Before That Promise

by Violet Duke

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright © Violet Duke 2016

  Also by Violet Duke

  Book Description

  DEDICATION

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Unfinished Love Series Books 1 & 2

  About the Author

  BEFORE that PROMISE

  DREW & SKYLAR

  BOOK ONE

  THE UNFINISHED LOVE SERIES

  VIOLET DUKE

  Copyright © Violet Duke 2016

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, this book and any portion thereof may not be reproduced, scanned, transferred, or distributed in any print or electronic form without the express written permission of the author. Participation in any aspect of piracy of copyrighted materials, inclusive of the obtainment of this book through non-retail or other unauthorized means, is in actionable violation of the author’s rights.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, media, brands, places, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and registered trademark owners of all branded names referenced without TM, SM, or (R) symbols due to formatting constraints, and is not claiming ownership of or collaboration with said trademark brands. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or events is purely coincidental.

  Also published in the All I Want for Christmas limited edition charity boxed set © 2016 with Debbie Macomber, Bella Andre, Marie Force, Melody Anne, Brenda Novak, et. al.

  Previously published in the Love, Laughter, and Merrily Ever Afters limited edition multi-author holiday anthology under the title: Decking Drew © Violet Duke 2014

  Copyedits and Proofreading by Tony Held and Kelly Thompson and Eagle Eye Proofreaders

  Cover design by Violet Duke

  Ebook ISBN: 1-941198-71-6

  Ebook ISBN-13: 978-1-941198-71-1

  ALSO BY VIOLET DUKE

  * * *

  The CAN’T RESIST Series

  The acclaimed New York Times bestselling series, an emotional, heartfelt Top 10 Bestseller both in the U.S. and internationally.

  Resisting the Bad Boy *

  Falling for the Good Guy *

  Choosing the Right man *

  Finding the Right Girl

  *Serial trilogy, also available in the NICE GIRL box set

  The CACTUS CREEK Series

  The laugh and cry USA Today bestselling small town series with strong heroines, romantic heroes, a quirky supporting cast, and inter-series cameos galore.

  Love, Chocolate, and Beer

  Love, Diamonds, and Spades

  Love, Tussles, and Takedowns

  Love, Exes, and Ohs

  Love, Sidelines, and Endzones [Coming Soon]

  The FOURTH DOWN Series

  The fun and sexy USA Today bestselling sports romance series starring three sweet and incorrigibly alpha heroes, from Random House Books.

  Jackson’s Trust

  Bennett’s Chance [Coming Soon]

  Donovan’s Heart [Coming Soon]

  The UNFINISHED LOVE Series

  Four brothers, each fighting for their second first chance at love. Years be damned.

  The Caine & Addison duet

  The Drew & Skylar duet [Coming Soon]

  The Gabe & Hannah duet [Coming Soon]

  The Max & Kennedy duet [Coming Soon]

  The JUNIPER HILLS Series

  An emotional new series from Montlake Romance

  All There Is

  Where You’ll Be [Coming 2018]

  BOOK DESCRIPTION

  For Drew Lawson, there isn't anyone else as undeniably off-limits as the addictively sweet, mind-wreckingly beautiful Skylar Sullivan. Hell, she's the very definition of the girl-next-door do-gooder. And while he is officially classified as a white hat hacker by the suit-wearing folks who keep track of that sort of thing, no one would ever say that hat of his is exactly pristine.

  So when Skylar's arrival at his doorstep on the roughest night of the year for him every year leads to a downright memorable hotel mishap, an impromptu winter road trip, and the discovery of a secret that could change how she sees him forever, Drew is convinced the universe is on some kind of convoluted mission to thaw his cold, jaded heart.

  ...Because, lordy, they've certainly sent in a ringer to get the job done right.

  AUTHOR NOTE: Before That Promise is a quick & emotional, short & sweet crossover novella starring two of my favorite secondary characters -- Skylar Sullivan from my Can't Resist series, all grown up, and Drew Lawson from my Cactus Creek series, as swoonworthy as ever (no worries, you don't have to have read either of those series). There's a HFN (happily-for-now) end, with the second book in this duet (Every Promise Unspoken) picking up a few years down the line for this utterly meant to be couple.

  Note: This novella was also published in the ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS charity anthology in 2016 with Debbie Macomber, Bella Andre, Melody Anne, Violet Duke, Marie Force, Brenda Novak, Laurelin Paige, RaeAnn Thayne, Melanie Shawn, and more (where 100% of the proceeds went to juvenile diabetes research).

  BEFORE THAT PROMISE

  EXCERPT

  His arms became full-body shackles around her when the thought of her being hurt slammed into him.

  Skylar released a surprised mini-yelp, and then quickly tried to reassure him, “Drew, I’m fine. Nothing happened to me.”

  Where once he’d thought the neverending possessiveness he felt about her was his most primal fate, Drew now discovered his protectiveness over her far eclipsed it. “Don’t ever do anything so recklessly romantic like that again. Not for me or anyone. I’d never forgive myself if anything had happened to you. And I sure as hell would’ve made certain no living soul would ever be able to forgive the man who harmed you.”

