Gone with the Wolf - By Kristin Miller Page 0,64
in my face.”
“It’s the truth.”
“You know, maybe you’re right. Maybe I’m too stupid to fit into your business-minded world.” She didn’t feel stupid, she felt foolish. She’d been right before. They didn’t fit together. They were too different.
He reached out for her, but dropped his hand. “Emelia, I didn’t say you were stupid, it’s just that we’re arguing about apples and oranges. Joy doesn’t always have to come from fighting your way through something. If you take a chance on a business and it does well, you celebrate and enjoy that victory. If something doesn’t do well, you cut your losses and move on.”
Frustration soured Emelia’s stomach. “You talk about this stuff like it’s so distant from you. Like you don’t really care what you own as long as it turns a profit.”
“I don’t understand why you insist on holding on to something that’s crumbling in your hands.”
That was it. Emelia couldn’t stand there while he kept hopping over a line that he shouldn’t have crossed to begin with. Not tonight. “The Knight Owl might not crumble if I give it all I have,” she said.
“After what just happened at the drive-in, I thought we’d do everything together. Guess I was wrong.” Drake went rigid, leaning against one of the exposed wooden support posts standing oddly in the center of the room. “Damn it, Emelia, this place was an investment in our future together. I didn’t just buy this bar for you, I bought it for both of us.”
“That’s just it,” she seethed. “You said it yourself. Right there. I bought the bar. For you. I don’t need you to do anything for me.”
“So I can’t buy my wife anything or she won’t be able to enjoy it?” His voice boomed so loud it rattled the mirror against the wall behind her. “Do you know how ridiculous that sounds?”
“You know what’s ridiculous, Drake?” As deep-rooted anger flared and burned inside her, Emelia let her frustration fly. “The fact that you now have control over your father’s pack because we bonded tonight and—”
“We’re going there again, are we?”
She glowered, fuming, ears burning.
His eyes rolled. “Continue.”
“Like I was saying,” she bit out. “I’ve probably made you one of the most powerful men on the planet, yet you can’t seem to let me have the one thing I’ve worked so hard for.”
“That’s what you want, isn’t it? This whole time, all you’ve wanted was for me to just hand over your bar, and give it to you on a damned silver platter.”
“No!” Why didn’t he understand? “I want you to acknowledge the fact that you’re dodging things. Once again, the expert dodger is ignoring the big-ass elephant in the room.”
“I’m so tired of having to interpret what you say all the time. Would you just spit it out and say what you mean? In English?”
Emelia shook her head, hands clenching into fists. “You think I’m ridiculous, that I’m just some blond bimbo who’s better off as your secretary than a business owner. You think my decisions don’t make sense. How about this, I’m going to lay it all out on the line for you.”
“I’m holding my breath.” Drake waved his hands in front of him in a give-it-to-me motion. “Come on, Emelia, out with it.”
“You expect to have everything—the woman, the Luminary, the flourishing businesses, the yachts and mansions across the world—yet you sacrifice nothing. Not one fucking thing! But you expect me to sacrifice the one thing I’ve worked my ass off for, because you think it makes better sense to invest elsewhere. Well fuck you, Drake Wilder. Fuck you and the limo you rode in on.”
“Real nice, Emelia.” His jaw clenched wildly. “Why don’t you stop before you say something you don’t mean.”
“Here’s something I mean with all my heart.” Her ears drummed with hot rushes of blood. “I’m going to give you a business tip…I don’t do what I’m supposed to do. Ever. I don’t think the way I should and I live my life swinging by my heartstrings. I’m probably the worst investment in a life partner that a guy like you could make.”
“Emelia—” He came toward her, but she threw up her arms, and backed away.
“I won’t let you ignore the fact that we don’t fit together,” she said. “I think this was a mistake.”
His jaw clamped shut and his nostrils flared.
Cringing, Emelia averted her eyes. Why’d she just say that? She didn’t mean it, not really. Damn it, now she couldn’t look at him. “I gotta get