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She barely made it to the couch when he pounced on her from behind. Hot coffee sloshed out onto her hand, burning its way down to the area rug beneath them as Ryder wrestled the mug from her before placing it on the coffeetable.
The sudden escalation of their disagreement unnerved her. Khloe used the distraction to take off running towards the bathroom, hoping to get behind the locked door before the angry man chasing her caught her. But she didn't have a chance in hell. Ryder's arms squeezed around her from behind, dragging her to a halt before she even got across the room. If the strength of his hold meant anything, he was prettypissed.
That's fine by me. I'm not too happy myself,asshole.
She put up a nominal struggle to be free, giving up quickly. Beating almost anyone in a physical altercation was a long shot for the slip of a woman. Besting a man like Ryder Helms physically was impossible. A thread of danger sparked as she realized she was at his mercy, alone in a remote cabin, her closest possible help might be his own aunt, milesaway.
Memories of the real danger she was in returned with a rush. The constant panic she'd pushed down returned, making her gasp for breath, coming close to hyperventilating within a minute. She was alone with an aggressive near stranger. The recklessness of it closedin.
"Goddammit, breathe for me, baby." Recognizing her distress, he'd loosened his grip on her in an attempt to help her take deeper breaths. When it was clear it wasn't working, she felt his lips on the shell of her ear, talking softly, but demanding. "You're safe. No one's gonna hurt you." He paused and then demanded, "Breathe!Now!"
Her body obeyed, sucking in precious air, even as her brain resisted. They stood in the middle of the cabin for several minutes, Ryder whispering calming assurances into her ear until her panic receded and her breathing returned tonormal.
By the time he released her to scoop her up into his arms, she was exhausted. The fatigue of constant stress blanketed her again, like an old friend. She didn't put up a fight when he walked them back to the kitchen, this time sitting in the stool she'd vacated, holding her in his lap with his left arm while pulling the platter of food she'd shoved away back towardsthem.
His tone of voice was eerily calm when he spoke next. "I'm sorry I scared you. It wasn't myintention."
Had Ryder Helms just apologized to her? The absurdity of it cut through the fog of her stress, forcing her to look into his eyes to see if he was serious. Real regret shown in hiseyes.
"I know you're afraid. It's why I'm here. I meant it when I said no one would hurtyou."
His words from the night before came back to her. "Except you. You said you were the only one who got to hurtme."
Frustration was evident on his handsome face. His day-old growth of facial hair only made him look more sexy... and dangerous. "I shouldn't have said that. Itwas..."
"Barbaric? Presumptuous?" she filled in theblank.
He finished for her in an unexpected way, "It was wishfulthinking."
Those were some of the few words he could utter to make her feel even a bit better. Theyworked.
"Wishful in what way?" she questionedquietly.
His free hand that wasn't holding her on his lap moved to cup her cheek, unusually gentle considering their physicalhistory.
This time he used words instead of strength to hurt her. "It was a mistake sleeping together lastnight."
Instant tears made him swim before her. Her fluctuating emotions felt like she was on a rollercoaster ride. Up... down... She hated that they were so close. There would be no hiding them from him. She felt so foolish. He was already ready to ditch her all overagain.
Khloe slapped his hand away from her face, doing her best to swish the tears from her eyes before they hit her cheeks. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing how much he could still hurt her. She wiggled to escape his clutches, but he only hugged hertighter.
"Fuck, woman. Will you sit still and let mefinish?"
"Oh, I think I've heard enough. I want to go home.Now."
"You aren't going anywhere. Not until you listen to me." He paused and then added, "And not until you've eaten at least half thisfood."
The man was seriously brain damaged. "Screwyou."
"We've already tried screwing. It only complicatedthings."
That was an understatement. "Well, welcome to my world. It'scomplicated."
The asshole had the nerve to smile. "Yeah, I've noticed. I can't say my world has been a cakewalk lately,either."
She didn't know what he meant by that, but she saw the truth in his eyes. "So why are you here? Really. Or is it like you said, all a bigmistake?"
The normally controlled dominant in front of her was left speechless for a long minute. He swished his free hand through his hair, fidgeting in his seat as if he were uncomfortable. Several arguments were on the tip of her tongue, but she held them back, more anxious to hear what he had tosay.