  Eyes glued to his, her breathing faltered at whatever she saw in its depths. “Wh-what happened to your due north?”

  Drew slid his hands up to cup both sides of her face. “I’m looking at it. Don’t ever doubt that where my moral compass is concerned, you’re my due north. More than I realized. More and more every day, it seems.”

  Strange how this was the first time he was admitting out loud that he often pictured Skylar in his future, and yet it didn’t sound at all foreign coming out of his mouth.

  Her gaze fell to his lips as he uttered that declaration and it took every last bit of restraint in his body to keep himself from kissing her.

  Because he knew that once he did, he’d never be able to let her go again.

  DEDICATION

  To every fan who messaged, Facebooked, emailed, mailed, tweeted, and IM’d a good thought, a heartfelt prayer, a virtual hug, a smiling emoticon, a loving word, and every other amazing, thoughtful expressions of love and support throughout my medical leave…this one’s for you.

  To LB & J—thank you for all your hard work making our new apartment into a true home, and a beautiful one at that.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Just knock on the door.

  For the tenth time in almost as many minutes, Skylar Sullivan raised her hand up to the sleek, modern, ebony-lacquered door and rapped her knuckles against it.

  …Loud enough for a really attentive bat to hear. Maybe even an elephant with exceptionally large ears.

  Then she held her breath for at least a full Olympic pool’s width, just like she had the last nine times.

&n
bsp; Color her surprised when there was no response.

  Sure, some might call her a coward. If they did, then it was only because they hadn’t seen her hightail it down the hall and dive headfirst around the corner when she’d heard a nearby door open four knocks ago. Anyone who saw that moment of glory would say with perfect certainty that she wasn’t a coward. She was just crazy.

  Because that’s exactly what this whole thing was. Crazy.

  It’d been two years since she’d seen him last. Almost three. For all she knew, he could be seeing someone. Heck, he could be in that hotel room right now with that someone having sex at decibel levels that were preventing him from hearing her deafening knocks on the door.

  Probably something she should’ve thought about before she’d left the airport and headed straight over here.

  Dangnabbit, this was the problem with spontaneous grandiose plans. They never, ever played out the way she imagined.

  She should know. Because when it came to Drew Lawson, her tireless imagination had kept her plenty busy with plans that never came to fruition over the years. Or rather, grandiose thoughts about crazy plans that never moved beyond bold pep talks and fanciful daydreams.

  Not this time.

  Making a determined fist, she knocked again. Loud enough to be heard by humans this time. Then she waited.

  And waited.

  And waited.

  With a resigned sigh, she mentally smacked herself in the forehead for not considering the possibility that Drew could be out painting the town tonight. This was Vegas, after all. If there was any place that a guy as ruggedly reserved and inexhaustibly hardworking as Drew Lawson would cut loose for the first time ever, why wouldn’t it be sin city?

  Refusing to let those depressing thoughts convince her to abandon her grand plan altogether, she made her way back to the elevator, trusting in the winter magic that had stranded her in the very city that Drew just happened to be in tonight, thanks to a last minute casino job he’d picked up for Spencer Securities.

  Maybe he’s still working.

  While she’d never heard of Drew needing more than a few hours on any hacking gig, she held onto that glimmer of hope as she stepped into the elevator and scanned all the digital restaurant ads flashing on the walls.

  So far, the buffet in the lobby was looking like the best way to keep herself occupied for the next hour until she tried knocking on Drew’s door again—which, her dignity declared, would be her last effort before accepting this all just wasn’t meant to be. Scrolling through some less than stellar online reviews for the restaurant on her phone, she was starting to rethink her dining destination when a warm body bumped into her rather blatantly from the side.

  “Personally, I’d take you somewhere much nicer.”

  For the briefest of moments, her mind’s eye flashed back to the rich, bittersweet chocolate depths of the most intense gaze she could ever remember seeing, framed by thick, dramatic lashes she’d always thought were a crime for any man to possess. A chiseled Grecian bone structure granite-cut along his jawline with a mouth they wrote fairytale kisses about. Brows that were forever arched as if he just couldn’t stop his mind from thinking. And close-cropped hair a shade of dark mahogany suede that she’d accidentally discovered once—just once—was so soft, it’d taken all her restraint not to run her fingers through it again.

  “You know, generally, the folks who come in off the street to stow their bags at my bell desk don’t have a reason to get on these elevators up to the guest rooms,” tsked the low, steamy voice of the hotel lobby worker she’d left her luggage with earlier tonight.

  Busted.

  Skylar looked up into the playful green eyes of the handsome bellman—early twenties, perfect surfer hair, with enough flirtatious energy for three men on the make—and waited the few seconds it took for the doors to ding open and let off the only other folks in the elevator besides them before answering in her defense, “Okay, so maybe I don’t exactly have a reservation here. But I’m visiting someone who does, I swear.”

