Knight in Shining Suit (69 page)

“
Ryder!” I prayed
silently. “Please… please come save me.” Tears were streaming down
my cheeks, a whimper escaped me.

But I knew Ryder was
getting drunk somewhere in the woods, while a complete stranger was
raping me here. I have to fight and defend myself.

He tightened his grip on
me and nuzzled my neck. He was close enough and immediately I
leaned forward and buried my teeth on his bare flesh. I think it
was his shoulder that I bit. Then I struggled to be free of him
while he was writhing in pain.

“
Jesus Christ, Astrid!” He
cursed.

Then suddenly, I realized
that I know that voice. And instantly, relief washed over
me.

He recovered from the pain
and in two seconds, I was secured under him again. “God! You make
me want you more and more.” He whispered against my ear. And if
before I was appalled by the thought of being in bed with him,
hearing his voice now made my blood stir, arousing familiar
emotions within me.

Then gently, he removed my
blindfold. I stared into his familiar green eyes. There was a
combination of love, lust, and amusement on his face.

I was relieved and angry
at the same time. “Damn you!” I started hitting him and he laughed,
trapping my hands in his and securing them over my head
again.

Ryder smiled at me and
leaned forward to give me a thorough kiss on the lips. I kissed him
back. Then he released my hands and cupped my face between his
palms.

“
You don’t know how proud
I am right now,” he said. “Hearing you pray for me to come and
rescue you, when a potentially sexy stripper is about to pleasure
you… is just too heartwarming for me.”

“
What are you doing here?”
I asked him. “It’s your stag party, right?”

He smiled. “Well… the
bachelor usually gets laid on his stag party. But I’m not really
interested in bedding another woman. And I will kill any other man
who lays a finger on you. So… why don’t we just sleep with each
other and both our problems are solved?”

I giggled. “Sounds good to
me.” Then I pushed him on his back, so that he was sitting on the
bed and then I mounted him. “You’re entitled to a lap dance. How
about I make it worth your while?” I smiled at him
mischievously.

He grinned at me. He
raised his arms and intertwined his fingers behind his head. “Now,
my love, I guess it’s your turn to make me scream.”

I was a bit drunk and
feeling a little bit wild. I dared to do things I haven’t done
before and was afraid of trying. But the alcohol and all the
euphoria caused by this bachelorette thing brought out a side of me
I didn’t even know existed. Ryder had a big smile on his face when
we woke up in the morning.

My cheeks turned red as
the memories of the previous night flooded back to me. I saw that
Ryder has a bruise on his shoulder where I bit him when I thought
he was a strange male stripper.

“
I’m sorry.” I whispered
to him.

“
I’m not complaining.” He
grinned. “You, my love, are a perfect ending to the best bachelor’s
party a man could ever have.”

My blush turned more
violet. I buried my face against his neck, inhaling the scent of
him. I guess last night my senses were dimmed by the alcohol and my
fear of male strippers that I didn’t recognize Ryder. His scent…
the feel of his skin… all of these are familiar to me. I didn’t
need to see him, because my senses know him. How could I have
doubted that he was someone else?

We went out of the room at
around ten. Some of our friends were already in the gazebo having
breakfast.

Ryder came with all the
boys last night and everybody spent the night in the
mansion.

As we got out of our room,
I heard a harsh banging of the door on our right and saw John
walking out of one of the rooms. He was fully dressed and looked
completely pissed off, he didn’t even see us when he hurried down
the stairs.

Then the door opened again
and Nicole came rushing out of the room. She was still dressed in
the clothes she was wearing last night.

“
John! What the hell is
your problem?” She chased after John.

What is going
on?

I knew John and Nicole had
feelings for each other, although both of them were just too
chicken to admit it. John was too much of a rake, and Nicole was
just too scared to trust a guy like him.

Did John finally admit
it’s time for him to go after Nicole? Did he plan to start last
night? Or this morning? And then… Oh my God! Did he come to
Nicole’s room and find her with somebody else? Who?

The door of the room where
Nicole and John came from opened again and I almost fainted when I
saw who stepped out of it.

Ryder gave my shoulder a
gentle squeeze.

“
What the hell is going
on, Adam Ackers?” I demanded, looking at my cousin
sternly.

He shrugged. “Apparently,
the first girl I slept with after a long time is in love with
somebody else,” he said sarcastically. But he always was so good at
hiding his emotions.

“
Don’t be smart with me,
Adam! What happened?”

Adam proceeded to go down
the stairs. I grabbed Ryder’s hand and pulled him with me. We
followed my cousin.

“
Nothing happened, Ash.”
Adam said. “Leave it.”

I touched his shoulder and
forced him to stop walking and face me. I raised a brow.

He sighed. “Your friend
John was being charming to everybody, except for the girl whose
heart is breaking because of him. She was drunk out of her wits,
okay? I… gave her assistance. I couldn’t leave her alone in the
room. I fell asleep beside her. And he found us in bed together.”
Adam said. He took a deep breath. “Good for him. Maybe now, he’ll
wake up and see that she’s… actually not bad at all.” His voice was
even, but I thought I heard a trace of… yearning there. Then he
turned on his heel went down the stairs towards the gazebo,
whistling as if nothing happened at all.

I stared up at Ryder who
has an amused expression plastered on his face. I glared at him. He
pulled me to him and gave me a tight hug.

“
You’re getting married in
three days, love. John, Nicole, and Adam are no longer kids. I’m
sure they will sort this out. Our wedding preparations require your
undivided attention.”

