by Dakota Rebel
I was nodding to myself when I heard the door opening. Turning, I headed for it and threw myself into Luke’s arms as he entered. What a change from a week ago.
“Whoa!” he exclaimed, catching me with his free arm. My legs went around his waist as I kissed his face all over. His briefcase dropped to the floor with a loud thud and he cupped my ass with both hands. A second later, my back hit the wall as he caught my lips and kissed me deeply. I groaned, arching into him and rubbing my center against the hard ridge pressing into me.
“I missed you,” I breathed against his mouth in between kisses. My hands buried in soft, thick hair.
“I could come home to this every day.”
“Yes…” I hissed out as his mouth traveled down my neck.
“Marry me,” he grated against my shoulder.
My head jerked back and smacked into the wall. “What?”
Chuckling, he reached up and cupped the back of it. “Don’t do that. There’s precious perfection inside. We can’t have that brain of yours hurt. I love what you’ve done to the penthouse.”
“You haven’t even seen it.”
“Um, well…” He glanced up at the corner of the living room.
My eyes narrowed. “You have cameras watching me?”
“Protecting,” he clarified. “I had them put in while we were out last Wednesday.”
My eyes narrowed, brows drawing together, but I couldn’t even be mad. I knew he was…overly protective and possessive of me but he’d not once tried to control me. “We’ll talk about that in a little bit. Now, what did you just say?”
“Marry me.” Letting me to my feet, he stepped back and shoved a hand through his hair. “Look, I know you probably think it’s fast but—”
“Okay.”
“—I’ve wanted to make you completely mine since last week. Hell, longer than that…” He trailed off, his head cocking to the side. “What?”
“Okay.”
“Now?”
“What?” The word seemed to be a theme this afternoon.
“Let’s go and do it now.”
“Your family—”
He waved it off. “We’ll do a thing for them later. I just want you to be mine now then come back here and make love all night long.”
“Luke, I’m already yours.”
“Legally. I don’t want a single chance of someone trying to take you from me.”
“No one could. Wait… What are you saying? Is there something I don’t know?”
Luke sighed heavily. “There was a tracer on your car.”
“That really doesn’t surprise me,” I replied, rolling my eyes. “When did you find out?”
“The night I picked you up in Michigan,” he admitted.
I wanted to be angry at him for keeping that from me, but I wasn’t. This was one of those things he did, thinking he was protecting me by keeping me sheltered. I was a little irritated, but not enough to get mad about it. Besides, I could tell there was more bad news coming.
“My security people found one in your things, too,” he continued when I didn’t say anything.
“All my stuff was new since—”
“Not your purse.”
Crap. I should have known better. Panic surged up in my chest and I started backing away, fight or flight taking over. Having one in my car three thousand miles from my current location was one thing. But knowing that I’d been broadcasting my whereabouts to my father the whole time I’d been here was too much. I needed to get my things and run. I needed to—
Luke was to me in two steps, grabbing my shoulders and making me look at him. “Laura, listen to me. You’re safe.”
I shook my head violently. “No, I need to get out of here. If they find me—”
“They’re not touching you.”
“You can’t marry me just to—”
“You’re fucking insane if you think I’m throwing myself on some sword. I love you, God damn it! Your crazy family has nothing to do with what I want for the rest of my life. You. Yes, I might want to marry you right now, to keep them away, but damn it, I wanted you wearing my ring last week and that was before I knew they were still tracking you.”
I was shaking hard, but as Luke pulled me into his chest, warmth and protection surrounded me. In his arms, I was safe. I wanted to be here for the rest of my life.
“I love you, too,” I whispered into his chest.
He pressed his lips into my hair. “Let’s go get married, okay?”
“Okay.”
Chapter Ten
~ Luke ~
Two hours, three phone calls and one promise from my assistant Roz not to alert my family to what I was doing, and Laura and I were on our way to the Chapelle Du Paradis wedding chapel at The Paris Hotel.
“Your mom is going to be pissed,” Laura reminded me.
“She’s got four other sons,” I said with a shrug. “Missing one wedding won’t make much difference to her.”
It sounded good, but it was total bullshit. Both of my parents would be livid that I hadn’t included them. Not to mention those four other sons. Our family was very close knit, and I knew I’d be chapped if one of my brothers got married without me in attendance. But I’d get over it eventually, and so would they.
As we made our way down the strip, I realized at least one member of our extended family was available to stand with me.
“Rick,” I said, catching the reflection of the driver I’d known my whole life. “After you park the car, would you please join us in the chapel?”
“Sir?”
“Don’t sir me,” I reprimanded, rolling my eyes. “You’re just as much a part of this family as anyone. It would mean a lot to me if you’d come.”
“Then I would be honored, Luke,” Rick said, nodding at me in his rearview mirror.
“Laura.” I turned to face her, taking her hands in mine. “I promise, when things calm down, I’ll throw you the biggest, most audacious wedding you’ve ever seen.”
“Don’t be silly,” she insisted. “I want a marriage with you. A big wedding is just frosting.”
“How did I get so lucky?” I brought one of her hands to my lips and kissed it softly.
