by Geneva Lee
He broke free of the kiss, pressing his damp forehead to mine.”I don’t have anything.”
“Pull out,” I murmured between panting breaths.
He didn’t need further encouragement. The tip of his cock pushed gently against my seam, breaching it slowly. My head fell back, a moan spilling from me as I savored the sensation of being stretched open. “Yesss.”
“I’ll be gentle,” he promised as he pushed in an inch more.
“Don’t be,” I said through gritted teeth. The incremental delivery was torture. I needed him inside me. Spencer answered by plunging inside me and I cried out in agonized relief. I clung to him as he stroked in and out, taking each of us closer and closer to the edge.
“Come for me, Kerrigan.” The hand gripping my hip moved between my legs, and he slipped his thumb to my throbbing clit. I arced back, losing my hold on him but he held me steady as I fell.
Fell.
Fell.
Into him.
Into us.
Into sweet oblivion.
Spencer groaned, his body tensing, and he pulled out, spraying my belly with his warm release. His hand pumped the last of it while I watched with hooded eyes. My core ached from his sudden abandonment until his eyes finally opened and the promise I saw there filled the emptiness I felt. Spencer scooped me into his arms, and I nuzzled against him, while he carried me upstairs.
When we finally made it to my bedroom, I excused myself to wash his seed from my skin. Spencer followed behind me, stripping off what remained of his wet clothes. I watched him in the mirror, drinking in the sight of his incredible body. Then I noticed, his lower lip trembling slightly.
I bit back a laugh when I realized he was cold. There was something so ridiculous about this muscular, powerful man shivering.
“I’m going to run your bath,” I told him, walking toward the tub.
“That sounds good,” he admitted, “but only if you join me.”
I nodded. That sounded even better. Turning on the faucet, I waited for it to heat up. I added some oils sitting nearby and soon, steam was rising from the glassy surface of the bathwater. Spencer climbed inside and groaned as he sank against the porcelain, his eyes shuttered with pleasure. He propped open one eye and beckoned me with his index finger.
It was all the invitation I needed. I stripped off my damp tank top and bra.
I paused and considered the mess we’d left behind us. “I should probably go pick up the trail of clothes we left downstairs.”
“Leave it.”
“Giles will love that,” I muttered. I wasn’t sure his proper sensibilities would survive finding my thong in the dining room. “Of course, it serves him right for setting me up.”
“It’s my fault. Not his. But I wouldn’t worry about shocking him,” Spencer advised. “Staff sees the worst of us. It’s why we pay them so well.”
His words sent a lump forming in my throat. I shook myself free of the gloomy thoughts trying to break past the lingering happiness in my mind.
Spencer reached his hand out to help me, and I took it, the sudden darkness vanishing as swiftly as it had arrived. I stepped into the water carefully, lowering myself to sit between his open legs. My breasts bobbed on the water as I relaxed against him, peace settled over me. There were still obstacles in our path. There was still a deadline for our relationship. Somehow, though, in his arms, none of that seemed to matter.
His hands strayed up my body, cupping my breasts. He swirled a finger absently over my nipples, which pebbled at his touch. “Have I told you how perfect these are?”
“One or twice,” I said, thinking of the nights we’d spent together.
“I’ll be sure to tell you more often.” He kissed the back of my neck, and my eyes closed. “You deserve to know how perfect you are every moment of every day.”
“I’m far from perfect,” I muttered even as his words made me ache with longing for his vision of our life together.
“What are you thinking about?” he whispered in my ear.
“The future,” I admitted.
“What if we only think about right now?”
“If I could only turn my brain off, I would,” I said with a bemused smile. This earned me a slight laugh.
“How about I distract you then?”
He reached over and grabbed a sponge sitting in a tray by the side of the tub. Plunging it into the water he lifted it and brought it to my shoulders. The warm water relaxed me further as he gently massaged away my distraction.
“That feels good.” I allowed my head to loll against his shoulder. There was nowhere else I wanted to be than here with him.
“Kerrigan,” he said. “Can I ask you something?”
I bobbed my head slightly in agreement, too mesmerized by the deliberate tenderness of his touch.
He tossed the sponge which landed with a wet plop on the tile floor. I peeked to see his hand reach toward the soap dish. Apparently, I was getting a full bath. I didn’t mind in the least.
“I know we don’t know everything about each other,” he began, “but there’s one thing I’m absolutely certain of.”
“Which is?” I murmured.
“I want to spend the rest of my life learning everything I can about you. Marry me?”
I stiffened for an instant as his words hit me. Then, I sat up and twisted around to meet his eyes. He couldn’t be serious. An uncharacteristic vulnerability was written across his face, the shadows that usually clouded his eyes had lifted, and in his hand, he was holding a ring.
There were ten million reasons to say no.
There were ten million reasons to say yes.
I’d been given my answer before we ever met.
But that wasn’t what I thought of now. I didn’t care about the ring. I didn’t care that it could never work. I only knew one thing. “I want that, too.”
Spencer exhaled and leaned forward to kiss me. I felt the ring slip onto my finger as our lips met.
