He wasn’t going to go through this again. He’d made his decision. Besides, he would keep her from getting hurt. There was no way he’d let his family drag Lucia into this. He would give them the money and he would force an apology out of Daniel—let him know that he and his family finally had the upper hand. And that would be it.
He and Lucia would go their separate ways once the money was handed over and his battle would be over. He would be free. And Lucia? Well, she would have her dream business, her very own fashion line.
Win-win.
The harried clerk behind the counter called out his name. He was up.
* * * *
Hours had passed and Ryan found it hard to believe that Lucia could still be where he’d left her but there she was, looking far too gorgeous as she leaned back in her seat and studied her hand.
God, she was beautiful. And she was about to become his wife.
He nearly burst out in hysterical laughter for the millionth time that day. What the hell was he doing?
He studied her as she studied her cards. Her expression gave nothing away but the stack of chips in front of her was a clear sign that she’d been having a successful night. Was there anything this woman couldn’t do?
Well, waitressing. But other than that.
The woman sitting at that card table was a force of nature. From the moment she’d entered his life, she’d been a source of energy and passion. A vivid, sparkling ball of energy in his otherwise gray and bleak world.
And he got to marry her and share in her ridiculous wealth.
Of all the bars in all the cities…. Ryan was sure as hell glad she’d walked into his.
She won the hand and Ryan was pretty sure the sun came out in the casino as her smile of elation lit up the room. She spotted him then as she leaned over to collect her winnings and his heart threatened to burst out of his rib cage as the full force of her smile hit him in the gut.
He was in over his head.
Shaking off that thought, he moved to her side and glared at two men who were openly ogling her ass as she leaned over.
He helped her gather up the chips and as soon as they walked away from the table and out of earshot, he said, “Jesus, Lucia. How much money did you win?”
She laughed at that and it sounded absurdly bright and innocent considering they were in a casino in Vegas in the middle of the night.
“That’s just from the last hour,” she said.
He turned to face her. “Did you cash out the rest already?”
Her lips puckered up in an impish grin. “You could say that.”
With that cryptic statement, she led the way toward the main hallway that connected the casino to the hotel.
“Where are we going?”
A hotel employee was waiting at a doorway and his face lit up when he caught sight of Lucia. She waved to the young man, who looked smitten.
“Friend of yours?” he muttered.
“Alfie has been kind enough to help me with the planning,” she said. “Isn’t that right, Alfie?”
Alfie bore a striking resemblance to an overeager puppy as he all but panted with joy at Lucia’s praise. “I try, Lucy.”
Lucy?
“Planning….what?” he asked.
At that, Alfie opened the door he’d been blocking. Ryan and Lucia walked into the room….and into their wedding.
“You have got to be kidding me.” The words slipped out under his breath as he took in the garish room which was covered in flowers and streamers and more glitter than he’d ever thought possible. But the kicker of it all….the feature that made him certain he was dreaming….was Elvis.
“You hired an Elvis impersonator?” It was a stupid question. A rhetorical question. Because there, right in front of him, was the King himself, in all his opulent, rhinestoned glory.
Lucia was beaming up at him. “He’s great, right?”
“Great,” he repeated, more out of shock than in agreement. “And the, uh…” He gestured around him at the sparkling chaos. “This was all you?”
“Oh no,” Lucia said with a laugh. “The disco ball and shag carpeting were already here. Alfie helped with the flowers and streamers. What do you think?”
She looked so happy, all he could say was, “It’s perfect.”
And it was. The nervous panicky feeling in his gut dissolved in the face of this ridiculousness. How could anyone take this wedding seriously when a middle-aged man dressed up in sequins was performing the ceremony? She had done it. She’d managed to make their wedding….perfect.
Her head fell back as she laughed. “I knew you’d love it. I figured, if we’re going to elope in Vegas, we might as well embrace it, right?”
She looked so unbelievably beautiful standing in that gaudy room, her eyes bright with laughter and—
He was marrying this woman.
Even if it was just a fraud, for one moment he was the luckiest man alive. “It’s perfect. All of it.”
She shrugged as she took his arm. “I have to admit, I was a little sad to not have my fairytale wedding. But this…this is almost as good.”
“You’ll still have your fairytale wedding,” he felt compelled to say. “Someday.”
With another man. Someone who loved her and who she loved in return. For one moment, Ryan experienced a jolt of blinding, insane jealousy toward this faceless stranger. The one who would marry her for real.
Holy crap. Ryan almost tripped over his own feet as a horrible realization hit him. He was falling for Lucia.
She shrugged as she led him slowly but surely down the aisle. “Maybe someday I’ll get the fairytale. But first, I get to marry you. In front of God, Alfie, the organist, and Elvis.”
“Organist?” He glanced over his shoulder to see an old woman with purple hair waving from the corner before she launched into a rousing rendition of “Here Comes the Bride.”
* * * *
Lucia’s wedding went by in a blur. Her heart pounded in her ears as Elvis talked and talked for what felt like an eternity.
Lucia kept her eyes on Ryan as Elvis said the magic words. “I now pronounce you man and wife.”
