Page 7 of Bitter Heat

As his question echoed through her mind, she wondered what game he was playing. He knew exactly what made her leave. That night in London had played over and over in her mind on an endless loop for the past five years. She could quote every word he had uttered that night. It was inked on her soul. That night he didn’t destroy just their marriage, but her as well. She walked away disillusioned, humiliated, and a shell of a human being. She’d spent the years since then meticulously piecing herself back together, fortifying her shields so no man would be able to use her as he had… and it took him minutes to wreck that progress. She had never entertained a scenario where he pinned her against the wall and bit her. She shuddered, and this time, it wasn’t from the cold. How could that fucking heat between them still be burning? After everything he had done to her, how could she possibly feel anything for him but rage and resentment? She hadn’t expected him to be angry as well. Roth was stone cold and always in control, but today, he had shown more emotion than she had ever seen other than the night she left him.

Seven years ago, Roth shook her perfect world to its core when he convinced her to take a gamble on him. When their eyes locked for the first time, something lit up inside her, recognizing him as someone special and once in a lifetime. What a load of bullshit. She’d been so insanely in love with him that she gave up everything—her family, birthright, and fiancé. Roth was a tornado, appearing out of nowhere and dragging her into his world before he disappeared, leaving her scattered in pieces. Their marriage was short-lived and filled with public scandal and emotional trauma. Thanks to the fact that Roth had recently reached the coveted billionaire status, their names linked together in any capacity would make national news. She wanted to avoid media scrutiny at all costs and keep the scandal where it belonged—in the past.

The truck lurched to the right, jolting her out of her thoughts, and slamming her against the door. She hissed and sat up. At some point, Roth had left the highway and was now navigating the steep mountain road. The headlights reflected off the snow falling steadily around them, limiting their visibility. She had sweated bullets navigating the treacherous road in broad daylight so how he could do so in the dead of night was unfathomable to her. She clutched her seat belt as the sound of snow crunching beneath the tires filled the cab. She leaned forward, desperately trying to see through the swirling white.

“We should turn around,” she said.

“We’re fine,” he said in a placid tone.

“Roth, it’s getting heavier. I can’t even see the guardrail!”

“I’ve been driving this road all my life. I know every turn.”

“You haven’t been home in years,” she said through clenched teeth as the truck plowed through the deepening snow.

“Hush.”

“Roth—” Her teeth snapped together as the truck rocked violently to the left, nearly strangling her with the seat belt.

He shifted gears and slowed the truck to a crawl. She could feel him flexing his impenetrable will as they crept up the mountain, determined to reach their destination. In a distant part of her mind, she knew turning back wasn’t an option. She sat very still, leery of distracting him. The narrow, winding road was barely big enough for two cars to pass one another and filled with hairpin turns and stretches where nothing protected them from going over the side. The few guardrails that existed were mangled or missing chunks from cars that careened into them.

When the truck began to slide, she bit back a scream and held on for dear life. Roth turned into the slide and when the tires found traction, shifted gears again and soldiered on.

“We’ll be there soon.”

He sounded unruffled and completely in control, and she hoped he wasn’t faking. She mentally helped him steer as they climbed. Her anxiety rose as the snow got heavier.

“I’m surprised you’re here alone,” she said, unable to take the silence. She was about to lose her shit.

“What did you expect?”

“Personal assistant, bodyguards.”

“Depends on the nature of my business.”

“No need to bring them when you’re coming to see your sick mother?”

“No.”

She cast him a fuming glare and ground her teeth as he shifted gears again.

“Do your sisters know you’re here?” he asked.

She pursed her lips and didn’t answer.

“I didn’t think so.”

She wrapped her arms around herself as a gust of wind battered the truck. Tendrils of frigid air seeped through the windows and caressed her face.

“It was supposed to be a quick trip. I didn’t anticipate any of this,” she said, her voice shaking as the air seeping from the vents became considerably cooler.

“You shouldn’t have come here alone.”

“Why?”

He glanced at her, the lights from the dashboard turning his eyes an eerie green. “Now you have no one to save you.”

“I’m not afraid of you.”

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