Page 26 of Savage Promises
“This is Lennox.” Shane clears his throat. “The bride’s sister. She’s here to help me pick out rings for my fiancée, Neve.”
Neve. Thebride. Hisfiancée. The words land like a punch in the face.
The saleswoman nods, oblivious to the way my lips twist in discomfort. She steers us to a private room with a glass case and two exquisitely upholstered chairs.
On top of the glass counter, she lays open a velvet tray of rings, each one more dazzling than the last. “I have pre-selected some beautiful pieces. Have a look. Take your time.”
A massive heart-shaped diamond catches my eye. It’s beautiful, but I know Neve couldn’t care less about a big diamond ring. This all feels impossibly wrong. This is the future I once stupidly imagined I’d have with Shane. I would appreciate any one of these rings. Wear it proudly. I know in this world rings are a pissing contest. A man like Shane needs to display his wealth and power on his woman’s finger. I’d wear any one of these rings and shove it in people’s faces day in and day out.
Neve will lose it in a week.
When I look up, Shane’s watching me, not the rings. I bury those useless thoughts and dreams away. “Neve likes...simple,” I manage to say.
“Do you think so?” Shane remarks in a rough voice.
“Do you know your sister’s size?” the saleswoman asks.
“Seven,” I say.
She hands me a round-cut diamond ring in a plain solitaire setting. The diamond sparkles so bright I need my sunglasses.
“Try it on.” The saleswoman needs to sell this ring to Shane by seeing it on someone’s hand.
I’m just some crash-test dummy along for the ridewaiting for my head to smash into the windshield.
My hand trembles as I let her slip the engagement ring onto my finger. The diamond catches the light from the fixtures above and it sparkles like shards of ice. The second this ring glides past my knuckle, though, my heart stops. It’s stuck. And will have to be pried off.
“Let me find the wedding band for that ring,” the saleswoman says and steps away.
“Oh, damn it,” I whisper, tugging at it.
“What?” Shane notices my panic.
“The ring. It’s stuck.” I start sweating.
Gripping my hand, Shane says, “Here, let me.”
“I’m sorry.” I hold my breath as our skin connects.
His warm, sleek hands are a stark contrast to the cool metal around my swelling finger. He tugs gently, but the ring stays put.
“I’m sorry. I should have said no. I’m...bigger. My ring size.” I’m bigger everywhere. So different from Neve, who is tall and thin with an athletic build.
I’m average height and curvy.
“Shhh,” Shane says, his voice low. “It’s okay.”
God help me, I go breathless when he lifts my hand to his mouth. His lips brush my knuckle as he licks along the edge of the ring. Heat blooms beneath my skin traveling up my arm, setting my entire body on fire.
“Shane,” I mutter, my core pulsing. “What are you doing?”
“Fixing the problem.” My finger disappears inside his mouth, his tongue sweeping possessively around my knuckle.
As I’m gasping, he pulls my finger from his mouth and tugs the ring again. Lubed with his salvia, the ring clears my knuckle and slides free. But he doesn’t release my hand, he holds on to it.
Our eyes lock and for a heartbeat, it’s just us. The pastfeels ready to collide into this hazy present where the lines are blurry as hell. I think he might kiss me. And my God, I want him to. Frenzied, I even lean in.
“Lennox,” Shane hisses, clearing his throat. “Aren’tyouengaged to someone?”
