AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No, I just don’t have a filter.”
“Exactly, and that’s the way I like it. Does it make you uncomfortable? The wealth?”
She doesn’t immediately deny it, and I have to admit that I respect that. She takes a moment, looking out at the mountains, sipping her wine, and then turns those stunning green eyes back to me.
“Uncomfortable? No. I wouldn’t say that. I want to make it clear that I’m not on this date with you because of the balance in your checking account. Or whatever accounts billionaires use.”
I chuckle at that and stay quiet, letting her speak.
“I’m here because I like you.” She shrugs a shoulder and reaches for a piece of pastry with cheese that smells delicious. “And because the sex was off the charts.”
I choke on the wine I just sipped, and she grins across from me.
“And now I’m here because of this cheese,” she continues, frowning at the piece in her fingers. “Holy Jesus and the apostles, this is incredible. Now, you tell me why you’re here.”
“Because staying away from you isn’t an option.”
She stops chewing, and her eyes find mine as she licks her lips.
“Life got busy after the wedding and our incredible fucking night together.” I fiddle with the end of a knife on the table, still watching her. “I have Jake, and for a while, he needed my full and undivided attention. So, he got it.”
“As he should,” she agrees, and I can see by the look on her face that she means every word. It only makes me like her more. “He deserves that.”
“Yes, he does. But we’re doing well now, and I can’t stop thinking about you. That’s why I’m here.”
“That’s a good answer.” She gestures to the appetizer. “Eat some of this so I don’t inhale it all, please.”
I want to inhale her. To take her home and lose myself in her. To reacquaint myself with every curve of her body.
But I’ll settle for this for now.
“Now I have another question,” she says, eyeing me with those gorgeous emerald eyes as she munches on the appetizer.
“Shoot. I’m an open book.”
“Tell me more about this major security situation you had.”
I frown down at the table, the delicious food now tasting like cardboard in my mouth. Suddenly, she reaches across the table and takes my hand in hers, squeezing it. I look up into her eyes, and frankly, I’d tell this woman anything she wants to know.
“Was it really bad?” Her voice is soft, not full of pity, but understanding.
I swallow hard and turn my hand palm up so I can grip hers in return.
“Yeah, it was really bad.” I suddenly have a frog in my throat, so I clear it. “I told you about the kidnapping attempt in New York.”
She nods, waiting patiently.
“After that, things calmed down for a few months. Then, I found a company that was in financial trouble, and I wanted to buy them out. They weren’t keen on selling. In fact, they just wanted me to invest and get them out of trouble, but that’s not what I wanted in that situation.”
“Do you ever do that?” she asks.
“I have in the past, but I knew that if I invested in this case, they’d be right back where they were in less than two years. The owners were shit businessmen. I wanted to take it over because I saw the potential in it.”
Just thinking about that time makes my heart start to beat faster, and I reach for my water and take a sip.
“They had no choice but to sell to someone. They really didn’t want to sell to me, because I turned down the investment offer, but no one else wanted it.”
“So, it was a hostile takeover,” she surmises, making me smile, despite the anxiety that wants to rise up through my stomach.
