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“Are you sure you want to do this?” Deke whispered in his ear.

On the other side of Luc, Sadie, dressed in ice blue, shushed him.

Yes and no. He was still thrilled about the baby, but standing beside the justice of the peace as Alyssa walked to him through the hush, it hit him that, as husband and wife, they weren’t going to have to merely treat each other with civility, as she’d demanded. They must also get along day in and day out. Balance lives. Find common ground. Get accustomed to sharing space and priorities and feelings. Become good spouses and parents. To make this work, they would have to build trust.

Could they do that with a marriage based on a big lie? He swallowed.

On the groom’s side of the room, in the front row, his parents sat, still holding hands after nearly forty years together, looking uncertain. They’d both talked to him about commitment, compromise, honesty, and communication. He and Alyssa might be committing, but so far, they sucked at the other three virtues.

When he’d called to tell his parents that he was getting married in six days, he’d leveled with them about his reasons. Since yesterday, his mother had tried to talk him out of this—twice. He hadn’t budged. Now, somehow, he had to make this work.

“I’m good,” he whispered back to Deke.

Behind Luc’s parents sat his sisters and their families, a handful of aunts, uncles, and cousins, Deke’s wife, Kimber, along with her brothers, Logan and Hunter, a few of Luc’s close friends and colleagues. His side of the room was full to bursting, and he could have invited more. Alyssa’s side was virtually empty.

Tyler sat in the second row, scowling as if he’d like to kill someone. Why the man hadn’t tried to stop this wedding, demanded parental rights, or even a paternity test, puzzled Luc. Maybe Alyssa had asked him to step aside, and Tyler’s pride kept him from fighting for her. Even so, Luc wasn’t sure how the guy was restraining himself. He wouldn’t. Then again, maybe Tyler hadn’t wanted to shoulder the responsibility for his baby.

Jack and Morgan Cole sat behind the bouncer. Some of the other dancers and restaurant staff were scattered in various rows, dressed in their Sunday best. The first row, usually reserved for family, sat empty.

Until now, he hadn’t thought to wonder if her family would be coming. The fact none had made him hurt for her. At the hospital after Alyssa’s attack, Tyler had claimed she had no family. Seriously? Not one single blood relation who cared enough to see her on her wedding day?

Luc rolled his shoulders and stared at his bride. God, that sounded odd. But she actually looked bridal, hair upswept, pearls dangling at her ears, sheer tulle trimmed in sparkling beads falling softly down her back, to her hips. Her dress was simple. Cap sleeves clung to her shoulders. A V-neck hinted at cleavage, and the ruched silk cupped her generous breasts. Sparse beading encircled her small waist. The rest of the gown cascaded down to her feet in a gentle fall, a very short train behind her. In trembling hands, she carried a small bouquet of baby red roses that matched her lipstick.

Besides beautiful, Alyssa looked pale and scared. Luc clenched his jaw, resolving to do his best to put the lies behind them and be good to her. She had given him a gift he’d never expected. Despite the enormity of her deception—and his—a part of him still loved her.

As Alyssa neared, he held out his hand to her. She stared, her blue eyes pale, red-rimmed, and swollen. She hadn’t slept and she’d been crying. Clearly, second thoughts tortured her. Or was that guilt? Everything inside him tensed.

Luc forced himself to smile. She took a breath, finally putting her cold hand in his. Her gaze asked what her lips couldn’t in front of all these people: Why did he want to marry her?

Answering was pointless. The truth would serve no purpose except to expose his humiliation, tear them apart, and send her to back to Tyler’s arms. He’d bear the secret. And if the child emerged looking like her bouncer . . . Luc clenched his fist. Nothing to do but cross that bridge then. The best strategy now was to calm his bride and be good to her for the rest of their lives.

Beautiful,
he mouthed to her. A smile wobbled across her face.

Then the justice of the peace began the ceremony. The words were short, a blur. He responded when prompted. Alyssa did the same, her voice thin and high and shaking.

