Page 13 of Emmy's Ride

I took a breath while counting to ten. Yeah. I knew that.

Didn’t mean I was gonna let her go. My hands reflexively balled up as I battled the instinct to pull her back in, to make her stay—not just here, but with me.

She turned without another word, striding toward her car like she couldn’t get away quickly enough.

My chest squeezed tight as I watched her go. Watching her leave had never been easy. Still wasn’t.

“Shit,” I muttered under my breath, every muscle in my body locked tight.

Let her go.

The words pounded through my head like a goddamn command. She wanted space? Fine. Wanted to pretend she could do this without me? I’d let her think that.

Didn’t mean I was walking away. Didn’t mean I was done. I followed her, my boots heavy against the pavement. She was already yanking open her car door when I reached her. “Don’t do that shit again,” I bit out.

She froze, fingers tightening on the door handle before she turned, her brown eyes flashing under the glow of the streetlamp. “Do what?”

“Walk off like that. Like I’m just supposed to stand here and watch you drive into the damn dark alone.”

Her shoulders went stiff. “That’s exactly what you’re supposed to do, Austin. This isn’t your problem.”

I let out a rough laugh, one that held zero humor. “The hell it is.”

She puffed out a breath like she was trying to hold on to her patience. “Do we really have to go through this again? Look, I know you think you have some claim on me, but?—”

“I don’t think anything,” I interrupted, stepping in closer, crowding her the way I knew drove her crazy. “I know what’s mine.”

She stilled and I caught it—that moment. That flicker of something in her eyes before she shut it down.

She shoved my chest, but it was weak, a warning more than anything. “I’m not yours, Austin. I haven’t been for a long time. Maybe I never really was.”

My fingers curled around her wrist, heat sparking at the contact. “You sure about that?”

She swallowed but didn’t back down. “I moved on.”

“Yeah?” I leaned in, voice dropping low. “Then why are you shaking?”

Her pulse thrummed under my fingertips. Fast. Unsteady.

She jerked away. “This is exactly why I left. You think you can just—” She cut herself off. “I don’t need this right now.”

“You sure as hell don’t need to be walking into some unknown setup alone either.”

Her head tipped back, eyes burning. “I had it under control.”

“The hell you did.” My tone was flat, edged with the kind of anger only she could pull out of me. “You were in over your damn head, Em. You know it. I know it. And next time? You might not be so lucky.”

Her expression faltered briefly before she masked it. “There won’t be a next time.”

That was the biggest lie she’d ever told. Because I knew her, and she wouldn’t let this go. Wouldn’t stop until she had answers.

I reached past her, slamming her car door shut before she could get in.

Her brows shot up. “Really?”

“Yeah,” I growled. “Really.”

“Damn it, Austin?—”

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