Once the music stopped and she’d reached the top, Olivia sucked in a deep breath. Dane looked ravishing in his tux, his smooth dark hair slicked back. God, he was hot! A grin touched the corner of her lips. Okay, it was all worth it.
Olivia removed the veil from her face and turned towards her guests. The stunned looks in their eyes were enough to make her falter but she was determined to get through this. Dane was ready and waiting on the side.
Olivia looked over at the pastor who looked equally as uneasy about the new program.
“Friends and family,” the pastor proceeded, “we are gathered here to,” he coughed, “…to celebrate love and family as Olivia McAlister makes her vow to be happy no matter what.” Cough, cough!
Okay, that was awkward.
Olivia could hear chuckles in the audience and heat rushed to her throat. Could she do this? Could she really get through this?
“Before we begin,” Dane’s smooth, sexy voice sounded as he made his way up to the altar. “I just want to say how honored I am to have Olivia McAlister as my friend. Olivia has a heart of gold and a beautiful soul that would make any man happy.”
Olivia thought she was going to pass out. "Kiss me," she wanted to whisper to him but she resisted. His kiss was a magical elixir for pleasure that could send her spirits soaring even in her darkest hour.
“Not only that but Olivia is the bravest, kindest woman I’ve ever met. Only a woman of true class could take a situation that she’d been through and flip it around to make the best of it. That, my friends, is golden.” He stepped away from the podium and allowed Olivia to continue.
A single clap sounded that soon erupted to a round of applause. Olivia’s heart squeezed. This time with a deep sincere appreciation. She whispered, "Thank you" to Dane before turning to face her family and friends again.
“As many of you may be aware, last night Jack and I broke up. And instead of canceling which should have been a celebration of love, I decided to keep it as a celebration. Because true love doesn’t need perfect situations to flourish.”
“Hear, hear,” Macy chimed in after taking her place in the front row pew.
Olivia felt like her heart was going to explode. It must have been beating a thousand times per minute, hard and fast in her chest, thrashing against her ribs. But she could do this. She must continue.
“I thought of what my mother would say if she were here with us. I think she would have wanted this occasion to go forth. So I will say this. Today is the happiest day of my life. Do you want to know why?”
The wide eyes of everyone in the room were captivating.
“Well,” Olivia continued, “because I woke up today and could take a breath with my own lungs. That’s more than what many people on this planet could do. Today, I took a breath this morning while some took their last. Every moment in life is a special occasion. Being alive. Being surrounded by those who appreciate you is a blessed occasion and it’s worth a celebration. So what if I got dumped on my wedding day? I’m still standing and I’m still smiling in spite it all because I love me.” Olivia turned to face Dane, her eyes beginning to sting with mist. “A good friend of mine, a guy who I least expected to befriend in my worst moment, reminded me that love begins inside. It’s meant to be shared but it begins with you and once you find that, it’s so easy to love or care for those around you. We need to cherish those around us who encourage us to be our very best even when it’s so very, very hard. Those friendships are worth more than all the gold in Fort Knox. We must cherish those who support you—”
“And those who stab you in the back,” a drunken voice interrupted to the gasp of the congregation.
Olivia almost dropped.
It was Jack.
What the hell was he doing here?
Jack was staggering towards the altar with some white sheets of paper in his hand. What the freak was he up to?
Olivia panicked and turned to face Dane, only to find that Dane had already left the spot where he was standing, his jaw clenched as if he was ready to pounce upon Jack. Judging by Dane’s huge muscular frame and tall body, Jack wouldn’t stand a chance.
“Get the fuck out of here!” Dane ordered, his voice cold and hard.
“Oh, well,” Jack slurred. “Well, isn’t that just fine? The Belmont Hotel heir screwing the guest bride at his hotel. Hmm.”
The guests gasped in unison.
“What’s going on?” Bria stood up, obviously as confused as the rest.
“It’s okay, Bria,” Olivia tried to quiet her down. The last thing she’d wanted was for her sister to get hurt emotionally on Christmas Day. All over again. Olivia had always been protective of her baby sister. Especially more so after their mother was taken too early from them. “Bria, leave now. I’ll catch up with you later.”
“No!” Bria rebutted. “I’m staying right here with you.”
Okay, this was so not how Olivia had planned to bounce back on her big day! Not at all.
“What are you talking about, Jack?”
“Oh, didn’t you see the news today? Oh, wait a minute…” He held up the sheet of paper at the front of the altar. “So as you all know Olivia and I were to be happily married today, but funny thing, I was online last night and I saw this picture come up on the Gossip Goose website. Hmm. My bride-to-be kissing the hotel manager hours before our wedding and not just any hotel manager. Oh, no. The billionaire bastard child of Joseph Belmont.” Before he could finish, Dane had practically picked up Jack and shoved him off the altar.
“Get. Lost. Now,” Dane hissed between clenched teeth. Fire burned in his dangerously dark eyes. Aunt Franella was fanning herself with her paper fan looking as if she was about to faint at any moment. This was horrible.
