“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?”
It was the best I could do. It would have to be enough.
The gate lifted and Reeve turned back to face the road, waving at the security guard as he drove past. Instead of driving on to the main house, he pulled up next to the manager’s office and put the car in park. He shifted toward me again and narrowed his eyes. “Do the right thing?”
“Yes!” It was the first time since we’d left The Four Seasons that I felt he might really consider what I was asking. “Talk to him. That’s all. Will you talk to him?”
He met my gaze head on. “No.”
“Please, Reeve?” Blinking back emotion, I laid myself bare. “For Amber?”
His expression softened. “Not even for you, Emily.”
His words hung in the air, with all the sweet and sting of a backhanded compliment.
And it dawned on me that it didn’t matter if he loved both of us, because he didn’t love either of us enough.
At least he seemed remorseful as he turned off the engine and unbuckled his belt. “Stay here,” he said softly before slipping out of the car.
Numbly, I watched him unlock the office door and disappear inside. The blinds were closed so I couldn’t see what he was doing inside, but I could tell he hadn’t bothered to turn on the light. Darkness followed him – it was there, in the room where he’d gone. Here, where he’d left me. My eyes closed, and I let the gloom settle in like a pair of old shoes.
A phone vibrated with an incoming message, and I opened my eyes to find he’d left his cell in the drink holder. Curious, I picked it up and scanned the e-mail that had popped up on his screen. It was from someone I didn’t know – a Lisa from KT & King Communications.
This went out across a nice list of gossip sites this morning. Hope it’s what you had in mind.
The message was followed by a link to an online article. The headline appeared in the preview. I had to read it twice before I believed it said what I thought it said.
Luxury Resort Owner Reeve Sallis Finds Love with the Woman Behind Next Gen’s Famous Voice
With my heart pounding in my throat, I clicked on the hyperlink.
Sources reported today that Reeve Sallis, heir to the world-renowned Sallis Luxury Resorts, has gotten serious with Emily Wayborn, the woman behind the voice of the house’s computer mainframe in the hit TV show Next Gen. The two met while the actress vacationed at Sallis’s Palm Springs resort and have been seen getting pretty cozy in the months since. A representative for the couple confirmed the relationship but declined any further comment.
“Oh, my God.” I was alone in the car, but I still said it out loud.
It was the first time I’d ever seen a press release about a Reeve Sallis relationship. And the note from “Lisa” suggested it was Reeve himself that had requested it. It was surprising to say the least.
And confusing.
If I was being honest, when I’d seen the headline, a thrill had run through me. Love and Sallis and me all in one sentence – it made my chest flood with warmth.
But the release itself was cold. Concise. Clinical. The first time he really declared any feelings for me, and it was like this? I’d already been angry. I’d already felt shut out. Now I was heartbroken as well.
His phone still in hand, I undid my seat belt, got out of the car, and went inside after him.
The office was dark, but a door on the far wall was open and enough light spilled from there to see that the room was empty. I crossed to the door and peered inside. The back wall was covered with monitors displaying various locations on the ranch. It was the second security room, I realized. There was another in the main house, smaller than this one, and while a single guard generally manned that one, there were two sitting here.
One of the guards glanced up as I walked in. If he was surprised to see me, he didn’t let on.
“He’s in there,” the guard said, nodding toward another open door on the opposite side of the room.
It was as if he’d given me permission to enter, and so I dropped my tentativeness and marched over to where the guard had pointed.
This room turned out to be a large closet. Reeve was facing away from me, but he peeked over his shoulder in my direction and frowned. “I told you to stay in the car.”
I ignored his comment and addressed his back. “What the hell is this?”
Reeve didn’t look at me when he answered, “What the hell is what?”
“This.” I held out his cell even though he hadn’t turned around. “This statement from your representative. Did you send out a press release about us?”
He took a Glock off the wall in front of him – a wall that was lined with weapons, I realized now. It was a startling sight, even without Reeve personally handling the firearms…
“Yes.” He glanced toward me, then seeing his phone, he took it from me and slipped it in his pocket. “I did.” He slid down the wall to a cabinet. There he opened a drawer and pulled out a magazine. “Stating that you and I were in a relationship.”
“Why the hell would you do that?” I’d already known what his answer would be and I was still astonished and outraged and bewildered all at once.
I came up alongside him. “Did you not believe I’d tell Amber? Was that your way of ensuring the truth got out?”
“It had nothing to do with Amber. It was damage control.”
“Damage control?” I was flabbergasted. “What if she’d seen it before I’d had a chance to talk to her? What damage would that have done?”
He swiveled to face me. “I was less concerned with protecting your fragile relationship than I was about protecting you.” He let that sink in.
Except, even after a few seconds to process it, I still didn’t understand.
Before I could ask, he explained. “An official statement from my publicist trumps the gossip going around about you and Blakely. If anyone were to think that you might be involved with his ignorant ramblings to the press, they also needed to know that the only way to you was through me.”
It could have been the most romantic thing he’d ever said to me, especially paired with the fiercely possessive gleam in his eyes. It was a look that had the ability to make my chest tighten and my legs quiver.
But right now it only made me want to lash out. And not just because every declaration he made came with the baggage of the declarations he’d made to her, but also because I didn’t trust his motives. Was it really the only way to keep me safe? Or was it just an asshole, overprotective gesture – a jealous attempt to publicly claim me as his?
