More words followed, scattered in a fast-paced staccato as I sat there, numb. I felt Theodore’s stare on my face but refused to look at him.
Instead, I glanced at my parents, who were also processing the news. My father’s face had gone completely white, while my mother studied me with narrowed eyes.
“You bastard,” Mike shot upright, and his heavy chair fell back on the floor with a loud thud. “You knew it. You are behind it. The old fool let you manipulate him.”
Theo calmly regarded him from his seat. That’s when I knew.
He’d known about this all along.
He’d known it when he’d come for me, and he’d known when he’d paid for the bracelet.
He’d known when we’d had sex last night.
He’d known how much power he would have over me, and he’d still slept with me.
He’d played me like a fool.
It hurt.
Everything hurt, more than I ever thought possible. I felt used and betrayed.
“Tara, dear, are you all right?” my mother asked.
Not waiting for the lawyer to finish, I pushed myself away from the table and stumbled out of the room, wishing they all could go to hell.
As I ran out of the house, I heard my father’s voice. “Was it fun, boy? Did you enjoy turning the old goat against his own blood? You know you can’t build happiness on others’ misery—”
I needed to get the hell out of here. Since I didn’t have a car, I grabbed the first thing I could find—a racing bike leaning against the wall. The thing was too big for me, and as I bent over the frame, I had a hard time keeping my balance. I rode down the driveway as fast as I could.
“I don’t want it,” I whispered as tears ran down my face. I didn’t want anything of this.
The lawyers held Mike while I left the house to find Tara.
The look she’d given me had frozen me on the spot. I knew she would be hurt and feel used, but I couldn’t have prepared myself for the expression in her soulful eyes. I hurt her because I hadn’t been able to keep my hands off her.
What was wrong with me?
The fact that she would spend the next four years close to me didn’t help either.
I was just in time to see her on a yellow racing bike at the end of the driveway, swaying from side to side as she aimed to ride through the gate. She was clearly struggling to master a bike like that—in a dress like that. And if I remembered correctly, there was a lake behind that slope.
All my good intentions and understanding for her flew out the window.
She was a bloody menace, but she was also my responsibility. I had to keep her alive.
As I jumped into my car, I thought about all the other places I could have been and the women I could have spent my time with.
My eyes locked onto her slender form as she drove recklessly down the sandy path. A mix of annoyance and excitement swirled in my blood, and that thrill worried me.
It was the same rush that had landed me in this mess—and her bed—last night.
I pressed the car horn, holding it as I counted to five.
The sound scared a big, fat, red bird. The bird squeaked in terror and started running right toward Tara, who couldn’t avoid the collision. The bird hit the back wheel, turning the bicycle to the side and causing it to slide down the slope to the lake.
Next to the slope, there was a big orange sign: “No swimming. Danger: water lilies.”
I stopped the car next to the slope and stumbled out, barely believing the comical slow-motion scene I was witnessing.
It was so hard not to laugh. I walked closer to the edge, knowing that this was again my fault and that I was doing a lousy job trying to keep her safe.
If I continued saving her like this, she would be better off on her own.
I ran to the lake, kicked off my shoes, and watched her struggle to get out of the water.
She splashed, raising a lot of water for a slip of the girl she was. But then again, she was trying to pull the bicycle out of the water, and the beautiful white lilies with their long, durable underwater stems made it impossible.
Even if there hadn’t been any lilies, she would have struggled to get to the shore, especially in those heavy sneakers that sank into the mud and kept her in place.
My laughter dissipated, and I got increasingly worried. The lake was dangerous, and I wanted her out of there as fast as possible.
“I am coming,” I yelled.
Tara looked up. The sun made her squint, and her panic turned to fury.
“You?” she grunted while firmly holding onto the bike and refusing to leave it to the greedy flowers.
I glanced at her pathetic efforts and disheveled appearance. The woman was a walking disaster. She couldn’t stay safe or dry for more than a minute.
“Let go of the bike,” I said, approaching her and lifting her under her arms to pull her out of the lake.
Her eyes caught mine. Just as I realized what she planned to do, it was too late.
Tara wrapped both legs around mine and tumbled me into the mud, landing on top.
She had me pinned under her supple body, and I did nothing to push her away.
“Liar.” Her lower lip was trembling. “At least you could have told me the truth before fucking me.”
The pain and disappointment on her face made me feel like the worst scum on Earth. I hated that the old man had put me between Tara and Mike, but of course, I knew why.
For god’s sake, she’d given Mike the authority to sign in her name—how clueless can a woman be? She must have known how irresponsible Mike was, but she was still willing to trust him with everything she had.
The sympathy for her naivete blossomed in my chest, and I cupped her face in my hands trying to calm her down.
The women I knew were calculated and ready to fight for what was theirs. They liked comfortable living and had learned how to make it work for them.
Tara, on the other hand, was a bunch of contradictions that made my head hurt. She fought me with everything she had, panting from shock and exhaustion.
“If I could stay away from you, I would trust me. The last thing I needed was sex with you.” I regretted my words as soon as they had left my mouth. They didn’t sound right—no, they sounded awful.
Tara groaned in frustration and went limp on top of me. Her eyes welled with tears, and her plump lower lip trembled. “Why do you hate me?”
I pulled her upright and held her against my chest. “I don’t hate you.”
“Liar,” she heaved.
“I hate your recklessness, and I hate how you don’t respect yourself.” She tried to push me away, but I continued. “You were born privileged, and your grandfather wanted only the best for you.”
Her chest moved up and down on mine, reminding me of what had happened the night before. I closed my eyes, counting in my head to calm myself.
“I miss him.” Her voice broke, and I pressed a kiss to her wet temple.
“I know, baby.” My hand slid over her back.
“And I hate him for putting me in this mess.” She looked at me, and her wet hair dripped onto my face. “I don’t want to be an heiress, and I don’t want to run a company. I hate that he went over my father’s head and put you in charge of me. I am not some idiot to be controlled.”
I stayed silent. It was what it was. Her grandfather had asked, and I had given him my word.
“Reject the will,” she said, her eyes grave as they held mine. “Show me you care about me and reject it. I am not a kid to be supervised.”
“I can’t,” I said. “I promised.”
Hope in her pupils turned to rage and she prodded my chest. “You can. You can make everything right again, but you don’t want to.”
I took her chin between my fingers, bringing her flushed face close to mine. “Your grandfather knew his son too well to leave him in charge of a company. Do you know who keeps your gambling father’s fingers in check? Me. Your grandpa knew about Mike’s weaknesses, and he ensured you were secure. That’s my job now.”
She jumped off me, fumbling with her wet, muddy clothes. Her small chest heaved with rage. “And if you enrich yourself in the process, it will come as a bonus.”
“Tara—”
“Don’t you Tara me. You got money and an easy lay on the side. Does that make you feel good?”
I clenched my jaw. “I got a headache and a ticket to lunacy. Don’t sell yourself short, sweetie.”
Her head flew to the side as if I had slapped her. The thought of the impending chaos she would hurl onto my path didn’t seem amusing from this muddy perspective.
She clenched her teeth, turned around, and stomped up the hill.
“Buckle up, princess. It will be a fun ride,” I muttered.
