Rescuing Ryder (Serenity Securities, Team Hawk #1)

Chapter 31

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Ryder concentrated on the road as he drove Claire home. Once he made his intentions known, Claire seemed at a loss for words. Now, she sat beside him with her eyes closed. He knew the landscape passing by made her dizzy and she fought nausea and a headache. Not anticipating the short drive’s agony for her, Ryder formed a plan before he pulled into the driveway.

“You didn’t have to volunteer to stay with me. I can call Jake’s wife, Carol. She’s a nurse. I’ll pay her to help me throughout the day,” she whispered.

“It’s not happening. I’m staying in the pink abomination with you until Doc says you’re out of the woods,” he informed her gruffly.

“Why?” she asked softly. “You don’t want to stay with me. Before the incident, you wanted nothing to do with me. You asked Chase to approve your request to switch physicians.”

“Claire Bear, this isn’t a conversation we must handle right now. You can’t afford to make the migraine worse,” he reminded her.

“Oh, I forgot. You don’t talk. I’m sorry. I’ve run out of things for you to fix and I don’t need you here to fix me,” Claire hissed.

Sighing, Ryder noticed her wince in pain. She refused the pain meds Kassie offered her. Shaking her head at Claire, Kassie sent them with him and scheduled the pharmacy to drop off the rest of the meds in an hour. Shadow and Taco gathered the supplies and tools needed for the security system while Matthew mapped out the house and wrote down measurements.

“I’m ignoring those comments for now, but we’ll come back around to it,” Ryder promised as he pulled into the driveway. “Stay put,” he ordered, exiting the car. He walked around, opened the door, and knelt beside her.

“Come on, Claire Bear, let’s not fight,” Ryder urged softly as he pulled a peppermint from his pocket and unwrapped it. Claire kept her eyes closed and her arm rested above her forehead, indicating the headache worsened. He put the candy to her lips.

“Suck on this, sweetheart. It’ll help with the nausea. I’m carrying you inside the house. Keep your eyes closed and relax against me,” he murmured.

Claire’s mouth opened, accepting his offering. She didn’t fight as he unbuckled her seatbelt and scooped her into his arms. Her head lay listlessly against his shoulder. Shadow rushed to open the door while Taco pulled items from the car. Shadow signaled to him, asking where he planned to take her, and Ryder indicated her bedroom.

Shadow rushed ahead and pulled the blankets down as Ryder entered the doorway with her in his arms before disappearing.

He set her on the edge of the bed and knelt, removing her shoes. Stacking the pillows for her head, Ryder guided her legs onto the mattress and covered her. He went to the bathroom and wet a cool cloth. Claire sighed as he gently placed it on her head. Walking to the kitchen, he opened the refrigerator, and his eyes widened to find a stocked fridge of ready-to-eat meals, lemon-lime soda, ginger ale, and his favorite beer. He didn’t have to guess who did it.

Returning with a glass of water, Ryder pulled out the two tablets Kassie sent with him.

“Take these, Claire, it’ll help with the pain.” He dropped the pills into her hand.

She placed them on her bedside table. “I don’t want them.”

“You need to stay ahead of the pain,” he urged her, grabbing the meds and placing them back in her palm.

“I’m not taking them,” Claire gritted out.

Ryder stroked his jaw as he counted to ten. Doctors make the worst patients. “Fine.” He stomped back to the kitchen and paced the floor. He stopped and went to the fridge, pulling out a ginger ale before returning to her.

“You need to stay hydrated. It’ll help with the headache,” he advised her as Ryder turned the cloth over on her head to the cooler side. “I brought you ginger ale.”

“I prefer lemon-lime,” Claire insisted coolly.

Ryder rolled his eyes and bit his tongue. His hand clenched around the can before he tipped it up and pretended it transformed into a bottle of whiskey. Claire deliberately tried baiting him to fight with her, even with a headache.

Ryder went to the kitchen and pulled out a can of the requested soda and walked back to her room. “Here.”

“I don’t want it,” she murmured.

“Damn it, Claire. Your head’s killing you, and you're hurting. You can’t rest while feeling this way. Why won’t you take them?”

“I don’t like how they make me feel,” she whispered. A single tear rolled down her cheek and he caught it with his thumb and brushed it away.

“Claire Bear. You’re injured,” he brushed the hair back from her swollen eye. “You don’t feel good. The drive home bothered you, and I’m not sure why you’re even fighting me,” Ryder confessed, exasperated. He ran his hand through his hair.

“You don’t even want to stay here. I’m mad, all right? I’m upset with you and myself. I’ve always acted professionally, and the kiss surprised me as much as you. Why didn’t you talk to me before speaking with Chase? I’d never jeopardize your mental health. I feel terrible you stayed away because I confused you and I’m sorry. I’m telling Chase and Kassie I kissed you when I return to work. They ambushed me today with all their family togetherness and I didn’t want to disappoint them,” Claire rambled as she pressed the cloth against her pounding head.

Ryder’s lips brushed against hers as he cupped her cheek. Her breath caught as his tongue swept along her lip and he nipped the plump skin.

“Then I’ll expect you’ll confess I kissed you this time,” he growled. “Now take the damn pills.”

“Seriously, I don’t like them,” Claire whispered.

Ryder sat beside her on the bed. “Not to sound like a smart-ass here, Claire, but what’s going on in your head?”

“I didn’t think about David Kilner dying in my living room or how I’d feel coming back here. If I close my eyes…” she faltered.

“Take the damn pills, Claire,” he demanded softly.

She hesitated before nodding. Ryder dropped the tablets in her hand and gave her the drink. When Claire swallowed them, he set the drink on the bedside table and walked around the opposite side of her bed. Sliding off his shoes, he yanked off his shirt, pulled back the covers and slipped into the bed. Pulling her back against his chest, his arm wrapped around her waist. He kissed her temple. “Rest, Claire Bear, I’ll chase the monster away,” he whispered.

Her body relaxed under his hold and a few minutes later, he felt Claire’s breathing even out and knew she slept.

Ryder murmured, “I didn’t tell Chase because I wanted to protect you. You’ve wiggled your way into my heart and I never saw you coming.”