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Dane doesn’t reply. He takes a bite of bacon and then wipes his hands on a napkin. Despite the tough exterior that he’s trying to project, I can tell that he’s conflicted. These words don’t sound natural coming from him.
There’s definitely something going on.
If only I knew what it was.
“You’re not being honest with me,” I say quietly. “There’s something else going on, and you’re not telling me about it.”
Dane shakes his head. “Emma, nothing is going on. But you have to leave. I can’t have you here.”
I stand up and put my hands on my hips. “You can’t have me here? Or you don’t want me here? Which is it, make up your mind!” Now, some of the shock is turning into anger. I can’t believe that he’s still trying to push me away when I’ve made it so clear that I need him.
Dane gets to his feet and starts pacing around the cabin. Again, I’m reminded of the first time I was here when he couldn’t stop angrily stomping around as I ate.
I was afraid of Dane then. But now something tells me that he’s afraid of me.
“Tell me,” I demand as I turn to face him.
“There’s nothing to tell, Emma,” Dane growls. “Just get out of here. Go!”
“I don’t believe you!” I cry loudly. “I think you’re keeping something from me because you’re scared and afraid of what it means to open up to someone!”
Dane is silent. He stops dead in his tracks and shakes his head. When he turns to face me, there’s an odd expression on his face. It’s both ironic and slightly cruel and my heart leaps into my throat at the glint in his sapphire eyes.
“Your father, Jason Hadley,” Dane spits. “He was my business partner. We founded Xander Corp together years ago. And he betrayed me and had me sent to prison for embezzlement when I didn’t do a goddamned thing wrong!”
The blood drains from my face and I have to grip the edge of the table to keep from passing out. For a long moment, I can’t even breathe. Then my lungs start to burn and I gasp for air, breathing like it might just be my last.
“This is why you have to leave,” Dane says sternly. “You have conflicted loyalties.”
I shake my head. “You don’t get it, do you? I don’t owe my father a darn thing. He’s treated me really badly for my entire life.”
“No,” Dane says. “You can’t be here. You have to go.”
Hot tears rush to my eyes and before I can stop them. They’re streaming down my cheeks. My nose fills with gooey snot and soon I’m a hot mess, sobbing so hard that I can barely stand up. I keep waiting for Dane to apologize and take me into his arms but he just stands there, staring at me.
“Please,” I sob. “Please Dane, don’t make me go!”
The mountain man crosses the room and opens the front door. Cold air rushes into the cabin as he stands there with his hand on the deadbolt.
“Emma, go,” Dane says dully. “You can’t be here anymore. You have to go home to your family. Make things right with your family. Family is all you have.”
But I don’t have anything without you! I want to cry out. Unfortunately, there’s something about the look in Dane’s deep blue eyes that tells me he isn’t kidding.
God, he really does want me gone.
The tears come harder as I shove my feet into my boots. The whole time, my heart is pounding and my whole body is shaking. I can’t believe this – after turning to the man I love for help, I have nowhere to go.
I can’t go home. I can’t face my father. And I can’t go running to Lacey, either. Since I never told her about Dane, there’s no way I could tell her the whole story from the beginning.
Sniffling loudly, I turn to Dane and give him a pleading look. “Please don’t make me go,” I whisper. “Please don’t do this.”
Dane gives a single jerk of his head. “I’m sorry, Emma,” he says gravely. “But you have to leave.”
As I stumble out the door, my vision is blinded with tears.
14
Dane
Watching Emma’s Rubenesque figure disappear into the woods is, hands down, the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Every cell of my body is screaming for her to turn around and come back. Every nerve is telling me to chase after her, to grab her in my arms and tell her that I love her and need her desperately.
But I can’t go after her. I can’t ever see her again. I don’t think I’d be able to do it without breaking down and telling her the truth about how much I love her.
I did the right thing. Yes, it was hard. But I couldn’t let Emma stay here in blissful ignorance while I take action against her conniving bastard of a father.
