The Unknown Billionaire (Captured by Love Book 6) (3 page)

Her brows furrowed in concern. “Died? Who?”

“A... relative. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to involve you in the mess. Like I said, I was totally muddled back then.”

“Are you okay now?”

“Things aren’t fully sorted, but yes, I’m okay now.”

She stared at Jarryd, her heart constricting. So he’d been grieving and he hadn’t needed her comfort? He’d had a difficult problem and he hadn’t wanted to share it with her? That said a lot.

“I didn’t mean what I said when I broke up with you,” Jarryd said.

She frowned. “Which bit? That we have no spark?”

Jarryd nodded eagerly. “Yes! I didn’t mean to say that.”

“And yet you did.”

“Like I said, I was totally muddled.”

“So what did you mean to say?”

“Well, I actually meant to say that we didn’t have
enough
spark. But I wouldn’t have meant that either.”

She shook her head to clear her confusion. “What?”

“We have extraordinary chemistry, Marilyn. That can’t be denied.” Jarryd looked down to the ground. “But I needed to pour a lot of time and energy into my issues, plus I didn’t want to involve you in them. So with everything I was going through, I thought it was best not to continue with our relationship.”

She took a deep breath. Okay, right. Not ready for a relationship. That she understood. How many times had she used that same excuse with some of the men she’d dated after she’d discovered she didn’t want something long-term with them?

But she had to know something else. “Did my parents have anything to do with your decision?”

Jarryd looked at her sharply. “What do you mean?”

“I have a feeling you weren’t impressed by the fact that I’m the daughter of Barry and Alice Grant of Grant Ace. I thought you might have been... well... intimidated by them being so rich.”

Jarryd’s brows furrowed. “No. I
was
surprised when you told me who they were, but I’m actually impressed. Not by them being rich, but with you not using your parents to get ahead in your business. I bet not many of your clients know who your parents are.”

“I see,” she murmured, her chest compressing further. There it went—the final sliver of hope she’d been hanging on to. Clearly and plainly, Jarryd just didn’t see her as someone he could share deeper and more meaningful things with.

She nodded, finally accepting it. For Jarryd, all they’d had was a strong physical attraction. They might have had extraordinary chemistry—still did, if her body’s reaction to his closeness was anything to go by—but it was still only physical.

The feelings weren’t mutual, after all.

Marilyn squared her shoulders and rose to her feet. She’d had to break a few men’s hearts in the past herself. She could understand Jarryd, even if he was hurting her.

“Thank you for explaining things to me,” she said with a smile as she smoothed her dress. “Anyway, I’m feeling a bit hungry. I’m gonna go get something. See you later.”

She hurried away from him and made a beeline for the dessert table. Something sweet should make her feel better, shouldn’t it?

She stared at the different cakes on offer, forcing herself to ignore the ache in her chest. She wasn’t going to show him how much she was hurting.

“Can’t decide?” a voice said next to her.

She smiled at Simon Alexander. “They all look so tempting.”

Simon leaned close to whisper in her ear. “I have it on good authority that Jarryd likes chocolate mud cake. I’m sure he’d be over the moon if you spoon-fed him some on that love seat.”

She frowned at him. “Have you been speaking to Lucas?”

“Hey, everybody knows that Jarryd’s got the hots for you. So he finally ’fessed up, huh? He’s done nothing but look at you all day.”

Marilyn rolled her eyes. What bad timing for people to be bringing up this Jarryd’s-got-the-hots-for-you crap. “Turns out I’m not ideal girlfriend material.”

“What?” Simon asked in shock.

She shook her head, trying to look nonchalant. But her expression must have betrayed her, because Simon was now inspecting her face.

“Hey, it’s cool,” she said. “A person can be physically attracted to someone, but not be interested enough to want a relationship with them. It happens. It’s not a crime. I’ve been guilty of the same thing in the past.”

“Was he asking you for a no-strings affair back there?” Simon gestured to the patio.

“No,” she scoffed. “Can we talk about this later? Now’s not a good time.”

“Sorry,” Simon said, putting an arm around her and giving her a sympathetic squeeze. “I didn’t mean to be nosy. Want me to be your date for the rest of the day and keep him away?”

