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“Maria, talk to me. Please,” he coaxed her softly.
What was the point? They weren’t there to talk about her dysfunctional brother’s past. They were there to talk business, but she could tell that he wasn’t going to budge. “All of his friends were much richer than we were, and at first, it was his way of trying to keep up. At first, he actually did pretty well with it. He knew how to play the odds and he was smart with the bets he made. But then he got a little too used to the lifestyle, and he started taking bigger risks to try to hold on to it. That was when he started losing more often than he won. Shortly after I started the charity, he started hitting up donors on his own to get money from them to pay off his debts. It didn’t work, and his bookie put him in the hospital. I was able to guilt some of his friends into covering the debt and told them that if they ever tried to take him gambling again, I’d take the whole situation public. Sebastian was nobody, but they all had reputations to protect.”
“I can see why you hate rich people,” he muttered.
“Okay, well, now that we’ve established that, can we get back to the matter at hand?” The waiter stopped by to take her drink order, but she waved him away.
“I lied to you, Maria. I didn’t bring you here to talk about a donation.”
There it was. The truth. Wiping the palms of her hands on her skirt, she swallowed hard. “I understand why you’re withholding the money, but bringing me here to tell me that is cruel.”
He reached out to grab her hand before she could stand up and leave. “Maria. The million dollars is yours. You can do whatever you want with it—and I’m not saying that because I don’t care about the money. I’m saying it because I trust that you’ll make the right decisions.”
Stunned, she stared at him. “You are giving me the money? Then, why did you bring me here?”
“You have to know that I care about you.” His hold on her hand turned soft as he caressed her skin with his thumb. “I felt something from the moment I saw you running for that bus. That’s why I bribed the driver to stop for you.”
Maria stared at him in shock. “You paid the driver to stop?”
“I did. Of course, that was before I knew your feelings about money. I’ve always used my wealth to impress women, but you are not easily swayed. I like that about you.”
“No, you don’t.”
“I do. Because I know that, any feelings you have for me are because of me andnotmy money.” Taking a sip from his drink, he rubbed his finger along the condensation on the glass. “In fact, I suspect I’d have had a much easier chance with you if I didn’t have money.”
Closing her eyes, she pulled her hand away from him and fidgeted. “I saw you on the television at that trial. Why didn’t you tell me that you actually had something serious to do in Lebanon? I gave you a lot of grief.”
“I should have told you but not because I didn’t want your grief. Kivi was a personal matter that I needed to clean up. Once upon a time, we were friends, and he used that connection to swindle people out of their money—people who trusted him becauseIsaid he was trustworthy. He didn’t care if he was taking thousands from the rich or entire life savings from someone in the middle class. I got him arrested, but when I heard that he stood a chance of walking away without paying for what he did, I knew that I had to do something. Unfortunately, my father had ordered me to stay clear of Kivi. He was afraid that our reputation might be hurt in the end. I disagreed.”
“Jarik, I’m so sorry. That’s definitely not something you should have felt the need to share with me. That’s personal.”
“And that’s why I should have told you. I hated that you didn’t open up to me, but I didn’t open up to you either. Maria, I will put all of my money in a trust fund for a hundred charities for you. I don’t care about my money; I care about you. If you’ll have me without the money, I’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen.”
He was going to give up his money? For her? “I don’t actually know what to say. I know I haven’t given you the impression that I’m ready for a relationship or that I’m even any good at one. I said some horrible things to you.”
He just smiled patiently. “I already know that you love me.”
“What? You do? Wait. I do?”
“I do and you do.” He reached for her. “On that beach, you said ‘I can’t.’ Do you remember that?”
Of course, she remembered it. It played in her mind like a broken record. “I said a lot of things on that beach,” she said with a small smile. “But yes, I know what you’re talking about.”
“Did you want to finish that sentence?”
Staring at their joined hands, briefly wondering when he grabbed her hand again, or had she grabbed his? She tried to ignore the pounding of her heart. “I can’t fall in love with you.”
“Did you say that because you really believed it was true? Or because you were already falling for me? All you have to do is be honest, and everything else will fall into place.”
“You want me to be honest?” Pulling her hand free, she reached up and cupped his chin with both of her hands. “I did group you in with all the other rich people, but I know you now, and I don’t need you to give up all your money for me. I do, however, need you to realize what a life with me entails. I’m not going to give up my job to be some trophy girlfriend. Not that I’m exactly a trophy, but I’m a pilot. I’m not going to stay at home and host parties. I’m going to fly. I’m going to travel. I’m going to do my damnedest to help out anywhere that I can.”
Jarik wrapped his hands around hers and held them to his face turning to kiss each of her palms. “I wouldn’t change anything about you. I love that you find freedom in the skies. I love that you want to change the world, and the only thing that I want is to be by your side when you make that happen.”
A dam broke inside her, and she stood up to slide into his lap. Pressing her lips to his, she tried to convey everything that she couldn’t say. She didn’t care that she was in public, making out with a very public figure. She was happy that after everything, this wonderful man was in love with her.
“I love you,” she whispered. “And although I have a feeling we’re going to fight a lot, I can’t imagine trying to get over you. I’m yours. My heart belongs to you, and I wouldn’t change anything about you either.”
“Good,” he whispered in her ear. “Because I had no intention of letting you push me out again.”
