A Man's Promise

by Brenda Jackson

  Caden studied her for a moment, looking beyond the resentment in her features to the happy-go-lucky woman she’d always been. “You’re going to have to learn how to forgive, Shiloh,” he said softly.

  She lifted her chin. “Why? You think that will give you a way back into my life?”

  Caden took a step toward her, closing the distance between them. “Something you simply refuse to acknowledge, Shiloh, is that I am already back in your life. In fact, I never truly left. Even when you wanted to hate me, you couldn’t. There has always been a you and a me, even when there wasn’t supposed to be. I’ve made you a promise that I intend to keep. One day, you’ll believe how sorry I am for all I did and accept that we all make mistakes. I love you and only you. Those other women were just a physical way to purge my pain. You are the only woman I can and will ever love.”

  Shiloh broke eye contact with Caden. The intensity of the gaze boring into her nearly took her breath away. His words had been so profound that it stirred things within her that she hadn’t wanted to feel. But still...

  “I need time, Caden.”

  “No. You need me. Just like I need you. Too much time has been wasted already.”

  And with that said, he reached out and pulled her into his arms.

  * * *

  Shiloh knew she should push him away. She wasn’t ready for this, but when his mouth began feasting on hers, the only thing she could do, the only thing she wanted to do, was enjoy it. The kiss was as natural as snow falling on the mountains in late December and as natural as a hungry man eating for the first time in months.

  Caden had a way of kissing that always filled her with feverish intensity, and it was happening now. Her senses were awakening, and her entire body was responding. She could feel the solid hardness of him pressed against her. She could smell his manly aroma filtering through her nostrils. And more than anything, she was loving the pure taste of him.

  Why was it always this way with him and with no one else? Why was her body, her mind, her entire being so tuned in to him? His kisses were hot, possessive and intoxicating to the point that she felt weak in the knees.

  Then just as suddenly as he had begun kissing her, he stopped. Slowly, he unwrapped his arms from around her and whispered against her damp lips, “I love you, Shiloh. No matter what, always believe that. I’m not going to rush you, but I want you to be sure of me. To be sure of us.”

  And then he headed for the wrought-iron gate that led out toward the parking area on the street. Before opening the gate, he turned and said, “You look simply radiant tonight, Shiloh, and you have a nice shop that I know will do well. I’m very proud of you.”

  Then he was gone. She moved toward the gate to watch him walk down the brick walkway to the street. The lights that lined the streets shone on him and his muscular form. He walked like a man sure of himself. A man who’d had tough times in his life but who was determined to survive, and he had.

  That kiss had been everything she remembered a Caden Granger kiss could be. Four years hadn’t changed the impact he had on her. Again, he had brought up that promise tonight. She of all people knew that Caden didn’t make promises lightly, but she wasn’t sure she was ready to let him back into her life.

  Breathing in the cool night air, she felt a chill go through her body, and she wrapped her arms around her sleeveless dress, feeling the change in the weather. She watched Caden cross the street to his car, and she was about to turn around to go back inside when she noticed a car pulling out behind a parked car.

  Suddenly the car accelerated and picked up speed. Her breath caught when she saw that the car was headed straight toward Caden. It brought back terrible memories of the night she’d been hit.

  She screamed Caden’s name, and he snapped his head around and looked back. The car’s headlights must have blinded him, because instead of getting out of the way, he stood there as if frozen in place.

  Then she watched as someone appeared out of nowhere and pushed Caden out of the way, forcing both men to the ground to roll out of the car’s path. The speeding car had come within inches of hitting them both, and the driver had kept on going.

  Shiloh began running toward Caden as fast as she could, ignoring the fact that the length of her dress made movement difficult. She almost lost a shoe, but she didn’t care. When she reached the two men sprawled on the ground, the huge hulk of a man who had pushed Caden out of the way was pulling himself up off the ground and hauling Caden up with him. Both were breathing hard as if they’d run a marathon.

