‘We’re halfway around the track; I can’t just stop!’ she protested, but moderated the speed to a more sensible level.
‘Stop. Right now.’
‘Right now?’ Anger sizzled inside her. Anger because she had to do as he told her. Anger because she’d lost control in front of him but, most of all, anger at him. If things had been different, it might have been Seb at her side.
‘Now, Charlotte.’ His hard tone brooked no argument.
‘Okay, have it your way.’ As the words snapped from her she pressed hard on the brake pedal.
Tyres squealed in protest as the front of the car lowered dramatically to the tarmac, but it was nothing compared to the anger which still hurtled around her. This was all his fault.
‘Are you insane?’ The car jolted to a stop and those words rushed at her.
She couldn’t look at him yet. Her heart thumped so wildly in her chest she was sure he could hear its wild beat. She was mad, yes, she’d lost control. In her bid to forget the real reason she was here she’d been reckless, but it was still his fault.
‘Yes—’ she turned her head sharply to look at him, her breathing coming hard and fast ‘—I was mad to come here with you.’
Before she could think in any kind of rational way, she threw open the door, unclipped the seat belt and bolted—from him and the car. She ran from everything she’d tried to hide from these last twelve months.
‘Charlotte!’ She heard the deep tone of his voice, now edged with exasperation, but she didn’t turn, didn’t stop. She marched off the tarmac and onto the grass without any idea of which way to go. All she wanted was to get away from him, away from the car and away from all the pain which now surged through her.
Pain he’d induced.
As she began to break into a run he reached her, grabbed her arm and pulled her so quickly to a stop that she was turned and jolted against the hardness of his chest. For an instant all the breath seemed to leave her body and she couldn’t speak. All she could do was stand looking into his eyes, glittering with anger as he held her captive with his firm grip. Her breathing was now so rapid she was panting as if she’d just run a hundred-metre sprint.
‘Let me go.’ Her furious demand only made his hand tighten on her arm.
‘Not until you calm down.’ He said the words slowly, but she didn’t miss the glinting edge of steel within them.
‘It shouldn’t have been you.’ A cocktail of emotions rushed to find expression. ‘I should have been here with Seb. Not you.’
‘I should never have brought you here, not after what your father told me.’ Each word was delivered in a cool and calm tone, but there was still that underlying steel.
‘My father?’ She gasped in shock, trying unsuccessfully to release her arm from his grip. ‘What has he said?’
‘That you’ve been hiding from this since the funeral.’ He released her arm but remained excruciatingly close. It was all becoming too much. Memories of Seb entwined with whatever it was between her and this man. She couldn’t deal with either of them at the moment.
‘I have not been hiding from anything—except the cruelty of the media.’ She looked up into his face, so close she could smell his aftershave, but fury kept her expression hard.
He blinked, his head drawing back from her just a fraction. ‘The media?’
She pulled free from him, turned and stalked away, tossing her next words over her shoulder. ‘Yes, the media. You know the ones. They like to dig all the dirt on you and your family when you’re down.’
‘Charlotte, don’t walk away from me.’ His tone was harsh but she carried on walking—or was she running yet again?
‘Just leave me, Alessandro. Take the car back and leave me.’ She stopped and turned to look at him; his strides were so long that he was almost directly behind her and again she found herself against a wall of pure maleness.
‘No, cara.’ He spoke more softly, looking down at her.
Infuriated, a well of exasperation opened deep within her. ‘Worried what everyone will think when you go back alone?’ She couldn’t prevent the tart edge creeping into her words.
‘I don’t give a damn about anyone else. The only thing that matters right now is you.’
She looked up into his eyes; the angry glitter was gone from them now. She resisted the urge to close hers, to give in to the invitation of his words and let him care for her, soothe her. But that hadn’t been what he’d meant.