by Elle James
“Okay, so I can’t just walk away from it. But we don’t have time for a formal agreement and all the attorneys who should be involved.”
Daniel rested his hands on her arms. “Let me get my shower, and while you’re getting yours, I’ll write up something. We can both sign it and have a bellboy witness it.”
“I think it’s a lot of trouble. I know you are a good man and you wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize my horses. Otherwise, I wouldn’t consider marrying you, even if it is temporary.” She cupped his cheek, rose up on her toes and dared to kiss him. “But thank you for thinking of it.”
Daniel stepped around her, unzipped his suitcase and dragged out a garment bag and his toiletries. “I’ll only be a few minutes.” He entered the bathroom and shut the door behind him.
Megan opened her suitcase, removed the dress she’d packed and stared at it with a critical eye. She hadn’t kept many items from the vast wardrobe her mother had insisted on buying for her on Rodeo Drive in California. But she’d brought a couple of her favorite dresses to Tulsa when she’d packed up and left home.
When she’d stood in the little bedroom in her apartment going through her closet, she’d almost wished she’d brought more. Then she’d found the simple white cocktail dress she’d purchased with her own money on sale in a shop in downtown Tulsa. It had been marked down significantly and looked good on her. The best part about the dress was that she’d bought it with her own money. She hadn’t paid a ridiculous amount, and it fit and looked as good as anything she’d left behind.
She shook out the wrinkles and hung the dress in the closet, trying to ignore the sound of water running in the bathroom. A door separated her from a very naked, very wet Daniel. She didn’t have to use much of her imagination to envision him nude.
On many occasions through the heat of summer at the Lucky C, he’d gone shirtless while he worked on the ranch. His chiseled chest and taut abs glistened with sweat in the sunshine.
For a moment, she leaned her cheek against the bathroom door and closed her eyes. Water would be streaming over his broad shoulders, down his thickly muscled chest and lower. What would it feel like to touch his naked skin, to run her hands over the hard planes of his body?
Her blood burning through her veins, she reached for the doorknob before she realized what she was doing. The cold, hard metal woke her. Her breath hitched and she jerked upright, her eyes wide. Why torture herself? The man wasn’t interested.
Megan left the bedroom and wandered around the suite, counting the minutes until the faucet shut off and Daniel emerged from the shower.
She was standing at the floor-to-ceiling window in the sitting room when a sound behind her alerted her to his presence.
“The shower’s all yours.”
When Megan turned to face him, her stomach fluttered and blood rushed south to her core.
Daniel wore dark trousers and a white shirt open at the neck. He worked the buttons on his sleeves. “Damned buttons weren’t made for big hands.”
Her throat dry, Megan stepped forward. “Let me.” She nudged his hands away, her skin tingling where it brushed against his. She made quick work of the buttons, finding it hard to breathe. With him standing so close, she was surrounded by the potent scent of his aftershave.
“You smell good,” she said and quickly stepped away.
He dug in his pocket and pulled out a bow tie. “You don’t happen to know how to tie one of these, do you?”
She smiled, her heart thudding hard in her chest. She should have told him no and walked away. Instead, she took the tie from his hand and wrapped it around his neck. She was so close to him, their breaths mingled. “I used to tie my father’s neckties.” Her fingers fumbled with the cloth, but managed to knot the tie perfectly.
Almost faint from not daring to breathe while she stood so close, Megan started to back away. Now she really wanted to kiss Daniel.
His hands captured the back of her head. “This is going to be harder than I thought.” Then he bent, his lips crashing down on hers in a bone-melting kiss.
With his tongue he traced the seam of her lips, and she opened to let him in. He swept past her defenses and conquered her, caressing the length of her tongue in smooth, dangerously sensual strokes. One of his hands slid down her back and cupped her bottom, pressing her closer.
Megan leaned into Daniel, the hard ridge beneath the fly of his trousers pressing into her belly. The urge shot through her to rip the bow tie from around his neck and loosen all the buttons of his shirt. Her entire body burned with the need to feel his body against hers.
At last he pushed her to arm’s length and stared down at her with enigmatic brown-black eyes. “You should get your shower.”
Her knees shook as she stepped away from him. Her arms slipped down his chest to fall to her sides. Then she turned and stumbled through the bedroom. She didn’t stop until she was in the bathroom with the door closed between her and Daniel.
Her heart racing, Megan leaned her back against the door and pressed her fist against her pulsing lips. How could this arrangement remain all business when there was nothing businesslike about the way they’d just kissed?
* * *
If Megan hadn’t run when he’d told her to get her shower, Daniel might not have been able to let her go. That kiss had shaken him more than he cared to admit. Dragging in several deep breaths, he forced himself to focus on what needed to be done.
While the shower ran, Daniel found a sheet of hotel stationery and wrote out a statement that, once married to Megan Talbot, he would not retain any rights to her inheritance. He’d have someone witness him signing the paper later. He folded the paper, slipped it into his pocket, grabbed the room key card and left.