The kiss deepened becoming a silent vow. Spencer broke away and stood, rivulets of water streamed down the stacked plane of his abs toward his well-defined hamstrings and over the length of his rapidly stiffening cock. He reached down and helped me to my feet. Then out of the tub. Spencer didn’t pause to reach for a towel as he lifted me and carried me into the bedroom. Our wet flesh collided, skidding across one another as our bodies entwined.
This time when he moved between my legs, there was no hurry. We had promised each other forever. Now we had all the time in the world. Our eyes locked and I opened myself to him, allowing the fear and hope and guilt I felt to spill out. He answered with a raw vulnerability, his hands pinning mine over my head as he rocked against me. We both had secrets, ones we weren’t willing to share, but in some unspoken way, we admitted to them and made a promise that one day we would strip off all of our armor. Someday we would set each other free.
It was a lie.
It was the truth.
It was everything.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“Oh my God!” Evie squealed as she grabbed my hand and inspected my engagement. I couldn’t blame her. Since Spencer had put it on my finger, I’d caught myself staring at it on more than one occasion. I was beginning to get used to the small boulder Spencer had given me to seal our engagement.
We had kept the news to ourselves for a few days, basking in the last moments of privacy we were likely to have. It was easier to do with Kerrigan’s parents out of town. But now they were back, and we had arranged a family dinner to make the official announcement. However, an announcement turned out to be wholly unnecessary, because everyone had guessed why we had brought them together.
Evie dropped my hand and threw her arms around my neck. “I’ve always wanted a sister.”
“That’s enough,” Caroline said with exasperation at the sight.
Considering Evie was squeezing me so tightly I could barely breathe, I had to agree. She begrudgingly released me, and Caroline offered me a polite hug
herself. Then, she turned to Iris and the two shared a knowing smile. “It looks like we have a wedding to plan.”
And with that statement, they were off, rattling off ideas for flowers and cakes and whatever else went into a society wedding.
“Wonderful,” Spencer muttered under his breath. “I hope they make a tent big enough for this circus.”
Despite his feigned annoyance, he grinned at me. I’d managed to convince him that an elopement was out of the question after pointing out that everyone—especially the tabloids—would assume that I was pregnant. That had been enough to convince him to allow the wedding. It was a hollow victory, but it gave me time to figure out my next move.
“Excuse me.” Spencer’s Grandfather called to the gathering, holding his pre-dinner cocktail in the air. “I’d like to propose a toast to the couple and to the joining of two powerful families. Spencer has always taken his duty to the Wellesley title with a solemn and admirable sense of responsibility. I’m sure that sense of obligation will continue into his marriage.”
Everyone raised their glass and murmured in agreement.
“How romantic,” Evie whispered with a giggle. Spencer pushed her playfully from behind, just enough to stop her from laughing.
The rest of the evening was a blur of questions from everyone. The women wanted to know all the details. How Spencer had asked me. When we wanted to get married. If I’d thought about my dress. I found myself overwhelmed trying to give the right answers. It didn’t seem appropriate to tell them we’d been naked in a bathtub when he finally proposed, so I left that part out. Meanwhile, the men clustered together, talking in low voices. Holden was with them, listening but not speaking. I couldn’t help noticing that Spencer seemed to deliberately ignore him.
Dinner was no better. Spencer’s attention was on a new policy that Parliament was considering to stem the power of the monarchy. He kept a hand on my thigh as he discussed it. On my other side, Iris and Caroline were already proposing dates. I sat in silence, torn between both groups. I didn’t belong to either of them. Thankfully, the server kept my wine glass filled. The only other person who remained quiet throughout the courses was Holden. The most he offered was a few poisoned glances thrown at me from across the table.
I excused myself as the group finished dinner and the men headed off to the study for brandy. I needed a moment to compose myself. I was on my way back from the loo when Caroline cornered me in the corridor. “A word?”
“Of course.” I forced a smile. It would only make things more difficult if she decided to cause trouble. That didn’t mean I liked her, though.
“You need to know what you’re getting into.” Her tone was surprisingly gentle, conflicting with the aggressive authority she usually displayed. “You’re here because your father and my father-in-law arranged this, which means you have some sense of how deep familial obligation can run.”
“I do,” I said warily.
“But you need to understand that once you’re a member of this family, that’s it. You will always be a member of this family.”
“That’s what I want.” I wasn’t sure what she was trying to say exactly. On the surface, her words might have sounded like a threat, but they were anything but. It was a well-intentioned warning, pure and simple.
Caroline inhaled sharply, her face clouding with pain. “When Jack died, that was it for me. I had my children to raise, and now that they’re grown, I will stay here and be the lady of the house until it’s your turn, and then I will sit in a chair as I pass my days until I draw my final breath.”
“I don’t want that,” I said. “I don’t want to take your place.”
“You won’t have a choice,” she informed me. “It’s the expectations. When my father-in-law dies, Spencer will be the Duke of Wellesley and you will be the Duchess and that’s that.”
“But why do you have to…?”
