His to Claim

by Shelly Bell

  “Good of you to finally join us,” her mother said with a tight smile.

  Jane flinched. No matter how hard she tried to please the woman who gave birth to her, she never seemed to get it right. She had a feeling Finn or Keane had talked her mother into having Jane as one of the bridesmaids. Even now, more than two years after Jane had moved back to the area, her mother had kept her distance emotionally. It would make sense to Jane if her mother were a cold and insensitive person to everyone. But she wasn’t. Only to her.

  “We’ll just give you two some privacy,” said one of the bridesmaids, ushering the other two out of the room.

  As soon as they left, Jane went over to her mother, passing a couch she’d give anything to nap on, a full-length mirror, and a bottle of champagne resting in a bucket of ice. “I’m sorry I was late, Mother.” Jane gave her an air-kiss over her cheek, not wanting to ruin her makeup.

  Her mother peered over her shoulder at Jane, frowning. “That reminds me. Why don’t you just call me Ciara today? I don’t want to have to answer any questions about you at my wedding.” She returned to the mirror, her face a passive mask. “You understand.”

  Jane clenched her teeth, trying not to be hurt. Of course she didn’t want to cause her mother any distress on the most important day of her life. But Jane hadn’t asked to be born. So why should Ciara make her feel as though she should be ashamed for it? “Right. I understand.”

  Ciara paused, her lips briefly mashed together before blossoming into a fake smile. “Did you see Finn out there?”

  She nodded. “Yes, he was with—” She couldn’t manage to say Ryder’s name. “His brother.”

  Her mother’s mouth dropped open. “Ryder actually showed? I’m shocked. Finn said they were close but I’ve never met him.”

  “That’s odd, don’t you think?” she asked.

  “You of all people know how complicated family dynamics can get. He and Keane haven’t spoken in years. From what Finn told me, Ryder cut all ties to Keane when he left for college.”

  Ryder was the one who cut ties? Why would he do that with such a wonderful father and brother? Jane would’ve given anything to be a welcome member of her family. Not that her aunt and uncle didn’t love her or make her feel like she was their daughter. They did. Only they were much older and out of touch with modern society. Between their arthritis and health issues, they didn’t leave the house much, which was why they couldn’t make the wedding. “That’s sad.”

  Ciara applied another layer of lip gloss to her already shiny lips. “I’m happy he’s here because I know Finn wanted him to be, but he better not do anything to ruin this day for Finn. The last thing he needs is to play referee between his father and brother.”

  There was a knock on the door. It opened and the wedding planner stuck her head in. “Ciara, darling! It’s time. You don’t want to keep the groom waiting.”

  Jane took her mother’s hand and helped her out of the chair. Practically glowing, her mother looked like a fairy-tale princess in her Oscar de la Renta strapless wedding gown.

  “You look beautiful, Moth—Ciara,” Jane said.

  Her mother’s eyes clouded with tears before she blinked them away. “Thank you, Jane. For being here today. For being a bridesmaid. For”—she hugged her—“everything.”

  Jane didn’t know what had come over her mother, but it was the first time she could ever remember her mother hugging her.

  Ciara whispered in her ear. “Don’t forget, if anyone asks who you are, tell them you’re my cousin.”

  Moment over.

  “Right. How could I forget?” Jane muttered as she pulled away and grabbed her flower bouquet on the way out the door.

  She’d given up on the belief that her mother secretly loved her. She didn’t. If Keane hadn’t invited Jane to work for McKay, she probably wouldn’t have been in attendance today. To Ciara, Jane was simply a reminder of her mistake. Jane had thought things might change now that she was living in the same area as her mother and working for Keane, but Ciara had shown no indication she wanted anything to do with Jane.

  Jane shook off her melancholy and followed her mother to the double doors that separated them from nearly five hundred guests, one in particular she both dreaded and anticipated seeing.

