“Are you going to get mad at me when you find out I’m not rich?” I asked. “Wait, that’s not right.”
I stared out the window at the darkening sky for a second, trying like hell to concentrate. “That’s it. It’s all about the order I tell you.”
“That’s a good idea,” she said, smiling sweetly. “Go ahead and tell me everything in the right order.”
“Right. Okay, so Jessie wanted me to look like a billionaire for her show, and dressed me up and made me play the part. She even rented shoes and a watch for me so I’d look right. And then you came along, the most beautiful, sweet, thoughtful girl I’ve ever met. And you let me kiss you for the photos, but I knew it wasn’t just for that.”
Tara’s smile was so warm. “The cameras were a good excuse. Go on.”
“Then I’m not sure what happened,” I said slowly. “I never meant to lie to you, but I think some things came out wrong. I think you assumed I was rich. It was just...misrepresentation.”
That didn’t sound like the right word either but I felt like I should keep trying.
“And then I realized I couldn’t let myself have sex with you until you knew the truth, because that would be wrong. So I was going to take you to the building opening tonight, and let you meet the team, and show you what I really do for a living.”
It felt like my words were coming out too fast and too slow at the same time, but Tara nodded. “It’s okay. I’m figuring it out now.”
“That crazy car that picked me up was my boss, not my driver. We just call him that because it’s ridiculously funny.”
Somehow she had shifted me so that I was lying down on the pillows, with my head on her stomach as she stroked my hair.
“Why don’t you take a little nap,” she said gently. “I know you’re a big tough guy, but going to the hospital and getting stitches is exhausting.”
“I’m fine,” I said automatically. “I could go down and make us some coffee, then we could go out to dinner, if you–”
Her hand clamped across my lips. “I’m really tired,” she said, lying down beside me and pulling the blanket over us. “Will you please take a nap with me? I’d like that.”
“Of course, baby,” I murmured, snuggling against her.
I couldn’t let her see me being so needy, but exhaustion was draining me, making what little focus I had slip away. Everything was heavy and sluggish. If she needed to nap, I could help her do that. The unbelievable relief that she wasn’t angry with me helped me drift off the second my eyes closed.
15
_____
Tara
I waited until Jared was completely asleep, then slid carefully out of his arms.
There were a few more painkillers in the bottle on his bedside table, so I searched online to find out all of the details. Apparently the drowsy effects didn’t last long, and it looked like some food would be the best thing for him.
My feet were silent on the elegant wooden staircase as I went down to his kitchen. It was a beautiful room, but very normal. Well, upscale normal. No gigantic chandeliers or a fifty thousand dollar oven.
Jared didn’t seem to have a lot of food in his fridge, so I whipped up a fruit smoothie, adding some protein powder to give it a bit more substance.
The second I opened his bedroom door with the drink in my hand, Jared snapped awake, and started to sit up.
“No! Don’t move,” I commanded, surprising myself.
Jared froze, then lay back. “I thought you left.”
I sat beside him on the bed, handing him the glass. “Of course not. I looked up those painkillers, and it said you should have food. Drink up. Then I’ll order in dinner.”
He took a few sips, then smiled, his eyes blazing. “You even found my protein powder.”
“Yes. I don’t know if you’ve eaten today, so you might have been extra loopy because you were hungry.”
Jared chugged most of the smoothie, then set the glass on the bedside table so he could slip his left arm around me.