Read Online The Forbidden Billionaire (The Sinclairs Book 2) by J. S. Scott - Free Book Online

expensive,” he added defensively. “I have an inexpensive vehicle here in Amesport.”
    Mara bit her lip to keep from smiling. How did one tell a billionaire that a Mercedes SUV wasn’t exactly an economy car? She hadn’t meant to imply he was a snob at all. He was just living his life as it had been handed to him, and how he’d gone on to earn the extravagant items that were normal for him. She’d actually never seen Jared as being conceited or full of himself, even though he’d been born rich and had become even richer. In fact, beneath his external facade of measured control that he usually showed to the world, she had a feeling there was a warm center somewhere inside him.
    Don’t forget that he discards women as fast as he picks them up.
    Ignoring her negative thoughts, Mara reminded herself that what she had heard about Jared was gossip. She’d never had or seen any firsthand knowledge of Jared being a dog, and her mother had always taught her to judge people for herself rather than listen to what others were saying.
    “No,” she finally answered. “I don’t think you’re a snob at all. But you are just a little too pretty for my old truck,” she told him cheekily, eyeing his gold watch, designer clothing, and his now wet leather shoes.
    Giggling at his disgruntled look, she bent over to retrieve her coffee thermos.
    Whack!
    Mara squealed and dropped the thermos as his hand connected with her backside, and he wasn’t particularly gentle. “Ouch. What was that?”
    Jared leaned in close to her ear. “ That was too pretty of a target, sweetheart, and it was payback for insulting my manhood.” He rubbed the area he’d slapped discreetly before moving his hand.
    Like anybody could deny he was entirely male.
    Okay, maybe she had deserved some retaliation. Jared Sinclair was much too masculine to let her get away with calling him pretty . She gave him a mischievous smile and dug in her pocket for the keys, pulling them out and dangling them in the air.
    Jared snatched them deftly. “You have one of these, too?” He was staring strangely at her key chain.
    “The Apache tear stone? Beatrice gave it to me.”
    Jared dug into his pocket and dangled an empty key chain just like hers. “Me too,” he confessed.
    Mara sighed. “She gave it to me after my mother died.”
    “Did it help?”
    She shrugged. “I survived. I figured it couldn’t hurt.” She didn’t actually believe in Beatrice’s healing, but she’d always found some comfort in the stone for some reason.
    “My thoughts exactly,” Jared answered as he shoved the key chain back into his pocket. After folding the heavy table she used for her displays and loading it into the back of her truck, he slammed the tailgate closed and snatched up her thermos and the tote lying on the ground. As he handed her the items, he asked, “Ready?”
    That one little one-word question touched Mara’s emotions on so many levels. Was she ready? Her entire life was changing right now, and she’d have a lot of challenges she’d never faced before. Was she done grieving over the loss of her mom and generations of tradition? Maybe not, but she had to move on with her life. Jared was right. Her mother would have wanted her to succeed, and would have been disappointed if Mara kept holding on to a losing business when she had better opportunities. Still, she wished it didn’t hurt so damn much to let go.
    Jared Sinclair inspired far different emotions, and she was fairly certain they were dangerous.
    I need to start living my life sometime, taking some risks.
    She’d spent her entire adult life looking after her mother, and she’d never regret it, but her mom would have wanted her to be happy, experience life. Jared was right about what her mother would have wanted for her only child. She had her memories of her mother, and her gran who had died when Mara was still in grade school. She’d hold those close to her chest and start living for herself now. She had