Her past. He still didn’t know what had happened in her past, but he knew that whatever was bothering her had to do with the issue from her past. The issue that had been so traumatic, that she’d tried to destroy herself with anorexia.
Damn! He wanted to pull her into his arms and tell her that he’d protect her from whatever was hurting her! He wanted to beat the crap out of whoever had hurt her feelings.
Turning away, he stormed out of the guest house, furious that she wouldn’t talk to him, but not giving up.
Looking around, he noticed that the cleaning crew was packing up. The catering crew had placed the tables around the pool, the event coordinator was directing the other vendors. Vases of flowers were carried around to the tables, the smell of ribs grilling permeated the air, and the bartenders were stocking the tubs that would hold iced beer. There would also be circulating cocktails, but those would be prepared in the kitchen.
Ignoring all of it, he walked into his house, prepared to get ready so that he would be outside to greet the guests. But he discovered Brant and Mack lounging on his couch, laughing about something.
“Why are you here so early?” he demanded, looking at both brothers who wore almost identical dark slacks and white shirts, open at the collar.
“To annoy you. Why else?” Brant claimed, then clinked his beer bottle against Mack’s as they chuckled.
“I will call Giselle and tell her that you guys are annoying me,” Reid warned. “She’ll fly out here with her entourage and drive both of you nuts trying to figure out what’s wrong.”
Obviously, the threat wasn’t dire enough because his brothers just laughed. Rolling his eyes, Reid walked up the stairs, ignoring them so that he could get ready for the damn party. He’d wanted this to be a big bash, something that could highlight all of the work Selena had done to prepare for this campaign. But now, he just wanted it to be over so that he could talk to Selena and find out what or who had hurt her feelings.
Twenty minutes later, he walked back down the stairs, showered and freshly shaved, ready to greet his guests. He’d chosen khaki slacks, but a white shirt like his brothers. What he was wearing didn’t matter though. He was eager to see Selena.
Stepping out onto his patio, he froze as she stepped out of the guest house. The flowered dress was light and airy, hugging her breasts with a deep V, giving him a view of her cleavage that made his mouth water. When his eyes traveled lower, he realized that her long, sexy legs were revealed with every step she took. The ruffles of her dress shifted, revealing the tanned length of those legs that had only this morning been wrapped around his waist.
This was going to be a long night, he told himself.
“Wow!”
Mack stepped out of the house behind Reid.
“Who is that?” he asked.
A soft chuckle came from Brant. Reid should say something, but he was too entranced by the gentle sway of her hips, the look in her eyes that announced to the world that she knew she looked stunning. The look that turned him on unlike anything he’d ever seen before. She was gorgeous and she knew it! What a turn on! A beautiful woman was one thing. But a woman with that kind of confidence? Damn!
“You’re going to introduce me, right?” Mack asked hopefully.
Brant shook his head and, out of the corner of his eye, Reid saw Brant put a hand out, stopping Mack from approaching Selena.
“That’s Reid’s woman,” Brant said softly.
There was a stunned silence and Reid knew that Mack was staring in frustration. Then he sighed. “Figures,” Mack grumbled. “Who is that then?”
Any other time, Reid would have turned to find out who had drawn Mack’s attention now. But Selena was approaching and he couldn’t tear his eyes away.
“That’s trouble,” Brant growled. And then he was gone, probably heading towards the “trouble”, but Reid focused on Selena. Unfortunately, she veered away from him, heading towards the other guests. Probably what he should be doing right now, but he didn’t care. He wanted to lift Selena into his arms and carry her off somewhere private. Some place where he could explore that dress.
More guests arrived and the event coordinator approached him, whispering something in his ear. But he had no idea what she’d said, too focused on Selena. He must have responded with something because the coordinator moved away. So did Selena.
Looking around, he was surprised to see so many people. When had everyone arrived? He’d only been standing here for…looking down at his watch, he realized that the party had been going for a half hour. He’d been admiring Selena and her dress for thirty minutes?
With a chuckle, he shook his head and moved into the fray. Grabbing a beer, he joined a group of guests, talking about…something. He had no idea what they were discussing or even if he participated in the conversation. He was focused on Selena, watching her as she moved from one group to another. He could see the tension in her shoulders, knew that she hated events like this, but admired how gracious she appeared. Whoever she spoke with, she made them feel as if they were the center of the world. They smiled and laughed, nodded their heads at everything she said. Selena was a beautiful hostess, he realized.
Someone bumped him from behind and he turned, ready to snap at them for interrupted his enjoyment of Selena’s graciousness. But it was Brant and he looked about ready to kill someone. Looking in the direction of his glare, he realized that his brother was glaring at the lively Italian financial guru as she laughed with another man.
“You have it as bad as Reid,” Mack said, slapping Brant’s back hard enough to topple a regular man. But the Jones brothers were used to rough slaps of “affection” and the gesture didn’t even cause Brant to wobble.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Brant growled.
Mack only chuckled and took another long drink of his beer. Reid didn’t care what was going on. He simply enjoyed watching Selena. A few more barbs passed between his brothers but he ignored all of it. It occurred to him that Selena was avoiding him. Every few moments, he caught her looking around and several times, she caught his eye only to look away quickly so that she could move in the opposite direction.