  Ian waited by the doors. He wore the same tuxedo as the others in the wedding party, but for some reason, it made him look even more formidable. When she’d decided to major in business, she’d dreamed of someday working for Sinclair Corp, but now she couldn’t imagine ever leaving McKay. He gathered Ciara in his arms and chastely kissed her lips. When he stepped out of the hug, his gaze fell on Jane.

  “Jane.” He walked forward and took both her hands in his. “You look lovely.”

  She gave him a smile of gratitude. The fact was the color of the dress made her appear pale and the cut did nothing to flatter her figure. But it was her mother’s big day. Not hers. As one of the bridesmaids, she’d wear a paper bag if her mother wanted her to. “Thank you, Ian.”

  Although he’d privately told her he didn’t agree with Ciara’s decision to keep Jane’s true identity a secret, she didn’t dare refer to him as Grandfather in public. But she couldn’t help holding on to the hope that someday he’d introduce her to the world as his granddaughter.

  Someone tapped her shoulder. “Jane, can I talk to you for a moment?”

  She turned around at the sound of the familiar voice. Evan Donaldson, McKay’s innovation department’s software engineer, pulled on his tie as his gaze darted wildly between her and the wedding party. Several people who worked for McKay had been invited, but most of them were from management. She wouldn’t have expected to see him here, but maybe he was friends with Finn.

  “Sure,” she said, distracted by the wedding planner’s orders for the wedding party to line up.

  Glancing at Ciara and Ian, he lowered his voice. “Somewhere private.”

  Sweat dripped down the side of his face and his pupils were dilated. He looked uncomfortable, almost…scared. If he yanked on his tie any harder, he’d strangle himself.

  She’d never seen him like this, but then again, she’d never seen him outside of work. Perhaps he suffered from some sort of social anxiety. “It’s probably not a good idea for me to leave right now. The wedding is about to start. Is it about work?”

  “Yes. No. It’s complicated.” He moved closer to her as the wedding ceremony music drifted through the doors. “It’s about that program I’ve been working on. I finished it and—”

  “Places, everyone,” said the wedding planner. “I’m opening the doors.”

  “Can it wait until Monday?” she asked. Between Ryder and her mother, there was no way she’d be able to concentrate on work tonight. “I can meet you first thing in the morning. I promise to give you my full, undivided attention.”

  Evan’s face fell, disappointment written all over it, even as he nodded. “S-sure.”

  For a moment, she almost reconsidered, but Evan turned and walked away in the opposite direction from where the guests had gathered for the ceremony.

  That was strange.

  Frowning, she took the arm of her assigned groomsman, a friend of Finn’s from college. The wedding planner opened the double doors and all thoughts of Evan disappeared. Ryder was in there. Her pulse quickened as she stepped into the packed room and strolled down the long aisle.

  She told herself to keep her eyes forward. To concentrate on Finn standing at the front of the room or the reverend up on the platform. But she couldn’t keep herself from searching the guests for Ryder.

  And it didn’t take long.

  Like a beacon, he called to her, her gaze landing on him almost immediately since he was sitting on the aisle at the front of the room. For a moment, she could almost imagine herself walking down the aisle toward him on their own wedding day.

  His eyes fixed on her as she moved closer and closer to him, heating her. When she passed him, she inhaled, and she swore she smelled him, a m
ix of whiskey and musk that made her head spin and brought memories of their night together to the forefront of her mind.

  She stumbled in her heels, and he smiled as if he knew exactly what had set her off-kilter.

  On the platform, she took her place and concentrated her efforts into not looking at Ryder again. The ceremony was short and sweet, Finn and Ciara using their own vows in lieu of the traditional ones. It was clear that they were in love, and even though her mother wanted little to do with her, Jane was happy for her.

  But a selfish part of her, the part she wouldn’t want to acknowledge out loud, resented her mother. Not for her happiness or even for getting married, but for complicating an already complicated situation.