Alfie started clapping from his front row seat and the organist played “Viva Las Vegas” with gusto. And Ryan and Lucia continued to stare at one another.
What had they done?
“You may now kiss the bride,” Elvis added.
Ryan hesitated and Lucia found herself holding her breath. But then he smiled at her and her knees went weak. She would never tire of that smile. He leaned over and she was pretty sure she heard him say, “What the hell” before his lips met hers and for the first time in what felt like forever the nerves that had been making her feel like she was in a shaky cage all day ceased to rattle and a calm swept over her as her mind went blissfully blank.
It was a light, sweet, gentle kiss—nothing like the passionate makeout session they’d had before. And it was perfect. Tears came to her eyes at the tenderness of it. He pulled back and she resisted the urge to cling to him. “What now, wife?”
What now? Her plan hadn’t gone beyond this point. The future suddenly seemed like a giant black hole. She was married. Now what?
“Um….”
He took her hand. “Drinks. We definitely need drinks.”
They said their goodbyes to the wedding party before racing back toward the hotel lobby, which housed a rodeo-themed bar. The maître d’ handed them cowboy hats as they entered and Ryan winked at her. Now they were dressing up like cowboys after being married by Elvis?
Sure, why not?
One drink turned to two, and then three. And then Lucia lost track.
“To my bride!” Ryan raised his glass and the entire bar erupted into cheers and applause. Word of their wedding had spread quickly and every time she set down her glass it seemed somebody new was offering to buy them a round.
Ryan turned to tap his glass against hers which, she discovere
d, was almost empty again. “We did it, Princess.”
His dimpled grin was so adorable that she almost forgave him the use of her least favorite nickname. “I told you not to call me that.”
His brow furrowed in drunken confusion for a minute before understanding dawned. “Oh yeah. Sorry. So what’s the deal with that? Why do you hate it?”
Her mouth clamped shut automatically but he leaned in so he was in her space, his elbows resting on the bar inches away from her own. “Is that what your ex called you?”
She tried to imagine Marco calling her anything cutesy like that and had to laugh. “No. He’s never called me anything but Lucy my whole life.”
Ryan raised one eyebrow at that. “What was he, your high school sweetheart or something?”
“More like my junior high sweetheart. We were joined at the hip from then on. Up until a few months ago when I called off our engagement.”
“That’s a long time to be with someone.” He was watching her carefully, like she might burst into tears at any moment. He, like everyone else, seemed to think she was heartbroken over the breakup. How could she explain that she wasn’t? And neither was Marco, she’d bet her life on it. His pride was hurt and for a man like Marco, that was even worse. Heartbreak he could stand, but a blow to his ego? Something told her they wouldn’t be chatting as friends anytime soon. That thought was painful in its own right. They may not have had a passionate romance but they had always loved each other dearly…as friends. She just wished she’d realized earlier that what she’d thought was a relationship was really just well laid plans and everyone else’s expectations.
“He’s better off without me.” His eyes widened with surprise and she realized how that sounded. “Not that I was mean to him or anything. But he deserves to be with someone who really loves him. He should marry his soul mate.”
Ryan took another swig of his drink. “That’s awfully romantic talk for someone who just married for money.”
Lucia let out a derisive snort. “I’m definitely not the romantic in my family. You should meet my grandfather.”
“The billionaire tycoon, I take it?”
She paused with her drink halfway to her lips and swallowed down the sense of panic. He didn’t look angry or disgusted. “You’ve been doing your homework.”
He held his hands up in mock surrender. “Guilty. But in my defense, I think I had a right to know who I was marrying.”
“Fair enough. And what about you, Ryan Brentworth?” She narrowed her eyes at him with feigned suspicion. “If that’s really your name.”
She saw his eyes widen in surprise at the mention of his name. “What?” she asked, all innocence. “I took a peek at the marriage certificate. I too wanted to know who I was marrying.”
Was that a flinch? He shifted in his seat and she dropped the teasing tone. “It’s kind of obvious why I used a fake name but what’s your story?”
He paused for a second before his shook his head. “I told you, my family has issues. I like to keep my distance.”
That wasn’t all there was to it. The hesitation was brief but she caught it. Jabbing a finger at his chest, she said, “Okay, spill. What’s your dirty little secret?”
Rather than answer, he took a sip of his drink. Lucia leaned back in her barstool with a groan. “Oh, come on. You know my secret.”
His gaze found hers over the rim of his glass. “So…what? You’re telling me that being the granddaughter of the wealthiest man in Italy is your deep, dark secret?”
She paused at that. “Yeah, I guess it is.” Her eyes widened in excitement. “Although now I can add ‘secretly eloped with a man I barely knew’ to my list.”
His smile was contagious and for a moment she allowed herself to enjoy his company. Thanks to the drinks she’d finally stopped obsessing about what was going to happen next.
The wedding night. What did he expect? Did he even want her? More importantly, what did she want?
Who was she kidding, she knew what she wanted and he was sitting right next to her. Was it smart to hook up with her husband? Probably not. Would she do it anyway? Hell yes.
