Chapter 54
FIFTY-FOUR
noia
I look up and my breath catches in my throat.
Ryder, eyes dark with fury, chest heaving, is standing in the doorway, hands clenched into white-knuckled fists at his sides.
“What the fuck is going on?”
Still wincing, Eric straightens slowly. “Who the hell are you?”
“I could ask you the same question,” Ryder growls, stalking into the room.
“I’m Noia’s fiancé.”
“Ex-fiancée,” I correct, moving away from him.
Ryder’s jaw ticks. “You’re Eric.”
“Yeah.” Eric looks Ryder up and down with obvious disdain. “Again, who the fuck are you?”
“Your worst nightmare if you don’t get away from her.”
Eric’s eyes narrow as he steps further away, eyes bouncing between us before he shoots me a glare. “Oh. I see. Didn’t take you long to replace me, did it?”
“You replaced yourself when you didn’t show up to our wedding,” I snap.
“I think it’s time for you to go,” Ryder says, voice low and dangerous.
Eric snorts. “I’m not going anywhere until Noia and I finish our conversation.” He turns to me with a sneer. “You can’t just throw away what we had because you’re screwing some biker.”
“Watch me,” I say, moving to stand beside Ryder.
Ryder puts his arm around my waist and pulls me against him, making Eric’s face turn a bright shade of red I’ve never seen before.
“You don’t know her like I do,” he continues, voice rising. “We have history. We were going to get married.”
“Were being the operative term,” Ryder says, his voice deadly calm. “She’s obviously moved on.”
Eric’s eyes flash with rage. “You think you can just waltz in here and take my place?”
“I’m not taking anyone’s place.” Ryder’s grip tightens on my waist. “You gave that up when you left her without a word otherwise.”
“That was a mistake—”
“Yeah, it was,” I interrupt, finally finding my voice. “And it’s not one I’m going to let you make again. We’re done, Eric. We’ve been done since the day you walked away.”
“You can’t be serious!” Eric’s face contorts with fury. “You’re choosing this... this lowlife over me?”
And that’s when Ryder’s control finally snaps.
Releasing me, he lunges forward, grabs Eric by the lapels of his expensive suit and slams him up against the wall.
“Call me whatever you want,” he snarls in Eric’s face. “But you will show her the respect she deserves, or I’ll make sure you regret it.”
“Rye,” I say softly. “He’s not worth it.”
For a moment, I think Ryder might ignore me and actually hit him. Muscles coiled like lethal springs, rage radiates from every inch of his body.
But then he takes a deep breath, releases Eric, and takes a step back.
“Get the fuck out,” he growls. “Now.”
Hands shaking, face pale, Eric squares his shoulders and straightens his suit. “This isn’t over, Noia.”
“Yes, it is,” I answer firmly. “Don’t contact me and don’t ever come back here again.”
Eric’s eyes dart between us one more time before he stalks to the door, throwing one last verbal jab over his shoulder. “You’re going to regret this.”
“Not even for a second,” I toss back.
The door slams behind him, and a minute later his BMW starts up and tears out of the driveway.
“Are you okay?” Ryder’s hands are gentle when they come up to frame my face. “Did he hurt you?”
I shake my head, suddenly overwhelmed. “No, I’m fine. Just shaken up.”
“I’m sorry,” he sighs, resting his forehead against mine. “I left my phone in my apartment when I went to work. I didn’t get your message until right before I came over.”
“Your apartment?”
“Yeah.” Ryder takes a deep breath and steps back. He runs his hand through his hair and waves a hand at the couch. “Can we sit? I can explain.”
My heart hammers in my chest as I follow him into the living room where he drops onto the couch. Shoulders hunched, he rests his forearms on his knees.
“Yesterday I went to Jax’s and hung out,” he begins, staring down at his clasped hands. “We ended up going to the bar and I got pretty wasted. I had this... feeling, so I insisted he to take me to my apartment above the shop.”
“The one that’s been empty since you got here?”
