Page 41 of Venom and Velvet

He grabbed the ring and slid it on my finger. “Of course I did.” He leaned down and kissed my cheek. “Besides, Covington will be expecting you to be wearing an engagement ring.”

“It’s beautiful.” I held my hand up, the light from the chandelier making the ring glisten.

“I hope that one day, when you’re ready, we’ll make it official. Not just for Covington and to close the deal. But because you mean that much to me.” He stroked my cheek and I leaned into his hand.

Oh, you rotten little snake.Two could play this game though.

I bit the inside of my cheek, and lowered my eyelashes. “I would love that, Ryzen.” I turned my head, rubbing my cheek against his hand. “So much.”

He grinned, his eyes devilish as he pulled me to him. He lowered his head, his lips puckered just as someone cleared their throat from behind him.

“Sir, your guests are in the lobby.” His security stood holding an iPad in his hands. “I’ll go meet them.” He turned on his heel and left.

“Ready?” Ryzen squeezed my hand, and I nodded.

A moment later, Covington walked in with Lorraine on his arm.

“There you are, you slick son of a gun.” Covington stepped into the main room and Ryzen beamed as he approached.

“Great to see you, old man.” Ryzen chuckled and gripped his hand tightly, then leaned in for a hug. “Lorraine, lovely as always.” He kissed her on both cheeks. “Please, come in. Nova, come say hello.”

I grinned from ear to ear, and did my best to act like seeing them was the most wonderful moment of the day. “So happy you guys could make it up here.” Lorraine gripped me in a hug a little too tightly, and I held my hand out to Covington, who scoffed and pulled me in for a hug as well.

“You look wonderful, darlin’,” Covington boomed and lifted his pants up a little higher. “What you got cooking, Ryzen? Better not be no damn city food.”

We walked to the dining room where the table was set up beautifully with flowers and several wine bottles laid out. I know one thing Ryzen had planned tonight, and that was to get them drunk and agreeable. Which might work in my favor.

One of Ryzen’s staff poured us each a glass of wine and then started serving the food. I should have known Ryzen wasn’t actually going to cook them a meal, but rather use a personal chef. We started off easily enough, chatting about the city as we ate our salads, and then into some projects Lorraine was working on back home, then Covington talking about his plans after retirement.

They had both glanced at my ring more than once, and when dessert was being served, I decided to take the plunge and get it over with. I held up my glass of wine and cleared my throat. “I’d like to make a toast.”

They all held up their glasses, looking at me expectantly.

“To the two of you wonderful souls for coming up to visit us, and to Ryzen.” I tilted my head to the side and smiled. “To the man who has been so understanding, patient and caring. I couldn’t have asked for a better man to spend the rest of my life with.” Guilt spread through my veins as Cian’s face flashed in my head, and I tried to swallow the lump of guilt in my throat. “You’ve changed my life in more ways than you know. Salut.”

We all clinked our glasses together and took a drink. My hand trembled as I laid my glass back on the table and cleared my throat. “I just want to say how much it means to us that you’re here.” Ryzen gripped my hand and squeezed. I thought back to that woman in the park, to what she had said about the love of her life, and channeled her for strength in that moment. “Have you ever loved someone so much, it hurts to breathe?”

Lorraine let out a little sigh, covering her chest with her hand, while Covington wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer to him.

“That’s how I was feeling. And it scared me so much and I had to leave. The wedding… it was too much. The overpowering feeling of love for this man was just too much to handle. And I regret leaving like that and disappointing so many people. But Ryzen has been nothing but forgiving and understanding. And I just want you to know that I’m going to make this right. All of it.”

Make it right by locking up this manipulative bottom feeder in prison for hopefully the rest of his life.

“I can see the love all over your faces. You hang on to each other and never let that go,” Lorraine cooed and pulled Covington down for a kiss, while Ryzen leaned over, pressing his lips to mine.

Damn, were they really that gullible, or was I just that good at faking it? Either way, it didn’t matter because they bought it hook, line and sinker. We spent the rest of the night drinking wine and listening to Covington tell old stories from his glory days. Some of them were actually pretty funny, and I had to remember that not everyone in this room was a monster.

Lorraine pulled me aside before she left and gave me a little pep talk. “I’m glad you came to your senses, Nova. Ryzen is a good man, and you are a good woman. You make the perfect couple. I can’t wait to see the babies you two make.” She chuckled and stroked her hand down my arm.

“Oh, you.” I leaned into her and patted her arm, laughing as if that was the most wonderful idea in the world.

“You hang on to him, honey, and we’ll see you at the wedding.” She kissed my cheeks and left with Covington a moment later.

I plopped down on the couch and sighed, throwing my head back and staring at the ceiling. Putting on a show like that made me feel dirty, like a liar, and ashamed. I knew it was for a good reason, but still, it didn’t make it any easier.

“You did amazing, Nova.” Ryzen leaned against the door frame, his hands in his pockets. “Covington is very pleased that the wedding is back on. In fact, he wants me down in Dallas this weekend to finalize some paperwork and tour a few of the hotels. Things are moving forward again.”

“That’s great, Ryzen. I’m happy for you. For us.” I chuckled and stood. “I’ve got a little headache, so I think I’ll head downstairs.”

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