  Draping an arm over the hand bar of his empty luggage trolley, he tilted his head sympathetically. “I take it the visit didn’t go well?”

  “The visit didn’t happen at all.” She tried for a nonchalant shrug. “He wasn’t in.”

  When the elevator finally slid to a stop at the lobby level, instead of just wishing her better luck as she’d expected, he rolled his golden trolley out and motioned for her to follow. “That was my last run so my shift is over. You want me to keep you company while you wait for your friend to get back to his room?”

  Skylar paused then, suddenly seeing news headlines tomorrow of the stupidly trusting coed and the bellman with a secret psychotic side.

  His lips rose up at one corner into a half-smile. “Don’t worry, angel-face. We can stay down here in the casinos the entire time.”

  Oh. Well, that was probably safe.

  Just one slight problem.

  “The thing is…” she chewed on her lip and muttered, “I can’t exactly be in the casino.”

  He did a quick double take before shaking his head and laughing in surprise. “Ah, gotcha. I would’ve bet money you were around my age.” After another amused headshake, he offered, “Well, we have a lot of restaurants in the hotel that you don’t have to be twenty-one to be in. I’m assuming you’re at least eighteen?”

  She gave him a dirty look for that one.

  Raising his hands in defense, he bit back an amused grin. “I take that as a yes.” He pointed at the nametag on his bellman coat before undoing a button to loosen the crisp ivory collar. “I’m Landon, by the way.”

  “Skylar,” she replied, before remembering she’d already given him her name when she’d handed over her two bags earlier.

  Speaking of which… “Are you still going to let me keep my luggage here? I’d understand if you want me to—ˮ

  “Don’t worry about it. I was just messing with you. Folks hop casinos before their flight all the time. Your luggage is perfectly fine.” He gave her a second helping of that insanely sexy lopsided smile and she wondered yet again why she wasn’t more affected by it.

  Apparently, she wasn’t the only one wondering.

  “Hope this guy knows how lucky he is,” sighed Landon theatrically as he crooked a gentlemanly elbow out for her to link her arm through. “Because I’ve had my A-game going on since I first laid eyes on you, but it hasn’t been working one bit. I may as well stop keeping my biceps flexed before I cramp something.”

  Skylar chuckled when she felt Landon indeed stop flexing, a muscular technicality, it seemed, which had little diminishing effect on the actual chisel-cut size of his fitness-model-perfect, t-shirts-were-made-for-em arms.

  And strangely, even though Landon looked far from slighted over the situation, she felt a need to reassure him, “If not for that other guy, I’d definitely be falling all over myself for you right now, Landon.”

  “Right back at you, sweetheart.” His eyes slid over her features, heating for a bit, juuust enough for her to notice. “C’mon, let’s go eat. You can tell me all about this dreamboat guy so I can start making you doubt his perfection and steal you out from under him.”

  Incorrigible was describing him mildly.

  In truth, playboy nature aside, Landon was more the classic definition of perfection than Drew. Skylar had no illusions about that. But with Drew, you couldn’t help but look past the surface.

  It was impossible not to.

  And the more you saw, the deeper you got pulled in.

  Until every wall around his heart became another dark prismatic facet to his beauty.

  Until every rare true smile was like the first sunlight after a storm.

  Until he finally allowed you to see yourself through his eyes.

  “Damn,” teased Landon gently as he peered into her long lost gaze. “I don’t stand a chance in hell, do I?”

  Nope, he really didn’t.

  But it would be so much easier for the
m all if he did.

  CHAPTER TWO

  The overlapping tinna-ning-nings, metallic plinks, and psychedelic whirrs of all the casino machines that had turned into muted white noise over the security monitors throughout the day suddenly took center stage again, swarming Drew Lawson’s eardrums like a wave-crashing sound effect symphony the second the security guards pulled open the bulletproof doors leading back out to the main floor.

  “Impressive work today, Drew. You are every bit as good as your reputation.”

  Drew chuckled and shook hands with the statuesque casino owner—an old Dallas meets Vegas gambling cowboy in an Italian suit, complete with the vintage boots. “Clearly, you don’t know my reputation. I’m not sure ‘good’ is what’s stamped on my FBI files, Mr. Donovan.”

  “That’s Stan to you. Anyone who helps me save a few million dollars in less than twelve hours can call me by my first name. And as far as your FBI files, that’s the very reason why I put in a special request for you, young man.” Stan’s bushy white brows lowered sagely. “You’re one of their best weapons at Spencer Securities, part-time contractor or not, don’t let anyone tell you different. Now, if those Spencer boys ever stop making it worth your while to stick with the family business, you’ve always got a job waiting for you here in Vegas.” His voice lowered then in all seriousness. “Hell, I’d try to hire you on the spot if I wasn’t just a tiny bit afraid of that gun-toting, ass-kicking sister of yours. My background checks report that she’ll tan my hide if I lure you away from your upcoming graduate fellowship.”