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Dane poured a fragrant pinot grigio and sat across from me. I picked at my salad, everything about it tempting, but my stomach coiled. I set aside my fork.
With a low grunt, he took a sip of wine and then got down to it. “I had an original investment team for 10,000 Lux. Nine of us. Colleagues I trusted.” He stabbed a prawn, sliced into it, and chewed. Aggressively. Then he added, “Things changed with five of them. I learned more about their business practices—their financial scheming—and I had to cut them out. I didn’t want them associated with the Lux.”
“Wow.”
This was a mega-resort we were talking about. The sort of aspiration that meant every single thing about it had to be perfect because the investment was much too big, much too risky. A Jenga puzzle where pulling the wrong piece could make the entire empire crash to the ground.”
“Corrupt?” I ventured hesitantly.
“Yes,” Dane said in a terse tone. I felt his jagged edge of torment over trusting someone who betrayed him, and possibly the bitter need for revenge.
“Dane…”
“It’s these unexpected glitches that are pr
oof they’re fucking with me, Ari.”
“A beaver chomping through—”
“There were no beavers.” Dry lightning flashed against the large windows, emphasizing his words. “I lied. To protect you. I don’t want you to know about all of this. I don’t want you in a position where you’re aware of things I’m involved in that could put you in a dangerous situation.”
“I’m already in one, Dane. What we’re doing is dangerous. To me, at least.”
“No,” he insisted. “You think being romantically involved is hazardous and that’s not true. But these men are.”
“Have you ever had the rug pulled out from beneath you?” I demanded. “Have you ever even been in love?”
“No,” he said, a bit contrite.
“It can tear you apart,” I told him. “I’ve seen it happen.”
“But it’s never happened to you,” he countered.
“I saw the destruction. The devastation. With my parents.” My heart twisted. “And I was a pawn. My mother used me. I believed she loved me. I thought—”
I pushed back my chair and stood. I paced alongside the windows as a breeze rustled the trees.
“I thought the same thing every child thinks when it comes to their parents,” I said. “That they both loved me. They both wanted me. That they’d fight to the death for me—proverbially speaking, of course. But no.”
He stood as well. Stuffed his hands into the pockets of the loose black pants he wore with a white-linen buttoned shirt. His feet were also bare. The casual look was a sexy one on him.
I told him, “My dad was one-hundred percent into the family unit and all he cared about was keeping me out of her clutches. Because he knew what she really wanted. He refused to tell me, for my own protection—ironically enough—that all my mother cared about was money.”
That was obviously still the case.
In a grave voice, Dane said, “Then you understand why it’s important for me to protect you.”
I debated sharing my mother’s attempt to extort money—hardly a mere attempt, since she’d already cashed one check written by me—but decided it was best to deal with this situation on my own.
“That’s not your job.”
“Yes,” he protested vehemently, “it is.”
I walked away. Stood in front of tall glass doors.
His big career ambition was being sabotaged. That would have been beyond my comprehension were I not suddenly being blackmailed by my own parent.
Dane felt something so strongly for me that he wanted to shelter me from everything.
