Page 32 of Ruthless Financier
I had Jacob Donovan—who with a snap of his fingers could be anywhere, eating five-star food, with one glance at his staff—sitting here beside me. Yet he’d not complained at all about the night at home I’d set up for just us.
Like we were a real couple with nothing to do.
Honestly, when I set this up, I assumed he’d take control and change everything immediately.
But he hadn’t. And watching him eat Chinese take-out and then relax next to me on the couch had covered my skin with serious goosebumps of anticipation.
Finally, the credits rolled, and I found the remote control, turned off the TV and said, “I hope dinner and the movie wasn’t too low class for you.” I massaged the back of my neck and tilted my head. “I wanted to see how you reacted.”
He stretched his arms and asked, “To what?”
I didn’t uncurl myself beside him. I loved the whiff of his subtle cologne that made my body tremble for him.
“To something simple and unplanned on your part,” I said.
He patted my foot and said, “Honestly, dinner and a movie has never been a date night for me.”
“I can’t imagine your world.”
“You don’t want to. Most of the people in it are like light bulbs.”
“What do you mean?”
“Bright and shiny when turned on and in the moment, but afterwards, they’re easily forgotten. An accessory. And they don’t matter.”
Part of me couldn’t imagine his world. Sure, I’d met people like him in offices where I’d made pitches, but I was never invited for even a coffee after. I presented myself as all-business to get ahead with my goals.
Now I didn’t need to, and I wasn’t sure what would happen next. I ignored the pulsing in my veins and asked, “Good. So this is a date for you?”
He kissed my neck and his skin on mine made me giggle. And I never giggled. He stopped and held me as he said, “Hell yes. I want you, but I need you to be comfortable with me. You were next to me, so I assumed it was all right.”
If he continued to make my body feel like this, it would rupture in desire. Then I’d never have to let him find out that I wasn’t that … well … good in bed. Sex was never fun. I ignored that thought that buzzed in my brain and just asked, “What’s your normal method of dating then?”
His lips thinned as he said, “I don’t date.”
I’d done my research on Mr. Ruthless. I placed my hand on my hip and met his gaze. “You were seen last year with a foreign princess.”
He shrugged, didn’t let me go, and said, “Yes, we fucked and went our separate ways.”
I traced the collar of my shirt and tried to imagine I was somehow good enough in bed to keep him happy there. I asked, “Oh. So you just take people to bed and move on?”
He kissed my cheek, like he’d appease me. “That was the past, though. Now you’re my wife, and I honor contracts.”
But he wasn’t in love with me. Butterflies grew in my stomach. That was true for both of us, though it was easy to forget he wasn’t here forever. I tugged my ear and ignored the buzz in my veins.
“My first boyfriend ended up being gay.”
He traced my side and cupped my ass as he asked, “And the next?”
My heart beat faster. He seemed to know what he was doing. I said, “In college, John broke it off with me when I had to cancel a date to study. He walked out of the room like I’d offended him and literally never spoke to me again.”
“Dramatic,” he scoffed. He played with the waistband of my skirt as he asked, “And after?”
I met his brown-eyed gaze. No one had been as tall, muscular or good looking at my side. And none of them had me on the edge of my seat, sending signals of carnal hunger that zipped through my body. I said, “And my last boyfriend, Ford, was charming and funny … and took my money until I cut him off. I need my money to go to worthier goals.”
He kissed my neck and I sighed, letting him. My skin was already burning for him. The slight ruff of his end-of-day stubble was like a sexy version of my loofa brush. It made my hairs all stand up, wanting more.
I said, “Well, soon you and I will live together permanently.” He continued to feast on my neck, like kissing my skin could continue all night. Aches that I didn’t know how to respond to grew inside me as I let him go on. Struggling to stay in control, I asked, “And how do you spend your days?”