She giggled. “I guess you just run faster than I do.”
“Thank goodness we’re done with all that.” I stared pointedly at her.
“I’m done,” she promised.
“Well,” I said as we pulled up in front of the hotel. “I can buy us rings here, or we can go shopping for them later.” I didn’t bother mentioning the first ring I’d purchased for her had been…donated.
“Let’s see what they have,” she offered as she slid out of the car. “I’d like the world to know you belong to me as quickly as possible.”
“The world has known I belong to you since the first night I met you,” I said, following her to the sidewalk and linking her arm in mine. “It was only ever you who doubted it.”
“No more doubts,” she said, beaming up at me. “Let’s go get hitched.”
“Rick,” I said, turning back to him. “We’ll wait for you outside the chapel.”
He nodded before getting back in the car and pulling away.
Laura and I walked inside together and followed the signs toward the chapel. The woman at the desk greeted us both and let us know that there was a wedding currently taking place, but they should be ready for us soon, then she directed us to the jewelry shop located down the hall.
I let Laura peruse their offerings, promising her that she could have anything she wanted. After a few minutes, she selected two plain, white gold bands.
“What about an engagement ring?” I asked as the clerk rang us up.
“I’m good,” she said with a shrug. “I’m a simple girl, Luke.”
“I know you think so,” I teased. “But you’re the most complicated woman I’ve ever met in my life.”
She rolled her eyes as she took the bag from the clerk and led me back to the chapel.
“Willow!”
Laura squealed as we approached a small gathering of people who’d congregated in the waiting area. I’d forgotten Willow had been at Laura’s party that night at Diamond. I wasn’t sure how they knew each other, but now, I remembered that they had been friends.
The two ladies hugged, and both began talking a mile a minute while I glared at Jameson.
“Did Roz call you?” I demanded.
“Chill,” he said, clapping me on the back. “I was standing at her desk when you called.”
“You didn’t tell Mom, did you?” I asked, my tone warning. “I want a small service. I don’t need the Malloys crowding in here like the Waltons.”
“I haven’t talked to anyone,” he promised. “But they’re going to be pissed at you.”
“They’ll get over it,” I assured him. “I just need her married to me.”
“I know.” He sighed. “I’m happy for you.”
“Am I happy for you, too?” I asked, looking over at Willow.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jameson said with a sniff. “That woman is a pain in the ass. She followed me to your office, yelling at me the whole way there. When she heard Roz talking about you marrying Laura, she insisted I bring her with me.”
“Okay,” I said, smirking at my little brother.
Everyone who knew Jameson and Willow could see that they’d loved each other their whole lives. Unfortunately, they were the two most stubborn, immature people on the planet, and refused to see it for themselves. The phrase “thin line between love and hate” could have been invented for those two morons.
I walked over to my bride, reaching out to tug on Willow’s hair.
“Why don’t you give my brother a break?” I asked her.
“He’s an ass,” she hissed. “But I don’t want to talk about him. Congratulations, Luke. Laura’s a great girl.”
“Oh, I know.” I wrapped my arm around Laura’s waist and squeezed her into my side. “I’m a lucky man.”
“Sir.” The woman who worked at the chapel approached us smiling. “The current couple is just finishing up. Is your whole party here?”
I looked around and smiled as Rick rushed in the door.
“They are now,” I assured her. “Just let us know when we’re ready.”
The doors to the chapel opened, and I bit back at a laugh as Mark and his fiancée—well, apparently wife now—walked out into the lobby.
“Mr. Malloy!” Mark stopped short when he saw me.
“Mark,” I said, reaching out to shake his hand. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you, sir,” he answered, his tone thick with confusion. “Uh…this is my wife, Melanie. Mel, this is my boss, Mr. Malloy.” He turned his head and caught sight of Jameson. “Oh! And my other boss…Mr. Malloy.”
“Nice to meet you both,” Melanie said, smiling at everyone in my group. “Who’s getting married?”
“That would us,” I said, hugging Laura a little tighter.
“Congratulations, sir,” Mark told me.
“Thank you, Mark.” I nodded to them both.
Mark and Melanie waved to us as they left, and I finally broke down into laughter as soon as I thought they were out of earshot.
“What’s so funny?” Laura asked.
“I’ll tell you later,” I promised. “Let’s go get hitched.”
We all walked into the chapel, and without any direction needed, Jameson stood to my left and Willow took the maid of honor spot for Laura. Rick made to sit in the front row, but I cleared my throat pointedly.
“Get up here,” I demanded.
“Sir, that’s not necessary,” he insisted. “Your brother is here.”
“And you’re like my favorite uncle,” I said firmly. “Get. Up. Here.”
His cheeks turned pink, and his eyes may have gotten a little watery, but he stepped forward and took his place next to Jameson. My brother reached out and wrapped an arm around Rick’s shoulder, squeezing lightly before we all turned to face the minister.
“Dearly beloved,” she began, smiling around at us. “We are gathered here today to join this couple in wedded matrimony. If anyone here has just cause that these two should not be married, speak now or forever hold your peace.”
