Page 267 of By His Rule

I can’t.

I just can’t.

I’m almost clear of the busy street, and I have my eyes set on the corner that will allow me to slip onto the quieter back streets that will lead me home. My chest hurts from both the exertion and what I’ve left behind in that office, and the balls of my feet burn.

Home.

Just get home.

I take the corner too wide, my legs moving faster than the rest of my body. A shriek rips from my lips as I stumble.

This is going to really hurt…

I plummet toward the sidewalk, my muscles tightening as I brace myself for impact.

But it never comes.

Instead, a large pair of hands grab my upper arms, stopping me from impending physical agony to go right along with the emotional pain I’m already in.

“L-Lorelei? Are you…are you okay?”

The male voice is familiar, but in my panicked haze, I can’t place it.

I blink, clearing my vision as he puts me back on my feet and everything becomes clear.

“Ryder?”

“What’s wrong?” he asks with a deep frown marring his brow as he rips his eyes from me to stare over my shoulder. “Is someone chasing you?”

I look back, my head spinning at a million miles a second.

“No. No one is chasing me.”

His attention returns to me, his eyes darting over my face.

I’ve no idea what he can see, and to be honest, I’d rather not know.

“You look like you’re running away.”

Yeah…from my mistakes.

I shrug, wishing I could come up with some credible reason for the state of me. “Friday night.”

His brows lift.

“Wilder’s game is about to start, and I don’t want to miss it.”

Mentally, I give myself a high five for even remembering the game right now.

Ryder stretches out his arm and looks at his watch.

“You’ve got time,” he says. “But to make sure you don’t miss anything…” He immediately flags down a taxi, which comes to a stop right beside us.

I shake my head. It’s a move that only men like Ryder and Kian could ever pull off.

My chest constricts the second I even think his name.

“Come on,” Ryder says, holding the door open for me.

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