Page 21 of Wild Claim

I was beyond words, grinding shamelessly against his thigh. “Please,” I whimpered, not even sure what I begged for.

He chuckled, the sound sending a thrill down my spine. “Tell me what you want.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but the words caught in my throat as the crunch of tires on gravel shattered that moment. Headlights swept across us, and I squinted against the sudden brightness.

Rory cursed, pulling away from me so fast I nearly lost my balance. I blinked, disoriented, as a sleek sports car pulled up to my farmhouse.

My stomach dropped as I recognized the car. “Oh no,” I whispered.

The driver’s door opened, and out stepped Gladys, her perfectly coiffed hair gleaming in the porch light. But it was the passenger who made my blood run cold. Todd stepped out of the car. His face twisted in fury as he took in the scene before him. “What the hell is going on here?” he bellowed, striding towards us.

Rory stepped in front of me. “None of your damn business.”

Todd’s eyes narrowed. “Get away from her.”

I strode past Rory, fury bubbling up. “He’s not doing anything I don’t want. Why are you even here?”

“I know what I’m seeing,” Todd spat. “Some backwoods hick manhandling a defenseless woman.”

Gladys let out a dramatic gasp, clutching her pearls. “Oh dear. Should we call the sheriff?”

I bit back a scream of frustration. What had started as a thrilling night was rapidly turning into a nightmare. Rory stood rigidly beside me; fists clenched. And Todd, clueless as always, was poking a beast he had no business messing with.

“Rory isn’t forcing me to do anything. He’s here because I want him to be.”

“Come now. You can’t possibly mean that. This... savage? He’s not your type.”

The venom in his tone made my blood boil. I felt Rory move beside me, a low growl rumbling in his chest. I squeezed his arm gently, silently urging him to let me handle this.

“And what exactly is my type? Someone who thinks they can control me? Who believes they know what’s best for me better than I do?”

Todd’s smile turned brittle. “I’m only looking out for your best interests. You know how impulsive you can be.”

I laughed, the sound sharp and humorless. “My best interests? Like when you tried to convince me to sell my grandmother’s farmhouse? Or when you told me my dreams of running an animal sanctuary were childish?”

“Not this tirade again. I was trying to help you see reason. You’re wasting your time out here in the middle of nowhere.”

“Letting you back into my life after your betrayal would be the biggest waste of all.”

“You can’t be serious. What about us? What about my plans?”

“There is no us,” I said firmly. “There never was. Now, I think it’s time for Gladys and you to leave.”

Todd’s face contorted. “You ungrateful bitch,” he spat, taking a step forward. “After everything I’ve done for you. You’re nothing but a pathetic, small-town slu—”

He never finished the sentence. Rory’s fist connected with Todd’s jaw in a sickeningcrackthat echoed through the night. Todd crumpled to the ground, out cold, before he hit the dirt.

“Are you okay?” Rory said gruffly.

I nodded, unable to find words.

A piercing shriek jolted me from my daze. Gladys rushed past me, her curls bouncing wildly as she fell to her knees beside Todd.

“Oh, my God,” she wailed, her manicured hands fluttering uselessly over his body.

Without a word, Rory bent down and hauled Todd up by the back of his neck, dragging him towards the sports car.

Gladys scrambled to her feet. “What are you doing?”

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