Page 61 of Ryder

He pulls me down for another kiss. It’s a wonder I can even think most of the time. This man can scramble my brain any time of the day or night with his kisses.

When he releases me, I scurry toward the stairs, hoping to escape before he can think of some other reason why we can’t be separated today. The truth is I have an ulterior motive. I want to pick up something for Ryder. He has piles of gifts for me in the closet. I want to have something to give to him. I’ve already ordered it. I just need to pick it up. Hopefully, Tiago will take me and keep my secrets.

“Oh, and Claire…?”

I turn around. I was so close to escaping.

Ryder is looking at me over his shoulder. “If I finish before you, I’ll go pack some more things from your parents’ apartment to bring over here.”

I draw in a deep breath. Do I want to argue with him over this, too? No. I don’t want to waste more time. “Fine.” It’s not like I have secrets hidden in my bedroom. So what if he sees my clothes or my keepsakes. After work for the last few days, I’ve packed most of my things. There are boxes stacked up against the wall. We’ve brought a few of them back here every night.

By early afternoon, I feel pretty smug. I’ve accomplished everything on my list. I even managed to pick up a gift for Ryder that I feel pretty good about. Tiago helped me.

I also texted Ryder ten times throughout the morning so he wouldn’t worry. Now, he’s still meeting with Thomas, so Tiago and I head over to my apartment to get some more packing done.

As soon as we step inside, my parents gush over Tiago. They’ve met him a few times, but they consider him a member of the family by association. They set him up in the kitchen with a sandwich and coffee before leaving to pick up Dad’s suit from the dry cleaner and run several other errands of their own.

I rush for the stairs. “I’ll try to be quick,” I tell Tiago.

As I take the stairs two at a time, I feel lighter and happier than I’ve felt in my life. I’m getting married tomorrow to the most amazing man I’ve ever met. He adores me, dotes on me, and worships me. It was fast. Maybe we’re both crazy, but I don’t think so. It feels right. I want to be his.

I’m giddy as I dash into my room. I’m halfway to the closet when I stop dead in my tracks as the door snicks shut behind me. One second later, a set of strong arms wraps around me, and a huge hand covers my mouth as I’m lifted off the floor.

Panic sets in. I can smell him. I know it’s Smith. His hand is gross against my mouth, and his breath reeks of alcohol. I’ve never seen him drunk before, but he is today. Or maybe it’s left over from yesterday.

I fight, swinging my elbows back to try and hit him in the gut, but I’m not strong enough or big enough. I can’t connect with any part of him. My legs are dangling, and I can’t even manage to kick him.

He sets his mouth on my ear. “We need to have a little chat, Claire.” His voice is menacing. I’ve never heard this tone from him before. It’s not the same as last week when he assaulted me. I still have the fading bruises. If he adds to them today, so I look like I was in a fight at my own wedding, I might be inclined to kill him.

My struggling is in vain. He holds me in the air, not moving. “I’m going to lower my hand. If you scream, I will backhand you so hard you lose some teeth. Do I make myself clear?” he growls.

I nod. I’ll do anything to get him to put me down and back away from me. Is there any way I can get Tiago’s attention? If Ryder were here, he would have come upstairs with me. I’m sure Tiago felt weird about coming into my childhood bedroom.

Smith slowly lowers me to my feet and eases his hand away from my mouth. He still has an arm around my torso, gripping me painfully tight, trapping my arms at my sides. “I mean it, Claire. Not a peep out of you, or you’ll be sorry.”

“Okay,” I mutter. For a second, I wonder how he got into my room, but then I realize it would have been easy. I’m sure the door to the stairwell didn’t fully engage at some point this morning. “What do you want?”

He lets out a low, sardonic laugh. “I’m here to collect what’s mine.”

I shudder. “What do I have that belongs to you?”

He grips me harder. “You, Claire. You’re mine. You werealwaysmine. I’m not pleased with the way you’ve been running around town with that fucking rich cocksucker. I assume you’re attracted to his money, but money isn’t everything, Claire. You and I have history. We’ve known each other for most of our lives. I was patient with you for years. I waited for you to see that you belong to me. Now, I’m going to have to force you to see reason.”

I can’t breathe.Forceme? How?

“You’re going to pack a few things, and then you and I are going to leave town together. We’ll go away for a while until you come around. Since you’re so determined to get married, you can marry me. I’m certain I’m a better lay than that rich guy. My cock is probably bigger, too. I’ll show you. You’ll see. We were always meant to be together, Claire.”

I can’t believe the insanity coming out of Smith’s mouth. Until last week, I’d never seen him act so strangely. Today, he’s worse. It’s like he’s possessed. I don’t even know him. I wonder if his father is aware of how off his rocker he is.

Smith’s mother passed several years ago. It’s just him and his dad now. They run the automotive shop together. If he acts this crazy around his father, the man has to know.

I need to stall him and keep him from acting rashly.Think. Think, think, think. Maybe I can get away with playing along with his plan long enough that Tiago comes up to check on me.

I nod and blow out a dramatic, relieved breath. “I’d love it if you’d take me away from here. I don’t know what I was thinking, agreeing to marry that man. It’s all happened too fast. It’s not what I want. Do you think you could help me get away?”

Smith hesitates before speaking into my ear again. He loosens his grip some. “Are you fucking with me, Claire?”

I shake my head. “No. I mean it. I’ve been trying to come up with a plan, but my car isn’t reliable enough to leave town. If you’d take me…”

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