No kiss goodnight. Just his...back.
Disappointed, I climb the stairs and slip into my bedroom. There, I find Hawk asleep on my bed. I curl up next to him and when I hear the front door close and lock, I let out a sigh of loneliness that sadly feels oh-so familiar.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Lennox - May
The clink of cut-crystal glasses and the soft ring of fine silverware on expensive plates is music that calms me. The private dining room at Per Se is the most exquisite I’ve ever seen. But I’m barely tasting the absurdly expensive meal in front of me. My handsome, powerful husband distracts me with his lethal charm dealing negotiation blows to a union contractor.
Tom Farrell seems more interested in his third glass of single malt scotch than the new UN building his teamsters are constructing for Shane and his brothers.
It’s been three weeks since Norah’s birthday party and the tension between Shane and me has started to ease. Tonight, he’s the picture of a loving and doting husband. His attentiveness has my heart beating a steady rhythm, especially with his hand nestled between my thighs, claiming me as henegotiateswith Farrell.
The flicker of candlelight on Shane’s strong, cut jawline has me wondering if he’s even real.
“How is Luxe treating you, Mrs. Quinlan?” Tom asks, shaking his glass of ice.
I stiffen, realizing Shane must have used this jackass’s men to speed up the construction of my club.
Shane doesn’t let me answer. “It’s the hottest club at the moment because my wife runs a tight ship. As do I.”
“You never let me forget your unforgiving ways, Mr. Quinlan.” Tom waves his hand for another drink.
“I hope he’s not driving,” I murmur to my husband.
“I took care of it.” Shane finishes his wine and stops to stare at me, more noticeably my neck. “You’re wearing my mother’s pendant.”
I touch it. “Of course, it beautifully complements mynew dress.”
I came home from the gym to find a beige silk shift dress on my bed with a note:
Wear this to make everyone in New York City even more jealous of me.
He stood in my bedroom and watched me get ready, making sure to remark that a stylist who works for Shea picked out the dress options and brought them to his office herself.
Hearing Shea was involved made me proud to wear the choice.
Our dinner plates are cleared by one of the private wait staff, and I tenderly wipe my mouth. “Excuse me. I need the little girls’ room.”
Shane squeezes my thigh before I get up to leave and whispers in my ear. “Do not lock that bathroom door.”
Shivers run through me. For a second, I worry he might use the private restroom as a place to scold me. To tell me all the things I’ve done wrong tonight. But I laugh away these insecurities. Even if I did something that Farrell found offensive, Shane doesn’t want a perfect wife. He wants a real one. He wantsme.
After a quick pee and handwashing, I see the bathroom door open through the mirror. Shane’s eyes blaze with a fire I’ve never seen. My heart races when I seehimlock the door.
I turn around, noting there aren’t any windows. No way to escape. “Can I help you?”
“Aye. I need you to relieve this ache.” He palms a thick erection in his trousers.
“Quickie BJ?” I slide my purse on the bench and check the floor to see if it looks clean enough to get down on my knees.
“No,” Shane growls. “Something deeper and darker. An amateur asks for a fucking blow job in a bathroom. Ineed you togive me more.”
“More? What haven’t I...” I stop and suck in a breath.
The one thing we haven’t done.
“You want my—”