“She’s yours. And that gift is from me.”
She saw the warmth in his eyes and the emergence of that small, deadly smile, and suddenly she was the one leaning toward him, her fingers sinking into his hair, seeking the sweet, heady solace of his mouth.
FOURTEEN
“Where are we having dinner?” she asked dreamily later that evening as she stared out the car window at the orange ball of the sun as it began its descent into Lake Michigan. She felt so content after their ride, like she’d not only faced a fear, but surmounted it. True, Doah had made riding seem so easy—something she’d expected Dylan made sure of when he’d generously gifted her with a mount. But it was more than facing her fear about falling, or even getting the blood test done.
She’d told Dylan she loved him today. She’d exposed her heart, and she was still living and breathing. There was no pain, only joy. The world hadn’t come to an end.
“Dinner is a surprise,” he said, his gaze remaining on the road. She absorbed the image of him. Again, that feeling of euphoria went through her. He was hers in this moment of time, and that was a wonder. He looked good enough to eat, rugged and handsome in his jeans and a fitted blue and white plaid button-down shirt that fit his lean torso and muscular chest, shoulders, and arms perfectly. It took her a moment of satisfied lusting before she recognized how intent he appeared as he drove.
“What’s got you so serious? You’re not still worried about telling me it’s my birthday, are you?”
He blinked and glanced over at her swiftly. “No, it’s not that. At least not mainly.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked, grinning. He noticed her smile.
“I wanted to wait until you gained your . . . equilibrium to ask, but what happened at the hospital to upset you? Did the doctor say something to you?”
“No, not at all. The doctor wasn’t even there.” She explained to him about Dr. Shineburg being called in for an emergency.
“I was hoping you’d get a chance to speak with him. He knew Alan and Lynn,” Dylan said, his brows furrowing as he stared at the road.
“It’s okay. I was just glad to get it over and done with. If I ever want to speak to him after the results are in, I will.”
“Then what did upset you?”
“Oh, something stupid,” she discounted.
He looked at her, his wry glance saying loud and clear that he wouldn’t find it stupid.
“I just . . . I had this thought. Where will I be when I get the results of the test?”
“I don’t get it,” he said blankly after a pause.
“That question just brought up so much stuff. I mean, if I don’t get hired by Durand, will I be at Maggie’s house in my apartment when I get the call? Will I be looking for a job? If I do get the Durand job, does that mean I’ll be in the process of relocating to a new office? If so, where? And what will it be like, to leave here and everything—” Her voice broke. Her seat belt tightened when he abruptly hit the brakes. “Dylan, what are you doing?”
He was pulling the car over to the side of the rural route. He brought it to a halt and shifted the vehicle into park. Alice blinked when he turned to her, and she saw the gleam of fire in his eyes. “Why are you so damn stubborn about this?”
“What do you mean?” she asked, stunned.
“You are the sole heiress of Durand Enterprises. You. No one else—”
“Dylan, I don’t want to—”
“No. You’ve refused to listen to me about this, but you can’t go on blinding yourself, Alice,” he grated out between clenched teeth. He leaned across the dashboard, grasping her upper arms. “I disagreed with the idea of you returning to the camp and going on as if nothing had changed, but I understood why you wanted to do it.”
“I have to finish what I started! It’s what I came here to do—”
“Fine,” he said loudly, teeth flashing between tightly drawn lips. “But you’re not going to keep persisting in this fantasy that you’re going to be sent away from Durand under any circumstances.”
“But—”
He shook her slightly. “You’ve got to stop imagining that I’m going to allow you to be sent away from me.” She went silent, stunned by his fierce focus.
His shout echoed in her head. Her mouth dropped open in amazement.
“Now are you going to listen to this, or not?” he asked in a more restrained tone. His jaw was very tight.