Page 55 of The Charmer's Gambit
“Because I’ve let him control me all along,” I finished for him, wincing.
“Yes, and no. Men like Albertson enjoy a good challenge. The minute you cave to his demands, he’ll get bored, but he also needs to rein you in and the clock is ticking, hence the desperation. And that makes a power-hungry man like him dangerous. You need to tell Mershano. He has the resources at his disposal to keep you safe; otherwise, I’d be on the next flight out.”
“That’s asking a hell of a lot from him. I mean—”
“No, it’s not,” he cut in. “You don’t seem to realize who you’re dating.”
“But we’re not dating. We’re—”
“You’re dating. Stop making excuses and talk to him. That’s an order, Dawson.”
I scoffed at that. “You’re as bad as Caleb.” He used to boss me around all the time as a kid, and come to think of it, Mark did too.
“No, I’m much worse than your brother. Now go talk to Mershano. I’ll be in touch when I learn more.” He hung up without further explanation. I jumped as someone knocked atthe door not a second later. My heart raced in my chest, beating a static rhythm that drowned out my hearing. What if it was Ryan? I hadn’t bolted the door. If he had a key, he could enter.
My fears were realized as the snick of a card penetrated my ears. I started to scramble backward, when I heard Will’s deep baritone call out, “Hello?”
A squeak escaped my mouth as relief undid me on the floor, followed swiftly by mortification.Oh God. Talk about seeing me at my worst . . .
Mark’s confidence that Will would find me brave crumbled at my feet. I had to look half-crazed lying here with torn-up stockings, my hair half-undone, and clothes crumpled. Not to mention my face . . . I tried to hide in my arms and tucked my knees tightly to my chest.
“Jesus, what the hell happened?” Will’s hands were on me a second later, causing me to flinch on instinct. He immediately withdrew, which only made me want crawl further into myself and bawl.
“Rachel,” he murmured. “Talk to me, sweetheart. Are you hurt?”
I shook my head and bit my lip so hard I tasted blood. Opening up about this to Mark had been hard, but this felt like breaking open my chest. Where could I even begin? What if it changed the way he felt or the way he acted? Seeing pity in his eyes would destroy me. It was the last expression I ever wanted to see from him. All the pent-up heat and insinuating looks and comments were what I enjoyed. They would disappear once he knew the truth.
Stop making excuses and talk to him, Mark’s demand repeated in my head. He was right. I needed to tell Will, not to ask him to help me, but so he could help himself. Warning him about Ryan was the best way for me to protect Will. Hecouldn’t guard himself against an unknown threat, but he could potentially stop a known one.
I blew out a long breath and fought for the courage I needed to explain. My hands shook so hard I had to clasp them tightly together to keep my arms from vibrating.
“Please talk to me, Rachel,” he whispered. The pain in his voice hammered my rib cage hard, piercing right through my heart. God, he thought this was about him. Of course he did. What else could set me off in such a short time? I nearly laughed at the absurdity of it. But it was his deep breath, followed by a shaky sigh, that did me in. To shatter his confidence so irrevocably that he not only feared touching me but also refrained from speaking? No, that wasn’t fair to him at all. He deserved better, so much better.
I swallowed thickly, my throat convulsing around invisible cotton balls. It took two tries to clear my throat before I could start, and even then, my voice cracked. “I need to t-tell you about my ex.”
Will remained silent while I told him how I met Ryan, when we started dating, how things began as a fairy tale and ended in disaster, and then how he refused to accept that we weren’t together. I detailed what happened to the only two men I associated with after our breakup, explained why I stopped dating, and then showed him the texts on my phone from the last few weeks.
“And now, I think you might be in danger too,” I concluded with a gesture to the flowers and the card on the floor. He stood and strode over to read it. I hadn’t realized how close he’d been to me on the ground until his body heat disappeared, leaving me shivering. He’d sat beside me with his back against the wall, arms folded over his drawn-up knees, listening with an unreadable expression.
The pity I expected never came, which helped me steady my emotions. My eyes burned from the aftermath of crying so hard, and I likely resembled a drowned cat, but at least the blubbering had stopped.
“I’m so sorry for dragging you into this,” I whispered. “I’m so, so sorry.” I bit my lip to keep it from trembling. No way would I break down again.
Will set the card on the table and stalked toward me with an emotion I never wanted to see directed at me. Fury. I deserved it for putting him in this situation, but it hurt nonetheless. At least it wasn’t pity. My eyes fell to my hands as he crouched in front of me. It was cowardly, but I couldn’t bear to watch what came next.Accusations, yelling, guilt . . .
“Rachel.” His soft tone did not match the thunderous expression I’d seen only seconds ago. Nor did the featherlight touch against my hand. “Don’t apologize on his behalf ever again.”
That was not what I expected him to say at all. Confusion mingled with my unease, creasing my brow.What?
“You didn’t drag me into anything, and none of this is your fault.” He gently tipped my chin to meet his gaze. It was less stormy than I expected, but anger colored his features and tightened his lips. “Thank you for telling me. For trusting me.”
“You’re not mad?” I asked, incredulous.
“Oh, I’m furious, but not with you.” He cupped my cheeks and stared deep into my eyes. “You’re a strong woman, Rachel. To tell me what you just did? I know that wasn’t easy. If anything, I’m proud and floored by your courage.” His thumbs swept beneath my lashes as he placed a tender kiss against my forehead. “Do you think he’s in Paris?”
I cleared the emotion from my throat. “I don’t know. Mark is researching for me.”
“Mark?”