“I object!” a strong male voice barked from the back of the room, making me jump. I turned to glare at the intruder but felt Laura stiffen, her lock on my hands growing painfully tight.
“Papa!” she gasped.
Oh, shit.
Chapter Eleven
~Laura ~
“Sir, you have just cause?” the minister asked. Her hard tone told me this wasn’t her first rodeo when it came to last minute objections. The narrowed eyes that studied my dad, Luke and I told me the same story.
“She’s my daughter and I don’t give my permission. She’s promised to someone else, not…not…not this whoever he is.”
She raised an eyebrow then looked at me, her notebook hugged to her chest. “You’re over eighteen, if I’m not mistaken?”
“Almost twenty-three,” I replied with a nod then gasped as pain bit into my arm. Steely fingers bit into my bicep to yank me away. “Luke!” I cried as I stumbled toward my father while he tugged me.
I needn’t have worried. My husband-to-be was there in an instant, grasping my father’s wrist and forcing him to let go of me. Jameson moved beside him, the two Malloy men forming a wall between me and my dad after Luke urged me behind him. Rick joined them. Willow rushed to my side and embraced me, pulling me a few feet farther away.
“You’re engaged to another man?” the minister asked.
“No! My father wants it. I’ve never even met the man.”
“She’s promised!” he bellowed, glaring around the shoulders of the powerful men blocking him.
“I don’t believe I was talking to you,” the minister replied. “But since you’re feeling talkative—”
I almost snorted. This woman…
“—did you have a valid reason to disrupt these nuptials?”
My father glared.
“Laura,” the minister asked. “You want to marry Luke?”
“Yes.” Wasn’t that why we were here?
“Good. Luke? You want to marry Laura?”
“Yeah,” he laugh-scoffed. “I wanted to marry her months ago. And I’m sure as hell ready now.”
“Okay, good, then,” she said, scratching her pen across a paper in her notebook. “Well, we’re done here then. Congrats, you’re man and wife. Make sure you pick up the certificate before you leave. Live long and prosper and all that.”
I stared at her mouth dropped open, while joy and relief filled me. She threw me a wink before refocusing over my shoulder. “Do we need to call security?”
“This is ridiculous! I will have your license,” my father bellowed at the minister.
She nodded. “Good luck with that. I’m just filling in for friends today. In real life, I’m a circuit court judge. Do you want to discuss how you were trying to force your daughter into a marriage without her consent?”
“This is none of your business! It’s a family matter!” he exclaimed.
Apparently deeming it safe, Luke broke away from the blockade and came over to pull me into his arms while Rick and Jameson closed ranks. “Mrs. Malloy,” he said, cupping my face and peering down at me with pure, possessive love. I never wanted that look to change. A warm golden glow seemed to fill me while I returned the stare, filled with happiness.
“Mr. Malloy,” I whispered, ignoring the blustering a few feet away. Nothing mattered except Luke’s mouth coming down over mine, so firm yet tender. I groaned, leaning into him. With Luke, I knew everything in my life would be okay.
But I needed to face my father. Pulling back regretfully, I saw understanding on Luke’s face. His thumb brushed over my cheek. “I’m right here.”
His hand grasped mine, and before I guessed what he was doing, he slipped my band onto my ring finger. I held out my palm, and he dropped his ring onto it. Once I ha
d it on his hand, I moved to face my father, Luke at my side, giving me much-needed strength. This was the parent who’d been so harsh and borderline terrorizing my entire life. This was the parent who’d never cared about me until he deemed me useful.
“I’m married now,” I told him. “But even so, I don’t belong to anyone but myself.”
Beside me, Luke growled, and I squeezed his hand, telling him I belonged to him, but that was different.
“I love Luke, and I’m going to spend the rest of my life with him. And I…” I took a deep breath, steeling myself for some of the hardest words I would ever say. “I…don’t ever want to see you again.”
“Laura!” my father gasped.
“No,” I interrupted before he could argue. “I was never anything to you, not until you wanted something from me. I was the daughter who should have been a son. And because I’m not a boy, I was worthless to you. Luke loves me. Luke makes me feel important, not for anything but who I am. He listens to me and believes in me.”
“I do,” Luke breathed. “You’re everything.” His face turned granite as he glared at the man I was eschewing from my life. “And I will do everything necessary to protect Laura. I know how precious she is. And you can bet, she will always be guarded. Don’t ever think about trying anything.” He glanced down at me and away from the deflated man who realized he’d lost and was probably tallying how much in his head. I knew it wasn’t about me, but the money. “Are you ready to go celebrate?”
“Yes.”
“Malloy wedding party? Ready?”
“Let’s go,” Jameson replied. It didn’t miss my attention that his eyes were pinned to Willow when he answered.
“I’ll get the car,” Rick said.
“How much was he—the guy you promised me to—going to pay you?” I asked, unable to help myself.
My father’s scowl returned. “It doesn’t matter.”
“It does to me. How much was I worth? What’s the dollar value of losing a daughter?”
“Two million,” he muttered.
“I’ll send you a check—”
“Luke, no!” I exclaimed, even as the face of the man who’d sired me brightened. He didn’t deserve to be called my father. “You can’t.”