High Stakes

by Cheryl Douglas

  Trey threw his head back and howled with laughter, drawing curious stares from the guests surrounding them. “Man, you’ve got some ego.” He hooked a finger in Liam’s direction. “The day this guy plays second fiddle to you—”

  Liam listened to the exchange between the two men, in shock that Trey came to his defense. Not that he’d ever asked anyone to have his back, but knowing his new father-in-law seemed more than willing to step up when he needed an ally was nice.

  “Trey, don’t even waste your breath. Your daughter knows the deal. She’s tired of wasting her time with little boys who don’t seem to know a good thing when they have it. I can promise you, I won’t make that mistake, ever.” He pointed a finger at Nick. “I’m only gonna tell you this once: stay the hell away from my wife. If you call her or come near her again, you and I are gonna have big problems. You got me?”

  Nick looked from Trey to Liam before he shook his head and walked away.

  Trey grinned. “I like your style.”

  Liam chuckled before downing the rest of his drink. “I’m glad you approve.”

  “Not only that, but I saw the way my little girl’s face lit up when you walked in. You made her night.”

  “No, seeing her made my night.”

  “You gonna be able to stick around for a while? Sierra and I would love to have you over to the house. We’ll invite the family, a few close friends, you know, since you guys didn’t have a big wedding.”

  “I’d love that.” Liam didn’t know if Alisa would want him to stay in town beyond tonight, and he rarely took a weekend off, but getting to know his new in-laws was important to him, especially since he sensed his gorgeous wife may not be as anxious to be rid of him as she’d led him to believe last weekend. “Maybe tomorrow?”

  “Sounds like a plan. Tomorrow night, let’s do it.”

  “I’m looking forward to it, thanks.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Alisa was exhausted by the time she’d bid good night to her final guest, but the heated look her sexy husband shot her from across the room roused her faster than a double espresso.

  “I’d say you’re a hit, baby,” Liam said, pulling her into his arms. “I was so proud of you tonight.”

  His words warmed her from the top of her head to the tip of her toes. She hadn’t done something she was proud of in too long. “Thanks.” She tipped her head back to look at him, hoping he could read the affection in her eyes. She was falling for this man, deeper and deeper with every passing second. Any doubts she may have had the morning after their wedding vanished the minute he walked in the door. Just knowing that he disrupted his hectic schedule to hold her hand tonight meant everything. He was proving to be someone she could count on, and that was more than she’d ever been able to say about Nick.

  She knew the time for them to have that conversation was past due. “So, I noticed you talking to Nick tonight. What was that about?”

  He looked unsettled when he said, “Nothing for you to worry about.”

  “Come on, if this is gonna work, we have to be honest with each other.”

  He stared at her a long time before he asked, “Is that what you want… for this to work?”

  Putting herself out there and being vulnerable was a terrifying proposition, but not nearly as terrifying as the prospect of losing him and having to live with the knowledge that she could have made a different choice. “Do you?”

  “You can’t answer a question with a question.” He trailed a fingertip down the length of her nose, making her giggle. “That’s not fair.”

  “I think it may be possible.” She chewed on her bottom lip, forcing him to rescue it before she broke the skin. “But we have a long way to go before we figure out how to merge our lives. I mean, we live two thousand miles apart. You have a business and a daughter there, and I have a business and family here. It’s not like either one of us could pick up and move tomorrow.”

  He chuckled. “Sweetheart, money buys you the freedom to do anything you want.”

  It thrilled and terrified her that he would even consider uprooting his entire life just so they could be together. Nick wouldn’t even reschedule a radio interview so he could attend her birthday party. Damn it, she had to stop comparing these two men. Liam already proved to her in the short time she’d known him that he was nothing like Nick. Thank God. “What about your daughter? It’s not like you could ask her to leave behind her friends and family just to accommodate your new wife.”

  He heaved a sigh. “That’s a conversation for another day.”

  She sensed there was a story there, but they were getting ahead of themselves, talking about forever before they had even determined if they were compatible. “Do you have to head home tonight?”

  “No, in fact your father invited me to a dinner party at their house tomorrow night. Apparently, he’d like to introduce me to everyone, since we didn’t have a proper wedding.”

  Alisa couldn’t hide her shock as her mouth fell open. “Seriously? Oh my God. What the hell happened to my opinionated, overbearing, overprotective father?”

  “He realized you have me to take care of you now.” He grinned as she brushed a kiss across his cheek. “Honestly, we just kind of hit it off. Well, once he got over the urge to push me out of my fortieth-floor window.”

  She smiled as she laid her head on his chest. How could anyone, even her father, deny this man’s appeal? Liam had worked the crowd tonight as though they’d been a couple forever, boasting about his beautiful and talented wife to anyone who would listen, deflecting comments about his own success so he didn’t overshadow her moment in the spotlight. “Having you here made this night…” Unforgettable. “Even better. Thanks again for coming.”

  “My pleasure.” He led her toward the door. “So, I guess I’ll head over to the hotel now. Can you meet me for breakfast in the morning?”

