Brandon nearly fell over trying to get on his feet. Swearing, he stormed out.
Savage took Lana’s chair, his thigh brushing Seychelle’s. “Hi, ladies, I thought I’d join my fiancée for tea this afternoon. As always, when she’s away from me, she gets herself in a little bit of trouble.”
“Fake fiancée,” Seychelle corrected. Her phone vibrated in her pocket and she took it out automatically, glancing down at it. You are in such trouble.
That’s a shocker. It took a hot minute to type that reply back when she really wanted to laugh. He looked so relaxed and at ease sitting there with the women around him. He was dressed in his jeans and boots, his tight tee and vest with his colors, looking hotter than hell. How did he do that? So sexy. And he’d left his meeting to come see her. To reassure her. He also hadn’t left her alone the way she needed. Maybe she should just kick him under the table.
“Ah yes, you did forget something this morning when you left so fast with Lana, didn’t you, baby?” Savage said. He picked up her left hand and displayed her bare finger to the women at the table. “Looks a little naked to me. What do you think, Inez?”
“Definitely naked,” Inez agreed.
Seychelle tried to pull her hand away. “Don’t encourage him.” He was up to something. She wasn’t going to like it, she could tell. This was retaliation. Big-time.
Savage pushed a ring onto her finger. It glided on as if made for her. As if it had been on her finger a thousand times and fit perfectly. She tried not to look at it, but she couldn’t help it. She didn’t know a lot about jewelry or diamonds, but she did know when something was incredibly beautiful. The center stone was a fancy oval-shaped vivid teal-blue diamond. It nearly took her breath away, it was so beautiful. Small petals made of sparkling diamonds wrapped around the center stone like a flower, so they would lay on her finger perfectly.
A collective gasp went up around the table. Seychelle just stared at the ring, almost uncomprehending. She lifted her lashes and looked up at Savage, unable to think what to say. She couldn’t embarrass him in front of everyone and say no, she wouldn’t marry him, but she didn’t know how to feel. What to feel. She loved him more than she loved anyone. Herself.
She knew why he’d put the ring on her finger. It was so beautiful. It sat there, weighing on her, making her feel as if she was his, just the way he wanted her to feel, although she didn’t need the ring. Just being in his company did that. Breathing him in made her feel as if she belonged with Savage. It wasn’t the ring, no matter how much she wanted to blame it on the ring.
“You left home without your engagement ring?” Rebecca asked. Her voice trembled and her fingers shook as she placed them protectively over her wedding rings and rolled them back and forth soothingly. “You took it off?” She made it sound as if that would be a sacrilege.
Savage put his hand over Seychelle’s. “I like to tease her, but no, she didn’t leave home without it. Seychelle would never do that. This is the first time she’s ever seen it. I asked her to marry me some time ago, but the ring wasn’t made, so she called me her fake fiancé. That’s been a running joke between us. Ice finished it and gave it to me, so I brought it right away. I thought you ladies might enjoy seeing it as well.”
“Seychelle.” Doris whispered her name. “Let me see it, child. Ice made it. He’s so famous too.” She looked up as Sabelia came up to the table, carrying a tray with several teapots on it. “Sabelia, look. Savage and Seychelle are official. He isn’t her fake fiancé anymore.”
“Congratulations, Savage, you actually pulled it off,” Sabelia said as she put the teapots on the table. “The ring is beautiful, Seychelle.” She admired it for a long moment, then flashed Savage a grin. “You do have good taste. That was very intense, the scene with Campbell. He’s brought that girl in here more than once. He’s got a dark aura surrounding him.”
Savage sighed as the women began to pour tea into their cups. “Sabelia, do you think I could get a cup of coffee?”
“Your aura is as dark as they come,” Sabelia volunteered. “With a great deal of red swirling around in it. Wouldn’t want to try to figure you out. I’ll be right back with the pastries.”
“And my coffee,” Savage added.
Doris laughed. “I forgot you think tea is poison, Savage. He believes we’re trying to do him in with tea, ladies.”