London Dynasty (The Dynasties #1) - Geneva Lee Page 0,69

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