Billionaire Unmasked(59)

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed his forehead against hers. “You just want blackmail pictures of me in this Broncos shirt,” he accused jokingly in a low rumble.

Hope’s heart melted like it always did when Jason was playfully affectionate, which was almost all the time for the last few days. He had to be touching her in some way constantly, and it wasn’t strictly sexual. “Maybe I do,” she answered mischievously, not wanting to tell Jason the real reason she wanted the photos: so she could look at them when he was no longer a part of her life.

Jason clasped her hand and entwined his fingers with hers. “Ready?”

She nodded. They had a long hike back, and she’d gotten all the photos she needed. “Yes.”

Keeping her hand in his, he walked in front of her, down the steep incline, his footing secure as he traveled over the rocky surface.

“You don’t look like a novice hiker,” Hope mused aloud.

“I’m not, actually,” Jason responded. “I started doing some climbing when I was in college. I still go on different climbs with a few of my college buddies.”

“You’re a climber?” Hope watched her footing as she followed closely behind him. “What sites have you done?”

Jason rattled off several places, some of them pretty advanced courses.

“And you called me crazy for chasing storms?” she chastised. The visions of Jason hanging from a cliff gave her palpitations.

Finally at the bottom of the steep, rocky incline, he reached out and grasped her by the waist and swung her to the grass beside him. “It’s fairly safe,” he protested. “I take safety precautions.”

Hope propped her hand on her hip. “I told you the same thing about chasing extreme weather.”

“That’s different,” he replied, his tone irritated.

“Why?”

“Because it’s you taking those risks. Anything could happen to you.”

“But it’s okay for you to have a dangerous hobby? Taking extreme weather photos is my job.”

“It’s your choice,” Jason answered gruffly. “It’s not like you need the money.”

“Maybe not. But I’m not incredibly wealthy anymore. I gave most of my money away,” she shot back at him. He’d be annoyed, but she didn’t care what he thought right at the moment.

His eyes registered his astonishment, and then narrowed as he stared at her incredulously. “Why? You told me you had it in money markets.”

She hadn’t meant to tell him about the money. Her decision had been personal, and was really none of his business. But they’d grown so close since they’d been here, and she wasn’t angry with him anymore. In fact, she knew she was in love with him, and it made her want to share everything with him.

I love him. I love him so much it hurts.

“What I told you is true. I have enough money to keep me comfortable for the rest of my life, even if I can’t work. But I’ve given away the majority of my inheritance to the victims of the natural disasters I’ve witnessed. It did the victims far more good than it was doing me by sitting around in a bank account.” Knowing how financially brilliant Jason was, she knew he’d be disappointed in her lack of ambition to make more money. She pulled her eyes away from his face, and headed down the trail, not wanting to see his reaction.

“Hope.” Jason caught up with her, grasped her by her upper arms, and swung her around to face him. “You’re the most incredible, sweet, generous woman I’ve ever known,” he admitted in a hoarse voice full of emotion.

She looked at him quizzically, squinting up at him against the sun. “I don’t have the same ambitions as you do. I don’t care about the money. I’m not stupid, and I’ve kept plenty to keep me safe. But money doesn’t make me happy.”

“Then give it all away. It doesn’t matter. I’ll always keep you safe,” he answered urgently. “I have more money than either of us can ever spend. Hell, we couldn’t make a dent in our net worth if we tried.”

She gaped at him, his expression earnest and sincere. “We aren’t staying married, Jason,” she reminded him. Her heart pounded so hard she could hear it thunder in her ears.

“I want to. I want us to stay married forever, Hope. I want you with me wherever I go, and I want to be with you wherever you need to travel. I don’t want to separate—not in a week, not in this lifetime.” He looked at her covetously, pensively.

“You can’t be serious?” She wanted Jason more than she wanted anything in the world, but he couldn’t really want to stay with her forever.