Page 37 of Silent Vows (The Byrne Brothers 1)

I waited. And waited.

My father never appeared, but my mental energies weren’t wasted because I still had a fight in store.

Minutes after I turned the light off in my room, a phone began to chime. My eyes shot open, staring into the dark.

It wasn’t my phone, or at least not a ring I was familiar with, but it was definitely coming from somewhere in my room. I scrambled from my bed and turned on my bedside lamp before honing in on the sound. A cheap prepaid phone I’d never seen before sat on my dresser, buzzing with an unknown number.

Where the hell had it come from? How long had it been sitting there?

I shook off my confusion and pressed the answer button. It was the quickest way to silence the damn thing without searching for the volume. Once quiet had returned, I stared at the device, unsure what to do. Without knowing who was on the other end, I couldn’t speak. It was too risky. Gingerly, I lifted the phone to my ear.

“Noemi, this is your last warning.” Conner’s voice wrapped around me like a hot breeze before a summer storm. “Donotgo with Keir in the morning.”

I should have known. He wasn’t the type of man to stay quiet, nor was he the type to allow his private conversations to be overheard. He’d correctly surmised that my phone wasn’t secure and had provided an alternative. Had he simply used it to ensure my safety, the phone would have been a kind gesture. Considering the threatening tone in his voice, his interference felt more like a leash than a lifeline.

“What makes you think I’m still going?” I whispered, worried someone might hear me.

“Because I know you.”

“Know me?” I scoffed. “We only met a week ago.”

“Then tell me I’m wrong. Tell me you weren’t planning to go.” His voice caressed and coaxed as though goading me into defiance. Like he wanted me to resist him.

Uncertainty silenced me.

I was a bird in a cage, desperate to break free. Every demand was another collar around my neck. If it wasn’t my father, then Conner was prodding me in one direction or another, each misstep potentially deadly.

I shook my head even though he couldn’t see me, needing to escape my invisible bindings.

“No. I won’t do anything inappropriate with Keir,” I said in a rush. “You’ll just have to learn to trust me.” If I let this man control and doubt me, I’d forever be his captive rather than his wife. I couldn’t let that happen. And besides, Keir’s impressive resistance to my father’s bullying gave me hope that maybe he might be willing to help me. As the son of Jimmy Byrne, he’d certainly be in the position to make such a decision. I had to do this for multiple reasons, regardless of my fiancé’s fragile ego.

Unwilling to entertain his arguments and threats, I ended the call and flopped back on my bed. I didn’t like to be difficult, but I couldn’t afford to let Conner control me. If I gave him an inch, he’d take everything, my heart included.

For long minutes, I lay tense, fully expecting him to call back. But for the second time in one night, a man had surprised me with his silence. The phone never rang again. No texts lit the screen.

Assuring myself I’d made the right decision and my rising anxiety was unwarranted, I buried the phone under my mattress and turned off the light. Sleep wouldn’t come easily, but I had to at least try. I had a big day ahead.

I felt like I’d only just closed my eyes when a sense of awareness tugged me awake. My clock read 2:00 a.m., and the house was silent, but the thudding of my heart echoed in my ears. Something wasn’t right.

My gaze lifted to scan the room, locking on the silhouette of a man leaning against my bedroom wall. The large figure was illuminated by the moonlight filtering through the open window. I didn’t have to see his face to recognize the form. Conner was here. In my bedroom.

Had he been planning this all night? He had to have unlocked the window when he’d been in my room earlier. Had he been so sure I’d refuse him? What exactly did he plan to do about it? Tie me to my bed to keep me from going?

I started to scoot up my bed and away from him, but Conner pushed off the wall. His movement stilled me. I watched raptly as he closed the distance between us. My chest rose and fell on shuddered breaths, goose bumps racing down the length of my arms.

“What are you doing here?” I finally asked, not sure I wanted his answer.

“I warned you, Noemi.” His dark murmur sucked the breath straight from my lips.

I shivered. “But I haven’t even gone yet.”

He yanked down the covers, exposing my legs. After drinking in the sight, his dark gaze, inscrutable in the moonlight, lifted to mine.

“It’s time to face the consequences.”

“What—” I barely had time to panic before his arms caged me in, his lips seizing mine. He was a raging current, and no matter how hard I fought, he carried me away on his rising waters. I didn’t want to want him, but he felt so damn good. The press of his body. The pull of his ravenous desire. I was helpless against him.

A masculine noise of satisfaction drifted between us when his commanding touch wrenched an unbidden moan from deep in my throat.

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