Page 95 of Handle Me

“Is that why you’re upset?” I breathed a silent sigh of relief. It would be a lot easier to figure out what was up with him if he wasn’t mad at me.

“I didn’t ask for this shit,” he reminded me.

“I thought you liked Brex.”

“I do.” He groaned. “I don’t like what his presence means.”

A lump formed in my throat, and I fought back tears. I’d known coming back here would be difficult. I just hadn’t expected to confront the reason we’d broken up at every turn. It was hard enough to be around him without being reminded of why he’d rejected me.

“You could always run away,” I suggested, trying to keep my tone light. “It seems like you have some practice doing that.”

He cocked an eyebrow, glancing over at me. “What does that mean, boss?”

His words were rough along the edge, and I realized he’d misunderstood the joke.

“When you were a kid and ran away to the track,” I said, recalling the story his mother had told me last night.

His frown deepened. “What do you think I’ve been trying to do?”

“It’s not going well?” I pressed gently. This was the real reason I’d come—to get inside his head and figure out what had him off his own game before he wound up wrecking another car.

“You tell me, boss.” The corner of his mouth lifted into a grin. “I assume someone called you here. What did they say?”

“What?” I plastered a surprised look on my face. “I told you. I need you to help me learn how to drive.”

“Right. You needed to learn to drive so you can visit your boyfriend.” He practically spat the words.

I hated how the lie felt—and how I hadn’t made the connection he’d just pointed out. But I couldn’t risk telling him the truth. Not until I knew how he’d respond.

“I have other reasons, too.” I shrugged. “But if I’m going to do this, it’s because I want to do it.”

“And you need a two-hundred-thousand pound car to do it?” he asked.

“I liked the color.” I took a deep breath and spilled something I could only admit to him. “Maybe this is something I need to do for myself.”

He thought for a moment before exhaling slowly. “I get that.”

But I held back the rest of my thought. Maybe it was something I needed to do for the both of us. Anders might not love me, but I still cared about him, and I didn’t want to see him hit rock bottom. Not if I could find a way to reach him.

“You know we could lose him in this car,” he said, his eyes checking the mirror again.

“What’s stopping you?”

“I don’t want to set a bad example.” His grin made my heart flip.

“I’m beginning to think you’re all talk,” I purred.

His eyes narrowed and he muttered something under his breath. The next thing I knew, we were flying down the road, and the Range Rover was a speck in the distance.

He took a corner hard, barely slowing down, and I grabbed his arm, my earlier bravado evaporating.

“Slow down!”

Anders chuckled and tipped his head toward the window. “We’re here anyway, boss.”

But this time, he didn’t stop in the parking lot. Instead, he drove around until we reached a huge security gate.

“What are we doing?” I asked.