Page 30

Reddington

An hour or two drinking with Mark and his friends, and I had news—good and bad. Want to hear?

Good or bad news first? Never mind, who was I kidding? Everyone wanted the bad news first to get it over with.

Bad news: Sherrilyn wanted Jade to join her on the planning committee for a charity event.

Good news: After the event, Mark would discuss where he stood on investing.

So, there you had it. We had an official timeline for when this charade would end, which was enough time for me to make Jade mine in every sense of the word.

“You waiting for me?” A voice startled me, my head snapping as I turned.

Damn. It felt like I was in a boxing ring and turned around only to suffer a blow straight to the stomach, knocking the wind right out of me.

Jade was standing before me in all her stunning glory.

She looked like herself, just a bit glammed up.

The peach dress hugged all of her curves and left little to the imagination with the way you could outline her shape and commit it to memory.

She was average height, no more than five foot five, but when she wore heels they elongated her legs, making it seem like they went on for days, even with the soft fabric of the dress I’d handpicked for her dancing over them.

She was holding her hands in front of her, clutching a purse and fussing, something I’d noticed long ago that she did when she was nervous.

Her dewy skin had light touches of makeup that made her look elegant instead of like she was trying too hard. Jade was a sight to behold.

“You told me to meet you here instead,” I answered pointedly. “Figured I’d listen. This time.” I winked, extending an arm for her to take. “Shall we?” We had a vow renewal to get to after all.

She giggled, and I had to admit, I would have liked it if she did it more often. It was carefree and reminded me that perhaps the walls she had guarding her heart weren’t permanent. Then again, nothing ever was, right?

Out of the blue, her brown eyes met mine, only they weren’t filled with impassioned heat that threatened to incinerate everything in a hundred-mile radius. Rather, they shined with a glimmer of hope and softness I hadn’t yet seen from her. “Such a gentleman, my fiancé.”

That did things to me I couldn’t quite explain.

All the blood felt like it was rushing straight to my cock.

Swallowing, I kept my arm out. “Nothing less for you,” I answered, my voice thick with emotion.

It was necessary that I showed Jade what it was like to be with a man who gave a shit.

In general, but more importantly, about her.

Finally, she took my arm, and I walked us to our seats for the outdoor ceremony. Others were already beginning to show up, their mouths all dropping when they saw the ceremony location.

Don’t think I didn’t notice that Jade hadn’t gaped at the extravagance.

If there was ever a place to be in awe of, it was this one.

The mansion had been built for an heiress a century ago.

It was home to some of the most luxurious and over-the-top parties and affairs known to man.

Now it was one of the most popular and expensive venues of our time.

I had done some fast research before coming here, and supposedly, you had to contact them years in advance if you wanted to get on their waitlist. Yeah, you read that correctly—waitlist.

Jade’s eyes scanned the large floral arrangements decorating the ends of the aisles. “Lots of flowers. Maybe I could’ve worn black.”

“What?” I shook my head, guiding her to her seat before she slipped her arm away from my grip. I immediately felt the chill and wanted to feel her close to me again.

It wasn’t like I could have somehow convinced her that we should hold hands during the ceremony. You know, to keep up appearances. I doubted she’d buy that. Even I thought it was a load of shit.

She brushed me off, waving a hand in the air. “Nothing. So, what did you and Mark have to talk about? Considering you didn’t tell me to pack my things so we could go home, I’m assuming you didn’t talk about the investment.”

I gave her a shaky smile, placing my hand over hers in her lap. Screw it, let Jade say or think what she wanted. I wanted to feel her warmth if only for a second. “Let’s talk about this later, okay?”

Jade opened her mouth but closed it as soon as the violins began playing and Mark showed up, walking up to the front of the aisle.

“Are all vow renewals reminiscent of a wedding?”

I laughed. “No idea, but did you really expect anything less after that welcome sail?”

She shook her head. “Honestly, no. I just can’t see why any of this matters.” She licked her lips.

I nodded. “Not many women are like you, Jade.” And damn if I didn’t love that.