  She couldn’t worry about the repercussions of all this tonight. She looked down at her bouquet and counted the rose petals. She didn’t need to see him to know he was watching her. She could feel the heat of his gaze burning into her.

  Her heart pounded, dizzying her. It had been so long since she’d felt desirable. Not since that night with Ryder. Hell, she hadn’t even had an orgasm in months. And the ones she’d had, all by her own hand, never came close to what she’d experienced with Ryder. If she wasn’t careful, she’d fall under his spell as easily as she had that night. Only this time it would prove much more devastating.

  It wasn’t until the reverend declared Finn and Ciara husband and wife that Jane lifted her gaze from the flowers. Like she had practiced in rehearsal, she allowed herself to be led back down the aisle by the groomsman and out of the room. Unlike when she’d entered, she kept her gaze forward, refusing to turn her head and look at Ryder even once.

  Okay, so maybe she peeked at him from the corner of her eye and maybe she found him still staring at her as if she were as naked as when she’d been tied to his bed, and maybe it might have caused her to stumble a bit, but she quickly recovered.

  For the next two hours, she put Ryder out of her mind (well, as much as she possibly could) and performed her duties as a bridesmaid while she took hundreds of wedding photos. She tried not to be hurt when she was left out of the majority of the family pictures. After all, she was only supposed to be Ciara’s cousin.

  By the time the band announced the wedding party, she was hungry and tired, and her feet hurt. She’d only had four hours of solid sleep last night. At this point, she just wanted to eat dinner and watch Finn and Ciara cut the cake so that she could slip out of the wedding reception and go home.

  No one would even miss her.

  Nope, not a one.

  Following the rest of the bridal party, she was about to go into the grand ballroom when someone grabbed her by the arm, preventing her from making her entrance. For a brief moment, she thought it might be Evan, too impatient to wait until Monday to speak with her, but almost immediately she registered the familiarity of the fingertips and the heat at her back.

  The door slammed shut, leaving her behind as the guests clapped loudly in the other room.

  “We need to talk,” Ryder said, firmly spinning her around to face him.

  Talking was the last thing she wanted to do with him.

  Just having him this close to her, breathing his scent into her lungs, feeling the weight of his hand on her arm, made her mind go blank and her body come alive. She forgot all about her hunger, her aching toes, and her exhaustion as a rush of lust hit her. The same thing had happened to her that night. It was as if when it came to him, she lost all control.

  Which was why being alone with him here at the wedding was dangerous. But he was right. They did need to talk. He needed to learn the truth before he figured it out for himself. At least that’s what she told herself. It wasn’t because she hadn’t had sex in over a year and during that time, she had been fantasizing about all the dirty things he could do to her body. No, this was about something more important than her poor, neglected vagina.

  Even knowing it was a terrible idea, she went with him anyway, not fighting him as he led her to the vacant bridal room.

  With her mind and body at war with one another, one thing was clear.

  No matter what happened in there tonight, she knew when they came out, neither of their lives would ever be same.

  FIVE

  Jane walked into the room where her mother had gotten ready earlier and didn’t stop walking until she was as far as she could get from Ryder. Keeping her distance was the only way to remember why they were in here.

  She wasn’t normally this weak. She was a successful businesswoman who managed several employees. In negotiations, she went toe-to-toe with powerful people who had years of experience on her. But with Ryder, she was a different woman. Someone motivated by primal urges rather than reason. He wielded a power over her, one crafted out of Domination and her need to submit. Only he had ever brought that side out in her, and once again she felt helpless to resist him.

  Once the door closed, Ryder rested his back against it and folded his arms across his chest. Instead of tearing her clothes off or engaging her in sexual banter, he simply glared at her.

  Waiting for him to start the conversation and uncomfortable by the long silence, she fidgeted with the top of her dress. There were so many feelings swirling through her—confusion, longing, desire, fear—she didn’t know which one to focus on.

  When he continued to stare at her, she decided to take the initiative and said the first thing that came to mind. “So…you’re Keane’s son?”

