Page 71 of Savage Promises

“Good night,myfiancée.” He steps back, winking devilishly.

Moments later, Shane is gone, leaving me standing there, my pulse racing, my lips tingling and my panty so damp that I have to take it off.

Shaking, I stumble into the bedroom and get naked, touching my heated body. Shane easily made such savage promises to me.

I don’t know what promises I can make to him if he doesn’t want there to be any love between us.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Shane

The next morning, I wait in the lobby of The Sterling for Lennox. My thumb brushes the edge of the patch stuck to my arm. It tingles my skin underneath. The antihistamine is strong, too strong for daily use, but I need to get ahead of this. It’s a minor sacrifice compared to what I’ll gain.

I’m willing to make this sacrifice for Lennox. But there’s a wall when it comes to completely disarming myself. I just don’t think I have it in me to love...not even her.

Lennox steps into the lobby and the sight of her has me questioning everything. Can I get past that I was forced to take her? She’s a Donnelly, a wife to further Quinlan Empire’s power. Does it make me weak if I fall for her?

Everything in my life is meticulously planned. I have to stay in control. Griffin fell in love with Ava. Connor’s love is to hurt our enemies. Then there’s Ewan, who believed for years he couldn’t even have kids and now he’s got three! Even if he did put us at risk to take Darcy as his wife. And Trace, whotook a bulletto save Shea’s life.

For all I know, Lennox will marry me and focus on her club. That pinches my heart, but I have to let all this play out naturally.

“Hi,” Lennox greets me wearing a peach-colored sweater dress that flows just past her knees. She’s got on brown suede boots that I want resting on my shoulders while I fuck her.

She’s utterly perfect. Her shiny brown hair is pulled back into a high ponytail, leaving her face unguarded. The contours of her cheekbones and her smile take my breathaway.

“Morning,” I say and kiss her lips. I pull away and let my eyes linger on her for a moment longer than necessary.

Her gaze drops to my arm and the rolled-up sleeves. “What’s that?”

“A patch,” I explain, moving my coat to drape over the other arm. “For the allergies.”

Her eyebrows furrow in concern. “Shane, you don’t have to—”

“I do,” I cut her off gently. “You’ll be moving in with me on the night of the wedding. You and your cat.”

Her lips part slightly, her cheeks flushing. As I help her put her coat on, I inhale her scent of white orchids.

On the street, I open the Corvette’s passenger door for her. The drive home to Astoria is quiet but not uncomfortable. I feel Lennox watching me, stealing glances when she thinks I don’t notice.

“This feels...right,” I admit, breaking the silence as the iron gates of the old manor house come into view.

“How so?” she asks, her voice cautious.

“Bringingyouhere as my fiancée,” I say simply, my hand tightening around hers. “It should’ve been you all along.”

She presses a fist to her mouth. I smile at the ringIpicked out and love seeing it on her hand.

My mother greets us warmly with a wide smile. She wasn’t the least bit shocked when I told her about the bride swap. In fact, she sounded relieved. Ma pulls Lennox into a hug before she even has time to react.

“This is so wonderful,” Ma says, her voice light and kind.

Lennox blushes, clearly taken aback, but she hugs my mother. “It’s a surprise for sure, Mrs. Quinlan.”

“I told you, dear, you can call me Norah,” my mother says, her smile widening.

I watch Lennox’s face soften, and it occurs to me that she’s probably missing her mother more than she’ll admit.

We eat lunch in the kitchen, a change from the formal dining room from last time. My mother made shepherd’s pie, one of my favorites. With Lennox here as my bride, and not a stand-in for Neve, the atmosphere feels warmer, more intimate. Lennox laughs easily at my mother’s stories, and for a moment, I can’t believe I put up with Neve’s indifference for so long when it was clear Lennox belonged here the whole time.

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