  She tried to suppress her frustration by telling herself he didn’t want to overstep the boundaries she’d created. “Um, I was kind of hoping for breakfast in bed.” Liam was the first man she ever propositioned, perhaps because he was the only man she couldn’t seem to get enough of.

  He pulled his phone out of his pocket when it buzzed. “That was a text from my driver. He wants to know if I’m ready.”

  She reached for his tie, fisting it in her hand. Apparently, he was determined to make her work for this. Not that she could blame him after the way she’d left him last time. “I drove here. Why don’t you tell your driver you already have a… ride?” She licked her lips as she let the innuendo hang in the air between them.

  “Are you sure about this?” he asked, skimming his hands over her ribs. “I came here tonight to support you, not because I was trying to rush you into making a decision about us. You can take all the time you need, Alisa.”

  She wanted him to rush her, the way he had in Vegas, when she didn’t have time to think about the consequences of her actions. When she was so caught up in him… the heady flavor of his mouth, the sensation of his body fused with hers until she lost sight of where he ended and she began. “I want you tonight.”

  He closed his eyes as he rested his forehead against hers. “Maybe we should hold off on this until you’re sure you want me every night, not just tonight.”

  She knew he was trying to shield his heart, she was too, but trying to pretend they weren’t dying to reconnect on a physical level was pointless. She’d been hungry to tear his clothes off since she felt the brand of his hand on her backside tonight, and he’d mercilessly stoked that fire with gentle caresses and intimate kisses for hours.

  “Please,” she whispered, flicking her tongue across the seal of his full, sensuous lips, “can we worry about tomorrow… tomorrow? I need you tonight.”

  He grinned. “It’s been a hell of a long time since someone made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and she watched as his fingers flew over the keypad. “I gave the driver the rest of the night off. I’m all yo
urs.”

  Liam followed Alisa into her modern, two-story townhouse. It was nicely decorated, with subtle feminine touches that reflected her personal taste without being too frilly. So different from his ostentatious estate house that often felt more like a museum than a home.

  She led him into the galley kitchen. “Can I get you a glass of wine?”

  “No, thanks, I’ve already had a few. That’s my limit.”

  Alisa fixed her elbows on the granite countertop behind her as she regarded him carefully. “Don’t you ever act on impulse… lose control?”

  He laughed as he removed his suit jacket and set it on a stool. “You of all people have to ask me that? You’re probably one of the few people who’s seen me give in to an impulse.” He undid the knot in his tie and slid it off. “What I did last weekend was so out of character for me, I sometimes have trouble believing I actually went through with it.”

  “Are you sorry you did?” When he didn’t respond right away, she asked, “Do you regret marrying me?”

  Liam promised himself that he would always be honest with her, even when the truth upset or offended her. He was hesitant only because he felt like they were finally making progress and he didn’t want to do anything to derail that. Seeing her again tonight only reaffirmed what he already knew… He wanted this woman to share his bed and his life.

  “I regret giving you the power to hurt me sometimes. I’ve never done that before, laid all of my cards on the table and forced myself to take a step back and let the other person decide on the course the relationship would take. It goes against my core beliefs about making things happen instead of waiting for them to happen.” He leaned back on the stool behind him and crossed his arms. “But I realize I can’t force this. Either you’re going to fall in love with me and decide you want to be my wife, or you’re not. It has to be your decision.”

  She mirrored his actions, crossing her arms over her body, and he wondered if it was an unconscious effort to protect herself. “You get a say in this too, Liam. What if you get to know me better and decide I’m not the woman for you?”

  He already knew the chances of that happening were slim to none, but he wasn’t accustomed to groveling, and she had to put her heart on the line if they had a prayer of making this work. “I suppose anything can happen, sweetheart. There are no guarantees in life or love. We just have to take calculated risks and hope for the best.”

  “That’s what scares me,” she said quietly. “I look at you and…” She glanced at him before turning her attention back to the marble tiles under her feet. “I see a man any woman in her right mind would want as her husband. And I have to ask myself, why did you choose me?”

  “Aww, baby,” he said, taking a step forward. She’d kicked her high heels off when she walked in, so he had to crouch to look her in the eye. “I feel the same way when I look at you. You’re young and gorgeous, with your whole life ahead of you. I think, am I crazy, expecting this incredible woman to fall for a guy passing his prime, with a daughter to raise and a business that takes him all over the world?”

  A smile tugged at her lips. “We’re quite a pair, aren’t we?”

  He took her hands, encouraging her to step into his arms. He needed to touch her, to reassure her and himself that what they felt, the intense emotions they were starting to build on, was real. “Don’t you think everybody feels the same way when they’re starting a new relationship, sweetheart? There’s always gonna be that period of angst where you question whether putting yourself out there is a mistake, but eventually you have to decide whether the gamble is worth it. The alternative is to play it safe and wind up alone.” He started to pull the pins out of her hair, letting it fall in soft waves around her shoulders. “I don’t want to be alone anymore. Do you?”

  “No,” she whispered. “I don’t.” She tilted her head back to look at him. “But there’s still so much about this that seems impossible.”

  “We’ll figure it out. That is, if you want to?”

  “I think I do.”

