Chapter Twelve
Jared opened his bedroom door and was not ready for the satisfied, possessive feeling racing through him.
When she had shown up yesterday, he’d been thrilled that she seemed to be a beautiful and sweet woman he knew he’d come to care for eventually, and he’d be able to sleep with her every night and dive into her whenever he wanted.
He no longer had to use his fist to get a moderate feeling of release from the overabundance of sexual hunger he’d been born with.
He couldn’t seem to understand why his feelings for her had hit him hard at the very beginning.
He let his body and his need for her take over his common sense.
He hadn’t considered that he would start to have feelings—deep feelings—for this woman.
He decided that would be the worst thing that could happen, and he would do whatever it took to keep home and work separate.
He couldn’t allow her to disrupt his life.
Jared told himself he married her so quickly to protect her, but he knew the real reason. He wanted her bound to him as fast as possible, and it pissed him off while it brought him a sense of peace he’d never felt. He stared down at her with his hands on his hips.
“Jesus, what am I going to do with you?” He turned away and got ready for bed. He grabbed some sleep pants, grimacing. He usually slept naked because he liked the freedom, but he didn’t want to freak her out if they touched during the night.
After shutting the lights off and getting under the covers, Jared turned toward her.
She lay facing him, curled into a small ball with her hands tucked under her chin.
He reached out and pushed a piece of hair out of her face.
He took the time to look at her as much as he wanted without getting caught, and the light from the full moon was enough to see her features.
He had an overwhelming feeling of ownership right then that took his breath. Jared pulled his hand away abruptly. He would not allow her into his heart. That would only compromise the way he liked his life. He was not going to do anything that would jeopardize the ranch.
He closed his eyes. He wasn’t going to worry about it anymore that night. He just knew this little woman was not going to make him feel like he needed her in any other way besides sex and babies.
Sky woke during the night with a heavy arm wrapped around her waist, holding her back against a hot, hard chest. She was alarmed at first until she realized who it was, then she felt a sense of security, unlike any she’d ever felt.
She slid back into sleep as she contemplated her emotions.
She vaguely sensed his arm tightening when she tried to move away from him a few times during the night.
When she awoke next, she was alone in bed, and sunlight was streaming through the windows. She noticed the empty side of the bed when she jerked around toward the bedside clock for the time.
“Oh, Lord.” She’d slept until noon. She’d never done that in her life.
She flew out of bed and raced toward the bathroom. She took a quick shower, wrapped a towel around herself, and used another to blot the moisture from her hair. Sky turned and raced into her old bedroom to get clothes and shrieked when she ran into a hard wall of muscle.
“Hey, there. Slow down.” Jared grasped her shoulders to keep her from dropping to the floor.
Sky took a step back, but he kept a grip on her.
“I’m sorry, I can’t believe I slept this late. I was rushing,” she explained breathlessly.
Jared’s eyes roamed hungrily down her body. The towel covered her midsection but left her legs, upper chest, and arms naked and still damp from the shower.
“Why? You can sleep as late as you want, Baby. There’s nothing that needs your immediate attention, is there?”
Sky tried again to pull back from him, but he just held her steady.
The energy drained from her when she realized he was right. She had nothing to look forward to, just like when she’d been with her father. For some reason, the thought of that here, of feeling like a nothing, bothered her more. Much more.
Jared gritted his teeth when she seemed to deflate right in front of him. He wanted so badly to pull her into his arms and make her feel better, but he knew it would open an emotional door he wanted to stay closed.
“That’s true.” Sky tightened her grip on the towel she had wrapped around her after her shower. “Why are you here?” Her voice was somber.
Jared dropped his hands. Something in him needed to see her, and it pissed him off.
“I had to come up to the house for something, and Abby told me you hadn’t been down yet. I decided to check and make sure you were okay.”
“Yes, well, as you can see, I’m fine.”
His eyes locked on hers. “Good.” Jared took a step back. “I guess I’ll go back to work.”
Sky nodded. “I’ll see you tonight.” She watched in fascination as a dark cloud swept across his face before he turned angrily and stormed off.
“What did I do?” she asked herself quietly.
Sky dressed and made her way downstairs. After a quick cup of coffee, she spent the majority of that day in the office and their bedroom. It took hours to hang the new clothes and take the tags off.