“You had no right to say anything about us without asking me.” I could barely keep my voice level. “No right.”
He loaded the gun with a magazine. “I was protecting you.”
“Your method of protection sent a bad man looking for me!” I was practically screaming.
Reeve stuffed the gun into an inside jacket pocket and slammed the drawer shut before turning around to face me. “He was going to come after you anyway, Emily. Connecting you to me made you purposeful instead of just a liability. I very likely saved your life.” He brushed past me and left the closet, switching the light off as he did.
With a huff, I chased after him and nearly bumped into him when he stopped to talk to the guard.
“I’m taking a Glock and a magazine,” he informed the man. “Here’s the serial.” He pulled out the piece from his jacket and read off a number while the guard wrote it down on a clipboard.
“Got it checked out,” the man said.
“Thanks.” Reeve continued out to the office with me on his heels, ignoring the guard’s fish-eye as I passed.
“Seriously, a gun? That’s helpful. So much better to put out press releases and carry a gun than have a fucking conversation. One simple conversation and all of this could be over.”
He was midway through the room when he stopped and spun around toward me so fast that I nearly bumped into him. “A simple conversation? There’s no way you’re that naïve, Emily. Do you really believe that’s all it’s going to be?”
“I have no basis to believe anything else since you refuse to tell me —”
“Bullshit. You don’t need to know anything other than what you already know. He killed a dog to prove a point. Those bruises on your friend? Those broken ribs? That drug habit? And you think that a few minutes of my time is all he’s after? I know you’re a smarter woman than that.”
He straightened. “Or maybe you’re not that smart because you talked to him.” His voice escalated as he spoke. “What the fuck were you thinking?”
“Petros approached me.” I matched his volume as if I were confident, as if his anger didn’t have me shaking in my shoes. “He had a gun! He told me to be scared!”
“You wouldn’t have been in that position if you’d stayed put like I’d told you to in the first place. He put a fist on his hip and stared at the ground, shaking his head as he let out a breath. “When Petros told me you were there…”
Petros? He’d been an utter asshole, and he’d been the one to tell Reeve?
I didn’t have a chance to ask because just then Reeve brought his fist from his hip and slammed it on the top of a nearby desk. “Jesus Christ, Emily, you make me so fucking furious. I can’t even think, I’m so goddam angry. I want to —”
He cut himself off, but his body language said he was only just barely restraining himself.
I should have let it go. I shouldn’t have challenged him.
But I was out of control too. “You want to… what?”
He lunged for me. I automatically put my hands up, thinking he was going for my throat, as if I were strong enough to push him away. He grabbed my forearms and pulled me to him so that the length of his body pressed against mine, and I could feel the rigid bulge of his cock at my pelvis. My legs went weak, and I prepared for him to kiss me, but instead he twisted my arms behind my back. Gripping my wrists with one of his hands, he circled around behind me, put a hand on my back, and pushed my torso down to the desk, hard.
“You’re hurting me,” I said, struggling to get free.
With one hand still securing my wrists, he reached under my dress to tug my panties down.
“Don’t you fucking dare,” I seethed, but I was already wet, and, even though I was still fighting him, I was most definitely aroused. “I mean it, Reeve.”
He ignored me. Bracing his leg against mine to hold me still, he flipped my dress up, exposing my bare ass. Then, with a loud smack, his hand came down on my sensitive skin.
“Ow!” I tried to sit up, but h
e pressed his upper body against mine and spanked me again. And again. And again. Several times in succession until my eyes were watering and my ass was burning and I was so turned on that moisture was dripping down my legs.
I’d stopped struggling by the time he finally paused. I could hear him breathing heavily as he adjusted his grip on my wrists. He didn’t let me go, and I imagined him behind me, staring at my naked backside, red with his palmprint.
After several long seconds, I felt his hand slide across my stinging ass, lower, between my legs.
I bit my lip, embarrassed about how wet he’d made me, desperate to have him find out just how wet.
He paused at the rim of my cunt. “You frustrate me beyond belief, Blue Eyes,” he rasped, then plunged his fingers inside me.
I gasped, vaguely aware of the guard in the security booth, the door wide open between both rooms. I knew Reeve hadn’t forgotten that his employee could hear everything going on between us. Why did that turn me on so much?
Reeve crooked his fingers and stroked in and out of me. “Do you know what a man like Michelis does with people who frustrate him?” He paused, but I didn’t know if he really wanted an answer. I couldn’t give him one if he did – my thoughts were too blurred for speech. The lingering sting on my ass muddled with the pleasure of his hand job.
“He takes things from them,” he said, answering his own question. “Things they care about. People. And that’s when he’s in a good mood.”
I shuddered, both from his words and from the new spot he’d found to rub.
Suddenly, his fingers were gone and I jumped when he smacked me again. He hit me twice more before shoving back inside of my pussy. His strokes were slower this time, and my orgasm began to build, so leisurely, so steadily that I knew it would knock me off my feet when it fully bloomed.
Reeve leaned over me, pressing his chest to my back as he massaged me. “He has a reputation for a reason, and what people say about him is kind. He’s an expert at pain and suffering. And, when he’s done with a person, he doesn’t bother with a conversation. He just kills them.”
Last Kiss Page 18