  “Are the two of you all right?” she asked in a frantic tone when she reached them. The big guy moved aside as she took a good look at Caden. His jacket was ripped, dirt was smeared on his pants, and he was flexing his fingers. He must have fallen on his hand.

  She moved toward Caden, and his gaze met hers. She reached for him, and he drew her into his arms. Her body was shaking, trembling, and he tightened his arms around her. She buried her face in his chest, trying to stop her body from quaking.

  Breathing deeply a few times to pull herself together, she finally lifted her head and gazed up at him. “You could have been killed,” she said in a quivering voice. “I can’t believe what that driver did. He must have been drunk. I—”

  Shiloh never finished, because Caden lowered his mouth and kissed her. At that moment she wasn’t sure who needed it most. When she’d seen that speeding car headed toward him, she had stopped breathing. She suddenly realized how close she’d come to losing him. Had that car hit him, there was no way he would have survived the impact. That realization had her shaking to the core, returning his kiss with all the fiery desire of her own.

  The clearing of a throat had them breaking apart to glance at the man whom they’d forgotten all about. The man who had saved Caden’s life by moving quickly and pushing him out the path of the speeding car.

  “I take it you’re okay,” the man said, smiling and brushing dirt from his jeans. Like Caden’s, his jacket was ripped, and Shiloh noticed the scrape on the side of his face. He was huge, taller than Caden, and she figured he stood at least six-six. He looked to be in his early thirties and, judging from his physique, she would say that he was definitely into bodybuilding. He was all muscle.

  “Yes, I’m fine, thanks to you,” Caden answered. “I never saw that car coming. The man must have had too many drinks and plowed down on the accelerator by mistake.”

  The man nodded. “Yes, he must have. My name is Striker, by the way,” he said, offering Caden his hand. “But people call me Lucky Strike.”

  Caden chuckled. “Well, Lucky Strike, you definitely brought me luck tonight. Where did you come from? When I was crossing to my car, I swear I didn’t see another soul out tonight.”

  “I was taking a walk,” the man said easily. “Right over there,” he said, pointing to the sidewalk shaded by large trees. “I had stopped to make a call on my cell phone, and that’s when I saw that car speeding toward you. I knew I had to move quickly.”

  “And you did, thank God. Like I said, you saved my life.”

  Just like your dad saved mine, Lamar “Striker” Jennings thought, gazing at Caden. Yes, this was definitely Shep’s son. He looked just like him. Striker recalled seeing Caden a few times when he had come to visit his dad in prison a few years ago. That was before Shep was transferred to Delvers. He doubted Caden remembered him, and that was a good thing. Otherwise, his cover would have been blown.

  “I think you guys had a rough time of it tonight. Would you like coffee or wine or something to eat? I definitely have a lot of everything,” Shiloh said, breaking into Striker’s thoughts. “And you have a bruise on the side of your face, Striker. Please, let me take a look at it.”

  “Thanks for the offer, but I need to move on,” Striker said quickly. He was ready to blend back into the darkness from where he’d come. And he needed to report this incident to Roland. Unlike what Granger and the woman thought, that car had intentionally tried to plow Granger down. “I still
need to make that phone call, but thanks anyway. Have a good night.” He looked at Caden. “And you, my man, stay safe.” And then he was gone.

  Neither Shiloh nor Caden said anything for a minute as they stood there staring at each other. And then Caden reached out and pulled her into his arms, holding her tight before brushing a kiss across her lips. “Does that offer for coffee, wine or food still stand?”

  Shiloh nodded and, taking his hand, led him back across the street.

  * * *

  Dalton entered his condo, placed his jacket across the back of a chair and headed for the refrigerator for a beer. He had gone back to that nightclub again thinking he would run into his mystery lady but no such luck. He shouldn’t get impatient, but he was.