I sighed and hugged him
back. He’s right. They’re a bunch of smart adults. They can sort
this out on their own and I have better things to think about,
bigger plans to worry about.

I smiled up at Ryder and
tiptoed to give him a kiss on the lips.

“
I love you.” I told
him.

“
I love you more,” he
said. “I can’t wait to make you mine forever.”

“
Even after last night?” I
asked remembering how I let myself a little bit loose in bed with
Ryder. It was like I didn’t know I had the guts to do half the
things I did.

Ryder’s eyes twinkled.
“
Especially
after
last night!” I gave him a pout and pinched him on the arm. He
laughed and pulled me towards him in another heart-stopping
kiss.

Epilogue

THE WEDDING

The ceremony that
officially takes a couple to the beginning of their happily ever
after… a gathering that involves a lifetime of promises.

B
reathe in. Breathe out.

I looked at myself in the
mirror. I could barely recognize myself. The girl staring back at
me was wearing a very elegant white princess gown made from the
finest duchesse satin and silk. The bodice that has a sweetheart
neckline was encrusted with genuine crystals. The romantic full
skirt with elaborate ruffles and folds was adorned with crystals
and intricate embroidery, as well as the cathedral length veil that
I wore. The famous designer who made my gown made sure that the
dress was fit for fairy tale and princess romances, too.

My hair was curled and
clipped in a half pony and fastened with two diamond hair combs
that belonged to Ryder’s mother. My hair cascaded around my face
and there were very small white flowers clipped all over it. The
combs were my something borrowed and something old. I wore a very
elegant and expensive diamond necklace that Ryder gave me as an
early wedding gift, which was my something new. Under the dress, on
my right thigh, I was wearing a lace garter adorned with sapphires,
which was my something blue.

I smiled at myself. I
looked like a princess, indeed. And today, I will officially begin
my happily ever after.

My father entered the room
and smiled at me. “Sweetheart, it’s time.” He stared at me for a
while. “You look so beautiful. I’m so proud of you, sweetheart,” he
said. “I am so glad you found a better man and you’re going to have
a better life than what you originally planned with Bryan. I am so
happy because Ryder is an honorable man and he genuinely loves
you.”

“
I love you, Dad.” I said
to him. “Thank you for everything.”

He kissed my forehead.
Then he held out his arm to me and led me out of the
mansion.

A coach was waiting for me
outside. Nicole and Ryder had this custom-made as a surprise for
me. It was round-shaped, with gold steel carvings. The big rear
wheels and smaller front wheels were made of rubber tires and white
metal rims. The carriage itself looked like it was made of glass
and white flowers accented the entire thing.

My breath was taken away.
I’m a wedding planner, so nothing about the entire wedding was
supposed to surprise me. But this… I would forever love Nicole and
Ryder for this.

My father and I climbed up
into the coach and sat on the white leather seats. A white horse
drew it, and a coachman dressed in a white suit drove us towards
the entrance of the garden where the ceremony was going to be
held.

Nicole met me by the oak
tree arch.

The arch was now adorned
with white roses at the front. White flowers hung over the interior
of the entire arch and over the head of anybody who walked inside.
White rose petals covered the entire floor.

I stepped into the orchard
and my breath was taken away completely. I know I planned how this
place would be decorated, but seeing the final result was beyond
what I imagined it would be.

The entire orchard had
flowers in full bloom in different rich colors. It was right to
choose white and cream for our motif, as it would be a perfect
contrast to the colorful orchard and garden.

White chairs now filled
half of the orchard, where our relatives and friends were all
seated. Lines of white roses decorated the aisle. White flower
vines hung from the makeshift ceiling we created all over the
portion of the orchard where the ceremony would be held.

A choir of cellos,
violins, and a piano was playing a classical music. Then the music
stopped, and Pachelbel’s Canon played, signifying my arrival.
Everybody stood up and looked at the entrance.

My father squeezed my hand
and smiled at me.

I smiled up at him and
allowed him to walk me down the aisle. The minute I arrived rose
petals slowly dropped from the ceiling like gentle snow. Then the
machines we had installed in every corner filled the entire place
with bubbles. I walked on ivory carpet that had the emblem
“R&A” printed all over it in gold ink.

It was breathtaking and it
was everything I imagined it would be… probably even
better.

Our relatives and friends
were watching me; many of them were in tears. Tears were also
rolling down my cheeks even though I was trying my best not to
cry.

I stared ahead and saw
Ryder standing there, splendid and breathtaking in a white Armani
suit. Jake was standing behind him.

His eyes never left mine
as I walked towards him. And it felt like walking towards my
eternity... towards the only world I would ever want to belong
to.

As I took each step
towards him, I saw my life flashing before me.

I remembered running away
from the jewelry shop and bumping towards a warm body that
enveloped me in comfort… I remembered sitting in the bar that
night, desperately asking that man to help me… I remembered showing
up in Geena’s wedding feeling hopeful after many months of pain and
heartache. I remembered being broken… and then being rescued and
fixed. I remembered the joy of finally giving in to my love and
passion for this man… my savior, my best friend, my ally, my knight
in shining armor.

Then I remembered a little
of the pain I felt when I thought I lost him in the accident… the
heartbreak that came afterwards when he couldn’t remember me… and
the joy we shared when he made love to me even though he couldn’t
place me in his past.

And finally, I remembered
that day at the beach where he finally found his way back to me. It
felt like being lost for a long time and then finally coming back
home.

Ryder was looking at me
intensely… lovingly. He was crying, too. And then he gave me a
gentle smile.