hope and Jason are there. You haven’t seen them yet.” Hope and Jason Sutherland had flown in this evening for the wedding tomorrow. Mara knew Jared hadn’t seen Hope in a while. “Answer the phone and tell them we’re coming.”

Jared let go of Mara with an irritated sigh. “I wish we were coming at home right now,” he grumbled unhappily, pulling the phone out of his pocket once Mara had slid off his lap.

She tried to stifle her laughter as Jared reluctantly answered the phone.

The evening dinner at Grady’s home was casual, almost everybody in jeans . . . except for Evan, of course. He was dressed in his usual pristine suit and tie. The moment she saw Evan at the gathering, Mara swore she was going to buy the man a pair of jeans.

Emily had barbecued for the get-together, and Sarah had opted to keep the guests to just the Sinclair siblings and their significant others. Evan was leaving right after the wedding reception; Dante and Sarah were sneaking away for a week to honeymoon since Dante would be starting his new job as a detective for the Amesport Police Department right after they returned. Since Hope was pregnant and suffering severe morning sickness, Jason was taking her with him back to New York so he could finish his commitments there as soon as possible. Mara could tell by the way Jason looked at Hope that he wasn’t letting his pregnant wife out of his sight. All the family was ecstatic over Hope’s announcement that she and Jason were planning on making Amesport their permanent home in a few months. Her husband had to wrap up some things in New York and they’d be free to move their home base to Amesport permanently.

Mara didn’t miss the satisfied light in Jared’s eyes as Hope stood in the family room after dinner and made her official announcement.

Sitting next to him on the couch, she leaned in closer and whispered, “That’s been your plan all along, wasn’t it? You built a house for every one of your siblings here on the Peninsula to bring your family back together again.” Mara knew it was true as certainly as she knew she loved Jared. He hadn’t come here and built homes for all of his siblings after the accident just because he was bored, or because he’d wanted to escape from the pain of losing his friend and girlfriend. Jared had yearned to have his siblings back in the same area, together after years of being scattered across the country, and in Evan’s case, across the world. Mara’s heart skittered, aching for a man so lonely that he had come to where Grady had already made his permanent home and had meticulously used his architectural skills to carefully construct what he hoped would become more than just a vacation home for each of his siblings. For years, the plan hadn’t worked, all of his siblings single and busy with their own lives. Now, he was going to have Hope, Grady, and Dante all in the same location, something Mara was pretty certain had been Jared’s secret longing all along.