Everything else had been a blur.
Everything.
“So what happened after that?” Daphne Delacruise asked, her face stunned. The famous talk-show host asked Dane and Olivia as they sat in the studio of the Daphne Show.
“Well, let’s just say it was one heck of a Christmas, Daphne,” Dane teased as he wrapped his arm around Olivia. “We both had a crazy time. I came to grips with what had happened and I ended up leaving the hotel after everyone found out about my true background.”
“So you are the illegitimate son of Joseph Belmont?” Daphne clarified.
“Well, I had worked my ass off to get where I was and was mentored by Joseph not knowing he was my biological father. My mother used to work for him. Later I found out but decided I was going to succeed on my own merits so I’d kept my mother’s maiden name as my surname. Then the press got wind of it.”
“Now this was because of your half-brother, right?”
“I guess you could say that. I was left a substantial part of the hotel in his will, and apparently, money can do crazy things to people…” Dane paused and turned to look into Olivia’s eyes. “But I learned that…so can love,” Dane said in that smooth voice that always slithered down her spine like melted chocolate. Ooh, his voice was so sensuous. Olivia could not believe six months—yes, six months after that fiasco Dane and she were engaged and married later that the summer. Yes, she was the Belmont Bride but not the Belmont Christmas Bride. She would have married Dane even if he was just your average Joe. Only he was above average. More than above average. Dane was out of this world. With Dane, she’d experienced her first real toe-curling, mind-blowing orgasm. With Dane, she’d learned about being with someone who made you feel as if you were not in their world but you were their world.
Dane was the best thing that had ever happened to Olivia. Hands down!
Out of every disappointment comes a silver lining, once you have the good sense to look for it. In life you tend to gravitate towards whatever you seek. What ever you seek, you always find. Look for crap, you’ll see it before you. Look for good, and it will magically appear.
Life was what Dane and Olivia chose to focus on. And she’d chosen to focus on being happy with Dane. She’d chosen to move forward af
ter being dumped on her wedding day by her ex, Jack. She’d chosen to be happy. For once.
Olivia turned to the audience who had a look of astonishment on their faces. They could not believe what she and Dane had been through and how they’d turned disaster into something good. Something blissful.
It had been a full year since that Christmas debacle and it was as if it were yesterday. Yes, it was some Christmas to remember but Olivia could not help but agree to be interviewed on this holiday season special on Christmas romances. The ratings were already through the roof!
“Well, this was certainly a magical tale,” Daphne continued as the audience murmured in agreement. The studio lights were hot and the set was beautifully decorated into a winter wonderland theme, just as it had been the previous year. But this time only good memories surrounded them. “So what happened with the hotel?”
“Well, I decided to turn it over and start my own business.”
“Good for you,” Daphne encouraged enthusiastically. “You must be so proud of him.” She turned to Olivia.
“Oh, I am. Dane is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I learned quickly that the best Christmas gifts are not the ones wrapped under the tree,” Olivia said looking deep into Dane’s sexually charged electric blue eyes. His eyes always mesmerized her. Every time. That was what love was about, wasn’t it? Falling in love every day with someone who encouraged you to be the best but was with you at your worst.
“Aww,” Daphne and the audience chimed in.
“The best Christmas gifts,” Olivia continued, “are the ones wrapped around your heart.”
“Wow, now that’s deep!”
Olivia wasn’t even concerned about the filming of their interview. For all she knew, Dane and she were the only ones in the studio. But, that was how it was with them, wasn’t it? Since day one. Since last Christmas.
“So what happened to all those wedding gifts?” Daphne continued.
“Well, we decided to have them all donated,” Dane chimed in. “Olivia and I agreed that the best gift we could give was happiness to those who lost everything. So the money was used for victims of local wildfires who had lost everything, including homes, clothes, heirlooms. It turned out to be the best gift ever.”
“Now, that is class.”
“Yes, Dane is a man with a lot of class, and I’m so glad I became his bride.” Olivia beamed as she playfully nudged him in the ribs.
She knew what was coming later and she simply couldn’t wait. It was Christmas Eve. Officially twelve full months, 365 days since they’d first laid eyes on each other and she was going to enjoy the sweetness of Dane's touch in the five-star hotel next door once the interview finished. It was to be aired on Christmas Day.
The wicked look in his eyes told Olivia that he, too, was hungry and couldn’t wait.
CHAPTER FIVE
“Are you ready, Mrs. Romano?” Dane whispered to Olivia as they cuddled in the hotel room later that evening. His smooth fingers traced the outline of her jaw and sent shivers of delight down her spine. My God, she was married to this sex god and he could arouse her by his touch alone, each and every time.
“Mmm,” she moaned in her throat as Dane lowered his head to hers and pressed his soft, hot lips to hers under the mistletoe. This time there were no intruding photographers, no anxiety over what was going to happen in the morning, no ill feelings, only love.