  The private investigator he’d hired had explained that he would need to wrap up another case before starting on Dalton’s request, and Dalton had assured the man that that was fine. But what Dalton hadn’t counted on was his nightly dreams of the mystery woman. Damn, even her scent was embedded deep in his head. The woman was messing with his love life—he hadn’t been attracted to another woman since meeting her.

  He was about to take another swallow of beer when his cell phone rang. He recognized the ringtone. It was Lady Victoria Bowman calling him from England. Because of the time difference, her day was just getting started while his was winding down.

  He smiled, thinking of the relationship he and Victoria shared. They were friends with benefits and had been for a few years. She was twenty years older than he was, but she’d kept up with him in the bedroom. Hell, sometimes it was him keeping up with her. It hadn’t mattered to him that for years he’d been considered Victoria’s boy toy. He had enjoyed her company, and she had enjoyed his...both in and out of the bedroom.

  “Victoria, how are you?” he asked, walking out of the kitchen to take a seat on the living-room sofa, stretching his legs out in front of him. It had been weeks since he’d spoken to her.

  “I’m fine. I have some news to share with you.”

  “And what news is that?”

  “I’ve decided to marry Sir Isaac.”

  Dalton didn’t say anything for a minute. The last time they’d talked, she’d said Sir Isaac had proposed. He was happy for Victoria. Her first husband had done a job on her, and she deserved better. Dalton believed Sir Isaac would do right by her. And he knew the reason she was calling was because she wanted to do right by him. That meant she was letting Dalton know their stint as occasional lovers was over.

  “I’m happy for you, Victoria. I think Sir Isaac is just the man you need.” The man was older, and he was extremely wealthy. The latter meant he would be able to keep Victoria in the lavish lifestyle she was used to.

  “I’m going to miss you, Dalton.”

  “I’m going to miss you, too. We had some good times, and I will always consider you a special friend,” Dalton said.

  “I told Sir Isaac about you, although I didn’t have to. He’s heard about our affairs.”

  Dalton chuckled. “I’m sure he has.”

  “He has made one stipulation.”

  Dalton nodded. “Let me guess. He doesn’t want me messing around with his wife.”

  “Do you blame him?”

  “No. You should have told him I don’t do wives. When we started our affair, you were free from that asshole you’d been married to, so, technically, you were not anyone’s wife at the time.”

  “I told him, but people talk. If we’re seen together they’ll speculate. They’ll start nasty rumors.”

  “To hell with them all—but I understand. Sir Isaac does not want our paths to cross.”

  “Yes, that’s what he wants.”

  “And you should give your future husband what he wants. He will be good to you, and you should be good to him. I want only the best for you, Victoria.”

  “I know, and that’s what makes this so hard. But I believe one day a special lady will come into your life and—”

  “If you say you think I’ll fall in love, then I will hang up on you, here and now. I enjoy women. I sleep with them. I don’t marry them.”

  “Some woman is going to make you sing a different song, Dalton.”

  “Not in this universe.”

  Wanting to change the subject, he brought her up to date on everything that had happened since their last conversation over a month ago, including the attempted kidnapping and murder of Jace. They talked for a half hour longer while she gave him all the English gossip. He didn’t miss Europe as much as he’d thought he would and he enjoyed being here with his brothers, although they let him know when he was getting to be a pain.

  He smiled. They complained and they cussed, but they loved him as he loved them.

  “Dalton?”

  “Yes, Victoria?”

  “Have you told your brothers everything? About the work you did for your government while living over here?”

  “No. That’s something they never need to know about. Finding out I was a billionaire was bad enough. Finding out about my involvement with the United Security Network would blow their minds. Besides, I was only in it for a couple of years, and it’s a time I honestly prefer to forget.”

  “Sorry I brought it up.”

  “No problem. You were the only person I could talk to about the USN, but now it is over.”

  “Dalton, I’m going to have to go now. I’m meeting Isaac this morning and we are off to attend a polo match. Just so you know, the wedding will take place in November.” She paused a moment and then said, “It will be a private affair.”

