Chapter Two
The Spanish restaurant was amazing, and full of so much life. Freya held onto Jared’s arm and tried to stop the smile from coming, but it was hard. She enjoyed spending time with him, and it was hard to ignore her mother when she felt this way about a guy.
Not all men were evil, were they?
No, she wouldn’t believe it, not for a second.
The biggest problem she had was her mother had the worst taste in men, and then of course there were the guys in high school. There was no way to shove them all into one category of being cheating assholes.
She thought about Sophia’s man, Alfie. He wasn’t an asshole, and she could never imagine him cheating on Sophia. From just one look, he’d been in love with Sophia, and Freya had to admire and love that.
They were shown their table, and she noticed Jared pushed the waiter out of the way, and took care of her chair. His care always made her smile. It was the little things she’d noticed about him. He opened her door, took care of her coffee, and even gave her the occasional neck rub when she’d spent so much time bent over at work. Now that she was thinking of being bent over, she couldn’t help but look toward him and bite her lip. What would it be like to be bent over by him, to take his cock as he held her tightly?
Jared wouldn’t be the kind of man to have a light grip. It would be tight, possessive, demanding.
“I know what you’re thinking about,” he said, taking the seat opposite her.
“You do not.”
“I do. If you’re curious about anything then just ask.” The look he gave her made her even more wet.
How did he do that?
How did he have this kind of power?
She didn’t like it, not one bit.
“Have you been here before?”
This made him chuckle.
“What?” she asked.
“You’re cute. You act like you have these big brass balls, but you don’t. That’s just one of the reasons I adore you. The whole attitude, it’s a fake.”
Freya grabbed her water and took a sip. “How did you know I was a virgin?”
“Your medical records.”
She nearly spat out her water. “You invaded my files?”
“Yes. I’ve read all of your school reports, medical, even dental records. I know you’ve dated in high school and in college. You’ve never gone too far, and I also know you watch a lot of porn.”
She glanced around the restaurant to make sure no one was hearing this. Everything he was talking about was private stuff.
“I know your favorite color is red, the color of passion.”
“And blood. Don’t forget that.”
“And I also know that your wish was once to find a man who would only ever love you. Where you were his number one, and they could see other women, but in his eyes there was never going to be anyone but you.”
That was her wish after living with her mother. She’d gotten older and realized none of those guys existed. They were all interested in the women who offered stuff for free.
“I’m that guy, Freya.”
She looked at him, and the way he stared, his whole persona—in that moment she believed him, and she wanted to cave, so damn much. All she wanted in that single moment was to belong to him.
Pushing a strand of dyed hair out of the way of her face, she took a breath. “I’m hungry. What do you want to eat?”
While he ordered their food, she sipped at her water and tried to think of what to say. He was making her nervous with his talk. Could she give in and believe him?
“Your mother really did a number on you, didn’t she?”
“She’s a great woman.”
He sighed and took her hand. She didn’t fight him, and loved how small her hand looked in his larger one. He made her feel delicate and womanly.
“I’m not disputing that she has the worst taste in men. I think it has scared you to trust anyone of the opposite sex. Did you know I warned her not to marry your father?”
“No, I didn’t.”
“On the day that he proposed to her, he’d already fucked three women. He was never going to settle down. I told her that she would be better off just taking money from him, and finding a guy who cares. Your father cares about you. The thought of having a kid filled him with joy, I saw that.”
“Just not enough to stop his cheating ways.”
“You know your father is never going to settle down. Every single woman who thinks they’re going to catch him is wrong.”
He stroked her hand, and this made Freya think. “What makes you so different from my father?”
“I’ve never cheated on a woman I’ve been with. I want to settle down, fall in love, have a family, and be happy. I’m not constantly looking for the next pussy, Freya. I told you more than once that I’m the guy you’ve been waiting for.”
Their food arrived, and she pulled her hand away, missing his touch. Nibbling on her lip, she waited for the waiter to leave, and looked at her plate full of paella. She loved this dish, and had loved it for a long time. Only when she visited her father did she get a chance to eat it.
Picking up her fork, she took a bite, and closed her eyes, enjoying the taste once again. It had been too long since she last ate it.
“I want to make you an offer, Freya.”
She opened her eyes, and found Jared watching her. He always seemed to be, and she didn’t mind. This was what was so frustrating. She didn’t mind his gaze, or his interference. Instead of finding them an invasion of her personal space, she found it cute.
“What kind of an offer?”
