Page 71 of Resting Grump Face
“It’s vicuña wool. A small, wild camelid that lives in the high Andes mountains of Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina. Softest wool money can buy.”
Ryker’s brother rubs his face against the fabric, not saying a word.
“Also, they’re seamless. So you don’t have to turn them inside out to avoid the scratchiness.”
Since Roman is still wearing his glasses, I can’t tell if he’s as moved as I am. That is until he reaches around Ryker and gives him a hug as well. Judging by the wide-open eyes looking at me, Ryker is even more surprised than I am. A second later, the embrace is over again and I could swear all three of us are about to cry.
Luckily, Bruce interrupts our little moment, and makes us drink a shot with him. Slowly, more and more people gather in the spacious penthouse and, apart from the lack of noise, it looks to be a pretty normal party. There are video games, bottles clinking, some people smoking on the balcony and others dancing to the different beats. I try to keep my distance from Ryker, but whenever my gaze wanders through the room, it’s him who I zero in on automatically. It’s like we’re back to our game from the wedding. Our eyes are going for another round. Though I am not sure if it’s still fighting that we’re doing here.
Eventually, I find myself outside to cool off a little when a charming voice interrupts my intrusive thoughts about broad shoulders, hard abs and an even harder?—
“Ah, my fair maiden,” the voice says merrily. “Did you escape your captor then?”
I turn around and look at Ben’s perfect smile, and maybe it’s the second bottle of coke I’ve had, but an unexpectedly honest answer leaves my lips. “Actually, I’m not so sure if I even want to escape anymore.”
He raises his eyebrows and leans against the window front that separates us from the small crowd inside, waiting for me to explain.
“Maybe it’s just Stockholm Syndrome. That’s a thing, right?”
He nods with a gentle grin. “Sure is. But I think, statistically speaking, people just regularly fall in love more often than they experience the emotional bonding with a kidnapper.”
I grumble and peek through the window to Mr. Handsome Who Is Intently Staring At Me.
“You already sound like him too,” Ben remarks with a laugh. “For what it’s worth. Ryker is a lot nicer than it would seem at first glance, or even second, I guess.”
“Yeah, that does seem to be the problem,” I answer, still staring inside. My phone beeps in my purse and interrupts the current round of eye-whatever-this-is. A message by Earnest pops up.
Good news! Robyn is in the clear. Her debt has been paid. In full. Eviction averted.
My eyes shoot back up to the person I know immediately to be responsible for this, and for some reason, I am mad. Mad at him, mad at the situation, mad at myself. Mostly mad at him though, so I stuff my phone back into my purse and excuse myself. “Sorry, Ben. I don’t mean to be rude, but I’ve got a captor to shout at.” I hand him my bottle of coke and go inside. When I reach Ryker, his eyes narrow as if he’s uncertain why Iam fuming. For a moment I consider kissing him, then slapping him, then climbing into Roman’s fridge to cool off and get my head straight. “Did you pay off Robyn’s debt?”
Ryker grabs my arm and leads me off the dance floor and into a less populated area. “You got a problem with that?”
“No,” I say out loud and slap the back of my hand against his hard chest. “I’ve got a problem with you.”
A man and a woman step out of a small closet near us. I use the opportunity and push Ryker inside the now vacant room. He opens his cocky mouth, but I shut him down immediately. “No, you don’t get to speak right now. You’re going to listen.” The door closes behind us and I push Ryker against the wall. “How dare you? How dare you do something so nice for someone you don’t even know? How dare you be so nice, and adorable, and thoughtful, and not at all what you’re supposed to be like?”
Ryker opens his mouth once more, but I am not done yet. “You are rude, and grumpy, and heartless, and exploitative, and you fire people because you’re a terrible human being. And, also, you fuck everything that moves, only to never call them again after. Which, technically, is perfectly alright if both parties agree to it, but it still annoys me.” I give Ryker a little shove he barely notices. A millisecond later, the floor underneath us rumbles and my heart drops about twelve and a half floors. The lights flicker and I finally notice where we are. With a loud screech, the tight enclosure moves and immediately comes to a stop again.
Fuck.
My heart skips a beat. Then another. Then it pounds like a hydraulic sledgehammer. I reach behind me. Wall. To the left. Wall. All around me are walls and there’s no way out. I pace from here to there. But there’s walls everywhere. And they are closing in on me. I gasp for air.
From afar, a sound breaks through. “Calm down. It’s okay,” the stupid voice says and continues with more useless phrases like, “Nothing is going to happen”.
Suddenly, Ryker stops me from pacing. I could swear the entire floor shakes whenever he moves. He grabs my head and forces me to look at him. “Sienna de la Vega! It’s okay. You’ll be fine. Nothing is going to happen and I am not going anywhere.”
I reach around his wrists and grip them tightly. “No shit, Sherlock. That’s exactly the problem. Neither one of us is going anywhere. Because we’re trapped! Inside! A fucking elevator! Fuck!” I try to pace away but can’t. He’s holding me tight, his stupid eyes drilling into me. My grip tightens even more. “DO SOMETHING!” I shout as a shiver travels up my spine.
“ALRIGHT!” Ryker shouts back and pulls me closer. “THIS IS YOUR WARNING SO YOU DON’T GET SURPRISED, I AM DOING SOMETHING!”
26
SIENNA
The next thing I feel are his lips on mine.
He is kissing me.