  He chuckled. “In other words, don’t expect an invitation, right?”

  She laughed. “Right. It would be rather awkward.”

  “Yes, I guess it would be. I want you to be happy, Victoria.”

  “And I will be. You’ve been a good friend, Dalton. You were always there when I needed one. I’ll never forget you.”

  “Nor I you.”

  “Goodbye, Dalton.”

  “Goodbye, Victoria.”

  He clicked off the phone knowing that the one woman he could always depend on would no longer be a part of his life.

  Twenty

  Shiloh led Caden back into the courtyard, and that was when he noticed the side elevator hidden behind a huge security gate. He’d learned that her home was located right above her business, and this elevator would have been convenient for moving things up and down.

  “It won’t take long for the coffee to brew, and while we’re waiting, I want to take a look at your hand,” Shiloh said when the elevator door closed behind them. It stopped on the third floor.

  He followed her off the elevator and they stepped into a spacious hall with two doors. She moved toward the first door, unlocked it and went inside.

  “You have another tenant on this floor?” he asked, nodding toward the other door.

  “No, it’s an extra room that I can use for expansion if I choose. Right now, I use it for extra storage.”

  He nodded, then glanced around her home. He breathed in and thought it smelled nice.

  He immediately felt that the place suited her. The living room was huge, and the balcony overlooked the courtyard below. Her walls were painted a canary-yellow that made the entire place appear bright and cheerful—just like the Shiloh he remembered.

  She had a large eat-in kitchen, and he watched as she moved to turn the coffee on, then she disappeared through a hallway.

  Shiloh had always loved flowers, so it didn’t surprise him that the fabric on her sofa was a floral print. And he noticed the roses he’d sent her almost two weeks ago were sitting in the middle of her coffee table. He was surprised they’d lasted this long. And even more surprised that she’d kept them.

  “Okay, have a seat so I can take a look at your hand,” she said, coming back into the room carrying a first-aid kit.

  He removed his jacket before sitting down on the sofa. She sat beside him and took his hand in hers. And that was when he looked at his hand for the
first time—a couple of fingers were bruised, but he didn’t think anything was broken.

  She used a swab to apply disinfectant to the abrasions, and it stung like hell, but he wasn’t about to tell her that. Just the thought of her holding his hand and tending to it meant everything to him. Her touch was gentle, and she was taking her time with what she was doing.

  She was also quiet, so he followed suit and figured when it was time to talk, they would. Her hands were trembling somewhat, which meant she was probably still shaken by what she had just witnessed. When she’d screamed out his name and he had looked up to see that car bearing down on him, he’d been like a deer caught in the headlights.

  He was convinced that if that man had not knocked him out of the way—risking his own life while doing so—he would probably be dead. Too bad there hadn’t been enough time to get the car’s license-plate number.

  He looked around as Shiloh continued to administer first aid to his fingers. He imagined she spent a lot of her time here, reading, cooking and knitting. At least she used to knit, and he wondered if she still did. He certainly had received a lot of knitted items from her over the years, even when they weren’t supposed to have any contact. A knitted cap or mittens would always find their way into his school backpack.

  He glanced down when he felt something moist on his hand and realized they were tears. She was crying. “Shiloh?”

  She started to get up, and he reached out and stopped her, tugging her back down and gently pulling her into his arms. “Don’t cry, Shiloh. Everything is okay.”

  She pulled back and shook her head as her tears continued to fall. “No, everything is not okay. When I think about what could have happened to you tonight, I—”

  “But it didn’t,” he said softly, trying to calm her.

  “But it could have,” she countered in a voice filled with emotion. She pushed back and looked up at him. “I saw that car coming toward you, Caden. That guy was drunk and shouldn’t be behind the wheel of any car. You were lucky. He’s not safe and should not be on the road tonight. We should call the police.”