The Australian Affairs Collection. Margaret Way
Читать онлайн книгу.
advantage. ‘Has it never occurred to you that all your big brotherly protectiveness—some might call it over-protectiveness—could be a little stifling?’ She uttered ‘little’ in such a way that he couldn’t miss the fact that she meant a lot.
He gaped at her. ‘It’s my job to look out for her.’
‘She’s an adult. She can look out for herself.’
‘Just because your family let you down, it doesn’t mean that’s the way every family works.’
He spoke the words in a voice so low and controlled it sent ice tiptoeing down her spine.
He held out his hand, palm flat, eyes glittering. ‘Give me the key.’
Her heart quailed, because she suddenly realised what a betrayal he would see this as—her keeping him from his sister. She wanted to weep. She’d finally found the one sure way to distance him, and now that she had she didn’t want to use it.
Give him the key.
She lifted her chin and forced steel to her spine. ‘No.’ Planting her hands on her hips, she leaned towards him. ‘Carla doesn’t want to see you at the moment. Go home, Dylan. Stop being a bully.’
His hands fisted and his entire body started to shake. ‘I could take it from you by force.’
She folded her arms and raised an eyebrow. They both knew he wouldn’t.
He swore and she flinched. He didn’t apologise, but she didn’t expect him to.
‘A bully?’ The word ground out of him. ‘I can’t believe you’re lumping me in the same class as Thierry.’
The pain in his words cut at her. ‘I do put you in the same class as Thierry. Thierry loves Carla—adores her. He’d lay his life down for her. I know you would too. It doesn’t change the fact that Carla doesn’t want to see either of you for the time being.’
His eyes blazed, but his face turned to stone. He turned and stormed down the path, leaving as she’d ordered him to.
The backs of her eyes burned and her vision blurred. A lump lodged in her throat. Whatever fragile link had bound them together had been severed, and she felt the pain of it deep down inside her. It tore at something she thought might never be fixed.
At the gate, he halted. His shoulders sagged. She hated it that she’d hurt him, but she readied herself for a different form of attack.
He came back, his face sombre, his eyes throbbing. ‘I owe you an apology. I just acted like a two-year-old throwing a tantrum because he’s been denied what he wants. But I’m worried about Carla.’
‘I know.’
He clasped her shoulders. ‘Is she okay?’
He stared into her eyes and she realised he meant to trust whatever she told him. Her mouth went dry.
‘Mia?’
Her heart thudded, though she couldn’t explain why. ‘She’s upset.’
‘With Thierry?’
‘I suspect so. But mostly with your uncle.’
Dylan’s lips pressed together in a tight line. ‘His car was at the house when I got back last night. It was late, so he was already in bed. He left after breakfast. We shared a few home truths. I don’t think he’ll be back. I told him that if he caused trouble for you at your place of employment you’d come and work for FWE. I don’t think your job will be in jeopardy from that region, Mia.’
‘I... Thank you.’
‘I didn’t know he’d spoken to Carla.’
It wasn’t her place to tell him about his uncle’s violence. ‘I think that after some sleep, and some lunch and some talking, Carla will be fine. She just needs time to clear her head.’
He squeezed her shoulders and then released her. ‘Okay.’
He really meant to trust her?
‘Thank you for looking after her.’
‘She’s my friend. Of course I’m going to look out for her.’
His eyes throbbed into her. ‘I don’t mean to be a bully.’
It took all the strength she had not to reach out and touch his face. ‘I know that too.’ And he wasn’t—not really. ‘If you were really a bully you’d have taken the key from me by force.’
‘You don’t see it, do you?’ he said.
A desolation that made her heart catch stretched through his eyes. Her mouth went dry. ‘What don’t I see?’
‘I just harangued you, bullied you, all but emotionally blackmailed you, but you held firm. You chose to do what you thought was right rather than submit to my will. Do you still believe you’re weak and easy to manipulate?’
She froze. ‘I...’
The yard spun.
‘I can’t keep doing this, Mia.’
Her gaze speared back to his. ‘What do you mean?’
‘I love you.’
Her heart stuttered in her chest.
‘You know I love you. With everything that’s inside me. I’d do anything to win your love. But it’s not enough, is it? You’re still so far away. I lose myself and I get so frustrated... I start to yell and then I turn into a bully.’
‘Dylan, I—’
He pressed his fingers to her lips. ‘I love you, Mia. I want to have a life with you. But I won’t bully you into that. If you ever come to me, I want it to be because you love me too.’
She did love him, but...
Confusion swirled through her and she couldn’t make sense of the riot raging through her. The smile he sent her made her want to cry.
He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her brow. ‘Tell Carla if she needs anything to call me.’
She nodded.
He held her gaze for a moment. ‘I mean to give you all the space you want, Mia. If you change your mind, you know where to find me.’
Fear clutched at her heart.
With a nod, he turned and strode away. This time he didn’t stop at the gate.
Every step that he took away from her increased the ache in her chest tenfold.
* * *
Carla slept until noon.
‘Did Thierry show up?’
‘He did. So did Dylan.’
‘What did he say?’
‘Dylan said you’re to call him if you need anything.’
‘What did Thierry say?’
Oh. ‘The man is half out of his wits with worry for you...and fear that you’re going to dump him.’
‘Good!’
‘I told him to come back at four. I didn’t guarantee that you’d see him. But if you really don’t want to see him again he’ll need to hear it from you.’
Carla bit her lip.
‘Can things not be fixed?’ Mia asked.
Carla folded her arms. ‘I guess that depends on him. He wants to be all strong and solitary and untouchable—but that’s not how relationships work. It’s not how marriage works.’
Each and every one of those darts found their mark, although they hadn’t been aimed at her.
Mia rubbed a hand across her chest, trying to ease the ache there. ‘I believe