I Fell for the Man Who Ruined Me, Then He Forgot He Ever Loved Me Back novel Chapter 7

In the darkness, a shadowy figure sat slumped against the old tree, his body curled up. One of his hands was gripping her takeout bag by the handle as if it were a lifeline. His fingertips inevitably brushed against the space between her thumb and index finger, and the freezing temperature of his skin stood in stark contrast to her own natural warmth.

The night wind was cold, and the air around her felt thick and sticky, carrying a damp, metallic scent that felt almost ghostly.

Sienna just wanted to run, but the man had an iron grip on her dinner.

She tugged hard.

It didn't budge.

In the dim moonlight, she caught sight of pronounced knuckles, the cuff of a white dress shirt peeking out from beneath a suit jacket, and a wrist with prominent veins against pale skin.

And strapped to that wrist, an incredibly expensive men's luxury watch.

She finally let out a breath.

Okay, not a ghost. It was a man.

And an apparently wealthy one at that.

He had scared the living daylights out of her.

But no matter how rich he was, he had no right to randomly grab her dinner!

Sienna pulled again, but the plastic bag felt like it was glued to his hand. It didn't move an inch.

Great, a wealthy man with a freakishly strong grip.

She was out of options. "Buddy, you're wearing a watch that costs a fortune. Can you please not steal my food? I haven't eaten all day."

Perhaps moved by her plea, the hand gripping her dinner slowly began to loosen.

But just as Sienna let out a sigh of relief and prepared to sprint away, the hand suddenly changed direction, darting out to clamp around her wrist like an iron vise!

The freezing touch made her entire body shudder.

She snapped her head up, finally getting a clear look at the man.

Leaning weakly against the short fence, his messy hair fell over his forehead. Though the dim lighting obscured the finer details of his face, his sharp, striking features were still undeniably prominent. His chest heaved violently, and faint streaks that looked suspiciously like blood stained his cheek.

Sienna's heart nearly stopped.

She really wished Jorrod Vaughn could see this! Now *this* looked like the aftermath of a car wreck!

But pulling a stunt like this in the middle of the night was genuinely terrifying.

She couldn't run, and she couldn't yank her hand free. Sienna raised her takeout container high, fully prepared to sacrifice her dinner to take this man down with her.

Just as her dinner was about to meet its end, the man spoke in a breathless, exhausted voice.

Sienna's lips curled into a sarcastic smirk. "Mr. Vaughn, isn't this taking it a bit too far? I know we have bad blood, but you already sued me. Still not satisfied? You had to come camp outside my apartment in the middle of the night to play ghost and scare me?"

Jorrod closed his eyes, his head falling back against the air. He panted heavily, beads of sweat rolling down his jaw and neck, disappearing into his half-open collar.

His car was totaled, his phone destroyed. He had used the last of his strength to drag himself into this unfamiliar neighborhood. After wandering in the dead of night for so long, he had finally found someone he could potentially, maybe, trust.

Her sarcastic remarks echoed in his ears, but he had no energy left to argue with her.

Right now, he had no choice but to rely on her.

Rely on the very woman he had completely humiliated just days ago.

She had been conned by her ex-boyfriend, meaning she likely wasn't particularly scheming.

Jorrod figured she should be easy enough to negotiate with.

Keeping his eyes shut, the man's posture seemed to go limp, yet the grip on Sienna's wrist didn't loosen even a fraction.

Sienna could safely say her ex-boyfriend had never held her wrist this passionately.

She stared at his sharp jawline and watched his pale lips part again.

"Sienna Quinn, let me stay for one night... and we're... even..."