Rachel didn’t mince her words. “Don’t you worry, Mr. Ziegler. You’ll never see me begging you, even if it means I have to remain single the rest of my life.”

Howard shrugged indifferently. He turned around, swung his jacket onto his shoulder, and walked out.

Rachel and Tyler walked back to his car, the former settling down in the front passenger seat and recovering from the commotion earlier.

She had been running on adrenaline fueled by anger earlier, but now that she had calmed down, she felt a lingering fear over what had just happened.

If Tyler hadn’t stood up for her… If she clashed head-on with the Lloyds and angered her grandfather till something happened to him, she would have been doomed.

However, now that Tyler had her back, the Lloyds wouldn’t dare try anything with her.

Who would dare touch someone Tyler Hunt had his eyes on?

The Lloyds weren’t stupid enough to insist on her marrying Howard just for the sake of the celebration itself. They at least had the mental capacity to consider the consequences of doing so.

Tyler suddenly leaned so close to Rachel, she jumped back in fright. Her face was pale and stiff as she stared back at him, her eyes dark and hollow.

Tyler’s dark, deep-set eyes gave him a striking gaze, accentuated by his double eyelids. They looked proud and incisive in the absence of his smile, but there was a trace of tenderness in them as he looked at her.

Suddenly, he reached out and gently flicked her forehead with a finger.

“What’s wrong, Ms. Lloyd? Are you petrified by how suave and handsome I look?”

Rachel was still reeling emotionally from the conflict earlier, but Tyler’s words effectively relaxed her tense nerves.

“I think you need to make a trip to the hospital to check if you suffer from narcissism.”

Why was he able to make everything about his looks?

Tyler bent over her to grab the seatbelt and strap her in.

His voice sounded around her. “Then why are you in a daze? Are you blaming me for ruining your chances of getting married? Shall I call Howard back for you?”

Rachel scoffed. “If you really think Howard and I are a good match, that’s not a bad idea. Call him back right now. He’s willing to get engaged to me, anyway. But if you do so, I’m afraid you’ll have to find another woman to be your girlfriend.”

She refused to back down and started quarreling with him.

Silence ensued in the car, and Tyler didn’t say anything in response. He simply tilted his head toward her as he stared at her wordlessly.

She felt uneasy under that dark, incisive gaze of his.

“Is there something on my face?”

Tyler rubbed his jaw, his brow arched with an unspoken question.

After a moment’s pause, he said, “I was wondering if your mouth was made of diamantine. How is it so hard and stubborn?”

As he spoke, he lifted a hand and rubbed a finger across her lips. The curve of her lips was tempting, like a glistening plate of jelly that he suddenly had an urge to bite into.

In an instant, he turned his thoughts into action.

He bent forward and planted his lips on hers, his attractive features and sensuous aura overwhelming her. He wrapped an arm around her waist and gently pinched her there.

Rachel couldn’t hold back a whimper.

The sound only made the desire between them grow as the temperature in the car rose.

Rachel only snapped back to reality when she heard the sound of metal clanking, which made her reach out to push him away.

“My period just came.”

She looked up into his eyes, her crystal clear eyes reflecting an almost imperceptible allure in them.

Tyler’s lips rested at her ear as he slowly rested his palms on both her sides on the car seat.