“I gave you my terms,” he reminded her, shooting her a stubborn look from his position in the recliner across from her.
They’d just finished dinner, and he was working on his laptop while she was altering her dress. Jared lingered more and more at the guest house, slowly moving some of his essentials into the residence and leaving them there. Not that she minded. The moment he left to go back to the mansion at night, she was lonely. She was getting used to his company, craved it when he was gone. It hadn’t escaped her notice that he was also slowly replacing all of her belongings with new items, bringing her a new computer that he just happened to have lying around. Not so coincidentally, it was brand-new in the box and top-of-the-line. He’d looked so pleased with himself every time he gave her something new that she hadn’t had the heart to refuse the items. And she did need them. But his thoughtfulness made her uncharacteristically weepy. No guy had ever wanted to do things for her, or anticipated her needs. It felt strangely . . . good.
However, the business was a whole different thing, and she was willing to play hardball if she had to. And she knew she was going to have to do it. “Your brother made me an offer.” Damn! She really didn’t want to play this particular card or play any games with Jared, but the stubborn man wasn’t giving her much of a choice.
“He what?” Jared questioned cautiously.
“He made me an offer to be my partner. Complete with a contract and controlling interest. If we can’t make a deal, I’m taking him up on it,” she said, trying not to look him in the eyes.
“You’re not doing business with Evan. He’s a damn shark. He’d eat you alive without a second thought,” Jared snarled. “It wouldn’t matter to him if the money was nothing to him. He’s a goddamn anal perfectionist. He’d be bossing you around every minute of the day, working you until you dropped.”
“But it would be a fair agreement. And I don’t mind working hard.”
“It would be in his favor. It always is.”
Mara shrugged. “A major investor gets controlling interest.”
“I don’t want him controlling you,” he bellowed, angry now.
“He wouldn’t be controlling me. He’d be in control of the business.”
“No.”
“Then draw up a fair contract,” Mara insisted, finally meeting his gaze unyieldingly. “This isn’t fair, Jared.” She had to be strong. This was a business deal.
“Life isn’t fair, Mara. Is it fair that monetarily I’ve always had everything and you had nothing? Is it fair that you lost your mother too damn young and spent most of your adult life taking care of her? Is it fair that you’re so damn talented but can’t fund your own business? None of this shit is fair. For once in my life, I just want to help. Let me do it.” His stare was intense, his eyes dark with frustration.
Mara nearly caved in. Underneath Jared’s carefully constructed veneer of sophistication and coolness lay the heart of a generous man. However, she couldn’t give in to this. Jared talked tough, but she was fairly certain that many people had taken advantage of him in the past. She wasn’t going to be just another woman who used him. “Make the contracts or I walk. I understand that the money is peanuts to you, but it means something to me. It’s not ethical, and I can’t live with that.”
He scowled at her, silent for a moment before replying, “Fine. I’ll do the damn contracts. As long as you’re not doing business with my brother,” he rasped. “Happy?”
She dropped all pretense of working on the dress, letting it drop to her lap. “Yes. I’m excited about starting this business. The only thing bothering me was how unfair it was to you. I want us to be equal partners once the business gets going.”
“What woman worries about being fair to a billionaire?” Jared rumbled.
“I’m not dealing with the billionaire businessman right now. I’m dealing with somebody I care about,” she told him huskily. Knowing it was important that they put one more ghost to rest, she asked quietly, “Are you ever going to tell me about how your friends died?”
His expression turned dark as he closed his laptop and set it aside. “I killed them. I already told you that.”
“How?” Jared desperately needed to let go of his guilt and past pain, and Mara felt close enough to him to push now. And she’d do everything she could to release him from the prison he’d built for himself. She had no idea what had happened, but she didn’t have any doubt that he didn’t deserve to carry the blame that he’d carried for years. Evan had said Jared had changed after the deaths of his friends, and she wanted to see him find himself again. No matter what crap he spewed about being an asshole, deep inside, he wasn’t.