Nervous excitement left her breathless. She was really going to do this. She was going to make love to her husband.
He motioned to her now-empty glass. “You need another?”
She shook her head. “I don’t think I need anymore.” Locking her gaze with his she added, “I think I’m ready to go back to the room.”
The air grew hot and heavy between them as she waited for him to respond. She thought he might make a joke, or talk about needing to get some sleep but instead…he closed the gap between them and kissed her.
The bar faded away and not even the mechanical bull or its cheering crowd could intrude on their blissful little world. A sigh escaped her as his lips lightly moved over hers and his tongue flicked out to lightly lick her bottom lip.
She moved closer and intensified the kiss, not caring where she was or who was watching. All that mattered was getting closer to this man. He responded to her urgency by sliding his hand beneath her hair so he was cupping the back of her head, holding her to him as the kiss intensified and deepened.
The sound of one of their bar neighbors shouting out “get a room” finally forced them to part. Ryan’s eyes were dark with desire and he let out of low groan when she slipped a hand onto his thigh. “Should we?” she asked.
His dazed look was gratifying as was his apparent inability to string words together. “Should we…” he echoed. “What?”
“Get a room.” She couldn’t believe her own nerve and she was breathless with anticipation and excitement. She’d never done anything like this before but something about this man made her feel like she could do anything…be anybody. And right now, at this particular moment….she wanted to be bad.
He leaned forward until his forehead was touching hers. “Hell yes.”
She would have laughed if she wasn’t so turned on she thought she might melt into the floor. “Okay then. Let’s get out of here.”
He grabbed her by the hand and led the way toward the door of the bar. He started heading toward the exit but she had a better idea. Pulling him along behind her she all but ran to the front desk. “How much for a room tonight?”
“What are you doing?” Ryan whispered in her ear.
She flashed him a smile over her shoulder. “I think we deserve something a little better than that seedy motel for our honeymoon, don’t you?”
Ryan laughed and leaned in so only she could hear. “Good idea. I don’t think I could make it that far without kissing you again. And when I do….”
Lucia’s breath caught in her throat and when the clerk at the front desk went to get them their room keys, Lucia turned and planted a kiss on his lips. “You were saying?”
She spun back around in time to give the clerk a friendly smile when she returned but Ryan grabbed her hips and pulled her back so she was pressed against him. “You’re going to pay for that.”
“Promises, promises,” she sang under her breath.
As soon as the clerk took their money and handed over the key cards they were laughing and kissing their way to the elevators.
There was a hum in the air that had nothing to do with the noises of the slot machines in the casino and everything to do with the feel of Ryan’s hands on her hips, on her back, running up and down her arm as he raced her to the elevators.
Ryan punched the elevator button and then spun around to face her and pulled her up against him. She pressed herself even closer, loving the feel of his hard chest beneath her hands and his hands on the small of her back.
“Are you ready for your wedding night?” Ryan asked.
She opened her mouth to speak but before she could she was interrupted by a familiar voice calling out her name.
Oh no. This could not be happening.
“Lucia!” It was Holly. Lucia didn’t even have to turn around; she would reco
gnize her friend’s voice anywhere. And if Holly was here, that meant Jack…
“Lucy,” Jack called out in an over-the-top Ricky Ricardo voice. “You’ve got a lot of explaining to do.”
Chapter 9
Ryan nearly toppled over as Lucia pushed him away from her as she spun around to face her friends. Ryan spotted a blonde heading toward them with a huge grin, her curls bouncing around her head. Behind her was…well, it was a face anyone would recognize since it seemed to be everywhere these days. Jack Everett—media sensation and, supposedly some sort of tech genius.
They were both walking straight toward them but Jack looked far less friendly than the blonde, who had just reached Lucia and swept her up in a tight hug. “Oh, so good to see you!” she squealed. She pulled back to face Lucia. “I take it congratulations are in order?”
Jack reached the blonde’s side and wrapped an arm around her shoulders while continuing to glare at Lucia. “Lucia Antoinette Brunelli, what do you think—”
Lucia cut him off. “That’s not my middle name.”
Jack waved her off. “Doesn’t matter.”
“I think what Jack’s trying to say is your grandfather…” Holly started.
Lucia finished for her. “Grandpa is worried about me.”
Awkward silence reigned for a moment as Jack and Holly shared a look that confirmed what she’d said. Ryan hated the pain that suddenly filled Lucia’s expression. “I didn’t mean to hurt him, I just—” She stopped and sighed. “I didn’t want him to find out like this.”
“How did he find out?” Ryan asked. All three turned to him in surprise and Ryan realized that until that moment he had been largely forgotten….even by his bride.
Now he was the center of attention and Ryan was acutely aware of Jack’s assessing glare. But that was nothing compared to the unnerving way Holly was staring him down.
“Yeah, how did Grandpa find out? And how did you two find us?” Lucia asked. Some of the tension in Ryan’s chest eased when he noticed that her expression had gone from pained to suspicious. He hated to see her hurting.
The Accidental Elopement Page 11