Chapter 19

Jared read through the purchase and sale agreement for the fifth time that evening. There were still a few clauses he needed to tinker with a bit before he sent it off to the seller's counsel. It was crucial that he covered the due diligence and inspection periods and other areas of the contract that would protect Thad's company. Every good real estate lawyer knew that when you represented the buyer, you had to stay on top of the seller and their counsel, and hold their feet to the fire on the contract they signed in order to make sure everything was done.

More times than he could count, Jared had seen ill-drafted purchase agreements dissolve into litigation when sellers abandoned their duties after they'd been paid by the buyers and no longer considered themselves responsible for the property, even though the deal hadn't been fully closed.

The entire afternoon, Jared had worked undisturbed on the agreement. He saved the document on his computer and then shut it down. He spun in his chair to glance over at the horizon and the Chicago skyline. The sun had set, leaving only a ruby-red halo just above the buildings. The evening lights of offices and buildings were starting to wink on in a slow, gradual wave as he watched the view darken. It was beautiful. Funny, he wouldn't have noticed that before.

The last couple of years he had been so focused on his career, so bent on proving himself, that he rarely stopped, and he sure as hell didn't notice sunsets. Before last Friday night, he wouldn't have appreciated what he was seeing now. He wished Felicity was here. She could explain the different colors to him and how some of the famous artists might use their different styles to paint the same view.

God, she was so brilliant, and she didn't even seem to know it. She absorbed information, especially on subjects she loved, and made great use of it to educate others. She also appreciated what she was learning and loved to share her passion when she talked about art. She would be one hell of a curator someday. Jared wished things between them hadn't been so awkward. He'd never been awkward with women before. It was probably because he hadn't cared before, hadn't felt as unsure of himself as he did around her. She made him feel like he was fifteen years old asking a girl to dance at a school formal and he had two left feet to dance with. He hadn't been that boy in a long time.

He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples as he recalled what he'd shouted at Layla: "She's mine!" He wanted it to be true, yet he already knew enough about Felicity to know she wasn't someone to be owned. How could he make a girl like her fall for him? It was like chasing rainbows. You see them from afar, see the beauty and the colors, but no matter how hard you work to catch them, they always dissolve when you get to where they are supposed to be. He didn't want to be standing there soaked and cold with the passing rains as he waited for the colorful vision to return. It was no way for a man to live.

Even if I can't have her, I still have to protect her. Thad was too serious, too experienced. He'd scare her if she went out with him. Felicity needed a gentle lover, one who would introduce her to the world of passion with the utmost tenderness and respect. She was too innocent, and Thad was attracted to that for all of the wrong reasons.

His phone rang, and Layla's name flashed on the screen. "Yeah?"

"Hey, so Felicity needs a ride. I said I'd pick her up, but I'm running late. You know where she lives. Can you bring her to Club Amazon tonight?"

"No," he answered instantly.

"Fine. I'll hire a cab for her." Layla called his bluff.

"Don't. I'll take her," he snapped.

"Thanks! You better hurry. It's eight thirty."

Jared slid his suit coat sleeve back from his wrist and hissed a curse.

"Shit!" Time had gotten away from him faster than he'd realized. After hanging up on Layla, he shoved the documents back into the file for the hotel and then bolted for the office door.

The cab ride took too damn long. What the hell was he going to say when she opened the door?

Maybe I shouldn't say anything. I can just grab her and kiss her. She can't argue with me or send me away if I'm kissing her, right?

By the time he was striding down the half-lit hall to Felicity's apartment, he was thinking up a hundred ways to talk her into moving out of this building. He was pretty sure he saw a drug deal go down in the lobby before he caught the elevator up to her floor.

God, he had to get her out of this place. It was falling apart and in the worst part of town with bad shit happening all around her. But he couldn't force that, wasn't even sure how to start that conversation. She was probably here because she couldn't afford something better. Pride would prevent her from accepting any help, so he'd have to get creative. He rapped his knuckles on her door and waited.

"Just a sec!" Felicity's call was a bit muffled, but still audible. A second later the door swung open and Felicity stood there, a black pump hanging on her index finger as she bent to slide it on her foot. A silver dress with tiny sequins clung to her curves, glinting softly as she shifted.

"You're late, Layla," she added, then looked up as she secured her shoe on her foot and set it down.

Jared bit back an amused grin as she gave a little gasp and promptly tripped as she tried to retreat from him. He dove forward and caught her.

"I still think you're a bit of a klutz." He couldn't resist the tease, but he made sure she was steady on her feet before he let her go.

