Page 2

After dropping his bag, he stepped into the hall and looked for her room. It was around the corner, so not visible from his door. As he approached the corner, he heard something bang against the wall, and then there were angry words. He couldn’t make out what was being said because the words were low and menacing.

He covered the distance in two long steps and was shocked to see some guy with one hand on Andie’s throat, the other tangled in her hair.

“Don’t forget it,” the jerk growled before he moved to shove her head into the wall.

Rider moved fast and had his hand on the jerk’s arm, preventing him from moving. The man gasped and loosened his hold on Andie, which Rider took advantage of and made him drop his hold on her altogether. Rider moved to stand between them and pushed the jerk away.

“You dumb fuck. She’s trash, not even worth sticking your dick into.”

Rider wanted to let this guy have it, but he didn’t want to end up in jail for assault. If the guy threw a punch, Rider would return in kind and then some, but until then, he would behave.

“Leave.” Rider’s one word didn’t leave anything open for argument, and he noticed the man stepping back as he flinched.

Andie moved behind Rider, and the guy yelled out, “Good luck with her. She’s a cheating whore.”

Rider didn’t move, didn’t say anything. He just stared the man down until he turned away and stalked down the hall to the elevator. Rider flexed his fists, but when Andie’s fingers slid over his arm, he released his fists and turned to face her.

He didn’t like the red lump developing on the side of her face, nor did he like the red marks on her neck. He wasn’t happy about any of it.

“Let’s get you into your room and get ice on this. You need a wet washcloth on your neck.”

She shook her head. “No, I’m fine. Don’t worry about that. I’m okay.”

He stopped her from opening the door and held her gaze. “No, you are not okay. That man assaulted you. Do you want to press charges?”

Andie shook her head. “No. It won’t do any good.”

“Hey, no one should ever treat you that way.”

Her gaze fell and not like when she’d been checking him out. She wanted to hide from him. He’d seen some crazy shit, but witnessing American men abuse their girlfriends or even friends was highly disturbing.

Her shoulders straightened, and she flashed him a smile. “Your tuxedo is right in here. Just need to try it on. If you need adjustments, we can have someone come by.”

He wanted to tell her to wait, to get more information, maybe go to the cops, but there was something about the look in her eyes that made him stop. She was on the edge, and he didn’twant her to fall. Later, he would figure out who the bastard was. No way would he let the guy get away with what he’d done without some repercussions.

2

Andie couldn’t believe Tony had shown up. She’d broken up with him a little over six months ago, but the plans for the wedding had been made before she kicked him out of her life. His words still echoed in her ears as she led Rider into her room. Tony had seen her talking to Rider and followed them up to remind her she was a useless, ugly bitch. She’d worked hard to get over the things he’d said, but some of it was true.

She wasn’t beautiful like Emily or most of the other women she knew her age. She never had been considered pretty. She was passable at most and funny. But the layers of jokes hid the pain she felt inside.

Rider’s tux was the first one on the rack because she’d organized them based on the arrival time of the groomsmen. Not that Rider was a groomsman, but he was walking Emily down the aisle.

A pang of jealousy slid through her, but she pushed it away. She wouldn’t be jealous of Emily. The woman had worked hard to get where she was, and Andie wouldn’t begrudge her the success she’d achieved.

“Here you go. This is a suite, so you can change in the bedroom. Come out and let me check it.”

“Okay. I’ll be out in a second.”

The door closed behind Rider, and she allowed her smile to slip. Tony would ruin everything. Maybe he would stay away. They’d hired a private security company, so none of Tony’s friends would be working the event.

She never should have dated Tony. Back when he’d first showed interest in her, she’d thought herself lucky. No guys looked past her wide hips or the extra weight she carried. They all thought her only friend material. But Tony had come into her life and showered her with love, or what she’d thought was love. Now she realized her standards had been so low she would have fallen for anyone who showed her a small amount of interest.

The door to the bedroom opened, and Rider stepped out. He was looking down, pulling at the cuffs of the shirt. Her breath caught, and heat spread up her chest. He looked like a movie star or maybe a model. A big one, not one of the smaller, skinnier models, but someone like Wolverine or Thor. Not as big as Thor, but he was gorgeous.

“I don’t know if the sleeves are long enough. What do you think?” Rider glanced up and met her gaze.

With his dark eyes on her, staring into her soul, she wasn’t sure if she would be able to speak, much less check the measurements of his suit.