Fine! She wanted to avoid a confrontation while the other guests were around? He could handle that. He knew where she would be when everyone else went away. Sitting back, he relaxed in one of the chairs, appearing to be casual as the others ate the barbeque ribs that were being passed around by the waiters. Everyone was having a good time and the party was a resounding success. But Reid wanted them all gone.
Several hours later, the last of the guests waved goodbye. The catering crew were mostly packed up, the food wrapped and stored in his fridge. The flowers had been brought into the house, the vases scattered about the house and Brant and Mack were inside watching some sort of sports event on his basement television. It was a huge area with a massive television surrounded by reclining leather seats – the perfect man cave.
Selena was walking around cleaning up the last bits of the party. She was exhausted, but still looked amazing even though the killer heels she’d donned earlier in the evening had been kicked off to the side, sitting drunkenly in the grass now.
“The cleaning crew is coming back tomorrow to do all of this,” he said, the night making his voice seem louder.
“Of course,” she snapped and walked over to pick up several napkins that had fallen behind a bush.
“Selena…” her whole body stiffened.
“I’m tired,” she announced, leaving the newly retrieved napkins on one of the poolside chairs. “I’m going to sleep.”
“We need to talk. I don’t know…”
“Not now,” she said and held up her hand. “It’s been a long day.”
“Fine. You’re tired, but at least let me…”
She bowed her head and he saw her shoulders trembling. His whole body hurt at the realization that she was so close to tears.
“Selena!” he growled and moved across the stone patio to ta
ke her into his arms. She stiffened immediately but he didn’t release her, rubbing his hand comfortingly up and down her back. “Talk to me. Tell me what I did wrong. I know that I hurt you, but I honestly don’t know how!”
“I’m not…” she stopped when the sobs overwhelmed her. “I’m not a piece of meat!” She ripped out of his arms, but only because Reid was so stunned by her words. “I’m not a piece of meat that you can just…”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“You and…” she hiccupped, covering her face with her hands. “This morning! You were bragging to your brothers about what a perfect piece of meat I am! I’m not a piece of meat! I’m a human being! I’m a person with feelings and words hurt! You can’t just…”
“I never said that!”
She swung around, her teary eyes glaring up at him. “You did! This morning! After I came out of the pool, you were saying to your brothers what beautiful piece of meat I was!”
He stared at her, his mind trying to figure out what she was saying. He’d never referred to a woman in such a callous manner in his life. His sister would have castrated him and all of his brothers if she’d gotten even a whiff of them treating a woman poorly.
“You said I had a perfect rack!” Her hands moved up to cover the cleavage revealed by the gorgeous dress.
Those words struck a memory and he looked at her, shocked by how she’d interpreted his words. “Selena…I was talking about the ribs,” he explained gently, knowing that he had to be careful. “You do have beautiful breasts, honey. But when the caterer had arrived this morning, they brought a massive amount of pre-cooked ribs. If you’re talking about a conversation I had with my brothers while you were swimming, we were talking about the rack of ribs that the caterer was brushing with more sauce.” He moved closer, watching her stunned eyes carefully. “Honey, you have to believe me when I say that I would never talk about any woman like that. Never!”
Her mouth fell open and he touched her, relieved when she didn’t shrink away from him.
“You’re beautiful, Selena. And yes, you have breasts that make my mouth water, but I’m a leg man. So if there’s anything I admire about you most it is your legs.” Closer still. “I love your legs. They are strong and sexy and when you wear those heels, I can’t even think!”
Still nothing, but he could see that she was thinking.
“The ribs?” she whispered.
Her words came out scratchy and he ached to hold her. So instead of holding back, he pulled her into his arms, tucking her head under his chin as he felt her body tremble against his. “Ribs, honey. Not you.” He smiled. “Although, feeling your breasts against my chest right now is pretty nice.”
A laugh! She actually laughed! She might have smiled during the party, but this was the first time he’d heard her laugh all day long! It sounded…beautiful.
“Maybe you should tell me what happened in your past, Selena. I suspect that those memories are a bit of a landmine. And…” he hesitated, feeling her body stiffen. He pulled away slightly. “I want you in my life forever, Selena. But I don’t want to trigger memories that will hurt you.” He took her hands, gently holding her fingers. “Will you tell me what happened in your past, please? Will you explain?”
Ribs? He’d been talking about the ribs? That actually made sense. Thinking back, Selena remembered the caterers. And yes, the ribs had smelled amazing. Not that she’d had any, being too sick to her stomach about what she’d thought Reid had said about her.
But food? He hadn’t been talking about her and sharing her with his brothers…?
She looked up at Reid and the truth hit her all at once. She’d been wrong! So incredibly wrong! “I’m sorry!” she whispered, unaware of the tears streaming down her cheeks now. “I’m so sorry!”
“Talk to me, honey. What happened in your past that would cause you to think anyone would say something like that,” he urged.
Selena shuddered as the memories hit her. The memories and his tenderness. He was such a raw, powerful man but at the moment, he was…kind. Gentle.
Could she tell him? Could she bring back the memories and say them out loud?
