“Eva?” I call, yanking her chin toward me.
Her eyes meet mine, lips quivering. She blinks rapidly. A few tears fall and mark her beautiful face.The fucking nerve.
“Um…” She winces, her hand twisting in mine. I turn it over, and a muscle jumps in my jaw. She’s dug her nails deep enough to leave wounds.
I can’t fucking stand it.
“Can you please slow down?” she mumbles, her strangled voice cuts deep as realization hits me like a brick.
Fuck. The accident.
It’s a similar road—a lonely stretch of countryside. Narrow. Deserted, swallowed by hedgerows on either side.
My foot jerks off the accelerator, but I fight the urge to slam on the brakes, the impact from which would probably triggerher more. I hold steady until the car coasts. As we slow down, so do the beats in her wrist. Her breath finds its rhythm, warmth bleeding into her cheeks.
“Better?” I ask, not trusting her answer and already counting her pulse.
“Yeah, I just get a bit motion sick.” She swallows.
Of course. Heaven forbid she ever admits to having a weakness. And no—the irony is not lost on me. The difference is, I don’t bury my cracks and let them grow roots inside me. I wear them where I can see them. A reminder of what’s been splintered and soldered back together.
“How far away is it?”
“Fifteen minutes.”
It would have been seven, but since I can’t drive any faster, Kane is just going to have to wait.
“And where exactly are we going?” Her brows furrow. “Please tell me there won’t be any spiders.”
“Well, it’s in the forest, so there will be spiders, among other things.” I turn the wheel, gliding us down the narrow road threading through the woods.
She chews on her lips, eyes tracing the sky-high, thin trees closing us in on either side. Her fingers clutch mine tighter when the rustle of birds makes her flinch.
“Is this how I die?” she asks in a low voice.
I chuckle, pulling into the only lodge on this side of the lake. I ease the car to a stop a little farther down the road, just in case. Two Range Rovers and a Jeep are already parked outside the front door.
Fucking great! Nothing better than taking over from Kane’s half-arsed games.
“Is this it?” Her eyes skim the shimmering night lake and the double-story lodge that sits in the large clearing.
“Yes.” I kill the engine. “Now, what’s it going to cost me to get you to stay put?”
“Excuse me?”
“I need to take care of business.” I motion toward the lodge. “I can’t do that if I have to worry about you being a brat.”
Her teeth clench as she bites back whatever snarky retort was on the tip of her tongue. She stares at me with narrowed eyes before her beautiful blues sparkle.
“I can ask for… anything?”
“Within reason.”
She holds out her hand. “I want to borrow your phone.”
“Why?”
“So, I can snoop.” She shrugs. “You know, like how you go through my phone and laptop every night. It’s only fair.”