She dipped her head onto his shoulder. Simon was her best male friend whom she’d known for over ten years. A few years back, before Simon had decided he much preferred the bachelor lifestyle, they’d tried dating for real. But when it came to trying to sleep together, they’d ended up laughing so hard at their attempt to end up in bed that they’d given up then and there. Much as they adored each other, they simply didn’t have that physical chemistry.

“I doubt you’d need to keep him away,” she said with a little sniff. “I bet he’s the one who’s going to keep on avoiding me, not the other way around.”

“Hey, it’s his loss. Anyway, let’s change the subject. Have you decided on whether to go on
Biz Q&A
or not?”

“Not yet,” she said, picking a strawberry and nibbling on it. Jarryd wasn’t a big fan of strawberries. So there must really be something wrong with the man to give her up, right? Hah!

“It’ll be great for your charitable works,” Simon said as he led her towards one of the several outdoor seats.

“I’ve thought about that. I’m still surprised that Patrick contacted me personally after my parents declined the offer. I don’t like being in the spotlight, as you know, but I get that it’s about helping the young entrepreneurs who go on it. And, yes, I suppose I could mention some of my charity fundraising events and lift their profiles.”

“Starting with our Captured by Love game,” Simon said with a laugh. “Imagine asking people from all over Australia—the world, even—to bet on which bachelor will be the next to get stupid and give up their freedom.”

Marilyn chuckled. “Don’t give me ideas, because I’m liking the thought of taking this game to another level. And when I do, I’m gonna campaign so hard for everyone to bet on you,” she said, wagging her finger at Simon. “There’ll be so much pressure that even
you
will have to seriously consider finding a nice girl to fall in love with.”

Simon snorted. “I’m not susceptible to that kind of pressure.”

She sighed. “I wish I could go back to not caring about finding someone special. I don’t know why I’m so intent on finding my soulmate all of a sudden.” Her gaze involuntarily went to the patio. Jarryd was no longer there. Against her will, she searched the yard for him and found him sitting with a bunch of others near the outdoor bar. She caught him watching her and Simon, before immediately averting his gaze.

“I’ve never known you to be such a quitter,” Simon quipped.

She frowned at him. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me,” Simon said unapologetically.

She saw her scowling image reflected in the lenses of Simon’s dark sunglasses. “And what would you have me do? Force myself on someone who doesn’t want a relationship with me?”

“But he’s still attracted to you, right? So what’s wrong with no-strings? You’ve done that a few times in the past. And it’s not like you’re in that much of a hurry to get hitched, are you?”

“I don’t know if he’s
still
attracted to me right now,” Marilyn said with a pout.

“That he can’t make himself stop looking at you tells me a different story.”

“Is he looking this way again?”

“Yeah,” Simon said with a chuckle. “Like he doesn’t want to but can’t help himself.”

Too bad she’d left her sunnies on the coffee table on the patio. She, too, would love to watch Jarryd without being obvious about it.

“I think he still has a huge crush on you.”

“You think?” she asked in a pathetic voice.

“Maybe Jarryd’s just the type who thinks he might be insulting you with a suggestion of booty calls. Have you considered a casual fling for the time being?”

“No. I should have spoken to you earlier, Mr. Playboy,” she said with playful sarcasm. “Only you would suggest something like that to me.”

Simon laughed. “Tell me again why I never got to show you how good
I
am in bed.”

It was Marilyn’s turn to laugh out loud. “Because this was what we ended up doing whenever we tried to have sex.” She pointed to herself, chortling.

“Yeah,” Simon said with a wide grin. “So what’s stopping you from telling Jarryd you’re okay with no-commitment fun? Snare him the sneaky way, I say.”

She let out a long breath. “I don’t know.”

“Think about it while I get a drink. Want me to get you one since Jarryd’s sitting right next to the fridge?”

She shook her head. “I’ll join you over there after I go to the bathroom. Might as well prove to Jarryd I’m okay with being around him.”

Simon snickered before heading off.

She chewed her lip as she walked towards the house. Would she really consider a casual relationship with Jarryd?

Well, didn’t some long-term relationships start out as sex-only affairs? She only needed to look at some of her happily-in-love friends to know that was true.

