High Stakes (11 page)

The middle-aged man turned his attention to
Liam. “Sir, is there someone specific you’d like have as your witness?”

“The gentleman who was here earlier. John.”

“Of course, I’ll call for him right away.”
He smiled. “Congratulations to both of you. I wish you the best of luck.”

Liam had a feeling they would need it. How
was he going to explain to his daughter that she had a new stepmother she’d
never met, or make his brother and mother understand why he’d felt compelled to
marry a stranger without benefit of a prenuptial agreement?

Alisa looked up at him, her smile slipping.
“Uh-oh, looks like I’m not the only one having a hard time believing we’re
actually doing this.”

He wanted to reassure her, but the words
wouldn’t come until John walked into the room and smiled at them both. Liam
offered Alisa his hand and pulled her into his arms. “I’ve never been more sure
of anything in my life.”

She laid her hand over his heart. “I’m glad
to hear you say that. I was afraid I might be the one left at the altar.” She
rested her head against his chest and he brushed her hair away from her face.

Liam thought of the drinks she’d had
earlier. “Are you sure you’re okay to do this?”

“I have a surprisingly high tolerance for
alcohol.” She tipped her head back to look at him. “I must get that from my
daddy.”

Liam winced at the mention of her father.
Trey Turner would be out for blood when he heard about this. Rightfully so. He’d
just have to tell his future father-in-law what he already knew to be true. He
loved his daughter, and he wanted to spend the rest of his life making her
happy.

“I wish you both the best of luck,” John
said, coming forward to extend his hand to the bride and groom.

Alisa laughed nervously. “Thanks, I’m gonna
need it when my father hears about this.”

John chuckled. “No one could have been
angrier than my father-in-law when he found out about what me and his little
girl had done. But we stayed strong, just like you and Mr. Bryson will, I’m
sure.”

Liam faced adversaries in business every
day, he was used to standing his ground, but he didn’t want his impulsive
decision to impact Alisa’s relationship with her family. That wasn’t fair to
her. “Honey, maybe we need to think about this, talk to your family first.”

Before she could respond, a white-haired
gentleman entered the room. “Well, this is a nice surprise.” He extended his
hand to Liam. “Mr. Bryson, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

The ramifications of his decision began to
hit Liam as he reached for the other man’s hand. He was marrying a woman he
barely knew, risking half of the fortune it had taken him a lifetime to build.
His employees were probably posting about his impending nuptials online right
now, and before long, his little girl, along with the rest of the world, would
know before he had a chance to tell her himself.

“Thank you…” He faltered, something he
rarely did. “I hope we didn’t wake you.”

“No, just settling in for the night. If you’re
ready, we can begin?”

Liam glanced at Alisa. She looked as
nervous as he felt. “Um, I guess we are?”

She nodded as she moved slowly to stand in
front of the fireplace. “Ready when you are.”

He leaned in to whisper in her ear. “We
don’t have to do this, sweetheart. If you’re having any doubts, now would be
the time to say so.”

“You were right when you said sometimes you
just need to follow your heart. That’s what I’m willing to do, for once. If
this is a mistake, we’ll figure it out soon enough.”

Liam felt sick when he realized her mistake
may cost her pride, but his could cost him a few hundred million dollars. But
he was in too deep to back out now. “We’re ready to begin,” he said quietly.

He held Alisa’s hands and stared into her
eyes, but the reverend’s words filtered in and out of his consciousness as he tried
to figure out what made him think this was good idea. He should have let her go
back to Nashville. By Monday morning, he would have been back in his office,
putting out fires, closing deals, and… thinking about her. That’s why he did
this, because he knew the memory of her would haunt him if he didn’t find a way
to pursue this relationship. This may be the most extreme option, but it was
the only way he could think of to ensure she gave this a chance, to figure out
whether their feelings were real.

“Do you, Liam Bryson, take Alisa Turner to
be your lawfully wedded wife…”

Liam closed his eyes. He never thought he’d
hear those words, never expected to love someone enough to promise to love and
care for them for the rest of their days. To put her first, above all else.
Could he really do this?

“Until death do you part?”

“I do.” He was surprised by the conviction
in his voice. The casual observer would think he’d had years to plan and
prepare for this moment, instead of hours.

He waited, holding his breath,
half-expecting Alisa to bail on him at the last moment, but when she quietly
uttered those two magic words, a peace settled over him. They were really doing
this. She was really taking this crazy leap of faith with him.

When the reverend asked for the rings, Liam
produced the platinum and diamond bands he’d selected from the same jewelry
store where he’d bought Alisa’s engagement ring.

She slid the heavy platinum band on his
left hand and looked up at him. She smiled, a breathtaking smile that eased the
tightness in his chest and reassured him that everything was going to be fine,
as long as they stayed true to each other.

“You may kiss your bride.”

He framed her face with his hands as his
lips descended on hers. He felt the same familiar lick of fire she’d ignited
earlier, and the only thought running through his mind was how long it would
take for him to get her upstairs.

When they finally broke apart, the room was
eerily empty and quiet. “Do you want a glass of champagne?”

She pressed her hand to her stomach. “I
better not. I think I’ve had enough as it is.”

He looked at her closely. Her eyes were
glazed, he assumed from the kiss they’d shared, but he wondered with sickening
dread whether the alcohol was a factor in her decision to marry him tonight.
Would she hate him in the morning for taking advantage of her inebriated state
to coerce her into making a commitment for which she wasn’t ready?

“Are you feeling okay, sweetheart? Do you
need to sit down?”

