Page 85 of Tame Me

Dain smiles but both his arms are around me now as if he knows I’m close to spontaneously combusting and he’s literally holding me together.

Ava’s eyes soften. ‘Oh, Talia,’ she whispers. ‘I’m so pleased for you.’

She isn’t talking about the money. What she sees—or what shethinksshe sees—is wonderful. It’s what I ache for. And what I don’t have. She believes the lie he’s presenting, only right now it’s truth for me—I’m in thrall to him and I absolutely want to go with him to wherever he chooses...

‘I’m taking Talia and Lukas to Australia.’ Dain’s voice is gravelly.

‘Australia?’

‘Dain has a family home there,’ I explain as Ava’s eyes go huge. I’ve no idea if that’s actually true but I know the impact the idea will have on Ava—the same impact it has on me. ‘It’ll be Lukas’s family home too.’

Ava nods slowly. ‘And yours. A permanent place to stay.’ She sends me a small smile. ‘Finally.’ Ava blinks rapidly and looks down at Lukas. ‘I can’t believe I’m an aunty.’ She breathes in shakily. ‘I’m going to miss him and I barely know him.’

I glance up at Dain. There’s a bleak expression in his eyes that he quickly blinks away when he catches my eye.

‘We’ll send lots of photos. Videos. Calls.’ He turns his attention to Ava and promises.

He never got those. I neversentany—not after that one shot of Lukas as a newborn. I feel terrible. ‘We really need to go now, Ava, I’m sorry. We have to get to the airport. Can’t miss the flight.’

‘Ava’s like you,’ Dain says bluntly as we pull away from the kerb. ‘Bossy, untrusting.’ He sighs. ‘We didn’t get far in the life-story swap yesterday. What happened with your dad?’

I shoot him a look. ‘He walked out when I was eight and Ava was four. There were always other women and once he’d left for good he didn’t want to know us at all. He just wasn’t interested.’ I grit my teeth. ‘My mother didn’t cope. She thought she needed someone, so she went from one jerk to the next. She had high hopes for every new guy she let into her life and when those hopes were shattered, we moved. Every time.’

‘How many times?’

I shrug. ‘I can’t remember exactly.’

‘Every year?’

‘At least.’

His expression tightens. ‘And you took care of Ava.’

I swallow. ‘Of course. Now you’ve met her, you know why. She’s wonderful.’

It only takes minutes to get to the airport but we don’t head to the main terminal, but to a smaller building to the side. The driver and an equally discreet porter gather our belongings from the car while Dain lifts Lukas out as though he’s been doing it for months. Yep, he’s a fast learner. And even though we’ve left Ava and there’s no need for any further pretence, Dain doesn’t distance himself any. He wraps an arm around me and hustles me to a small counter, shielding me and Lukas from the few other people in the room.

‘Are we leaving right away?’ I mutter.

I’m more nervous now than I was about seeing Ava and it’s not the actual flight putting the fear in me.

‘You don’t want to?’

‘I wouldn’t mind some lunch,’ I prevaricate.

Because I’m about to be cooped up in a very small space with him forhoursand I don’t think I can trust myself. I don’t even step away from him now when I actually can. Pretending for Ava has stirred me up—I can’t help wishing that the tenderness in his touch were true.

‘We’ll eat on board,’ he says.

That’s when I glance out of the window and see the plane on the tarmac. It’s sleek and has no commercial markings. The truth dawns on me. ‘You have aprivatejet?’

‘We would’ve flown to Dunedin from Queenstown, but the pilot went to pick up your passports. He’s just finalising the flight plan for us now.’

My lungs seem to shrink. I’d forgotten about the passports. But they’re here—turned around super quick because of his power and resources. ‘You always travel on your own jet?’

‘I like the privacy it gives me,’ he says.

‘Because you’re secretive?’ Maybe he doesn’t want anyone to see Lukas and me with him—maybe that’s why he’s hurrying us out onto the tarmac.

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