He took the elevator down to the lobby and went in search of the concierge. The man at the counter helped him call around to the marriage registration office and nearby wedding chapels to find one that could fit them in for a quickie wedding.
The first one didn’t answer. The second chapel was booked until the following day at two in the afternoon.
The third was booked through the next week, and the fourth had one opening if they could make it there in five minutes. Otherwise they would have to wait until the following morning at nine. Daniel thanked the woman and called the next number the concierge offered.
The receptionist on the other end of the call answered, “This is the Graceland Wedding Chapel. You bring the bride and groom, we provide everything else.”
“Do you have any openings for wedding ceremonies tonight?” Daniel asked.
“Yes, sir. We’re open 24-7.”
“I’d like to make a reservation for an hour from now.”
“I’m afraid we can’t do that,” the receptionist said.
Daniel’s hopes slid into his boots. What the hell? This was the town of gambling, partying and the wedding destination of people wanting to tie a quick knot. So far, things hadn’t gone as smoothly as he would have liked. The near-death experience in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, then the almost failed attempt to secure a hotel room and four calls with no wedding chapel were wearing on him. If he were as superstitious as his ancestors, he would have read it as a sign the wedding wasn’t meant to be.
“We’ve only had one cancellation, sir. The time will be thirty minutes from now, and there might be a wait.”
His heart lightening, Daniel gripped the phone, his optimism returning. “Will it be a long wait?”
“Depends on when our Elvis shows up.”
Daniel ground his teeth at the vagueness of her answer. “How many couples are waiting on him?”
“There are two couples waiting right now.”
Wanting to reach through the phone, throttle and then hug the young woman, Daniel asked for the address, committed it to memory and ended the call.
Daniel entered the elevator. Before the doors could close, two women entered wearing skimpy black dresses and impossible leopard-print stilettos. They giggled and leaned on each other, and they reeked of perfume and alcohol.
“Oh, baby, aren’t you the handsome devil?” the brunette cooed, letting go of her friend to drape herself on Daniel’s arm. “Please tell me you’re in Vegas to have fun.”
He smiled and peeled the woman off his arm. “I’m in Vegas to get married.”
“Oh, well, now. Isn’t that sweet?” the brunette said. No sooner had he untangled himself from her than she wrapped her hands around his arm again. “So you aren’t married yet?”
“Headed in that direction now.” Daniel prayed they’d hurry and stop on the woman’s floor.
“The important item to note is that you aren’t married, yet.” She leaned across and pecked his cheek. “You still have time to back out.”
“I’m not backing out,” he assured her.
The blonde with too much hairspray poofing her hair out at strange distances, took her friend’s arm. “Denise, sweetie, you need to leave this poor man alone. He’s not going out with you when he’s got his own honey waiting for him at the altar.”
“You look good enough to eat. Don’t get married. It only destroys your waistline and makes you bitter.” Denise poked a thumb toward her chest. “Ask me. I know all about crappy marriages. Celebrating my freedom tonight. Ditch the bride and come with us for the night. No regrets. No divorce attorneys.”
Her friend nodded. “Trust her on that one. It can get ugly.”
The elevator bell dinged and the door slid open. “I believe this is your floor.” Daniel held the door open.
“If you change your mind, join us.” Denise gave him her room number and stumbled out of the car.
Daniel was glad when the door closed and continued up to the penthouse. He had no reservations about Megan. In the few short months he’d known her, he’d learned she was trustworthy and had a big heart. Possibly too big a heart, as evidenced with her agreement to marry him only to save a few horses from being sold.
He’d marry her even if he didn’t need the social clout, just to foil her family’s attempt at extortion. What kind of father would threaten to sell the horses his daughter loved just to get her to come home and live by his rules?
The elevator arrived at his floor and he got out, more convinced they were doing the right thing. He swiped his key in the lock and entered.
The sitting room was empty, and he didn’t hear the sound of a shower or blow-dryer. Silence greeted him and made his heart skip several beats before racing to catch up.
“Megan?”
No answer.
Daniel stepped toward the bedroom and came to an abrupt halt.
Megan appeared in the doorway, wearing a white dress that plunged low between her breasts, hugged her waist and hips and then floated out around her thighs to the tops of her pretty knees. She’d pulled her hair up and away from her face, the long strawberry blond tresses cascading down her back in soft, loose curls he wanted to bury his hands in. Her eyes widened, her cheeks flushed and her full, lush lips curved upward in a smile.
“Wow. You look amazing.” Daniel swallowed hard and clenched his fists to keep from reaching out and taking her into his arms. Remaining platonic would be the biggest challenge he’d ever faced when she looked so damned gorgeous and kissable.
Her brows furrowed and her smile slipped as she glanced down at her dress. “Too much?”