He reached into his pocket and Selena gasped as the ring sparkled in the moonlight.
“I want you Selena,” he said softly. “Not just for the weekend or for the week or the next month. I want you forever. I want every part of you.” He slid the ring onto her finger and Selena couldn’t stop the tears from falling
“Oh Reid,” she whispered, wanting to pull her hand away but she kept it still, waiting until the ring was all the way on. “It’s beautiful. But…”
“No buts, Selena. Talk to me. Let’s build a life together, but tell me about the minefield that is your past.”
She covered her mouth, trying to stop another sob, but it was pointless. After this afternoon, she wanted, needed, his arms around her. “You really don’t…”
“Never!” he insisted. “I don’t think of you like that and I would never think of any woman like that. And when we have kids, our sons will grow to respect women as equals and we’ll teach our daughters to kick the butts of any male who doesn’t respect them.”
Such precious words! So amazing to hear! She couldn’t hold back any longer. Throwing herself into his arms, she sobbed against his chest.
His arms closed around her, pulling her in close. “Would you tell me what happened? What someone did to you?”
He felt her stiffen but he only tightened his arms around her, trying to reassure her. “I can’t!” she finally whispered.
He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, squeezing her tightly. “I think it is important, Selena.”
He carried her over to one of the lounge chairs. The darkness surrounded them and he continued to hold her, waiting for the trembling to subside. Slowly, the shivers stopped and her breathing evened out, but he knew that she hadn’t fallen asleep. She might not be shivering, but she was still tense.
“Was it in high school or college?” he prompted, wishing he could find the boys who had done this to her and pummel them.
There was a long silence and he could feel the debate inside of her. “Both,” she finally admitted.
His arms tightened again. “What happened in high school? Is that when the anorexia…hit you? Developed? I don’t know the right terms to use, I apologize.”
“I developed anorexia in college. I got help before I had to be hospitalized though. So that’s something.”
“What happened in high school?”
She laughed, a harsh sound. “I was chubby in high school. There wasn’t just one thing that happened in high school, it was just a series of small stabs. The cheerleaders mocking me for my weight, running in gym class.” She shifted. “I think that gym teachers are evil. They are so athletic, that they don’t understand how an unathletic person can fumble around. It’s like programming comes pretty naturally to some people. Others are gifted with the ability to read body language and are excellent sales people. Gym teachers are just naturally athletic.” She looked up at him. “Some are good teachers and I’m generalizing unfairly. But my high school gym teachers were horrible. They humiliated me when I couldn’t run as fast as the others in class. They taunted me in the locker room. They never stopped any of the other girls in class from saying mean things to me.” She sighed, pressing her face into his chest. “If a student is bad in English or history and gets a bad score on a test, the student can hide the test score and their failure isn’t as public. But in gym class, every failure is right there in the open. The unathletic student has no way to hide. And gym teachers are infamous for just telling people to ‘do it’ and not actually teaching.”
“But you’re an excellent runner now. I would never have known that you’d had a problem when you were younger.”
Selena smiled, turning her head to kiss his chest before resuming her story. “In college, after…well, after I got help, I found a running coach. This woman was wonderful. She taught me how
to run, how to control my breathing, to pace myself. When I was in gym class and we had to run on the track, I was so worried about being the last person in the class to finish, I’d sprint right off of the starting line. This woman showed me to go slow, to find an easy rhythm.” She snuggled against him. “I wish I’d learned that earlier. Although, high school gym class was so cruel and the pressure to not be humiliated so intense, I probably would have done the exact same thing.”
“I remember the slower people in gym class.”
“You weren’t one of them, were you?”
He sighed and kissed her head again. “No. I’m sorry Selena. I don’t think I ever made rude comments, but I didn’t stop the others either.”
She was still for a long moment and he thought he might have lost her at that point. But she turned and rubbed her cheek against his chest and he breathed a sigh of relief. “I forgive you.”
He hugged her, but then pulled back again. “What about in college?”
Another long silence and he could feel the tension increase in her slender figure once again. He wasn’t sure she’d tell him and he would be fine with that. She’d opened up so much tonight. He wouldn’t make her tell him everything now. They had a lifetime of telling stories and learning about each other.
Then she shifted, her back against his chest as she stared up at the stars. “A really cute fraternity boy flirted with me. We were in the library at the beginning of my freshman year so I was already nervous and feeling lost. The other girls in school were all skinny, blond, and gorgeous. I was no longer just chubby.” She paused again. “I was really heavy. Worse, I refused to get clothes that fit me, so they were tight and uncomfortable. I wore big shirts to hide my size, but what I didn’t understand was that those shirts only made me look larger.”
“And the guy teased you in the library?”
She shook her head. “Worse. He flirted with me until I agreed to come to a frat party with him that weekend.”
Reid wasn’t sure he wanted to hear the rest of this story. He could guess where it was going. College freshmen boys were cruel idiots. He could imagine Selena with more weight on her figure. She was beautiful now, but with more weight, her features would soften, her hips would be rounder. And her legs…he doubted her legs could ever be bad! She had gorgeous legs!
The Billionaire's Challenge Page 17