Page 51 of Vows of Ruin

She laughs, soft and wicked.

“Champagne first,” she whispers, her grin full of mischief.

“Then champagne it is.”

I lace our fingers and lead her inside, ready to celebrate the chaos, the love, and everything that’s still to come.

We’re almost to the living room when Margot bounds down the stairs like a cat who knows she’s just knocked something over.

Wrenley narrows her eyes at her. “What are you up to now?”

Margot throws a hand to her chest, mock-offended. “Nothing! God, this place is full of interrogations.”

Wrenley just shakes her head, but I see the suspicious glint in her eyes.

Inside the living room, Doc is already waiting, holding three champagne flutes. “Congrats,” she says, handing one to each of us. “I didn’t really get it when Torque first mentioned this… arrangement. But after what I’ve seen?” She shakes her head, smiling. “I get it now. You both love her in your own way. And she, in her own very Wrenley way, loves you both right back.”

Wrenley wraps her in a tight hug, her voice soft against Doc’s shoulder. “I’m glad you’re here.”

We all take a sip, talking, laughing. Elias makes some snide comment about how this whole night needs to be a holiday. Riot starts ranking wedding moments on a scale of chaos. I catch Max, just beyond the edge of the group, watching Wrenley like she hung the stars.

After a few more minutes, and a few empty bottles of champagne, Max grabs a bottle by the neck. “Alright, I’m off to open another. I’ll see you in the morning, Sparrow.” He leans in, pressing a kiss to her lips that lingers a breath too long to be casual. She beams at him. That smile could punch a hole through my chest.

Once he disappears into the kitchen, Wrenley sets her glass down and grabs my hand, already tugging me toward the stairs.

Wrecker steps into our path, grinning like an idiot, “You. After I towed what was left of the SUV to the garage,” he says, “I found a black bag in the back. Margot said it was yours, I left it on your bed.”

He winks at her, exaggerated. “Not everything survived… but I think the most important piece did.”

Wrenley blushes. Not a subtle one either. Full-on red cheeks, wild grin. She laughs out loud, shamelessly, and damn if I don’t love that sound.

“Thank you,” she tells him, already pulling me past.

I glance down at her, brows raised. “What am I missing?”

She grins up at me like a storm cloud about to break. “You’ll see,” she says, wicked and glowing. “Now follow me.”

Whatever it is, whatever she’s got waiting, I’d follow her anywhere.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Wrenley

The door shuts behind us, sealing us in with the kind of silence that’s charged. I glance at the bed, where the black bag Wrecker mentioned is waiting. A smirk tugs at the corner of my lips.

I look over my shoulder at him, my voice smooth. “Unzip me.”

He doesn’t speak. He doesn’t need to. I hear footsteps behind me, feel the heat of him as he steps in close. His hands start at my hips, slowly trailing up my sides until they reach the zipper at the base of my neck. His fingers skim my spine as he tugs it down, and my dress slips just off one shoulder, revealing the barest hint of skin.

His hands are about to wander again, but I take a deliberate step forward, teasing. “Thank you.”

I snatch the bag from the bed and head into the bathroom, ignoring the amused groan that follows me.

Inside, I peel off the dress and step into what I’ve been waiting to show him since he requested it. Black leather lingerie that hugs me like sin and smoke. Straps wrap my ribs, buckles glint at my hips, and the plunging neckline leaves nothing to the imagination. I pull the pins from my hair, watching it fall around my shoulders, wild and soft. In the mirror, I look like a warning and a promise.

Good. I open the door.

He’s sitting on the edge of the bed, elbows on his knees. The moment he sees me, he straightens, something primitive in him has snapped awake. His jaw tightens. His hands curl into fists on his thighs. I don’t even need to look lower; I can feel the shift in the room like gravity.