Page 51

Erik grasps my hands and gently tugs me out of my seat. His gaze is dark and intense as he looks at me. “You’reimportant, Tate. How you feel is important. And you’ve had enough for now.”

“Erik…” My voice sounds so small. So defeated. So unlike the strong woman he believes I am.

“Come on.” He loops his arm around my shoulders and guides me towards the door. “We’re getting out of here.”

IknowI should insist on staying. It’s the strong, responsible thing to do. But instead, I allow Erik to lead me out of the room like a puppet, unresisting.

He doesn’t say anything else as we walk down the hallway, not the way we came, but in the opposite direction. Glancing up at him, I notice that muscle in his jaw standing out. His features are hard and shadowed. A scowl drags his mouth down.

A rare spurt of insecurity hits me; incongruous to the situation.

Is he angry at me? Disappointed by my weakness? Does he think less of me than he used to, perhaps judging me for being so stupid about Daniel? Does he think I’m a coward for quitting my job and running away instead of staying put and standing up for myself?

Erik wouldn’t run away. I’m sure of it. If someone were harassing him, he’d face the problem head on.

Although, someone would have to be exceptionally stupid to mess with Erik. Not unless they could be guaranteed to get the jump on him, like those four men did in his cabin. Fourarmedmen. And if Erik hadn’t been trying to protect me, I have a feeling he still could have taken on all of them.

Great. Another reason to feel guilty.

We reach the end of the hallway, coming to a stop in front of a metal door with a keypad beside it. Erik punches in a long code, and I note distractedly that he doesn’t even try to hide it from me. Because it’s too long for me to remember, which is true? Or because he trusts me?

Gah.

As if this whole island-Daniel thing isn’t bad enough, I can’t stop obsessing about what Erik thinks of me.

If I’m honest with myself, I can’t stop thinking about Erik, full-stop.

With a little click, the door unlocks and Erik pushes it open. On the other side is a wide stretch of grass spotted with trees, and a large barn off in the distance. Just to the right of the barn is a large, fenced-in garden bursting with color.

“I thought getting outside might help,” Erik says, finally breaking his silence. “At least, it helps me sometimes; when things are getting to be too much.”

He looks down at me with obvious concern. His voice gentles. “Is this okay, Tate? I know I kind of dragged you out of there.”

Though it’s already hot out despite the early hour, the fresh air feels good in my lungs. The light breeze rustling through my hair eases some of the pressure weighing on my chest. The expanse of clear, blue sky makes my spirits lift. “It’s okay. I just… I hope no one is upset about me leaving.”

“No one is upset. I promise. Everyone understands. It’s hard, talking about things like that.”

“But if I don’t?—”

“Tate.” Stopping, Erik turns to face me. “What you did in there was incredibly brave. Not just going over the shit from the island, which would be enough to upset anyone, but talking about what that fucker did to you…” Anger darkens his eyes. “I think you’re entitled to a break. And every single person in that room would agree.”

Part of me wants to argue with him. Insist that I could have done more.

Then again, maybe he’s right. And I’m being too hard on myself.

Erik stares at me for a few seconds, his gaze assessing. Then he asks, “Would you like to see my favorite spot on the property?”

I look around, taking in the giant barn with the doors wide open and a thick swathe of trees beyond the security fence surrounding the yard.

Barn or woods?

Barn seems okay. Woods, I’m not as sure of. I don’t know when I’ll feel okay wandering through the woods again. But if it’s Erik’s favorite spot and he wants to share it with me…

A little rush of pleasure chases away some of the lingering chill from the meeting.

“Yes,” I tell him. “I’d like that.”

But to my surprise, he doesn’t take me to the barn or the woods. He takes me to the garden instead.