Then came time for the rings.

He held out his hand toward Deke, who leaned in and whispered, “You really sure, man?”

Luc merely wiggled his fingers impatiently. With a sigh, his cousin set the ring in the middle of his palm. Then he turned to Alyssa and began to slide it on her finger as he recited his vows.

Love. Honor. Cherish. Until death. Could they make it work?

As she looked down at the ring, she gasped. And he smiled.

Earlier in the week, she’d asked him if he wanted one. He’d said a band would be fine. Apparently, she’d assumed he’d get her the same. But when he’d gone to return Emily’s ring and find something else, this had caught his eye. Three stones meant to represent their past, present, and future. He’d seen it as their new family. The middle gem was nearly two carats, the stones on either side a carat on their own. Set in platinum. No baguettes, no channel setting, no filigree. Simple sparkling splendor. So Alyssa.

“Do you like it?” he whispered.

Eyes wide, she nodded. A stupidly pleased feeling slid through his gut. This marriage might be a train wreck down the road, but this made her feel special. For now it was enough.

Then the justice of the peace prompted Alyssa. Still shaking, she slipped a ring on his finger, a brushed platinum band. Stylish but not fussy—exactly what he would have chosen for himself.

“With this ring”—she swallowed—“I thee wed. To love, honor, and cherish from this day forward, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others until death parts us.”

Alyssa took a deep breath and met his gaze. Her usually self-assured expression was gone. She looked shaken, anxious. Was she worried he’d discover her lie?

Tamping down the ironic smile, he took her hands in his at the justice’s prompting. The older man paused and sent him a weighty stare.

“Kiss your bride.”

Now,
this
was something he’d been waiting for since she’d suddenly reappeared in his life last Saturday. Since that moment, they’d talked wedding details by phone and e-mail, the tone infuriatingly businesslike. Earlier this week, he’d had to take a damn PR trip to New York and hadn’t returned to Lafayette until yesterday. The simple ceremony hadn’t required a rehearsal, so he’d arranged a quiet dinner with his parents last night so they could meet her. He hadn’t been alone with Alyssa for a single minute this week. He hadn’t touched her since that disastrous night in her bedroom above the club.

He was dying to kiss her.

Luc cupped her face and leaned in. Alyssa clamped her hands around his waist, as if he were her anchor, and waited, breathless. Slowly, he pressed his lips to hers. Soft, a brush. A shared sigh. He lingered, slanting his mouth over hers again, a firmer press. Hunger crashed through him, sharp, fresh, demanding. Beneath him, Alyssa went pliant and opened to him. Luc was so tempted to sink deep into her, drown, guests be damned.

Later
. Now was about their first kiss as husband and wife with family and friends looking on. Later, she’d understand exactly what he wanted from her and how badly he wanted it.

After savoring the meeting of their mouths a moment more, Luc eased back and stared down into her flushed, golden face. She sent him a nervous, tentative smile.

“Ladies and gentleman,” the justice said. “Mr. and Mrs. Lucas Traverson.”

Their guests politely clapped as the couple walked back down the aisle. Jack Cole reached out to shake his hand. Kimber kissed his cheek, whispering, “Be happy.” Sadie hugged Alyssa. Tyler still scowled.

The photographer, a friend of Luc’s, awaited them. He snapped a few pictures, posed them close together. Something greedy leapt inside Luc when the man suggested they kiss again so he could get a shot.

Restraining himself this time proved more difficult. The first taste had merely whetted his appetite, made the hungry beast inside him roar to life. Whatever lay between them, this—touching her— was always gripping and exquisite. To have the right to do it whenever he wished was heady.

The rest of the luncheon passed in quiet festivity. They cut the cake he’d made early this morning. Simple and all white fondant with beads of frosting decorating the edge of each of the three stacked tiers. White ribbons of fondant ran along the sides, so it resembled an elegant package. Fresh flowers circled the cake on the pristine white tablecloth.