"I was expecting Layla." Felicity's cheeks warmed to a delicate pink. "And I'm only a klutz around you." She muttered this with a furious blush to her cheeks.

"She was the one who called me. I'm taking you to Club Amazon."

Her brows rose, and she chewed on her bottom lip. That same hunger he always felt for her spiked in his blood like expensive scotch. What he wouldn't give in that moment to just kiss her and make her forget all about the club and Thad.

"So you're going with me on my date with Thad?" A glimmer of light flashed in her eyes, like a ripple of quicksilver. Was that anger? Interest? Whatever it was vanished so quickly he couldn't read it.

Jared crowded into the room, bristling as he replied, "It's not a date. Thad doesn't date. It's just a night out, for everyone as a group." He emphasized the last part, and she narrowed her cute little eyes at him. He didn't want to even start on the fact that she seemed ready to date Thad but not him. That was an argument for another night, one when he had a bottle of bourbon at the ready.

"Okay." She didn't act at all convinced. "I am almost ready to go. Make yourself comfortable." She waved in the direction of her couch. Then she headed for her bedroom.

He noticed the back of her dress was unzipped, giving him a glimpse of that beautiful back. Not a hint of a bra, either. He swallowed a groan as he sat down on the couch to wait. He wasn't exactly dressed for clubbing, but the suit was better than nothing. Club Amazon was a top private venue, and Thad loved to take girls there and impress them with his private room, which cost a small fortune. Unlike Thad, he wasn't really into the club scene. He preferred to put his money into his clothes and his investments.

The club had natural-looking waterfalls, exotic decor, wild colorful plants, and trees built into the space around the dance floors and the private rooms. Each room inside was designed per the patron's specific requests and didn't have to correspond with the jungle theme.

He shifted on the couch, and the heel of his black dress shoe hit something. Bending over, he slid the object out. It was a sketchbook, already open to a drawing. His heart flipped and his mouth went dry as he studied the work. A very provocative piece of a woman stretched out on a fainting couch covered the page. Jared settled the pad on his lap, then angled the sketch for closer inspection. The woman wore a white gown that hung over her curvaceous body. The short chin-length cropped hair was severe, yet exotic. The woman's eyes were outlined with dark lines, making her look Egyptian.

A man was also in the picture, wearing chest armor and a thick sword hanging from his hip. It reminded him of Russell Crowe from Gladiator. Only­ He peered at the faces of the man and woman. They resembled Felicity and­him.

She'd sketched him? Felicity wasn't just interested in art. She was a real artist. With a rapid beat of his heart, he realized that he was holding a piece of Felicity's fantasies in his hands. Like a glimpse of her soul.

And fuck, she's fantasizing about me.

With a guilty glance over his shoulder, he slipped his cell phone out and positioned it above the drawing and snapped a shot of it.

There was something about this sketchit fascinated him. Like peeking into her soul and catching sight of one of her fantasies. So this was what ran through her head when she daydreamed. He grinned and then tucked the sketchbook back under the couch and pocketed his cell phone. Role playing. It hadn't interested him before, but if Felicity was fantasizing about Cleopatra, then he was all for it. He'd start looking for a costume tomorrow. The thought made him chuckle.

The click of heels on wood drew his attention as Felicity came into view in the bathroom. She twisted around, her dress only half-zipped as she attempted to pull her hair up. He was on his feet instantly and moving to stand behind her.

"Leave it down," he murmured in her ear.

She looked at his reflection in the mirror. Her eyes wide, her lips parted as she sucked in a breath. He brushed the coils of her hair over her shoulder and out of the way as he zipped up the back of her dress. The thousands of tiny sequins on the dress reminded him of the luminescent scales of a mermaid's fins. With her auburn hair in long beautiful waves, Felicity could have been the tragic heroine in Hans Christian Andersen's tale. What was it about this woman that had him dwelling on fairy-tale fantasies?

"Thank you," she whispered. A little shiver rippled through her, visible to his eyes. She blinked as she seemed to fight for control over herself. They were both battling themselves and their desire. It was the only consolation his taut body could have in that moment. They would both be suffering until she overcame whatever fear was holding her back.

"You ready?" he asked.

"Uh-huh." She reached for the small red satin clutch purse. His mind flashed to the red panties he'd seen in her gym bag, and he bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself in check. Still, he couldn't resist the temptation of checking out her perfect ass as she walked toward the door. He wanted to get his hands on itand a lot of other places on her body.

Forbidden. It was all forbidden until she banished her fears. Be brave. He silently prayed she'd conquer her demons and let him inside her walls.