Page 112 of Savage Promises
The operator clears his throat. “There are no other purchases on this card, sir. That’s why we deem this one suspicious. The card is classified as dormant.”
I gave her that card months ago and she’s not made a single charge? Her pride and strong-willed independence are fucking turn-ons for me. But it’s also a turn-on to take care of my wife. To shower her with whatever she needs.
“Sir?”
I pinch the bridge of my nose, exhaling sharply. “Approve it.”
The money isn’t the issue. Nor is the fact that Lennox used my card for a hefty charge without telling me. It’s her card. She doesn’t need permission to spend my money. She’smy wife.
It’s that she lied about where she was going and used my card as a part of that deceit. Did she not realize they’d call me?
I slam the laptop shut and order Creed to bring me home. By the time I walk in the door, I’ve worked myself into a fine mix of frustration and regret. The part of me that’s hurt by Lennox’s lies and distance fights against the part that knows I’m at least partially to blame for it.
I do what I do best. I emotionally shut down and bury myself in work. Checking the latest contractor reports by hacking into each subs’ financials to make sure they’re not padding the bills makes the hours pass quickly. Hawk sneaks in, circles my ankles, and leaps up onto the desk, stretched out, wanting company.
I hear you, buddy.
Besides the purr engine challenging my allergy patch, the house is so eerily quiet, I’m unnerved. I can’t stopthinking about Lennox sitting all alone in a hospital waiting room, handling something her father and brother should be dealing with.
But they’re not. Of course, they’re not. My wife, the woman they both shit on, is. I’m blindsided with a rush that makes me see red. Why amIsitting here? I should be there for her.Her. Not Neve. Leaving her to deal with this alone makes me as big of a piece of shit as Garrett and Richard.
I stand up, but the front door to the brownstone opens. The snap of the glass vestibule door echoes right into the back of the house. I close my laptop and leave the office.
Shirtless with sleep pants hanging low on my hips, I lean against the archway that leads into the kitchen where Lennox drinks a glass of water. She startles when she sees me, her eyes roaming my body. Just one look heats my skin and thickens my cock.
The dark circles under her eyes kick up my fury. I hate to see her so worn out. But she lied to me.
“How’d it go at the club?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest.
She stares at me, her dry lips parting slightly before she recovers. “It’s handled.”
Shifting her gaze from my chest, she slips out of her coat and hangs it neatly in the closet.
“I’m going to bed,” she mutters and lifts Hawk who purrs against her legs now.
I follow them, stopping at the bottom step. “Lennox?”
She pauses but doesn’t turn around. “Yeah?”
“I was hoping you’d come tomybed tonight.”
Her shoulders tense. “I just started my cycle,” she says quietly.
I don’t track her period, so I don’t know if she’s lying about that, too. Or maybe my rough scene in the bathroom triggered it.
I jog up the stairs and get right behind her on the same step. Pushing my semi against her ass, I whisper, “I told you, blood doesn’t bother me. It’s natural and wild. I’d love for you to stain my sheets from some good fucking, baby.”
She hesitates and every second kills me.
“I’m...tired. It’s draining.” She pushes her hair off her shoulders, squirming away from me. “Maybe tomorrow.”
“Fine,” I say, my voice colder than I intended.
I brush past her, knowing that I’m acting like a spoiled brat.
At the top of the stairs, I turn to watch her come up, slow and measured. She turns on the landing, my gaze burning into her back. I silently beg her to be honest with me. But she disappears behind her bedroom door and the way it clicks shut destroys me.
Why the fuck did I insist on separate bedrooms? I saw the hurt in her eyes when I told her I needed my own space. Like I was keeping her at a distance. Like this marriage isn’t real. But it’s very real for me.
