The butterflies in her stomach went nuts at the narrowed-eyed look he sent her, but she wasn’t about to back down now.
“All right. Enough. Unlock the cuffs, Samantha Kay, and we’re going to talk about your language.”
“No.” Feigning a boldness she didn’t remotely feel, she jerked her head up. “Not until you tell me what you’ve been hiding from me.”
His expression hardened. “Samantha. Take the cuffs off right now, little girl.”
Uncertainty crept in, shaking her resolve. “Only if you promise to talk to me.”
“This isn’t a negotiation. If you do not take the cuffs offright now, I promise you won’t sit comfortably the rest of the day.”
She almost caved. The pureDaddyin his voice, combined with the quiet anger burning in his eyes had her reaching for the cuffs.
But then it hit her that he wouldn’t be so angry if he didn’t have anything to hide. And that realization sparked her own anger, so hot it burned away any inclination she had to be a good girl.
“You don’t get to do this.” Tears that were both fury and betrayal sparked in her eyes. “You don’t get to make me fall in love with you and then keep secrets from me, Dylan. That’s nothow this works. And if you’re done with me, if you don’t want me anymore, be a fucking man and tell me to my face.”
Shock widened his eyes, and she might have laughed at the way his mouth fell open if she hadn’t been so fuckinghurt. “How could you possibly think I don’t want you anymore, Sammie-girl?”
“Because there’s obviouslysomethingyou’re keeping from me and I can’t think of what else it could be!”
The silence that enveloped them was so thick she could barely hear herself think through it. And then he sighed, a deep, from-the-soul kind of sigh and she was hit with the sudden, terrifying thought that her entire life was about to come crashing down around her.
“Unlock the cuffs, baby. I promise I’ll tell you everything.”
He’d never given her a reason to doubt his promises, so she slowly nodded and leaned forward to release him. And then she was in his arms, being held so tight she could barely drag any air into her lungs.
“I had a call with Pacificum Biomedical yesterday. They’re a—no. They’rethebiotech research facility in the country. The world, really.”
Excitement rushed through her and she wiggled out of his arms to grin up at him. “Dylan! That’samazing! Why wouldn’t you just tell me that?”
“Because I’m not going to take the job. I’m hoping I can use their offer to push ATL to hire me.”
“What? Why the hell wouldn’t you go to work for them? This sounds like the opportunity of a lifetime.”
“It is. It’s also on the other side of the country.”
And just like that, his huge, exciting, amazing news imploded around them. “You’re turning them down because of me.”
“No.” Pushing himself up in bed, he shook his head. “No, baby. I’m turning them down because this is where I want to be.”
Grief welled in her chest, threatening to smother her. “Dylan… you have to take the job.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Yes, you do.” Gathering every bit of courage she had, she met his gaze—and prepared to break her own heart. “I spent five years attached to a man who resented me for ruining his life. I can’t and won’t do that again.”
“I could never?—”
“It’s easy to say that now, when you’re in the thick of all these big emotions. But a year, five years, ten years down the road? Yeah. You’re going to resent me and what we have for holding you back. And I love you too much to watch our relationship die that kind of slow, painful death, Dylan.”
“Sam…”
“We don’t have to make any decisions right now.” Even though in her mind it was already done. “When do you need to give them your answer?”
“By next Friday.”
“Okay. Then promise me you’ll take the rest of the week to think,reallythink about what’s best for you.”