“Agree to be mine for the next two months, and if you don’t like it, I’ll let you walk away. I won’t bother you again. But if you do, and you want it, you stay mine for the rest of your life.”
Okay, now she felt like she was in some kind of movie. The temptation to run was strong, but not as strong as her curiosity.
****
Freya had taken the deal, and after they finished their meal, he took her straight to his country home. While they were in the car he got her to phone Sophia in case she was feeling nervous about being alone with him, not that she should. He would never hurt her. All he wanted was for her to feel safe with him.
He was already in love with her, and now all he needed to do was make her see that she felt the same way about him.
She’d had a crush on him for as long as he could remember, and he found it sweet that she kept trying to fight it.
Only when she was in college, did his feelings begin to mature. She’d never appealed to him as a child other than being a sweet kid.
“What did she say?” he asked when the call had finished.
“She told me to have fun, and to not be afraid.” She blew out a breath. “I’m not afraid of you.”
“That’s good to know. I don’t want you to be afraid of me.”
He pulled into his country home parking lot. There were six other cars there, all of his own collection.
“Wow, are you here to show off your wealth?”
“Nope. I just happen to like cars, and I have a thing for the classics.”
He climbed out of the car, and made his way around to her side of the car where she was already climbing out.
“Next time, wait for me to help you out.”
“I’m quite capable of getting out of a car.”
“I know, but I like doing it.” He placed a hand at her back, and together they moved toward the front of the house. His housekeeper wasn’t around right now as he’d given her the weekend off.
Entering his home, he took her jacket, and placed it on the stand.
“Is this rented, or is this your place?”
“This is mine.”
“I always thought you were a city guy. I couldn’t imagine you out of it.”
He tutted. “There is so much for you to learn, Freya.”
“Let me guess, you’re the guy to teach me.”
“Of course.” He gripped the back of her neck, and turned her so that she was facing him. Putting his thumbs beneath her chin, he tilted her head back so that she was looking at him. “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
“There are a lot of other women out there.”
“Does it look like I give a shit about them? You’re beautiful to me. I think you’re stunning, and I’m going to cherish you always.” He didn’t kiss her. What he wanted was to drive her crazy with her own need, and he was an expert in knowing what she wanted, and of course, knowing what she liked.
She liked the way he touched her, when he took rather than asked. Her hardened nipples and the little catch in her breath gave her away.
He should advise her to never play a game of poker. Her face was far too easy to read. It was why he knew that his endeavor would make him the victor. Freya loved him, but years of seeing men’s betrayals firsthand was going to make it difficult for him. She wasn’t going to cave easily, or even straight away.
Time, patience, and care were all things he was good at, and he didn’t see any problems in his plans.
“I know what you want,” she said. “It’s the same as Alfie wanted. I know you worked together for us.”
He leaned against the doorframe, staring at her. “And?”
“You’re not going to deny it?”
“Of course not. Why would I lie to you?”
The confusion was clear on her face.
“Freya, it’s not my intention to hurt, upset, or lie to you. That is what I promise you I will never do. I want us to have a relationship.” The truth was he wanted her to be his wife, the love of his life, but if he went too far too quickly, he was going to lose her.
Time and patience.
“What about my dad? What will he think?” she asked. “You’re his best friend. I don’t know him all that well unless you count him trying to sleep with everything in sight.”
He sighed. “I’ve not told your father my intentions, and until we’re ready, I won’t. That is something we’re going to do together, when you’re ready, Freya. I know you’re not the biggest fan of the man. It’s why when he said about offering you a job straight out of college, I knew I had the perfect place for your art.”
“I didn’t want to work with him. He offered, and I told him I’d think about it. Your offer was a great relief.”
“Why don’t you like him?” he asked. “Is it because of your mother, or something else?”
“I guess it’s a bunch of stuff. When I was younger, I couldn’t wait for him to come home. He’d be late, and then he and Mom would argue. It didn’t take me long to realize it was because he was meeting ‘special friends,’ as he called it.” She shook her head. “There was one day at his office, his special friend came. He left me outside with his receptionist while he was with this special friend. It was his latest mistress.” She snorted. “I guess I just got fed up with being constantly pushed aside because he wanted to be with his latest piece of ass.”
“You’ll never feel that way again with me.”
“How are you so sure?” Her arms went out and then slapped back down against her sides. “There could be another woman who is beautiful, and you want her.”
“It doesn’t matter. None of them would be you. That’s the difference, Freya. I’m not after a piece of ass. I’m after you.”