If his purpose was to disarm me, he had better try again.
“It’s much too late for any of that.”
Once upon a time, hearing him utter those words would have made me run back to him in a heartbeat, but a lot of time had passed. Now, I could honestly admit that I was immune to his empty promises. That was all he could ever offer me, nothing more.
“I need to get back inside. Parker will be looking for me soon.”
He looked perplexed as he held his breath, staring down at my determined face. He was so close I could feel the warmth from his body, slowly breaking down my barriers. His sex appeal was unparalleled. He radiated potent sex, and as much as I hated to confess it, he still affected me. Undoubtedly, he was still the sexiest man I had ever gazed upon. At that slight admission, an unwelcomed tremor zinged all over my body.Ugh, not now. Damn hormones.
“Meet me sometime later, just this once … to talk. Nothing more, I promise.” His voice was low and steady, while his body was in complete restraint, trying to hold back from something. It reminded me of a caged animal; ready to pounce.
“And why would I be so stupid as to do that?”Talk? He meant closure, right?Surely, I could handle finally closing the lid on my past? But I wasn’t too sure, not when he could demand my body’s attention by simply gazing at me.
“Because we owe it to each other, and to the seven years ofloveand friendship we shared,” he stated resolutely, with an acute emphasis on the word “love,” as though I were too dense not to comprehend.
Oh yeah, love. He spoke so freely of the word that I thought he knew what it entailed. Apparently not.
River was going to dredge up everything—the good, the bad, and the downright rotten. I sensed it. I knew him enough to know that he wouldn’t hold anything back.
What would he try to prove?I worriedly wondered. He had been the one to leave the relationship. Although he wouldn’t fully admit it, he had mentally checked out the moment he selfishly began choosing decisions that affected the both of us. Ones that had left me in tatters, emotionally unstable and physically insecure. I’d had no one—no parents, no family to speak of—so for him to stab at the very core of my instability made me realize that being his side piece wasn’t going to cut it. I’d had to save myself, and that was what I did. And now that I had accomplished it, here he was, marching back into my domain and threatening to ruin the fine threads that held me together.
River never did like rejection, and I could bet my life that this weighed heavily on his ego.
Though he was being emotionally manipulative, if this would get him to leave me alone, then I would meet with him. One must face and slay their demons at some point in their life. This was my chance. Besides, deep down, I knew I had prepared myself for this very moment.
I comforted myself that I was truly done with him. As long as I kept that in mind, I was safe from River Ellis’s selfish grasp. Top it off with the fact that Parker and I had just begun dating, I didn’t need the ghost of my past ruining anything with my new budding relationship. Knowing how River was, it would be wise to settle scores with him now than let this fester to a point where it would be difficult for me to read him. There were shades of his anger I was familiar with, and right this instant, I could see that as long as I held my ground, his intentions, good or bad, were going nowhere.
“Fine then. Where do you want to meet?”
“Give me your number; I’ll text it to you.”
The last thing I needed was for him to get ahold of my number, yet I begrudgingly gave him each digit at a time as he keyed in my information with furrowed brows.
“It’s in the valley. It’s about half an hour drive from here. Take a cab or even Uber, but don’t you dare get behind the wheel. You’re beyond the legal alcohol limit.”
My breath gave it away, though I wasn’t even drunk. I was so sober I could count backward. Regardless, I wasn’t going to argue. My nerves wouldn’t dare allow me to drive. Calm was my exterior, but internally, I was all sorts of chaos deep inside.
Disconnecting from his penetrating, dark eyes, I glanced around at the throng of people happily chatting away, unaware of my discomfort.
Just as I was about to revert my gaze back to the unyielding man next to me, Parker came out, eyes scanning the outside crowd on the patio. The second he found me in an intimate conversation with River, his face contorted in blatant confusion.
I smiled nervously at my curious and impatient boyfriend, hoping to ease some of the tension written all over him before I gestured that I would join him in a moment. Then, reverting my attention back to the man next to me, I gave him an impertinent look.
“I’ll be there at half past midnight or so.”
River’s eyes were glued on where Parker stood, looking deadly. “Come alone, Cara,” he vehemently gritted out. “And don’t keep me waiting.”
Calling the shots now, was he? I would arrive on my own terms. I wasn’t going to do his bidding. Never again.
“I have to go,” I reiterated before giving him a last deadpan look. “I’ll arrive whenever I fancy. No one tells me what to do.” And with those parting words, I sashayed away from him and back into Parker’s arms.