“Glad to see we’re on the same page.”
The only thing that made Reeve’s smug smile tolerable was knowing that I planned to leave when Joe did. Something told me now wasn’t the time to tell him.
As Joe’s taillights faded into the distance, Reeve pulled me back to the passenger side of the Escalade. He opened the door, and half pushed me inside as he said, “Get in.”
I climbed in with a scowl that deepened when he jerked the safety restraint across my body. “I can strap my own seat belt, thank you very much.”
“Forgive me for not being confident in your ability to make wise decisions regarding your safety.” He tightened the strap to the point of discomfort then, with a contemptible expression on his face, he slammed the door.
I’d expected he’d be mad. Reeve hadn’t wanted me to leave the ranch at all and, even though my encounter with Vilanakis wasn’t exactly my fault, it proved his concern had been warranted.
But the depth of his anger was uncalled for. Especially when I’d potentially been in danger. Especially when it had been his family that had come after me. Especially when I’d been mad first – before The Four Seasons, when he’d admitted that he’d told Amber he loved her.
We drove in silence. Every mile that passed without a word, I grew more and more incensed.
Finally, I couldn’t stand it any longer. “Go ahead,” I prodded. “I know you want to say something, so just say it.”
He waited a beat. Then, with his eyes glued to the road, he said, “I don’t think it’s wise for me to say what I want to while I’m driving.”
It seemed more like a tactic to manipulate control of the conversation than about controlling his temper.
It infuriated me. “More like you want to be able to manhandle me while you’re talking. How else could you get your point across?”
“You’re trying to provoke me.”
“I’m trying to get you to ask me about Michelis.” And, yes, I wanted to provoke him. I wanted to yell and argue and fight. Anything to break through the awful, terrible distance between us.
I studied his profile and waited, giving him a chance to respond. When he didn’t, I said, “Since you won’t ask, I’ll tell you. He wants you to talk to him.” I watched for any hint of a reaction.
But he was stoic and guarded and gave me nothing.
“A conversation, Reeve,” I pleaded. “And then you can go back to hating him. I won’t even try to figure out what all that anger is about. Just one conversation, that’s all I’m asking for. That’s all he’s asking for. And then he’ll leave Amber alone.”
No response. But his jaw flexed and I swore his grip on the wheel tightened.
I shifted so I was facing him and nudged him again. “Isn’t that what you want? For Amber to be safe?”
“Emily, I’m not discussing this.”
“Not discussing this now? Or not discussing this ever?”
“As soon as I’m no longer operating a motorized vehicle, I’ll happily discuss your absolutely foolish behavior this evening. As for —”
I cut him off. “Foolish why? You do understand I didn’t leave to go meet up with your uncle, don’t you? I didn’t talk with him by choice. I am not Amber.”
“I told you not to leave the ranch —”
Again, I didn’t let him finish. “And you told me you’d never keep me trapped. Maybe you really did forget I wasn’t Amber.”
His eyes widened with fury. “Asking you to stay put so I can keep you safe is not even remotely the same.” He was practically shouting, which was fair. It was cruel of me to keep bringing up Amber like this. And, honestly, I didn’t know why I was doing it since I spent a lot of time fretting over how the two of us might compare in his eyes.
I redirected the argument. “You know, the real issue isn’t that I left the ranch. It’s that you haven’t prepared me at all to be able to handle a conversation with your relatives. If I’d had even just a tad bit of information regarding the situation… or maybe that’s not in the rules. Maybe I’m only good for sucking your cock and looking pretty.” Like Maya, I thought then hated myself for imagining my situation was anything like hers.
He threw me a stunned glance. “What have I done to allude that my interest in you is only superficial?”
“You won’t tell me anything!”
“You’re so melodramatic,” he muttered as he turned onto the road that led up to the ranch. Then, after he braked to wait for the guards to open the gate, he spun to me and said, “I’ve told you things that I haven’t told anyone. Just because I won’t talk to you about this one thing doesn’t mean that I’ve told you nothing.”
The light from the security booth streamed through the window, illuminating his features. His expression said he wasn’t just frustrated and mad. He was also offended. And hurt.
I turned away. I didn’t want to hurt him. I didn’t want to know that it was even possible.
“You know what? This is beside the point.” I forced myself to speak calmly and focused only on what was relevant instead of jabbing whatever I could think of in his direction. “The point is that you have the power to protect Amber and keep her safe from Michelis for good. All that’s required is a conversation. Face-to-face. He’ll be at The Four Seasons for the next week. You’ve made it clear that you still” – I grimaced, unable to say the word I really meant – “still care for her so I know that you’ll do the right thing. Won’t you?”