Kindle Notes & Highlights
My pulse hammers. Not from Derrick. From the fact that Shane knows I’m in here with a guy.
Before he has a chance to kiss me, the louvre doors rattle. The flimsy latch catches and holds for a second before the force behind it splinters the frame. The busted doors fly open and Shane stands there towering and furious. “Out. Now,” he barks, the lights casting a shadow on his tight jaw.
It’s Shane Quinlan. “I said out,” Shane repeats in a low, lethal voice. But he doesn’t wait. He yanks Derrick by the collar and shoves him to the floor, right into the circle of kids. The music is still pounding, but all voices stop. The whole room holds its breath. Shaking his head, Shane steps inside the closet and shuts the broken door. My breath catches. Oh my God, it’s just me and my crush. Alone. In the closet. In the dark.
We leave the closet and Shane pulls me through the crowd, sending another signal that he doesn’t care about the Quinlan/Donnelly feud. He’s claimed Garrett as his best friend. Now he’s claiming me, too.
“I’ll give you that kiss. Me. Because...” He cups my cheek. “Because I’ve wanted it, too. I only want you. And I’ve hated myself for wanting to feel your lips on me.”
“You’re so damn innocent.” He grips my hair in a near-painful hold, his breath ragged against my mouth. “And mine. You’re fucking mine.”
A bitter laugh claws at my throat, but I swallow it down. My fingers curl into fists in my lap as I force myself to breathe past the ache in my chest. He doesn’t want me. Not enough. Not the way I want him. I won’t beg. I won’t ask why. I won’t let him see me break.
“Yeah, I needed you because Dad puts me last. He only cares about you, his precious heir, and Neve, his princess. You will both be compensated handily one day.”
“Your heart? Do you have one, brother?” Griffin sits back. “Not for Neve Donnelly.” Griffin furrows his eyebrows and speaks so low, it’s barely a whisper. “You know Lennox is engaged to someone else, right?” My jaw tightens so hard it might crack. I grip the whiskey tumbler and stand up, throwing it into the fireplace. “Fuck. Who?” How did I not know that? “Rafael Marchant.” “Marchant?” I scoff. “The wine dynasty? When?” Christ, no. She’s mine! “When he gets his inheritance next year.” “That’s why old man Donnelly didn’t suggest Lennox.”
“Gar, is this because I refused to give you money?” Shane’s eyes blaze with fire at Garrett. “And don’t you ever go to Lennox for money again!” Garrett flinches, and my stomach drops at Shane standing up for me when no one else does.
“I never wanted this either.” I draw a shaky breath. “Neve isn’t who I want.”
“When Rafael Marchant is fucking you, I want this dangling from your ankle so you think of me.”
“Lennox,” I say, emerging from the shadows. The way her name tastes on my tongue tonight feels dangerous. Dangerously good. Dangerously right. Dangerously mine. “Not who I expected.” But I have to be honest with myself. She’s exactly who I want.
A tear skates down her cheek and something inside me fractures. I realize I’m furious because she’s the woman I care about. Going after Richard Donnelly for something he did six years ago to a woman who I’m not marrying will make me look out of control.
“If anyone ever lays a hand on you again, they won’t have that hand anymore.”
I suddenly find it hard to breathe. The weight of this damn engagement that I do not want, the expectations made of me, and the impossible pull I feel toward Lennox settle heavily on my chest. Neve might be my fiancée, but Lennox is the woman I can’t stop thinking about.
“Yuli’s?” I ask, going breathless. “It’s your favorite, isn’t it?” I rack my brain, trying to figure out if I ever mentioned it. Yuli’s corned beef is legendary. “It’s everyone’s favorite. In Edison, New Jersey!” I touch the container and get a thrill at the warmth. “Did they open a deli here in the city?” “No.” Shane takes out napkins and makes up place settings. When I see two containers, I say, “Oh, were you doing business in Edison, stopped there, and...what? They gave you an extra sandwich?” Shane stares at me while he keeps setting up lunch for us. “No. No. And no. I went there
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Love that he's getting her food.
My eyes bulge out of my head seeing my fitness app. On his phone. “You hacked my fitness app?” “Aye. You’ve dropped three pounds in five days.” Something most men would celebrate on a curvy girl. Shane takes offense to it.
“You were hungry.” “I’m always hungry, Shane.” My comment gets his attention. “But sometimes I don’t have time for...food.” He leans in and murmurs, “I’ll make sure you never go hungry again.”
“I don’t need someone breathing down my neck every second. I’m not your future queen. I’m not Neve. No one cares about me.” His eyes flash with raw tension. “I. Care. And it’s my job to keep you safe.”
Not waiting for a response, my sister steps up to him and wraps her arms around him. “I need a new guard,” she whispers sweetly. Seeing her touch Shane sends waves of rage through me. He stiffens at Neve’s sudden embrace and steps back, shaking himself loose.
“Good girl,” I growl. “You think I’m a good girl?” Her voice goes dark. “Actually, you’re a very bad girl.” Who needs to be spanked. “You’re topless and grinding on your sister’s fiancé’s cock. That’s hardly the definition of a good girl.” “If it’s too much for you, I can go down to the bar, find someone else to—” “Don’t you dare.” In a fit of rage, both my hands cup her tits, my mouth watering at the firm fullness of them. “Don’t you even think of going near another man.”
“I wasn’t good enough, was I?” I say, finding it hard to breathe. “It had nothing to do with you.” Shane frowns.
I tell myself it’s for the best. This space between Shane and me is necessary. For both our sanity. And my heart. But it doesn’t feel good. It feels lonely. And after the way we connected that night, it feels wrong.
