Wild Love (Rose Hill, #1)(94)
I hear the low mumble of Ford thanking the man, who I’m sure will go home and tell his partner about the strange couple he drove tonight. I head straight for our room without a glance back. Ford’s low chuckle as he takes long strides to catch up with me rumbles across the back of my neck. Just the sound of him makes my hair stand on end.
I’m mad at him right now, but my nipples pebble all the same.
Fucking Ford Grant.
I stop at our door, and he’s already caught up, thanks to his fitness and obnoxious height. He swaggered up while I stormed out, and he still caught me.
It’s annoying.
The veins on the top of his tanned hand catch my eye, highlighted by the midnight blue of his tuxedo jacket. He swipes the card, opens the door, and follows me in.
As soon as the door clicks shut, I spin on him. “Explain yourself.”
His tongue presses against his cheek, and he props a shoulder against the wall, unperturbed by my agitation. “What part? I told you I was going to ruin them. You told me you wanted to forget about them. All I did was follow through and respect your wishes.”
I suck in a breath, transported back to that night on the dock when all those truths spilled from my lips while tears spilled from my eyes.
He absorbed every last one.
“I thought you were just…” My hands wave around as I search for the words I want to use. “I thought you were just talking a big game.”
His head tilts in that signature Ford way, making heat pool low in my body. “That’s the problem, Rosie. You’ve spent too much time around men who talk a big game but don’t possess the will to follow through.”
I swallow and everything inside me clenches.
“Stan has been learning a very valuable lesson of late.” He takes a brief peek down at his Rolex. “In fact, your friend was right—he learned another one just a few hours ago.”
“What’s the lesson?” I ask in a hushed voice, taken aback by Ford’s brazenness. By his brutality.
“That he has no power. No pull. That everything he has is easily taken away. He’s getting a little taste of the way he made you feel.”
I’m shocked. And I wonder why. I’ve always known Ford was like this—cutting and vicious and good down to the marrow of his bones.
This vengefulness is new to me. It should upset me, but… I find myself in awe of a man who would go to such lengths for me.
He looks like a predator. With his nonchalant voice and shy demeanor, he’s one you’d never see coming. And yet here he is, a cat playing with the mouse as he kills it slowly. And I’m strong enough not to blink away.
I feel stronger than I ever have before. Even in my frustration with him I’m finding myself. Drawing lines in the sand for how I will and will not live my life. Good girl Rosie has been replaced with a version of Rosie who knows that life isn’t black and white. That people grow and change and recreate themselves.
There’s no title for this Rosie. It’s just me, stepping into a version of myself that makes me happy.
I finally have a grip on those tendrils of control I lost somewhere along the way. I can feel them weaving themselves back into my bones. I stand a little taller as the realization works its way through my body.
“How are you doing it?”
I feel good as I stare back at Ford. I feel equal to him in a way I never have. Talking about this openly makes me feel like we’re really a team. A great one.
“You really want to know?”
I roll my lips together, considering his question. Maybe it’s better if I don’t know every dirty detail. “Give me the abbreviated version. One that doesn’t implicate me.”
He nods firmly and slides his hands into his pockets. I don’t think he even realizes how beautiful he looks right now in the darkened room. The light filtering in from the window gives him an iridescent sort of glow. “I’ve recently started investing heavily in Vancouver real estate.”
My eyes bug out and my chin juts forward. “You’re buying the buildings?”
“It’s a good investment.”
My voice rises in time with my disbelief. “No, it’s not! Those high-rises have got to be worth millions! That’s ridiculous.”
I shout and he just smirks. “Tens of millions. Per building.”
All the blood drains from my face. Tens of millions.
“Ford. All this because… You can’t… you can’t spend that kind of money on me! You can’t spend that kind of money on playing games, period. It’s irresponsible. I’m not worth—” I scream at him only to cover for how nauseous I am over the thought of all those zeroes.
“You are worth every fucking penny!” he shouts, arms flung wide. “I’m careful with my money. I’m downright philanthropic. But this? This isn’t a game. I’m in love with you. This is pocket change compared to what I’d be happy to spend on you. There is no price too high to watch this asshole pay for every moment of misery and self-doubt he caused you.”
With two long strides, he’s standing in front of me, body vibrating with rage. His hands land on either side of my neck, forcing me to look at him as his thumbs trace reverently over my jaw.
His eyes glow with intensity as mine fill with tears. “Hear this, Rosie. You are worth every penny. Every fortune. Every investment. Every risk. You are priceless to me.”