Alluring Temptation (Bayou Stix #3) (26 page)

T
onight is Clove’s big night. She spent over three hours getting ready earlier, but the benefit is worth it. She looks stunning. The event was originally supposed to be held at Java and Sweeties, but as the RSVP’s started pouring in, the girls quickly realized that it was much too small and Bradi pulled some strings. It’s now being held at the Old State Capitol. It’s dazzling in here and Bradi has it decorated perfectly. It’s the perfect mix of rock, old elegance, and creativity. It’s gorgeous.

We arrived about twenty minutes ago and it’s already packed. People are everywhere and since Baton Rouge is the new Hollywood South there are just as many stars in this room as there are regular people. Bill Condon is mingling over in the crowd and talking to Rich Collins. Harry Connick, Jr is over by the bar and I’m pretty sure I saw Lenny Kravitz talking to Keith Urban when we walked in.

Clove was whisked away a few minutes ago by Bradi because someone was just dying to meet her, so I made my way over to the corner. I’m people watching from a spot where I shouldn’t be bothered. Cruz finds me against the wall, nursing a beer.

He looks around in amazement. “This is some party, huh?”

Shrugging, I say, “Yeah. This is going to be huge. Blue’s connections, Bradi’s brains and marketing, and Clove’s cooking are going to make this thing take off. Not to mention, they’re all fine as hell and men love beautiful women.”

I have a weird feeling tonight and I feel the need to keep looking over my shoulder. It’s really making me nervous. I can’t shake it and I don’t know why.

I see Clove across the room and she’s being stopped every so often as someone wants to talk to her. She’s smiling and talking to everyone, though I can see that she’s starting to look slightly rattled. She’s not used to this.

Nodding towards her, I tell Cruz, “Clove looks scared to death. I’m going to head over there and act as a buffer. She’s not used to this and I think she’s feeling overwhelmed.”

He nods and says he’ll be in the corner unless someone needs him. He’s here to offer his support, but he doesn’t like crowds and he prefers to be alone or in small groups.

I’m heading over Clove’s way when I see a dark head bee lining for her from the other side of the room.

Son of a bitch. How the hell did she get in here? This is invitation only and I know she didn’t make the guest list.

She reaches Clove a split second before I do and I see Clove recoil as her arm is grabbed. Then I see who she’s here with, James Black.
Fuck!!!

James is smiling at Clove. “Hello, Clove. It’s very nice to see you again. This seems like such an exciting time for you. Everyone is abuzz about this website. It’s deemed to be the ‘next big thing.’ I can see why.”

Clove smiles back and looks pointedly at the hand still on her arm. It’s removed and green eyes move over Clove from head to toe in an insulting manner.

I finally reach them through the crowd and pull Clove into me by wrapping my arms around her. She relaxes against my chest and leans her head back to smile at me. Holding my hand out, I introduce myself to James Black. “Hello. I’m Liam. Liam Christianson.”

Chelsee looks from my arm around Clove to the way she’s looking up at me smiling and sneers. “Yes, James. It’s the famous, Liam Christianson. He’s an old
friend
of mine.”

James shakes my hand and says, “I’m a fan of your music. So, you and Clove…”

Chelsee cuts him off and says, “Yes, do tell… You and” she looks at Clove again and clearly dismisses her. “Clove, was it? Like the spice?”

I can feel the tension in Clove’s back and her nails dig into my arms. Looking down at her, I see her smile at Chelsee and then she stands up straight. Looking right into her cold green eyes, she says, “Oh, that’s right, you do know my boyfriend, don’t you?! Sorry, I’d forgotten all about you as I only met you once and it was for like thirty seconds. It is Clove, like the spice. Warm, sweet, aromatic, and not easily forgettable. I’m sorry, I seem to have forgotten your name?!”

Chelsee glares at her and then rakes her gaze over us again. Her eyes stop on my hands. They are resting on Clove’s stomach protectively. They flash and her mouth drops open. “Are you fucking pregnant?” Her voice has risen about five octaves and she shrieks it.

