Page 9 of Second Chance for Mr. Alden

Fuck!Reina. My arms tightened around my bag.

A firm hand grabbed my bicep and hauled me against his hardened body. A sensual, woodsy scent enveloped me, and my fingers tightened on my rescuer’s arm. He was tall, with broad shoulders, making me feel tiny as his body surrounded me.

This man had an edge to him, an air of superiority that always seemed to surround him and keep people at a distance. Even without turning my head I was pretty sure I knew who saved me.

Pasting a smile on my face I turned to him.

“Jessamine.” His deep commanding voice captivated me. I may not be attracted to him, but I could recognize he was the total package, a strikingly handsome face, a muscular build, a sexy, raspy voice, and a powerful presence. “You took off before we could talk.”

“We have nothing to talk about.” Most women swooned over the brooding hotness that was Jareth, but he’d never really done it for me. I wished he did, it would have made these last few months easier.

He cocked an eyebrow. “Come to dinner with me. We can talk more then.”

“Jareth, come on. You can’t tell me you actually want to marry me?”

His cool eyes appraised me, not me giving any idea of what he really felt. “Why would you say that?”

My own widened. Was he kidding? “Why? We barely know each other. And I don’t love that my parents think an arranged marriage is what I want.”

His hand lightly caressed my arm. “I think we could make it work, Jessamine.” I brushed off his touch, again feeling nothing.

Jareth’s gaze flashed with surprise that he quickly masked with a look of indifference.

At this point I was fairly certain my parents had called him the moment they found out last month that my engagement to Jax had been a lie. Jax, my ride or die, didn’t question me when I asked him to go along with that farce. My panic increased the more my parents pushed a marriage to Jareth. To them, controlling who I married helped keep me under their thumb.

I gave him a tight smile. “I need to go.”

“I’m not about to give up on us, Jessamine.” He didn’t stop me from leaving, but I knew by his tone we’d see each other again.

I shrugged. “You’d be better off finding someone else.”

He continuously dismissed my claims that we wouldn’t work. Jareth was so used to getting what he wanted, I bet he thought he could wear me down. Little did he know I always got what I wanted as well, and he wasn’t it.

I pivoted toward the door. I’d lost valuable time and if I didn’t hurry, Alden or Gage would get to me before I could find my way to the marketplace. The vendors I'd chosen to pursue had exquisite work on their websites. I wanted to see it in person to be sure of the quality. Once I did, then it would be time to convince the Merchandising Manager of my grandparents’ company to meet with them.

My Uber driver waited outside the building. I slipped into the tiny Ford Focus and sighed with relief. As the car pulled away, I looked out the back window. So far so good. I checked my watch, already missing the weight of my phone in my hand.

Once I arrived at the entrance of the outdoor market, I slid from the car and paid the driver a cash tip. I knew I didn’t have long to get lost in the crowd. Gage had access to my phone and would quickly realize I’d left it behind. He wouldnotbe happy.

I picked my way through the crowd, trying to find the correct tables of the vendors on my list. Without my phone, I didn’t have the online map to check. I’d have to keep my eyes open for paper ones.

Nearby voices carried to me as I pushed my way forward.

“But you ate it all.” A frustrated feminine voice sounded to my left.

“Right, and I decided I didn’t like it. I want my money back.” A familiar irritated, condescending voice retorted.Issac.I hated that big nosed bastard. He was a fellow social media influencer, and we ran in the same circles.

“That’s not how this works.” The same female replied.

The crowd was thick enough that I couldn’t see them, just hear their conversation.

“Really? Are you refusing to acknowledge that a customer is always right?”

I moved closer to see the dark-haired woman with a brilliant red shirt, her hands flat on the table, get in Issac’s space. She scowled at him. “Sir, you have to understand that I can’t give your money back. You ate the item. In fact, you ate all four of them.”

“How do you know I didn’t just throw them away because they were so disgusting?” he responded with a sneer.

“You were standing three feet from my table. It’s kind of hard to miss your big mouth devouring those cupcakes.” She smirked. At least she wasn’t backing down. I liked her already.

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