Page 107 of Brutal Savage

“And what do you suppose I tell her? ‘Hey, Gran, remember that scary man from the café? Well, he kidnapped me and made me marry him. Surprise!’”

“I’m sure you’ll come up with something a bit more romantic.”

“How about, ‘I woke up in his bed wearing a four-carat ring.’”

“Hmm.” He considers it, a playful look on his face. “Now we’re getting somewhere.”

I roll my eyes. “You’re annoying.”

“Wasn’t annoying a second ago.” He runs the fingers that were just inside me over his nose.

My face turns crimson.

This is gonna be a long night.

Hopefully Gran doesn’t say anything too embarrassing.

CHAPTER 24

ELARA

The doorbell rings, and my eyes round. The first of the Quinn family have just arrived.

Tynan looks over at me, reaching his hand for mine. “Come on. Don’t be shy now.”

“I’m not shy.” My fingers slip through his, and I grow warm all over. “Just never met a bunch of mobsters before.”

“You met the worst there is.” His mouth twitches. “The rest are not so bad. Except Iseult. She’s…well, an acquired taste.”

“And that’s…”

“My sister. I have two. She’s the older one.”

“Gotcha.”

Hopefully she isn’t as bad as he’s making her sound.

Together we head for the door. When he opens it, I find an older man with Tynan’s eyes and a woman, not much younger, fixing her shoulder-length brown hair.

They both stare at me inquisitively. Did he not tell them who I am? Oh my God…

“Come in.” Tynan moves aside to let them in before he shuts the door. “Let me introduce you to my wife, Elara.”

I think their eyes are about to fall out of their sockets. Don’t blame them. Who doesn’t tell his family he got married?

Oh, right.

A man who forced a woman to do it.

In the middle of the night.

In a pair of sweats and messy hair.

The only thing we were missing was a photographer to capture the lovely moment.

“Elara, this is my father, Patrick, and his wife, Fernanda.”

His wife.

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