“Because once you become one of us, there’s no turning back. No remarriage. No divorce. No second chances. Remember that.” She patted my arm, leaving me with the weight of her words, as she returned to her guests.
I don’t know how long I stood there, but for the first time in weeks, I felt a familiar panic pressing down on me, suffocating me until I didn’t think I could breathe. I was drowning, pushed below the water’s surface, unable to reach air. I stumbled in the direction I had come from, ignoring concerned comments from the staff as I rushed past them. I let myself out a door onto a large balcony that overlooked the gardens. As soon as I stepped outside, I gulped the night air. Tipping my head back, I breathed deeply until the anxiety began to slowly ebb away.
“Beautiful night,” a caustic voice broke the silence.
I opened my eyes to find Holden. It was strange how easily I could tell him apart from Spencer now. Whatever had changed between them, had changed for me as well. I just couldn’t put my fingers on it. I swayed on my feet a little, still recovering from the sudden attack.
“Are you okay?” He sounded genuinely concerned. I took an unsteady step forward and his arm shot out to catch me. “Whoa, there.”
I gripped the balcony’s stone railing, pulling away from his touch.
“So you’re ignoring me, too,” he said bitterly.
“I’m not ignoring you.” I shook my head, feeling tired from all the questions and the people. “I just don’t think you should touch me.”
I didn’t bother to mince words, because I needed Holden to know where I stood. I’d chosen Spencer. He could punish me for it all he wanted, but it wouldn’t change that fact.
“I belong with your brother.” It felt right to say it. Good even. I ignored the tiny voice inside my head reminding me that I was a placeholder. For the moment and for whatever time I had left, it was the truth.
“You belong to my brother,” he corrected me. “Think of what he made you do and tell me you’re more than a toy to him.”
“That was done of my own free will.” My heart started to hammer in my chest. Holden wasn’t going to let this go. Somewhere inside me, in a place I tried to ignore, elation thrilled through me.
He smirked, his eyes focused on some shadow in the distance. “That’s the thing about lies. Sometimes they get mixed up with the truth, don’t they?”
“What are you getting at Holden?” I was tired of the subtle innuendos and flirtations. I didn’t want to be part of their rivalry, and I refused to play their game.
“He won’t be enough for you. He’s jealous and controlling.”
I flinched but held my ground. “You didn’t seem to mind when he told me to get on my knees for you.”
“Neither did you,” he said pointedly. “Are you really going to claim you love him when I can feel what’s happening between us?”
“Happened,” I cut him off. “One time. We were drunk. It won’t again.”
Holden looked at me, wearing his brother’s face. It was surprisingly soft even as an arrogant smile rolled across his mouth. “Who’s lying now?”
“I’m marrying your brother.” I took a step away and he grabbed my wrist. “Let me go, Holden.”
“Never.” In one swift movement, he caught my waist and dipped me backward.
I ignored the way his breath tickled my ear, the tempting scent of his cologne, the way my body tightened at the suggestion in his words. How could he be so like Spencer and so different? How could I want Spencer for being everything Holden wasn’t? And want Holden for being Spencer’s mirror opposite?
I pulled free of his arms, backing a few steps away, as we glared at one another.
“Kerrigan!” Spencer’s voice sliced through the air, and I twisted to face my fiancé, who was watching us from the door. An unreadable expression on his face. “Are you ready to leave?”
“Yes,” I called back. “I’m coming.”
He nodded, still eying Holden with apprehension before he stepped back into the house. I hadn’t imagined it. Something had changed between them, and I suspected it had to do with the five-carat
diamond on my ring finger.
“Good night, Holden,” I spoke as firmly as possible as I turned to go back inside—back to his brother.
“You aren’t marrying my brother.”
His words stopped me cold. I answered with an icy glare. If he thought he could win my heart away from Spencer, he was going to be disappointed. The more time I spent with Holden, the more layers I peeled back, the less I trusted him. “I am marrying your brother.”
“No, you aren’t, dirty girl.” Holden leaned closer, lowering his voice so I was forced to hold my breath to hear him. “Kerrigan Belmond is.”
The story continues in
Cruel Dynasty
Available July 27, 2021
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Acknowledgments
It takes a village to write a book, and I so blessed to have a supportive team and family.
Thank you to my agent, Louise Fury, for being a force of nature and to my foreign teams for going above and beyond.
Thank you to my team on the ground. Shelby, what would I do without you? Let’s never find out. Natasha, I’ll forever be grateful for our accidental meeting. Thank you for everything you do to keep me on track and sane.
Thank you to the team at Grey’s Promotion for being on top of everything and providing another stellar release.
Thank you to my author friends for providing inspiration, especially during these strange times.
Thank you to my readers, especially my ARC Team! And thanks to Geneva Lee’s Loves and all the incredible women who help me keep it fun and sexy in there!
Thanks to Elise for being team London Dynasty from minute one. Some people have a sister. Some people have a best friend. I get both rolled into one.
Thank you to my family for putting up with deadlines and word lag. I could not do this without your constant understanding and support.
And as always, thank you to Josh for having all the layers I could ever want to peel back. I’m so grateful to build this life with you. You are my greatest adventure.