“Why? It’s a legitimate offer.”
His statement was laughable coming from a billionaire who did multimillion-dollar business deals, but she was curious now. “For what percentage of the business?” she asked doubtfully, watching as he scrambled to come up with an answer. Jared Sinclair wasn’t offering to go into business with her. He was offering to help her. Her heart melted as she watched a flicker of indecision move across his face, his businesslike facade temporarily faltering.
“Ten percent, and unlimited product,” he said decisively.
Mara snorted. “How in the hell did you ever become a billionaire? That’s not a serious offer. It’s a charitable donation to me.”
Jared ran a hand through his hair, looking frustrated. “I don’t need more money. I need a project I can believe in,” he told her bitterly.
“You don’t like what you’re doing, owning one of the most profitable commercial real estate companies in the world?” What exactly did he mean by needing something he could believe in?
“It’s big business. Big buildings. Big money changing hands. Big commercial buildings. It’s not a challenge anymore. It never really was.”
Jared had helped to build some of the most impressive, enormous buildings in the world, and that wasn’t demanding enough for him? “You don’t like it,” she decided adamantly. “You don’t like what you do.”
“Maybe,” he agreed grudgingly.
“But you believe in my products?” Looking at the tortured look on his face, Mara believed him. Maybe he was bored. Maybe he really did want to be her mentor.
“I believe in you,” he snapped.
“Do you hate what you’re doing that much?” she asked gently.
“I don’t exactly hate it,” he grunted. “But I don’t like it, either. I have competent upper management who can do most of the work now. I’m basically a figurehead, the guy who makes the final decision. But everything has already pretty much been decided by research and professionals chasing the deals and the details, the pros and cons already figured out. All they need is my okay. Maybe I need the challenge of building a business from the ground up again.”
“It’s never going to be a huge moneymaker,” she warned him calmly, moving back enough to place her coffee in the bed of the truck and hop up on the tailgate to sit. Jared was a lot safer from a distance. “I know I can turn a good profit, but it isn’t the kind of money you’re used to dealing with,” she continued, relieved by the distance she’d put between them.
“I don’t give a shit about the money. I never did. I had more than enough money to live a life of luxury for the rest of my life and never do a single day of honest work. Success doesn’t always involve huge profits. I just want you to make enough to live comfortably. I want to teach you how,” he admitted roughly, his graveled tone sounding like he wanted to show her much more than business. Moving around the metal table, Jared set his coffee down before he stalked her, slowly pursuing her until he finally pinned her body against the open tailgate of her battered truck with his much larger, muscular form.
Mara’s breath hitched as she inhaled his masculine scent, feeling intoxicated by his nearness. He placed his hands on both of her knees and ascended slowly along the sensitive skin of her inner thighs with his thumb, stroking until he reached the tops of her thighs. Once there, he moved his hands up and gripped her hips in an urgent motion, pulling her forward until her saturated core was flush against his hard, steely erection.
Mara shuddered, her body melting into Jared’s as she looked up at him. His expression was strained and hungry, like a starving predator that had finally spotted prey. “And what do you get?” she questioned shakily, her nerves raw from trying to pretend she wasn’t ready to crawl up his big, muscular body and beg him to satisfy the ache he was causing to pulsate through her entire being.
“Satisfaction,” he answered in a husky voice before his mouth covered hers.