Read Online Insatiable by Adriana Hunter - Free Book Online Page A

turning to Jonas when he spoke up for the first time. She looked at him to find his face was an expressionless, marble mask.
    “Everything your brother says is true,” he went on calmly. “It was wrong, my offer…you being here.
    “I’m an adult, Jonas. It was my decision to come here with you.”
    “Ava, you were coerced into it. You’d never have agreed to be with me if I hadn’t promised you the company. And for that, I’m truly sorry. Your brother is right. You are worth far more than anything I could offer you.”
    “What do you mean, you’re sorry?”
    “I’ll get the papers signed and delivered to you by the end of the day,” he gritted out and Ava was momentarily startled. “The company is yours as it should be. And I release you from any obligation. As from right now, Ava, you owe me nothing.”
    “Come, Ava,” Jeff growled, grabbing his dazed sister by the elbow and dragging her from the restaurant. Ava made no protest, her mind in a whirl as she looked back for one last glance at Jonas, but he was gone.
    ****
    “So what are we going to do?”
    Ava was standing in the middle of Jeffrey’s office. She had the just-delivered sheaf of documents on the desk in front of him. He stared at it, and then looked up at her. “Rip it to shreds.”
    “What?” she gasped, staring at him in shock. It was less than a week since she’d returned home. In that time, she’d waited with baited breath to hear from Jonas. She’d always known he would keep his word, but she’d been looking forward to more than just the pile of papers that now lay before them.
    Jeff rose, his face rigid with anger. “I meant what I said back there, Ava. Your dignity is more important. It’s bad enough that you thought you needed to sell yourself to him.”
    “I don’t need you judging me,” she said with flashing eyes. “Especially when you don’t even understand the situation. I didn’t sell out my dignity. I wanted to be there. I wanted to be there, Jeff. I wanted him.” Her eyes held his defiantly.
    “Oh my God,” her brother gasped. “You can’t be serious. You’ve fallen in love with him!”
    Ava turned away, her face flushed. Her brother reached out and pulled her around to face him. “How could you let that happen? You know he’s never going to be with you, right? Jonas Marks is…”
    “I know exactly what he is.” But what Jonas was had been much different from what she’d ever expected. She hadn’t wanted to enjoy being with him as much as she had—and she certainly hadn’t expected to miss him as much as she now did.
    “Then you’ll know it’s best to forget him,” her brother said, his voice gentling as he placed a hand on her shoulder. “You made a mistake, but let’s put it behind us if we can.”
    “How can I put it behind me if you refuse to consider taking hold of the company?” she asked, glaring up at him. “I know you said it didn’t matter, but…”
    “We’re not going to talk about this, okay? I’ve made up my mind. I’m sorry if it feels like you went through it all for nothing.”
    You have no idea , Ava thought as she looked away, tears stinging her eyes. With Jonas, she’d felt real, fiery passion. And beneath the cold, hard facts of their agreement, there had been times when she’d seen a spark in his eye when he looked at her. And the way he’d made love to her… She could never, ever believe it had all just been part of the game. But it didn’t matter now. It was over. The only thing left to do—and this was the hardest part of all—was to try and forget he ever existed.
    ****
    Carly wasn’t sure which was worse: brooding Jonas, or quick-tempered Jonas. He hadn’t been the same ever since they returned from the business trip. Now, they’d just had a grueling meeting with his board, and he’d more or less bitten the heads off most of the top-ranking members, over little or nothing. He was getting really tough to work with, and she was concerned for him. Not