Page 112 of The Restoration Program

“Okay,” she said slowly. “I get it. It’d be career suicide to pass this by. So, you go to the meeting and come back, right? You don’t have to stay all day. I’ll be fine until you get back.”

He shook his head. “There’s no telling how long it’ll be. You can’t stay here alone that long.”

“I’ll call Darlene. It’s short notice, but—”

“No,” he said. “No.”

“Ry, I don’t want to go to the office today. I’m staying here.”

He didn’t seem to hear her. He stepped around the table and scooped her into his cupped hands. “We need to hurry and get changed. Come on.”

Nicole opened her mouth, too stunned to form words as he whisked her into the bedroom. He set her on the dresser, hurried into the closet, and dropped an outfit beside her. She crossed her arms and glared at him.

“I’m not going,” she said. “I can do everything I need.” She gestured at the sleek stair-ramps that circled the room and led out the door.

“Humor me, please? I’m not leaving you here alone—by now, everyone in the neighborhood knows a NüPrint lives here.”

“So?”

“Really?” Ryan stalked back toward the closet to replace his towel with work clothes. “Getting fucking abducted in public wasn’t enough for you? Like you don’t know there’s a hundred more creeps within a few miles who are waiting for the opportunity to get their hands on you?”

“No one’s going to come in here!” she shouted. But either he couldn’t hear her, or he pretended not to.

Nicole scowled at the mint green dress and mismatched shoes he had chosen for her. Feeling particularly spiteful, she kicked them all off the dresser and sat on the edge in her silky nightgown.

In record time, he came back into view, fastening his belt. Nicole sat still as a statue, waiting for him to look at her. He didn’t spare a glance as he paused in front of the dresser mirror to run a comb through his hair. His jaw was clenched high above her.

“Don’t be so childish,” he said. “We’re leaving in five minutes.”

He left again to retrieve his laptop bag from beside his bed, securing the laptop and documents inside from the kitchen table. Nicole pretended roots were sprouting from her feet, anchoring her to the dresser’s wooden surface.Childish. She would show him childish.

“I’m staying,” she announced.

“It’s one day, babe. You’ll be fine.”

“Don’t ‘babe’me right now.”

She scowled and didn’t move a muscle, even when his expression twitched dangerously. He stepped closer to the dresser. His approach felt intimidating in a very calculated way. Ryan bent down and gingerly scooped the mint dress off the carpet. He pressed it to her arms.

“Get. Dressed.”

Nicole looked him dead in the eyes as she let it drop to the floor again.

“No.” They held gazes for a few electrified seconds. “I’m not going, Ryan. I don’t care how dangerous you think it is. It’s still my choice. And my choice now? I’m going back to bed. I’m tired of fighting with you.”

Muttering and blinking back tears, Nicole smoothed down her silky nightgown and started toward the steps that led off the dresser, kicking the outfit again as she passed. She felt Ryan’s irritation blossom into a new poison. His gaze was like acid on her back.

She made it halfway down the staircase before Ryan seized her around the middle.

“Hey! Ryan!”

She hated that her voice was reduced to an animal’s squeak of terror. Not that it appeared to make any difference to him. He scarcely looked down at the struggling passenger in his fist as he stormed towards the front door. He shut down the lights and the doors as routinely as though she wasn’t beating his fingers with all her might.

“Put me the fuck down! Ryan!”

In moments, they were outside. Her bare legs kicked in the empty autumn air. His grip adjusted just enough for his thumb to brush over her mouth. The sudden pressure made her stiffen.

“Shh,” he hissed. “People are staring. You sound like I’m trying to kill you.”