Time seems to slow down. Ryder’s eyes widen, his bodyalready in motion toward me. Alexandra’s face pales, her mouth opening in a silent gasp.
“Get down!” Ryder shouts.
Then, a deafening crash. The boutique’s front window explodes inward, sending shards of glass flying everywhere.
Ten
CORA
I’m on the floor, Ryder’s massive body covering mine.
Alexandra screams as glass shatters around us, a hail of shards raining down. My heart pounds, and I gasp for air, crushed beneath Ryder’s protective weight. I can’t see anything or move.
I can’t breathe.
“She’s not here!” an unfamiliar voice yells from outside.
“That’s not her.” Disappointed voices echo around us.
Ryder rises, his body still shielding mine. I lift my head, blinking. The floor around us is covered in glittering shards of glass. Alex lies on the floor next to me, her lower lip trembling, eyes wide, but she seems unharmed.
I start to get up, my legs shaky.
“Stay down,” he commands, his voice low and intense.
I don’t dare disobey and lie back down, covering my head with my arms. He disappears from view, and my chest tightens.
No... No. Don’t leave me alone.
Not again.
I shake, clenching my fists in a futile attempt to stop the tremors from spreading through my body. The boutique fills with shouting and the crunch of glass underfoot. Then, everything goes quiet.
Ryder returns, crouching beside me. His hand, warm and calloused, rests on my back. “Are you okay? You can get up now.”
I glance over at Alex, who’s slowly rising, her face pale as she takes in the shattered glass and wreckage of her store. Her hands tremble, and for a moment, she looks utterly lost. Ryder moves toward her, his presence calm but commanding. He says something, his tone gentle but direct. I can't catch the words, but whatever it is, Alex seems to settle, her shoulders easing just a little.
Ryder talks to her, and she nods. I can’t hear what he’s saying to her, but she seems to relax.
I try to move, but my legs refuse to obey, trembling too much. I curl into a ball, overwhelmed by a tidal wave of emotion.
“Cora?” Ryder’s worried face appears next to mine, his dark eyes searching. “Are you hurt?” His hands run over my body, checking for injuries. The tender touch sends a shiver through me despite the circumstances. “Where are you injured?”
“I’m not.” I shake my head, unable to form coherent thoughts.
“Come here, Trouble,” he murmurs, his nickname for me oddly comforting. I wrap my arms around his neck as he lifts me. I bury my face in his chest, breathing in his scent. “You’re okay. Everything’s okay,” he whispers in my ear over and over as he carries me out through a back door. “I’ve got you.”
I don’t dare open my eyes until the leather seat of his vehicle is beneath me. Even then, I continue to cling to his neck, refusing to let go, needing his solid presence.
“Little Trouble,” he whispers, his breath warm against my ear.
Wrapped up in his arms, the name that used to annoy me now feels like a soft shield, and I sink into it. I open my eyes, and my heart skips a beat.
“You’re bleeding.” My voice comes out as a hoarse whisper as I notice the cut on his brow and the trail of blood decorating his face. His face is so close to mine that I can see flecks of gold in his dark eyes. Without thinking, I ghost my fingers over the cut, careful not to touch it.
“It’s just a minor cut. Nothing,” he reassures me but doesn’t move away. I don’t remove my hand, instead continuing to trace his features with my fingertips. The sharp cheekbones, the short stubble covering his jaw, his lips—full and slightly parted.
He catches my wrist, stopping my exploration. For a moment, we’re frozen, the air between us charged. Then, with unimaginable gentleness, he brushes his lips against my palm in the lightest of kisses before removing my hand from his face. It’s so subtle, so fleeting, that for a moment, I’m not sure if it happened or if I imagined it in my adrenaline-fueled state.