The knot in my chest tightens. Neve has her team, her games, her world. In ten days, she’ll have Shane. The man I love.
“You wouldn’t be so moody if that breathtaking man was laying his pipe deep in your oil field.”
A storm brews in my chest watching the notifications of a dating app installed on Lennox’s phone ping and ping and ping. Men want her. I told myself I wouldn’t overreact. But listening to Mara and Lennox through one of the bugs I installed at Echelon and hearing her laugh about being set up with strange men snapped me in half.
At just past two a.m., Lennox might be long gone. Already on a date. Already in a man’s bed. The knot in my chest tightens. With just a suggestion of a dating app from Mara, the thing got installed, and now Lennox thinks she can find someone else. Not happening.
“Oh, our families are still uniting,” I say evenly, my gaze flicking to Lennox, who’s standing on the edge of the balcony watching the scene unfold with her jaw dropped. “But I’m not marrying Neve.” Richard barks, “What?” “I’m marrying Lennox.” The room falls silent. Lennox’s eyes widen, her face paling. I grab the nearest glass of champagne and raise it high, a small smile tugging the corner of my lips. “To family, loyalty, and new beginnings.” I turn to Lennox. “So, love, will you marry me?”
“Lennox,” Shane says, his voice softer than I would expect from a man who must be furious. “I returned the rings for Neve and bought you this one. It costs three times as much, but you’re worth ten times what she is. Twenty. No, a hundred times.”
“I’m asking you to marry me. I agreed to marry a Donnelly to keep the empire’s Irish bloodline pure. I’m asking the woman I want to marry me.”
We walk right past Neve, who sulks in a chair, staring at the fiancé she made clear she did not want.
Ugh, she's such a brat.
“Ego and pride are not the same thing. Yes, my ego is bruised because it’s a symbol of power and your sister shit on that. And if all I wanted was a Donnelly wife to get what my family needs from your brother, I’d have looked the other way. Seeing your sister ride her coach’s cock was one of the happiest moments in these past few months. Because I knew in that instant, there was no way your father wouldn’t allow me to take you as my wife instead.”
“I wanted you. I may not have realized it was possible until I got thrust into this whole scheme. But from the minute it was forced on me, I wished it was you.”
The warmth from her stare is like nothing I’ve ever felt. She’s the only woman to ever really see me. For me. The forgotten Quinlan. The last brat. To Lennox, the forgotten Donnelly, I had been everything. But I threw it all away. Thank God, she gave me a second chance.
“This is the paperwork to prove it. It’s your club, Lennox,” he says, placing the sheets in my shaking hands. “The club is fully paid for. No loans, no debts. And I’ve deposited one year’s worth of operating capital into a checking account. In your name and your name only.” Throat dry, I sift through the papers. There’s a deed to the building, a certificate of occupancy, and finally, a bank statement. Lennox Quinlan
“And I have what I really want.” He kisses my knuckles. “You. And this is what I want to give you. A gift you deserve. You worked hard for this, baby.” “And my hours don’t bother you? Be honest,” I whisper. “Do I wish you were home more? Sure.” Shane’s lips capture mine in a heated kiss. “But I’m strong enough to let you have your dreams.”
Luxe. He kisses the back of my head. “A statement of class and elegance. Like my wife.”
“Who are we tracking down, Shane?” “Hawk,” I say firmly and reach into my phone to find a picture of the furball. “Do you mean Havok? The drug dealer?” Rhys shakes raindrops from his cap. “Hawk. My cat.” I show him one of the dozen photos Lennox texted me of him acting cute when I’m not home. “My wife’s cat.” Blade glances at Jett and I catch the subtle twitch of a smirk. Rhys crosses his arms, his eyebrows furrowed. “Shane, you dragged me and my trackers away from protecting our weapons for a cat?” “This isn’t a joke,” I growl, stepping closer. “You find our enemies hiding in sewers and
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I think about Neve and wonder if she’d be welcome here one day. The new club has kept me occupied, and I haven’t thought much about how my sister is getting on since she was caught with her coach. She’s made no attempt to reach out to me.
Ugh, so tired of her bending over backward for a family who doesn't care about her.
His attentiveness has my heart beating a steady rhythm, especially with his hand nestled between my thighs, claiming me as he negotiates with Farrell.
You don’t know what you do to me, Lennox. I thought I’d be getting a spoiled daddy’s girl for a wife. Instead, I got a classy, powerful, gorgeous woman. You own me. Body, soul, and every dark piece in between, my lioness.”
Much different from the dirty game we play in the shower. One time, he barged in on me in the middle of the day after my workout, telling me how he left someone tied up and bleeding because he saw me come home on the security camera and just had to fuck me.
“When I’m not with you, I watch you. At home. At the club. In your car. I’m so fucking proud of you. But you need to be reminded you’re mine. I will claim every inch of you.”
Anger churns inside me. Then something heavier. Guilt. I know why Lennox didn’t tell me. I’ve made it clear where her family stands with me. Neve is still just a kid, I understand that. I should show some grace, be the grown-up, and dismiss her betrayal. But I can’t. Now Lennox is dealing with an emergency on her own because I made it clear I wouldn’t help.
“Sure. Throw your money around.” She lets out a bitter laugh. “You’ve got it all, don’t you? A husband who pays for everything.” It’s annoying to be the target of her every gripe. It takes a lot to hold back the tired response that Shane could have been her husband, but she did everything in her power to throw that opportunity away. She also doesn’t understand what it’s taken for me to pull my life together.
I hate her fucking ungrateful family. Let them rot.
With Neve secure and Dorian protecting me I have nothing to lose. “You can rot in hell.”
Fucking finally!!