Dane pressed his lips to Olivia's ear and sucked on the lobe as he slid his hands down her back. He then maneuvered himself so he could slide his fingers under her silk lace bra and stroked her taut nipple. Olivia writhed under his touch and slid her hands up and down his smooth, naked, muscular chest. Hungrily, they French kissed and pleasured each other. No longer able to contain themselves, they made hot passionate love like animals in the wild. Her orgasms were loud and violent; she convulsed as she peaked. Dane thrust his hard, long erection inside her, pounding and fucking her hard until she came over and over again with loud screams that could probably be heard outside. Heck, she was with her man, her husband, her other half. She was not going to be holding back while experiencing his carnal touch.
Later, they relaxed in the soaker tub and caressed each other romantically, washing each other—an erotic experience Olivia never experienced before.
Later, she was on top of him grinding her hips into his hardness and enjoying every moment of him pumping hard and fast into her. Olivia could not think of having anyone else inside her besides Dane. It was as if they were meant for each other. It was as if they were soul mates who were bound to find each other no matter what.
If she hadn’t believed in it before, she certainly did now. There was someone for everyone if you looked hard enough—not to find the right person but to be the right person for that special someone. They did a whole lot of giving and taking in their relationship. They encouraged each other and brought out the best in each other. Period. And that was what she’d admired about Dane. Desired about him.
“So did you mean what you said earlier?” Olivia turned to Dane as he lay on his back looking as if he was in a dream state, a sexy grin of satisfaction touching the corner of his delicious lips as he reclined with his eyes closed. She admired his dark, long lashes and his flawless skin.
“About what?” he answered in a low, deep silky voice with his eyes still closed as if still in the after-glow of their passionate love making. Come to think of it, they probably made love like bunnies every day since they’d been together…married. That was six months of hard-core lovemaking, making out, passionate kissing. There wasn’t one day when he hadn’t held her in his arms and told her he loved her before planting a passionate, hot, mind-blowing deep kiss on her lips, slipping his tongue in her mouth.
He made her feel so alive, cherished every day of the year. Dane hadn’t seen his mother live to experience the appreciation of a good man and he so wanted to make sure that his wife would know the pleasure of being treasured. Every day, if he could help it.
“About being a gift and all that?”
He cracked his eyes opened and looked into her own eyes, turning his head. He grinned and shook his head. “Now, what did I tell you about being insecure, Olivia?”
“I just…well…”
“Okay, hon. I’ll tell you this now that the cameras are not rolling on us. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. Period. I need you, Olivia, like I need air to breathe. I loved you before I even knew you existed. We were meant to be together.”
Olivia gushed. “I love you, too. Every day.”
“Good. Now let’s get some sleep. We have to do this interview thing again in the morning.”
“We do? I thought we were done.”
“Not quite. Remember my mother’s uncle?” Dane murmured.
“Oh, right!”
“Well, now that he knows I exist he wants to be a part of it all. And he wants to hear the famous Belmont Bride story.”
Olivia rolled her eyes playfully. “I never thought I’d say this but I’m happy to be known as the famous Belmont Bride and encouraging women to empower themselves while looking for love.”
“Yeah, love begins at home.”
“You mean love begins within.”
“Whatever.” Dane grinned and closed his eyes again.
“Dane?” Olivia teased as she tossed her pillow at him. His grin only widened.
Dane opened his eyes once more. “Just promise me one thing,” he whispered.
“What’s that?” she answered playfully.
“Promise me you’ll always be my Belmont Bride.”
“Now that’s a promise I will keep!” Olivia grinned and pressed her soft lips to his to seal the deal.
THE END
Author Contact:
Facebook: http://www.Facebook.com/AuthorShadonnaRichards
Website: www.ShadonnaRichards.blogspot.com
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @Shadonna
Books by Shadonna Richards
/> The Bride Series
An Unexpected Bride (Book 1)
The Jilted Bride (Book 2)
The Matchmaker Bride (Book 3)
His Island Bride (Book 4) * free novella
An Unexpected Baby (Book 5)
The Billionaire’s Second-Chance Bride (Book 6)
The Whirlwind Romance Series
Accidentally Flirting with the CEO (Book 1)*free
Accidentally Married to the Billionaire (Book 2)
Accidentally Falling for the Tycoon (Book 3)
***Now available for a limited time only--The Bride Series Collection (Books 1-5 and other stories) ON SALE NOW***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shadonna Richards enjoys reading and writing about the magic of romance and the power of love. She has sold over 260,000 copies of her bestselling romance novels, the Bride Series and Whirlwind Romance Series, in the past eighteen months. Born in London, England, she has a B.A. Degree in Psychology and a Diploma in Nursing. Winner of Harlequin's So You Think You Can Write 2010 Day Two Challenge, she is also a member of Romance Writers of America. She's a proud mommy and wife and lives in Canada with her husband and son.
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Copyright Page
All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, locations, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictionally. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locals, or organizations is entirely coincidental.
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