He and Alyssa hadn’t talked specifics after he’d volunteered to handle this part of the reception. Now Luc was oddly nervous that she’d had something else in mind.

“You made this?” Her voice was barely more than a whisper. “It’s gorgeous.”

“Amaretto with Swiss buttercream filling. I hope you like it.”

Together they cut the cake, and flashbulbs went off. Gently, he fed her a piece and she moaned, to his satisfaction. Then, with shaking fingers, she fed him as well. The desire inside him surged, tearing at his restraint.

Luc was still grappling for self-control when Deke rose and toasted them. “After one of the most inauspicious meetings, you’ve elected to share a future that I hope will be filled with love and all the best life has to offer. Congratulations.”

Holding her sparkling water, Alyssa leaned to him. “He couldn’t possibly have written that on his own.”

Luc laughed for the first time today. “I’m sure Kimber helped.”

Then Sadie rose to make her own toast. “To a great boss, friend, and human being, who’s always there for her employees, whether that’s lending a shoulder to cry on or a helping hand. You deserve great happiness. Luc, I haven’t known you long, but I’m hoping you’ll be a strong, positive force in her life and will love her as she is. To a long and happy life together.”

Moments later, the soft instrumental music he’d chosen sounded over the restaurant’s speakers. Luc rose and extended his hand to Alyssa. She bounced a surprised gaze up to him.

“Dance?”

She bit her lip, then stood. The guests were dead silent as they watched him take her in his arms. She felt good against him, too good. Hunger kicked up another notch, and Luc buried his face in her neck. Her peaches and cinnamon scent mixed with a light perfume, driving him mad with the need to hold her, strip her, take her.

“I thought the ceremony was lovely,” she murmured. “I’m sorry . . . I’m sure your parents would have preferred a fancier wedding.”

One that wasn’t rushed, in which the bride wasn’t a pregnant stripper—Luc heard regret in her voice. He lifted her chin with his finger. “They want whatever makes me happy. Proposing was my choice, and I don’t regret it. Sadie wants us to have a long and happy life together. Let’s start it by looking forward, not back.”

LUC’S earlier words on the dance floor echoed in her head. Could they really look forward without the past coming back to haunt them?

“What am I doing?” Alyssa asked aloud as Sadie helped her out of her wedding gown in Bonheur’s bathroom.

“You asked me this question when you were putting on your wedding dress earlier. The answer is still the same.”

“I know I’m providing a more stable home for this baby.” She sighed into her hands, regret crashing through her. “But I’m going to fall for Luc completely and utterly, and I’ll never be more to him than the great lay whose egg happened to meet his sperm.”

“You don’t know that. When he looks at you, I see something more.”

“Annoyance?”

She knew that wasn’t true, but she didn’t understand why he’d married her. She’d been perfectly willing to allow him whatever parental rights he wanted. Luc had given her some reasons for the wedding . . . but they all benefited her. What was in it for him?

And the uncertainty on his parents’ faces concerned her. It wasn’t disapproval . . . yet. But what if that came? What if her job, her life, her past, became a bone of contention between Luc and his family? Or between Luc and herself? There was a whole lot about her he didn’t know. And God willing, he never would.

Sadie shook her head. “Annoyance, no. Serious lust, totally. But I think it’s even more.”

Alyssa was afraid to hope that Luc had genuine feelings for her. Pushing it aside, she stepped out of her wedding dress, then turned her back to Sadie. “Can you take this off?”

Her friend hesitated. “No. That white corset is hot! You’ll knock Luc dead with it.”

Biting her lip, Alyssa wondered if that was a good thing. She’d tasted the desire in his kiss, felt a surge of her own. Hell, she did whenever he was in the same room. In the same zip code. But they had to start building their marriage on something more than sex and the coming child. They couldn’t do that if he kept seeing her as a stripper.