Loving Cole Ryder: Her Billionaire Stalker

His name was Cole Ryder.

There was something about him. Something about his name that sent shivers down her spine;

made her utterly captivated.

Celene had first seen Cole Ryder on the university grounds. Her eyes had followed him as he had swaggered around like he owned the place, his face stuck in a stoic, scary frown. His gait laid back but determined. Like one who had power, and knew he had it. He was beautiful.

She was a writer, gifted at crafting fictional works; it literally was her job to create irresistible men in books, and yet all the male leads she wrote about couldn't compare to the charms he exuded. He looked like nothing interesting was happening on earth.

All her course mates had gone mad. Some from lust, some from envy and most of them from fear. She could only gather from the whispering students that he had just come in to get his registration for his PhD started. They was something about him, she just could not put a finger on it.

Something that preached to the sensible side of her brain to run. He looked like he was stuck in black and white while everyone else was shrouded in colors.

She hadn't understood why, but she still felt the chill run down her back and the goosebumps that peppered her dark skin.

Two weeks later, she had seen him again. She was working on the third book in her book series and this time, the crowd was significantly less than before, so she could focus on really looking at him, taking in his features as he walked among bookshelves in the dim library, his presence commanded her attention, his tattoos sticking out from under his turtleneck collar and shirt sleeves.

From where she sat, it looked like it covered his entire chest.

She watched him as he picked a book, went through the title, flipped a few pages and then returned it. Soon, he walked out of the library and Celene found herself following him out. Writing could wait.

Celene caught herself mid stride as she followed him out. What was she doing?

She looked at her feet like it would begin to explain why they where currently following the scary man around. Like she was trying to understand the betrayal. Why were her feet walking without her permission?

Cole turned into a hallway and yet she followed a few paces behind him.

Celene's heart beat against her chest as how risqué what she was doing was, even though she felt the thrill.

He clearly hadn't noticed her because he was currently speaking into his phone as he turned a corner. She almost swore she had heard him release a tight laugh as he turned out of her sight, but she couldn't register it because soon after, her shoes decided to make the loudest sound, echoing in the empty hallway.

Cee cringed, her eyes widened as she immediately looked up to check if Cole heard, but he hadn't turned back towards her, she sighed in relief. Her legs and shoes would be the death of her.

"Wait, what am I doing right now?" She whispered to herself as she closed her eyes to calm herself.

"Calm down Celene. You're not a creep. If anyone asks, it was just an unavoidable coincidence.This hallway isn't his private property. You have class around the corner anyway"

Satisfied with lying to herself, Cee opened her eyes to continue her walk, but met face first with a clothed resistance.

She opened her eyes and crained her neck to look straight into Cole's face. A sound she could only describe as a squawk escaped her lips.

Cee stared into his bright green eyes. His expressionless face, strong chiseled cheekbones, with the body of a Greek god, complete with tattoos covering every single skin on him. His hair was dark and long, brushing his back.

How could someone so beautiful be so scary? Everyone had different theories about him, for instance, her friend Rose thought he had come to school not for education, but for business since apparently, he was very wealthy. Other students had wilder imaginations, everything ranged from werewolf/vampire to a special secret service FBI agent or downright hired killer. He might as well had been a shape-shifting iguana at that point, but she knew everyone was right to fear him. And now she might as well have worn a red dress on gone to a bull fight; she just had to be caught following him like an idiot.

Cee prayed he would just let her leave. She'd feed the poor people on her block for a month!

"Following me, Celene? " his voice was a rough manly melody but she couldn't dwell on it as a thought struck her. He knew her name!!

"N-no. Absolutely not" She managed to say.

"You've been following me from the library"

"Listen, Ryder. I have to leave. I've got school work to do, so..." She said, turning to leave.

"Are you running away from me?" He asked immediately she turned. Cee almost groaned out loud. She cursed her luck and stopped in her tracks, but didn't turn around.

"Cee... Turn around" His voice was cold and emotionless. Cee's knees knocked together as she turned around slowly. She could not bring herself to look back into his piercing green eyes.

"Look at me" She didn't. She had just held her breath.

"Look at me, Celene!!" Startled, Cee looked up at him.

"I really have to go, Ryder, For real."

She shifted on her feet. Her heels scraping on the floor of the dim, empty hallway they now occupied, nervous all over.

"I love how my name sounds from your lips" Cole Ryder said. He lifted his hand towards her face to touch her and she flinched. He paused, curled his fingers into a fist and then dropped his hands. "Do I scare you that much? Then why follow me?"

"I-Ive told you, I w-wasn't following you" she ground out.

He tilted his face to further examine her. This time, he put his hands under her chin and pulled her face up towards him. His height towering over her.

Cee could not help the complete mind scrambling, and the embarrassing tumble of stutter that spewd out of her lips.

His hands on her chin, lifting her head as she stared at at his overwhelming green eyes.

"I- What- Well, you see- you can't"

"I don't know what you've heard about me. And I can't change completely..." He cut off her mindless ramblings thankfully. Cee's eyes rounded at the change in the sound and tone of his voice.

"I'm a demon-spawn after all. But I'll try. Only for you" he looked at me. Obviously waiting for her to answer.

"Huh? Only for me? Excuse me, do you know me? Because I don't know you" Something was definitely wrong with him in the head. Was this the tell tale sign of mistaken identity?

Cee pulled her face from his hands and tried to walk away again. He grabbed her hand and pulled her back, his hands on her waist.

"Stop trying to walk away from me, Cee. I won't let you"

Cee forgot her name. She couldn't breathe. She had forgotten how to. Who was she again? Where were there? Who was he?

She blinked. Cee. Her name was Celene and she needed to run. His presence was menacing. He literally stole the air from her lungs just by being in the same space as her. She noticed she had been holding her breath and slowly released it.

"I know you. I know all about you, Celene Luther. From your favorite color, to your worst brand of toothpaste. I know how you wake and when you sleep. I know everything, including the little things, like the color of the ceiling in your wardrobe" he said. She saw the strain from the vein in his neck, like he was holding himself back. But from what?

He brought one of his hands up to cup her face. Cee inhaled sharply, taking in his cologne. He smelt like wood and rain.

"I was going to give you time. I was going to watch and wait. I don't think that's possible anymore, you've come yourself to find me." He finished, leaning his forehead against hers.

All Cee could think about was that he had clearly lost the plot! He was crazy! Absolutely, totally, completely crazy!! A psychopath and a stalker.

His face had gone right back to that same expressionless look, not a strain, not even a twitch in his features. She could barely understand her own pull and down right obsession towards him, but him, he was crazy!

Cee wouldn't immediately call herself beautiful. She was bland. Boring even.

She had dark pigmented skin. A round face with doe eyes she got from her mom,a small nose and an equally small mouth. She had straight, strong legs. Standing at a 5'6, she considered herself tall. Most of her fun came from writing. Creating worlds she couldn't get to physically.

That about summarized everything she thought about herself, so why would he be interested in her? His forehead was still leaned on hers, when she came back to herself.

By this time, Celene's heart was betraying her. Beating wildly against her chest. His scent everywhere, wafting around her. They was no way she could think logically with his minty breath mixing with hers in such close proximity.

He lifted his forehead from hers, and just she took a calming breath, he crashed his lips on hers.