Everyone stops and stares.

Clove starts shaking and some flashbulbs go off.

Fuck this bitch. She is NOT doing this. Not right now, not tonight. Hell no. I can’t let her ruin this night for Clove.

Running my hands over her arms, I’m trying to comfort Clove. I can see Blue and Jessie and Bradi and Micah making their way over to us rapidly.

Clove stands up and stares right at Chelsee. She looks at James and says, “James, I’m so very sorry that your date is so rude. Apparently manners and common decency are not something she was ever taught. I guess a pretty face can never quite hide all the ugly inside.” Chelsee gasps and Clove pins her in place with an icy glare. “You are a rude, trashy, insignificant little woman. You are toxic and I refuse to play with you. Not that it is
any
of your business, but yes, I am pregnant.”

Chelsee looks from me to Clove and then back to me again. “You got someone pregnant, Liam? Is this bitch pregnant for you? Were you fucking her when you fucked me?” She’s screaming at us.

My eyes go black with my rage, but before I can answer, James roughly grabs her arm and pulls her away, calling over his shoulder, “I am so sorry for this woman’s behavior. Please accept my deepest apologies. I will go take care of this and I’ll be back as soon as I am able.” He drags Chelsee away as bulbs flash and people shout questions at his retreating back as he drags Chelsee out the door.

I look down and Clove is looking up at me with horror on her face. Flashbulbs are going off left and right and then questions are now being thrown at us, “Liam, did you get this woman pregnant?”, “Is it true, Liam, are you having a baby?”, “Liam, do you have a comment about the fact that that woman claims you were sleeping with them both and now your girlfriend is pregnant?”, “Did you cheat on your girlfriend, Liam?”

I don’t even know what to say right now. None of that is true, but I can’t speak. I can’t say anything without making Clove or myself look bad. I feel sick and I don’t know what to do or say to make this go away. This was not supposed to happen like this.

If I’m going to have to have someone look like an ass, it’s going to be me. Not her. Never her. I’ll protect her.

I’m opening my mouth to speak when Bradi and Blue are able to break through the crowd. Bradi says, “I’ll never understand the extremes some people go to just to get into a party.” She laughs loudly at her joke. Blue joins in. When all of the cameras are pointing at them and away from us, Blue says, “We want to thank everyone for coming out tonight and let you know all about the things we have planned for Rock With Us. Trust me, you are going to want to tag along. Interviews, behind the scenes info, sneak peeks, and to die for recipes are just the tip of the iceberg. And all this is just in the first installment.”

As people follow Bradi and Blue around the room to the various booths Bradi has set up, I turn to look at Clove. They successfully deflected the attention, but Clove’s face is white and she’s wobbly on her feet. Lexi breaks away from a concerned-looking Jude; Alec and Erik also come forward and take Clove into their arms. She’s enveloped into a giant hug and I immediately feel the void as she steps into their arms and away from me.

Dade is glaring at me and Cruz is looking at Clove in concern. I stand there surrounded by my friends and feel completely alone.

I don’t know what else to do, so I turn on my heel and walk out of the mansion. I head to the levee… No one stops me.

I don’t know how long I’ve been sitting on the bench, staring at the water when I feel someone sit beside me. Turning my head, I see Dade. He’s staring at the lights on the water and his lips are pursed.

Sighing, I say flatly, “You going to punch me now?”

He shakes his head and chuckles. “No. I don’t need to punch you. Figure you’re beating yourself up enough as it is.” He turns to look at me. “You love my sister.”

It’s a statement and not a question, but I feel the need to answer anyway. “Yes. You know I do.”

He drags his shoe along the cement. The sound it makes is the only sound other than river sounds and the sounds of Downtown Baton Rouge. “Then leaving her alone in there was a stupid move, dude.”