He shook his head. “No, you’re perfect.” God, he wanted to pull her close and hold her until his pulse slowed and he could get a grip on the rising passion threatening to overwhelm him. But he knew that if he succumbed to his desire, his pulse wouldn’t slow until he’d stripped her naked and made love to her all night long. Only when he fell into an exhausted sleep would his heartbeat return to anywhere near normal.
Megan touched his arm. “If you’ve had second thoughts, we don’t have to go through with this. My problems aren’t yours. I can figure out something that doesn’t involve you giving up your freedom to save a few horses.”
Daniel nearly groaned. Standing before her, he inhaled the fresh scent of Megan. She had to be nearly naked beneath that dress. All he had to do was pull her into his arms, wrap those legs around his waist and...
He dragged in a deep, fortifying breath and let it out. “Unless you’ve changed your mind, we’re going through with the plan.”
“You just seem so tense.”
A short, hard laugh erupted from his throat. “I promised to keep this arrangement purely business.” He leaned back and raked her with his gaze. “But I’m finding it difficult. Now, if you’re ready, I have the address of the wedding registration office and a chapel. But we have to rush.”
He offered her his arm, bracing himself for that electric jolt he received each time she touched him.
Her hand curled around his elbow, sending that spark of sensations shooting through him, straight to his groin. Yup, keeping this marriage platonic would either prove he was a saint or kill him. Daniel suspected it would kill him. “Let’s go get married.”
Chapter 7
Megan sat in the backseat of the taxi beside Daniel, her heart pounding, her mouth dry and more nervous than she’d been when she’d left home to strike out on her own. Though this was a marriage of convenience, she couldn’t help but feel as though it was a particularly momentous occasion.
After taking them to get their marriage license, the taxi stopped in front of a little white wedding chapel, the blue sign lit up with white neon lights. A smaller sign below had an image of a dancing Elvis Presley painted on it.
Daniel leaned forward. “Are you sure this is the address?”
“Yes, sir. This is the place.”
Megan fought back a giggle at the scowl that settled on Daniel’s face as he paid the taxi driver and he helped her out onto the sidewalk.
“I don’t know,” he said, staring at the dancing Elvis. “This isn’t quite what I had in mind.”
Megan squeezed his hand. “It’s exactly what I had in mind.”
“Are you sure?” He didn’t look convinced.
“Absolutely. It’s Vegas, baby.” She winked. “Lighten up. If the certificate is valid, that’s all that matters.”
Still frowning, Daniel led her into the lobby of the little chapel. Against either wall was a couple seated on a bench. One pair wore black jeans and leather jackets. The young man’s hair was shaved in a Mohawk, and he sported a one-inch gauge in each ear. The woman had piercings in her lip, nose and eyebrow, and her ears were rimmed in studs. Her hair was shaved on one side and long and black on the other.
Megan gulped and shifted her attention to the other couple. They appeared to be in their late forties or early fifties. She wore a short sequined dress and spike heels. The man with her wore a suit and tie.
“We can look elsewhere,” Daniel whispered close to her ear, causing tingles to spread throughout her body.
“No,” she said, her voice breathy. “This will be fine.”
They were met at the front desk by a woman wearing a ’60s miniskirt and go-go boots. Her lips were painted a pale pink and she chewed gum, smacking it loud enough to echo in the room. “Welcome to the Graceland Wedding Chapel. How can I help you?”
Daniel stepped forward. “We want to get married.”
The woman pointed to what appeared to be a menu. “Which package would you like? The Las Vegas Elvis Wedding Package or one of our traditional wedding packages?”
Though afraid to ask, Daniel did. “What’s in the packages?”
Daniel stared at the different options and turned to Megan. “Really, we can go somewhere else.”
Her heart warmed at his concern, and she squeezed his arm. “I love this chapel. It’s quaint and we don’t need much. We could do the basic traditional package.”
At that moment, the Elvis impersonator entered the building, wearing a dark, bedazzled shirt, open down the front. He displayed a significant amount of chest hair. He wore sunglasses and tight black pants. His dark hair was slicked back with the signature lock falling across his forehead.
“Anyone here for a wedding?” he called out and pulled Megan into a bear hug. “How about you two?” He pointed to Daniel. “Is this your hunka-hunka burnin’ love?”
Megan’s cheeks flamed, and she was happy to see Daniel’s turn ruddy. “Yes, he’s my fiancé. But these people were here first.” She glanced at the older couple and the pierced pair.
“Let’s get these weddings rollin’.”
An hour later, Elvis had performed the ceremonies for the older couple and the pierced one.
“If you’ll give me a few minutes, I’ll get out of the Elvis gear and we can perform your ceremony.”
Megan glanced at Daniel. “If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather just get started. No need for the minister to change. Are you okay with that, Daniel?”
Daniel’s brows twisted and he stared hard at her, then sighed. “If you’re okay, I’m okay.”
The receptionist handed a modest bouquet of red and white roses to Daniel and a boutonniere to Megan.
Megan attached the flower to Daniel’s lapel and patted his chest. “It’s going to be okay.”