Jared's Counterfeit Fiancee - Brenda Jackson [14]
“Yes.”
She inhaled slowly, deeply. “B-but we can’t do that.”
For several seconds he just looked at her. His shoulders straight, his gaze intent, clear. “Yes, we can. I never realized how much seeing at least one of her sons settling down meant to Mom. Now I do and I will do whatever I can to make her happy.”
“Even get married?”
He frowned. “I hope I don’t have to go that far, Dana. I think her believing I’m engaged will help at least until the worst part is over.”
“And then?”
“Then I tell her things didn’t work out between us and that we broke our engagement. It happens.”
Deciding that standing wouldn’t work, Dana sank back onto the sofa. “Trust me, I know all about broken engagements, Jared.”
He sighed deeply. “I’m sorry. I know it’s a lot to ask of you, considering your broken engagement with Luther, but I don’t know what else to do.”
The warmth in his gaze touched her. She wet her lips and leaned back in her seat, trying to absorb everything he’d told her. She couldn’t help but admire him for his willingness to be a sacrificial lamb. He had no intention of ever getting married and had made that fact very clear. Knowing that, she was sure he didn’t want to get involved in any of the trappings that led to marriage, either pretended or otherwise. Yet, for the love he had for his mother he would do what he felt he had to.
She lifted her chin and rubbed nervous hands against her skirt. “If I went along with you on this, Jared, just what would you expect of me?”
Jared moved to sit in the chair across from her. He was glad she was at least considering his proposal. “I’ve never been engaged before but you have. How were things with you and Cord?”
Dana sighed. “In the beginning I could actually see us spending the rest of our lives together. But now I have to admit that I wanted to marry him for all the wrong reasons. Love had nothing to do with it. He was handsome, successful—”
“And gay.”
Dana raised a surprised eyebrow. “You knew?”
Jared shrugged. “I wasn’t absolutely certain until I met you. The first thing that crossed my mind when you walked into my office was that no straight man in his right mind would let you slip through his fingers.”
Dana couldn’t help but smile at the compliment. “Thanks. I had no idea about Luther’s sexual preference until recently. He came to see me and told me the truth. I can only appreciate that he broke our engagement when he did.”
Jared nodded. “The two of you dated for over a year and you had no idea?”
Dana shook her head. “Not even a clue, although I realized afterward that the signs were all there but I ignored them.”
Jared’s brow furrowed. “What signs?”
Dana met his gaze. “Sex for instance.”
A knot formed in Jared’s throat. Silence grew between them—rather awkwardly, then he asked in a strained voice, “Sex?”
“Yes, sex. We decided that we wouldn’t sleep together until after we were married.”
Jared nodded. “Soo.” He drew the word out, as if his mind was befuddled. “Whose idea was that?”
Dana bit her lip before answering. “It was Luther’s idea and of course I went along with it since sex is overrated.”
Jared’s gaze was puzzled. It wasn’t overrated in his book and he wondered how she could think such a thing. “Is it?”
“Yes.”
She had him curious and he couldn’t resist asking for clarification. “Why would you think that?”
She shrugged. “I’m not a virgin, Jared. I’ve had sex before and frankly I’ve never experienced anything worth losing sleep over.”
He wondered who the men were who had disappointed her? He met her gaze, locked on it. “Maybe you haven’t done it with the right person.”
His softly decreed words spurred a hot little quiver that moved down the length of Dana’s spine before blossoming out to every part of her body. She couldn’t help wondering if a tumble between the sheets with him would make her think differently, then decided