I look at him incredulously. “What the fuck, man? They were asking questions that, no matter what I said, were phrased to make her look bad. Either she was going to be an idiot who had a cheating man or an idiot who didn’t know her man was cheating. I didn’t want them to think either of those things about her. She deserves better than that. She went through that once and I’m not doing that to her.”

Dade hits the bench, “Neither of those things is true, Liam. You weren’t with her when you slept with Chelsee. She was already pregnant.”

I whirl on him and I’m pissed. “I know that! Don’t you think I fucking know that?! She’s pregnant and I didn’t get her that way, but I feel like he’s mine! I wish she was pregnant with my baby.
As far as I’m concerned, that is my baby!
She’s the woman I love and she’s pregnant with
our
baby! I don’t give a flying fuck that it’s some stupid asshole’s sperm that got her that way. It’s
MY
baby!”

A gasp comes from over my shoulder. Turning around I see a white faced Clove and a grinning Jude.

I gasp out, “Clove?”

Jude walks her to the bench since her knees seem shaky. Dade gets up and kisses the top of her head before walking away.

It’s just Clove and me.

She looks at me and I can see the indecision on her face.

Walking over to her, I kneel down and take her hands. They are like ice. She stares into my face.

She says, shakily, “You love me?”

Nodding, I respond, “Of course I do. I love you and the baby more than anything, Clove. You heard what I said. I love you. I love the baby. I know he’s not mine, but I want him to be. I want to be his father. I can do it. I want to do it. And as far as anyone is concerned, he
is
mine. You both are.”

She sniffles and her chin drops. Lifting her face with my hands, I cup her cheek. “Do you love me, too?”

She stares at me for a long time, before she bites her lip and nods.

She loves me. Hell fucking yes, she loves me!

I’m just going for it. “I’m sorry about Chelsee. There are a lot of Chelsee’s out there.” She frowns. “I can’t help that. It’s done, and well, I was an ass for a long time. I slept with a lot of women. But, I have to tell you something. That night… the night that she stayed over. She’d never done that before. No one had. I didn’t do overnights. You were in the hospital. I had kissed you in the kitchen earlier and you freaked me the hell out. Suddenly all I could think about was you. That kiss occupied my head, so I got drunk.

When you went to the hospital. I was so scared. I had feelings for you and you scared the shit out of me. I didn’t know what you thought about the kiss and then you were in so much pain.

You wouldn’t get the hell out of my head, Clove. You haunted me.

Chelsee called that night and I let her come over, but as fucked up as it sounds, and it sounds plenty fucked up, I thought about you while I was with her. I was screwing her and seeing you. That freaked me out even more.

No woman has
EVER
occupied my thoughts for longer than it took me to get off. Not ever. And suddenly, there you were. And you were so much
better
than me. Everything about you is good. And I’m not.

Take tonight… I’m not worthy of you, but I love you. And I’m selfish enough to know that because you love me too, I want to keep you. I want us to be a family.

Do you understand what I’m saying?”

She’s looking at me in shock and not saying anything.

Clove

O
h my God… What is he saying? I don’t know what he’s saying. I know what I want him to be saying, but is that what he’s actually saying?

He said he wants me and he wants the baby. He wants the baby to be his. In my heart the baby is already his. I want him to be in our lives.

Can I handle more nights like tonight though? Can I handle having more women like Chelsee say things like that to me?

I want to. I think I can.

But, what exactly is he saying?!

I look down at Liam. He’s on his knees on the cold ground holding my hands and staring up at me like he worships me. But I’m not certain what he’s saying. I need to make sure I understand.

“What are you saying, Liam? I don’t understand.” I inquire.

He smiles at me and my stomach clenches.

As he opens his hand, with the glow from the full moon’s help, I see a gleaming band in the center of his palm. “I know this is fast. I know this is nuts. But it doesn’t feel rushed to me, Clove. You are everything I have ever wanted and nothing I ever imagined I’d actually have. You alone have the power to make my deepest dreams come true. Marry me. Let me be a father to our baby.” His eyes are burning with love… for me. “I’m saying, will you marry me?”