She looped her arms around his neck and
pressed her body against his. “No, I need to lie down… with you.”

He heard the slight slur to her words and
it hit him like a fist to the gut. Why hadn’t he heard it earlier? Had he been
too caught up in his own uncertainty to question her state of mind? “Let’s get
you upstairs.” He led her to the bank of elevators, a steadying arm around her
waist. She was wearing sky-high heels and he wanted to attribute the slight
wobble in her step to her shoes, but he feared there might be more to it than
that.

As soon as they entered his suite, she
kicked her shoes off and reached for the zipper running down the length of her
tight, black, strapless dress. “This is what I’ve been waiting for.”

If she woke him in the morning, regretting
her decision, it would be easier to annul the marriage if they hadn’t consummated
it. He should wait until she was stone-cold sober before taking her to bed, but
as she peeled her dress off and stepped out of it to reveal a silky, red
strapless bra and matching thong, he couldn’t help but reach for her.

“You are so beautiful,” he whispered.

“I want you to make love to me.”

“Alisa, sweetheart…”

“Please, don’t say no. I need you.”

Liam cursed himself for being so weak when
he picked her up and carried her over to the bed. He stood back to admire her
as he took his suit off. “I never thought it would happen for me, especially
not this quickly… I didn’t even think it was possible…” He knew he wasn’t
making any sense, but none of this made sense. Would he feel the same way with
thousands of miles between them or was it the intensity of her scent wrapping around
him, her curves filling his hands that made him believe he was in love with
this woman? He knew only time would tell the story.

“The second I saw you,” she said, lifting
her hair so it fanned out around her head, “I knew you were different. The way you
made me feel…” She braced her foot on his bare chest. “It was so… intense.”

Liam reached into the pocket of his pants
to retrieve the protection he’d stowed there earlier and caught sight of the
heavy band decorating his hand. It fit perfectly, as did hers, as though they’d
been made for them. He never thought he’d be the type of man to wear a wedding
ring, if his day ever came, but he knew he’d never take it off. Unless… No, he
wouldn’t allow himself to go there tonight. Morning would come soon enough, and
it would shed light on their decision. Tonight he wanted to live in this
cocoon, where anything was possible and meddling families weren’t a factor.

He braced his body over hers and trailed
his tongue over the sweet crevices that made her arch into his touch. He loved
how responsive she was, how she reached for him when he would have given her
space. His mouth traveled over her body, from the dip in her collarbone to the
flaming bud of arousal beckoning to him between her silky legs.

He loved her with his mouth, giving
everything he had to give, stroking her with his tongue until she reached
heights she’d never seen before.

“Liam…”

His name was a sob and a plea on her lips
as he allowed her to slowly descend the peak and regain her equilibrium. Her
legs were still trembling from the force of her release as he sheathed himself
and positioned his body above hers. He smiled at her. “You okay, sweetheart?”

She covered her eyes with one hand and
laughed. Her chest was still rising and falling with each breath she forced
into her lungs. “I don’t know.”

He leaned in to kiss her slowly,
worshipping her mouth as he sought to show her without words that he would
always put her needs above his own. “Take as much time as you need, angel. I’m
not going anywhere.”

She threaded her hands through his hair. “I
want you. Now.”

Those were the most gratifying words he’d
ever heard as he slowly, gently, claimed her body. He closed his eyes, trying
to resist his body’s compelling urge to dictate the pace of their lovemaking.
He wanted to savor every second of this, to make it last forever.

“Look at me,” she whispered. “Since the
first second I saw you, I imagined what this would be like. To see you held
hostage by your desire for me. Don’t hold back. Please, I need to see that side
of you. Just let go.”

Her softly spoken words gave him the
freedom to ease the ache that had plagued him since the airplane. As he thrust
into her, harder, faster, deeper, the only thought on his mind was,
God,
this woman was made for me
.
She’s the one. The woman I’ve been waiting
my whole life for.

“Yes…” she whispered, tightening her grasp
on him. “Oh God, yes…” She tipped her head as she pierced his back with her
nails. “Don’t stop.”

As he felt her throbbing around him, he
knew he never wanted to stop. He never wanted this feeling of wild abandon to
end. When he was in bed with her, he wasn’t a single dad or a hotel tycoon or
some woman’s meal ticket. He was Alisa’s husband, her lover, and that’s who he
wanted to be every day from now on…
her husband
.

The force of his release moved through him,
claiming all rational thought about who he was or where they were going. The
only thing that mattered was here, now, and giving her everything he had to
give.

He rolled off of her and pulled her into
his arms. “You’re incredible.”

She giggled. “I think that’s supposed to be
my line.”

He wanted to tell her he loved her, the
words were right there, on the tip of his tongue, but the soft cadence of her
breathing told him she was starting to drift off. He waited a few minutes
before he eased his body out from under her and made his way to the bathroom.

After he disposed of the condom, he leaned
over the sink. He didn’t know what he expected to see in the face staring back
at him… fear… concern… uncertainty? But the grin he couldn’t wipe off his face
told him everything he needed to know; he’d made the best decision of his life
tonight.

Alisa moaned as she pulled the pillow over
her head. A headache was too mild to describe the relentless pounding in her
head, making her neck and eyes ache. Everything hurt. Well, not
everything.
Some parts of her anatomy hummed, and it didn’t take long to figure out why
when she felt the gentle pressure of his arousal against her back.

Oh God.
What had she done? She glanced at her left hand,
praying it was all a bad dream, but the boulder weighing down her ring finger
told her she’d really been stupid enough to marry a man she just met.