He nods, glancing up at me. “When I walked in, everything was there, Noia. All my stuff—clothes, books, furniture, everything.”
Careful to maintain some distance, I sink down beside him. “So that’s where all your stuff disappeared to.”
“Yeah. And the feeling I had? It was like a tingle fluttering through my brain that had nothing to do with being drunk. Kind of like when my shirt appeared after you wrote it into existence.”
“Like a sixth sense.”
He nods and his gray eyes meet mine, full of mixed emotions. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Let you know I’m still here, but I still need time.”
“Even after what just happened?”
“Especially after that.” His jaw tightens. “Look, I came running because I was worried about you, and I’m glad I did. But it doesn’t change the fact that I need to figure out what I’m feeling.”
My heart is breaking all over again. “I understand,” I whisper.
“I need to be sure what I’m feeling for you is real—that it’s coming from inside me and not from whatever magic of the universe that brought me here.” He reaches over and takes my hand, his thumb stroking my knuckles. “I care about you too much to not be certain.”
I swallow hard, fighting back tears. “How long?”
“I don’t know. A few more days, maybe?” His eyes search mine. “Can you give me that?”
Nodding, I force a smile.
He leans in and presses a gentle kiss to my forehead. “Thank you.”
“Will you at least text me once a day? So I know you’re still here and okay?”
“I can do that.” He stands up, hesitating for a moment. “Are you going to be all right? What if Eric comes back?”
“I’ll be fine,” I assure him. “I can handle Eric. He might be a giant douche, but he would never hurt me physically.”
Ryder’s expression darkens. “Still. If he shows up again, call me immediately. Promise?”
“Promise.”
He walks to the door, pausing with his hand on the knob. “I meant what I said, Noia. I care about you too much to not be certain.”
After he leaves, I throw the lock. With my back to the door, I slide until I’m sitting on the floor, listening to the sound of Ryder’s motorcycle fade into the distance.
Goonie meows, butting his head against my leg.
“You don’t know the half of it.” I scrub the tears from my face and pull my phone out of my pocket.
Sasha answers on the first ring. “Did he call you back?”
“No.” My voice is still shaky as I push myself up off the floor. “He came over. But that’s not even the craziest part.”
Her voice turns serious. “What happened?”
“Eric showed up.”
“No shit?” she barks. “What the hell did he want?”
I flop onto the couch and tuck my legs to my chest. “He just showed up out of the blue like nothing ever happened, talking about how he’d made a mistake and wanted another chance.”
“Oh my god. The nerve of that asshole. Please tell me you slammed the door in his face.”
“I wish. I only let him in because I wanted an explanation.” I sigh, rubbing my fingers across my forehead. “Then he kissed me, and I kneed him in the balls.”
Sasha’s laugh is viciously delighted. “That’s my girl! I hope you made the bastard cry.”
“Then Ryder burst in like some avenging angel. You should have seen his face, Sash. He looked like he was going to murder Eric with his bare hands.”
“Holy shit! That’s awesome!”
I grin into the phone. “Fuck yeah, it was. So about his stuff. He told me it all showed up in his apartment above the tattoo shop last night. Said he had a feeling it would be there.” I pick at a loose thread on my T-shirt—Ryder’s T-shirt. “He came over because he got my voicemail and was worried.”
“Oh, wow. I guess that’s even more proof he’s real and is going to stay. So what happened? Did they fight? Please tell me Ryder beat the shit out of him.”
“He slammed Eric against the wall and threatened him, but he didn’t actually hit him.” An evil smile forms on my face. “Eric was practically crapping his pants by the time he left. And he was pissed.”
“Good,” Sasha says with satisfaction. “That’s the least he deserves after what he did to you. So what about Ryder? Is he still there?”
My smile fades. “No. He said he still needs more time. Wants to make sure what he’s feeling is real and not just... magic or whatever.”
“Damn. I sure hope he figures it out soon.”
“I hope so too.”