  His lip curled in disdain. “Like you didn’t know.”

  What? She was taken aback by his accusation and the fury behind it. Why would he think she knew? “I didn’t. Not until I saw you tonight.”

  His body shook in laughter. “You honestly want me to believe that it’s all a big coincidence?”

  In not one of her imaginary scenarios in which she saw him again had she anticipated this kind of behavior from him. He was so different from the flirtatious and playful man she’d met a year ago.

  At first glance, he looked the same. His hair was a touch shorter, and he was dressed more conservatively, but it was the hostile way he spoke to her and the way he held himself that was different. He was completely closed off. Accusatory. And damn it, she didn’t deserve to be treated that way.

  She hadn’t done anything wrong.

  “Yes,” she responded, crossing her arms as well. “Because that’s the truth.”

  He ground his jaw, his gaze dropping to her chest.

  He stalked toward her and used his body to propel her back against the wall. Her heart was thumping wildly, but she wasn’t scared. Not even when he slammed his hands beside her ears and pinned her between his warm body and the cool wall.

  No, she wasn’t nervous.

  She was aroused.

  They were so close their chests were touching. Her nipples tightened and her lower belly clenched.

  Breathing heavily, she looked into Ryder’s eyes, searching for the playful and passionate man she’d met on that one magical night. Within seconds, his pupils grew from tiny dark dots to huge circles that ate up the gray of his irises.

  He softly traced the shell of her ear. “I can’t tell if you’re lying to me.”

  She shivered. “I’m not.” Her voice came out as a raspy whisper.

  “Right now, I’m not sure I care if you are.”

  She knew she should push him away, and yet all she wanted to do was get closer. “Well, even if you don’t, I care. I swear to you that I had no idea who you were that night.”

  His hardness nudged her belly. Thank the Lord she wasn’t the only one affected. “For the past year, I’ve been consumed by the need to see you again. And here you are…”

  “Here I am.” She squeezed her thighs together to quell the mounting achiness, but as her folds pressed into her clitoris, the action only managed to increase it.

  He let out a shuddered breath. “You’re my fucking stepniece and possibly a liar to boot. I should walk out that door. I shouldn’t want you like this. So much that I feel as if
I’ll suffocate if I don’t get another taste of you.” He lowered his head and began to kiss the sensitive skin between her neck and shoulder.

  Both confused and turned on, she moaned from the onslaught of sensations racking her body. Her pulse was roaring in her ears and her limbs trembled.

  Her overwhelming need for him defeated all reason.

  Was it the same for him?

  Is that why he’d gone from angry to passionate within the blink of an eye? His swift change in mood would’ve given her whiplash if she wasn’t going through her own battle of emotions.

  She licked her lips, moistening them. “We can’t…” She fisted the fabric of her dress in her hands to keep from wrapping her arms around him like she craved. “You said it yourself, we’re related now. It wouldn’t be right.”

  On top of that, she should be furious. She was furious. He’d just accused her of lying. And only moments before, he’d been just as angry with her for some unknown reason. Not to mention, there were still things hanging over them, unspoken words that would likely stop Ryder right in his tracks once they were uttered.

  Again, she was torn between her body and her mind. After overhearing his end of the phone call with his girlfriend that night, she’d been angry, but she’d also been devastated. In only a few hours, she’d fallen hard for Ryder.

  She should stop this before she fell even harder for him.

  But underneath her dress, her nipples hardened and poked out of her ugly bridesmaid dress. Her neglected vagina clenched and dampened in celebration. Everything she promised herself suddenly disappeared until the only thing she could concentrate on was how good it was to have Ryder’s body pressed against hers and how much she desired to be filled with him.

  He kissed and licked his way up the side of her neck, stopping to nibble on her earlobe. Heat blasted through her core.

  “Love the glasses, but they’re gonna get in the way soon,” he said huskily, removing the frames and tossing them onto the nearby table. “I want to hear you moan my name one last time.”