  Those few words gave Liam a sense of peace he hadn’t felt since he sat down beside her on that airplane and the sight of her smile tipped his orderly world on its axis. He slid the thin strap of her dress over her shoulder as his mouth danced over the silky smooth skin teasing his lips. Her intoxicating scent mingled with the gentle pressure of her hands on his back, making him forget his promise to maintain his equilibrium tonight.

  “I need you,” she whispered, unbuttoning his shirt and pushing the fabric aside so she could press gentle kisses to his chest. “I kept thinking about you, wondering if I’d ever get the chance to do this again.”

  He seized her hand just as she reached for his belt. “I love the way this looks,” he said, pressing a kiss to the backside of the platinum bands adorning her finger before letting his tongue wander to the pulse point at her wrist. “It lets the world know you’re mine.”

  She moaned, forcing the hard length of his arousal into the soft curve of her stomach. “I think everyone already knows that, don’t you?” Her eyes were alight with mischief when she rolled her hips. “I took one of the most eligible bachelors in the world off the market. I think I heard a collective cry of mourning echo in my head when you said ‘I do.’”

  He slid the hidden zipper down the back of her dress and let the soft sheath of fabric fall to the floor at her feet. “I’d say those words again in a heartbeat.” He set a finger under her chin, tilting her head up to look him in the eye. “I don’t have a single regret about that.”

  “Are you sure?” she asked, sounding breathless.

  “Positive. If we hadn’t taken those vows, I wouldn’t be standing here right now. We would’ve gone back to our busy lives with no incentive to ever see each other again. You would’ve relegated me to the back of your mind, just a hot one night stand with some stranger.” He stabbed his fingers into her hair, holding her head between his hands. “I don’t want to let you forget me. Ever.”

  “Impossible.”

  He groaned when he felt her working the front of his pants, cupping him, teasing and taunting him to within an inch of sanity before he even had his clothes off. In the past, sex was about the physical release for him, but suddenly, with this woman, it took on a whole new meaning. He wanted to show her how good it could be between them if she was willing to risk her heart on a sure thing.

  “Not here,” he murmured, holding her hand as he encouraged her to step out of the dress puddling at her feet. “I want to take you to bed.” He’d subtly monitored her alcohol intake tonight, and he knew she stopped after two glasses of wine. So there was no question in his mind it was her, not the liquid courage, asking him to take her tonight.

  She held his hand in hers as she led him up the stairs to a generous master suite at the end of the hall.

  His eyes fell on a hall console table crowded with framed photos of Alisa with friends and family. But one in particular caught his attention and killed his arousal faster than a blast of ice water. “What the hell is this?” he asked, picking up a photo of his latest nemesis holding the woman he loved in his arms.

  “Oh God,” she said, her face draining of color. “I, uh, didn’t even know that was still there.” She took the picture from him and his heart clenched when he saw a flicker of sorrow darken her eyes. “I keep pictures everywhere. I thought I’d gotten rid of all of these.” She cleared her throat. “I walk by this table every day, and I don’t even pay attention. My cleaning lady must have…” She let her words drift off when she saw the look in his eye. “Please don’t be angry about this.”

  He wasn’t angry. He was terrified that he was giving his heart to a woman who’d already given hers to someone else. Nick’s words filtered through his head, taunting him. “Are you still in love with him? Are you just using me to try and get over him, or to prove to him that you can attract someone like me?”

  A panic-stricken look crossed her face as she reached out to him. “No! How can you even ask me
that?”

  “He was there tonight, wasn’t he?”

  “Not because I invited him. He invited himself; I told you that.”

  “I noticed the flowers he sent you on the back counter.” He hated feeling this way—jealous, insecure, uncertain of his place in her life, despite the fact that she was wearing his ring and using his last name. He’d seen it on her business cards tonight. Alisa Bryson. At the time, it gave him hope, but with her cheating ex’s smiling mug staring him in the face, he had to question whether he was just kidding himself.

  “The party planner must have put them in a vase and left the card…” Her fingernails bit into his wrist. “I didn’t even notice them. You have to believe me.”

  “Don’t you think I want to? The card said he was looking forward to seeing you tonight. I thought you said you didn’t know he was coming?” Those words haunted him all night, especially after his conversation with Nick. He knew without a foundation of trust, he and Alisa had nothing, but how could he believe her ex was out of the picture when he was sending her flowers, calling, showing up to her parties, and she still had pictures of the two of them together decorating her home after so many months apart?

  “I didn’t until I read the card, and by that time, it was too late to do anything about it. He knew that. I didn’t want him there—”

  “Yet you were talking to him when I came in. What was that about?”

  She ran a shaky hand through her mass of waves. “Do we really have to do this right now? We were just about to…” She gestured toward the bedroom. “Make love.”

  Looking at Alisa, wearing only a scrap of silk below the waist, was enough to drive every rational thought out of his head, but this was too important to let slide. “We tried that once before, remember? It didn’t solve our problems then, and I think it’s naïve to expect it will this time.” He took the first two steps, intent on leaving. She was right when she told them they needed more time to sort this out, and perhaps she needed more time to decide whether she was really over her ex.