Begin Again - Jennifer Probst Page 0,50
date him, he’s trying to woo you to settle down and trust him in a committed relationship.”
She blew out a breath. “Dad, you’re not making sense to me.”
“Okay, let’s try again. See, men get caught up with this old-fashioned ideal of being worthy of the women we love. Maybe Owen is just trying to prove he’s a good risk for your heart. That he won’t leave you again. Money, to many, equals security. Maturity. Happiness. You may want to ask him if he wants to take this job for you.”
Her jaw dropped as the sudden realization slammed through her. “How do I get him to admit it?”
A door slammed. A few mutters drifted in the air. “Not sure. Maybe take a risk. Give him something you’re afraid of too, and then you’ll be even. You really love him, don’t you?”
Her voice softened. “Yeah, I really love him.”
“Good. I found out Drew is an asshole. Heard he pulled your funds from his Foundation.”
“How do you know that?”
“I’m the governor. I try to know everything in my state, especially when it affects your organization. You’ll be receiving a call from Carlos—he worked with Harper at the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation. He’s putting your name in for a brand-new grant. Sorry, sweetheart, gotta go. Good luck—call me tonight.”
The phone clicked.
God, she loved her father. She was so lucky to have him in her life.
Chloe laid the phone carefully on her desk. Suddenly everything began to make sense. The pressure from their past combined with Jonathan’s demands for him to be worthy of her, of Drew’s questioning, of his grandfather’s legacy—too many voices had gotten into his head in his quest for perfection.
She needed to show him they’d never be perfect. That he didn’t have to be worthy of her.
They needed to be worthy of each other.
It was time to take the risk.
* * * *
When Owen walked into his apartment, he thought there was a power outage.
He blinked in the darkness, then focused on the endless flicker of candlelight that seemed to burst from every corner. Gus-Gus bounded over in a frenzy, and Owen scooped him up, laughing as he wriggled against him in pure delight. “Hey, buddy, do you know what’s going on?”
“I’m cooking us dinner.”
He moved farther into the room and saw her. It took a few minutes for his big brain to kick in, because his little one had taken over.
Chloe stood in his kitchen dressed in a frilly black apron.
And nothing else.
He tried to speak, found he had no spit, and tried again. “Aren’t those pizza boxes?”
She tossed him a cheeky grin, her long, naked legs on full display. Full breasts strained against the black apron, ready to pop out any moment. He prayed really hard for her to turn around. “Yes, but I’m reheating them in the oven since you’re late.”
“Sorry, got stuck at court. Umm, have I told you lately you’re the hottest woman on the planet?”
“No, but I like that.”
She turned and he almost fell to his knees. Dear God, her ass was pure, curvy perfection. She swiveled back around way too soon. “Would you like to go to the bedroom first? Or after pizza?”
He stared at her, blinking.
“Owen?”
“Oh, now, please.”
“First, let’s talk. Sit and drink your beer.”
“Okay.” He had no brain waves left anyway; they all had left his body with one glance at her naked body. “What do you want to talk about? Can it be fast?”
She gave a low laugh and handed him the beer. He gulped greedily, trying to saturate his parched throat, and wondered if he’d fallen asleep in the courthouse and this was just a dream. Hell, if it was, he didn’t want to wake up.
“I want to ask you a few questions. You just tell me the truth. Deal?”
“Deal.”
“Do you really want that job at Mario’s firm?”
He jerked. She’d managed to surprise him. All his snappy answers and defenses had seemed to disappear along with his brain, so he just talked. “I like the benefits, and the pay, and the idea of it. But no, I really don’t want the job.”
She gave a sigh of relief. “Thank you for telling me the truth. Why were you considering it then? Was it because of me?”
He didn’t answer. Something told him not to say anything, but he was staring at her left breast, and the nipple was hard and almost falling out of the lace and he got confused. “A little.”
“Why?” she demanded. “I need to know why you’d think I wanted