Owned by the Ruthless Billionaire

Chapter 2

Annalyn

The silence in the room was so thick I could almost taste it. Aidan didn’t move or blink. He just stood there at the foot of my bed, his hands buried in the pockets of his leather jacket.

The heart monitor next to me was doing all the talking, its steady beep-beep-beep getting faster and louder as the seconds ticked by.

My heart was slamming against my ribs. My skin felt hot, then cold. I had just asked a complete stranger, a man who had pulled me out of a burning car only a few hours ago, to marry me.

If he said no, I was done. If he walked out that door, Kathryn and Sophie won. They would get the company, they would get the money, and they would probably try to finish the job they started on Route 9.

"You’re serious," he finally said.

"I’ve never been more serious in my life," I whispered.

I gripped the thin hospital sheets until my knuckles turned white.

"I have two weeks. If I’m not married, I lose everything my father spent his life building. My fiancé is the one who drugged me. My stepmother is the one who wants me dead. I have no one else to turn to."

I took a shaky breath, looking at him right in those cold, gray eyes.

"I don't know you, and you don't know me. That makes you the safest person in the world for me right now. Help me keep what’s mine, and I’ll make it worth your time. I’ll pay you whatever you want once the inheritance is settled. We can sign a contract. No feelings, no real marriage. Just a name on a piece of paper."

Aidan tilted his head. He looked at me the way a hunter looks at something caught in a trap, not with pity, but with a strange focus.

He walked closer, his boots loud on the floor. He stopped right beside my bed. He was so big he seemed to block out the light from the hallway.

He smelled like wood-smoke, and the faint scent of expensive oil.

I waited for the "no." I waited for him to call the doctor and tell him I was losing my mind from the crash.

Instead, he reached out. His hand was large, his skin tanned and rough. He placed two fingers under my chin and tilted my head up so I had to look at him, up at those stormy blue eyes.

"You don't even know my last name," he said.

"I don't care," I replied, my voice gaining a bit of strength. "I just need you to be there."

He stared at me for a long time. It felt like he was looking right through my skin, reading the secrets I had buried deep inside.

"Okay," he said.

One word, that was it. No questions about the money and no questions about the danger. Just okay.

The air rushed out of my lungs in a giant sob of relief. I leaned back against the pillow, my eyes stinging with tears. I refused to let fall.

"Thank you. Thank you, Aidan."

"Don't thank me yet," he warned, pulling his hand away. "If we’re doing this, we’re doing it now. I’m not waiting for your family to find you here."

"Now?" I looked down at my hospital gown. "I can't even stand up without help."

"Then I’ll help you," he said.

He didn't wait for an answer. He moved to the small closet in the corner and pulled out the bag of clothes the nurses had saved from the wreck. My favorite silk blouse was stained with oil and blood, and my slacks were torn, but they would have to do.

He stayed in the room, turning his back to me to give me a shred of privacy. It took everything I had to move. Every inch of my body screamed in protest. My ribs felt like they were being poked with hot needles, and my head spun as soon as my feet hit the cold floor. I fumbled with the buttons of my shirt, my hands shaking so hard I couldn't get them through the loops.

"I can't do it," I whispered, my voice breaking.

Aidan turned around. He didn't look annoyed. He just walked over, his large frame falling over me, and gently brushed my hands aside. He started at the bottom, his thick fingers moving. He buttoned my shirt, one by one, never looking at my skin, only at the task at hand.

When he finished, he grabbed his leather jacket and draped it over my shoulders. It was warm, and it wrapped me in his scent.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Ready," I lied.

He helped me out of the hospital through a side exit, avoiding the main desk.

We reached the curb, and I expected to see a motorcycle or maybe a beat-up bike that matched his rugged look.

Instead, he led me to a sleek, black car.

I assumed he was a cop or maybe a high-end security guard. Someone who knew how to handle himself.

He helped me into the passenger seat and as we drove through the city, I watched him.

He drove with one hand on the wheel, his eyes scanning the mirrors every few seconds. He didn't talk or even play on the radio. He just drove.

The courthouse was nearly empty when we arrived. The lights were dim, and the air smelled like old paper and floor wax. We found a clerk who looked like she wanted to be anywhere else but there.

"Marriage license and an immediate ceremony," Aidan said.

The woman sat up straighter.

"Do you have the paperwork?" she asked.

We filled it out on the spot. When it came to his name, I watched his pen move across the line.

Aidan Klein.

It sounded simple and sturdy. I signed my name next to his, my signature shaky and ugly.

The ceremony took place in a tiny room with beige walls and a plastic storey in the corner. There were no flowers. There was no music or family to cheer us on or friends to throw confetti.

It was just us, a bored-looking judge, and the ticking of a clock on the wall.

"Do you, Aidan Klein, take Annalyn Lorenzo to be your wife?"

"I do," Aidan said. His voice didn't waver.

"And do you, Annalyn Lorenzo, take Aidan to be your husband?"

"I do," I said, my heart jumping into my throat.

The judge sighed. "The rings?"

I hadn't even thought about rings. I started to apologize, but Aidan reached into his pocket. He pulled out two simple silver bands

He took my left hand in his. His palm was warm, and his grip was so steady it stopped my own hands from shaking.

He slid the ring onto my finger and it was a perfect fit.

"With this ring, I wed thee," he murmured.

I did the same for him, my fingers brushing against his skin. The heat of him seemed to sink into my bones.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife," the judge said, closing his book. "You may kiss."

I froze. I hadn't expected that.

I looked up at Aidan, my eyes wide. He didn't hesitate. He leaned down, his hand coming up to rest gently on the back of my neck.

His thumb brushed against my jawline, then his lips met mine.

It wasn't a long kiss. It wasn't the kind of kiss you see in the movies, but it was firm, and it was real. It tasted like coffee and the cold night air. For a split second, the pain in my ribs disappeared. The fear that had been choking me for weeks faded away.

He pulled back, his gray eyes searching for mine. He didn't smile, but the look he gave me wasn't cold anymore.

"Let’s go, Mrs. Klein," he said.

We walked back out to the car, the cool night breeze hitting my face. I looked down at the silver band on my finger.

Twenty minutes, that’s all it took to change my life. I was no longer Annalyn Lorenzo.

I was someone’s wife.

I looked at Aidan as he started the engine. I still didn't know who he really was. I still didn't know if I could trust him with my heart, but as we pulled away from the curb, a tiny, warm spark lit up inside my chest.

For the first time since my father died, I didn't feel like I was drowning. I wasn't fighting alone anymore. I had a stranger by my side, and for now, that was enough.