Her brain traitorously reminded her of her hot days and nights with Jarryd. Oh, she’d had the strongest orgasms of her life with him. “I don’t mind booty calls as long as they’re from Jarryd,” she mumbled to herself.

Problem was, from what Marilyn could gather from their brief chat, her being hurt further had a much higher probability of happening than Jarryd falling for her. Would she really be so stupid as to put herself in a hurtful, embarrassing situation when Jarryd had already given her everything she needed to have closure and move on?

J
arryd tried not to glare at Simon as the guy joined their table. Instead, he took a swig of his beer to push down the jealousy that was churning within him.

What was with that hug Simon had given Marilyn? He knew the two had been good friends for years, but this was the first time he’d seen them in an embrace that wasn’t meant to be a hello or goodbye. It had been too sweet for his liking.

Had Marilyn gone to Simon for comfort after he’d stuffed up yet again? Worse, it appeared Simon had truly lifted Marilyn’s spirits, with her laughter looking genuine from where he sat.

He took another big gulp of his drink. He should have thought about what he was going to say first before he’d tried to explain himself. Their conversation had headed the wrong way, and now all Marilyn understood was that he wasn’t ready for a relationship.

Served him right for being unprepared. Yet again.

They’d need to have a heart-to-heart talk. Well, as heart-to-heart as he could manage without mentioning Margaret and Patrick O’Neill. Unfortunately, they were at a party—unless they went to an empty room inside the house and locked themselves in.

Jarryd sighed as his body reacted to his idea. He missed making love to her, missed kissing her, missed holding her against him. He simply missed
her
.

He kept one eye on the house to watch for Marilyn while he listened to the other guys talk about the football game last night. Eventually she came out the back door and headed for their table.

His heart thudded and his cock jerked. He hoped she’d take the empty seat between him and Simon.

But Marilyn went straight for the fridge near him, and Simon was quick to be by her side.

Argh, he should have been faster. What was wrong with him?

“What would you like?” Simon asked Marilyn.

“Just cold sparkling water. I’m parched,” she said with a smile.

Simon grabbed a large bottle of Evian and poured her a glass. “Feeling better?” he asked as he handed it to her.

Marilyn nodded.

“How about a movie tonight to cheer you up?” Simon asked softly.

Jarryd frowned. He didn’t like the sound of that.

“Um,” Marilyn murmured, gazing at Simon.

Jarryd tried not to stare, but the two were right there in his line of sight. And he had to restrain himself from rising to his feet and slapping Simon’s hand that was running up and down Marilyn’s arm. Why the hell was Simon now flirting with her?

“You know what I’m talking about, Marilyn,” Simon was saying in a soft tone that Jarryd had to strain to hear. “No pressure. No strings. Just two friends having a fun time together.”

What?
And why the hell was Marilyn grinning? Was she enjoying Simon’s proposition? Marilyn, of all people, would know what a big playboy Simon was. Surely, she wasn’t entertaining the thought of sleeping with one of her best friends?

Why not? They care about each other.

Ah, hell. He couldn’t believe this was happening.

“You don’t need to answer me yet,” Simon said. “Tell me before the end of the day what you decide, okay?”

“Okay.”

Jarryd heard the laughter in Marilyn’s voice when she answered.

Fuck.

Simon pulled out a chair for Marilyn—the one Jarryd had hoped she’d take. At least that was something. It gave him an opportunity to stop Simon from hogging Marilyn’s attention.

“Hey, guys,” Rick said, approaching their table and holding something in his large hands. “I’ve got something to show you.”

“What is it?” Marilyn asked.

Rick grinned and placed whatever it was on the table.

A small black thing with a long tail scurried towards Marilyn’s direction.

“No!” she shrieked, springing from her seat. The mouse was running so fast that it fell off the table and landed near her feet.

Marilyn jumped on Simon’s lap, clinging to his shirt as she lifted her feet off the ground in fear.

Jarryd’s instant jealousy at her action was overshadowed by his concern for her. “Hey, dude, that’s not cool,” he said, glaring at Rick.

“It’s only a toy,” Rick said with a laugh. “I was telling the others about how lifelike it looks and I thought I’d try it on you guys.”