She spent time in the office making stacks of books. She decided to organize his library into separate topics and then alphabetize them. Sky realized the shadows that had lengthened in the room told her the sun was starting to set. She headed toward the kitchen, afraid she’d be late.
“Abby, can I help with anything?” Sky asked hesitantly.
Abby turned as she stirred something on the stove. “No, dear. I have everything under control. Dinner will be served in ten minutes. You’ve got to be hungry. You only had coffee today. You skipped lunch.”
“I was putting my clothes away and then worked on the library, and the time just got away from me. Has Jared come in yet?”
“I’m right here.”
Sky spun toward the doorway to see Jared buttoning up a nice shirt. Her breath sputtered when she caught the way the fabric molded to the still-damp parts of his torso, showing the immense muscles that lay underneath.
“How much time do we have, Abby?” Jared asked.
“Ten minutes.”
“Come with me, Sky, that should give us enough time.”
“Enough time for what?” she asked when she came even with him.
Jared grasped her arm and started leading her toward the office.
“To talk.”
Sky pulled away from him when the door shut behind them. She walked across the room before she turned back to him. She swallowed back a gasp at the masculine man leaning against the door, preventing her from leaving if she chose to.
She gripped her hands together in front of her. “Wh-what did you want to talk to me about?”
Jared’s eyes narrowed on her as hunger ate at his insides. He crossed his arms. “What did you do today?”
“I-I moved my clothes into your room and organized them.” She swept her hand to indicate the stacks of books against one wall. “And started organizing your books.”
Jared nodded in satisfaction. “Did you have plenty of space in the closet for all your clothes?”
“Yes.”
“Come here.”
Sky swallowed as she moved in front of him.
Jared grasped her waist and pulled her closer.
“I want you to get used to the idea that tonight I will have you under me.”
Sky’s body jerked, and her eyes were wide with shock and anxiety. “Tonight? I thought you were going to give me a few days to get to know you?”
Frustration shifted over his face. “What else do you need to know about me?”
“I don’t know. But I’m not comfortable with you yet to allow you to...” She squealed and fluttered her hands at her sides. “You know.”
Jared’s hands tightened on her waist. “Answer me this, will you feel comfortable enough with me in say a week or even a month to have sex with me?”
Sky’s heart stuttered in her chest. “I don’t know,” she murmured.
“I’m thinking you’re still going to feel a semblance of discomfort no matter when we start the physical side of this marriage. And remember, that’s why you’re here,” he reminded her bluntly.
A spear of hurt pierced her heart. She had to remind herself she was here to be a sexual release and a broodmare. Sky nodded, and her shoulders fell.
“I know that, I’m just not used to any of this.”
“That’s okay. In time, you will feel comfortable with me and maybe even enjoy it.”
What could she say? Maybe this would be a good thing. She hoped that maybe if they made love, he would see her in a different way and not treat her like a prisoner and a whore.
“Okay.”
Jared smiled in satisfaction. “Good, now let’s go eat.”
Sky strolled behind him toward the dining room. Any hunger she’d felt was long gone. The conversation was stilted through dinner, making her comfort level plummet even further since their talk.
Jared couldn’t tear his eyes from her throughout the meal. “Sky, take a bite. You’ve hardly eaten anything.”
Sky pushed her food around and shrugged. “I’m just not hungry right now.”
Jared studied her as she looked at her plate. “You’re nervous thinking about later?”
Sky dropped her fork as a wave of frustration and fear raced through her. “I’m sure you feel fine sleeping with anyone, but I’m not used to sleeping with men. Especially ones I don’t know.”
Jared reached out and caught her chin in his hand and turned her head, so she looked at him instead of her plate.
“One, I don’t appreciate the tone of your voice, so you will adjust it right now. Second, I'm not, and have never been, a man who likes to sleep around. In fact, it’s been years since I’ve had sex with anything besides my fist.”
Sky gasped and tried to pull back.
He tightened his grip. “No, don’t pull away from me, Baby. I know that shocked you, but over time, you will get used to the way I talk to you and touch you. Until then, I will try to be patient and take things slow.”
Sky tightened her lips but nodded.
Jared released her and sat back. “Are you finished with your meal?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. I want you to go upstairs and shower. I’ll be up in a bit. I want to see you in bed when I get there.”
Sky knew it wasn’t a question but nodded anyway.
“Go on then.”
Sky stood without a word and walked out of the room. A shiver coursed down her spine at the feeling of his eyes as they followed her out of the room.