by Katie Dowe
“Why?”
“I already gave you the reasons.”
“You are attracted to me?”
“And you feel the same way.”
“That’s not enough reason to get hitched, and besides, you are Liam Moses and I am the woman who stole from you. Why would you want to marry someone like me?”
“I have been asking myself that same question over and over again and have not come up with a favorable answer yet,” he told her lightly as he toyed with the stem of the glass. “Will you?”
“No,” she told him politely. “Thanks for asking anyway.”
“If you do, I am willing to forget the painting and not press charges against you or Hanson.”
“So, you are blackmailing me into saying yes?”
“I am using persuasion,” he corrected her.
“The answer is still no.”
“You would rather see Hanson get jail time?”
“I think you are bluffing. You have no intention of pressing charges against either of us, or you would have done it already,” she told him reasonably.
“It’s not too late–”
“I know it’s not and at first I was terrified that you were going to go through with it, but I have noticed the way you treat me Liam and I also know that you have come to care for me.” She met his eyes boldly. “You are bluffing, and I am calling your bluff. I am not going to marry you.”
He stared at her for a moment and then got to his feet and went to get his phone from the jacket he had thrown over the chair just inside the doorway. She watched him as he took it out and dialed a number. “Is this Hanson?”
Amani surged to her feet in alarm.
“This is Liam Moses and I think we should talk.”
Amani tried to grab the phone, but he held her hands easily and stopped her from reaching for the phone. “Could you give me a minute?” He put the call on hold and looked at her with his eyebrows lifted. “Well?’
“Damn you!” she hissed.
“Is that a yes?”
“I am going to make you the worst wife ever!” she threatened.
“So yes then?”
She nodded furiously.
“I need to hear you say it darling.”
“Damn you! Yes, I will marry you as long as you leave Hanson out of it.”
His eyes crinkled in amusement and he went back to the call. “I will give you a call in a day or two.”
He hung up and turned to look at the woman who was bristling with anger, her dark brown eyes flashing as she looked at him. “You think you have won?”
He took the box out of his pocket and opened it. Amani stared at the diamond for a long moment before she looked at him. “You were so sure of yourself, weren’t you? You had it all planned out, didn’t you? Use blackmail to get what you want. You are despicable!”
Without responding he pulled at her left hand and taking the ring out he slid it over her left finger, holding her hand as he admired the perfect fit. “We should celebrate. How about going out to a restaurant.”
“You can go straight to hell!”
“Then you would be going with me.” He pulled her resisting body into his arms and ignored her struggles. “Will it be so bad being married to me darling?” he whispered as she stared up at him, her expression mutinous. “I promise to take care of you and protect you. The good news is that you will have so much money you will never have to steal again.”
She pushed at him but stopped in frustration because he would not budge! “Do you have any idea who I am? Because I don’t! I was left at a group home and I had been in several until Hanson rescued me. Do you know what I was doing when he did that?”
“You were trying to jack his car?” he asked her mildly.
She stared at him. “How did you know?”
“I know all about you, darling.”
“You had me investigated?”
“I had to know the woman I was planning on marrying,” he told her mildly.
“You bastard!”
“I assure you I am not,” he rebuked her gently. “Your mother died giving birth to you when she was seventeen and your dad, who was a white married man, had no idea that she was pregnant. He died a few years ago without ever knowing about you. A cousin left you at the home and she is also dead.”
He saw the play of emotions on her exquisite face and his hands tightened around her waist. “I want to marry you Amani, because I have never felt this way about anyone before.”
She stared up at him for a long time and did not say anything. “Could you let go of me?”
“Why?”
“I spent all my life resenting the people who brought me into this world and never gave a damn about me! I spent years resenting them for putting me through the indignity of being raised by people who did not give a damn and I hated them for it! I now know different and I would like some time to process what I am feeling now.”
Chapter 15
Amani sat in the now darkened bedroom curled up on the sofa, her eyes fixed on the thick luxurious carpet, her body tense and her mind in turmoil. She knew that Liam would be coming in very soon, but she just wanted to be alone with her thoughts. Her mother had wanted her, but she had been a scared teenager who had died giving birth to her! And her father had not known about her! If he had, would he have tried to find her and take her to live with him? In spite of the fact that he had a wife? Had they been in love? Or was it just a one-night stand? But it does not matter now! They were both dead and she had no family left except Hanson. She moved her hand and the light from overhead caught the ring on her finger. She had completely forgotten about it! She stared at the exquisite cut of the stone and the way the light shot through it, sending dazzling colors around the room. It was an exquisite ring and he had known enough about her to know that she would not have wanted anything exorbitant. Why had he asked her to marry him? As far as she knew, Liam Moses had never asked a woman to marry him before, so why her? Why someone like her? She looked up at the sound in the doorway and watched as he came into the room.
“I figured I have given you enough time by now.” He walked over and sat next to her. “How are you?”
She shook her head and did not resist as he pulled her into his arms. “I was being fanciful and pretending that they were in love, but I dismissed that idea immediately. He was married and he cheated on his wife.”
“And as a result, you were born.” He kissed the top of her head. “So, something wonderful came out of it.”
She turned her head to look up at him and caught the teasing light in his gray eyes. He was so breathtakingly handsome! She thought with a pang. “Really?”
“Hmm.” He bent his head and kissed her forehead. “If that had not happened you would not be here now in my arms.”
“So, the cheating was justified?”
“It was.”
“Is that what you are going to tell me when you do that to me?”
His eyes held her for a little bit before he responded. “I know that you are probably not going to believe me when I say this, but I am going to say it anyway.” He tilted her chin up and studied her face. “I have never felt this way for a woman before, I never thought that I would ever feel this way, but here I am, and I am willing to do anything to make you my wife. I want you to believe me when I say that I am committed to you and that I will never take another woman to my bed.”
“You are Liam Moses–”
“You are not the only one who is reformed,” he said lightly.
“This is crazy!” she said shakily, her heart pounding inside her chest. “We hardly know each other–”
“I know enough about you and we can spend the time to get to know each other.” He bent his head and his lips touched hers briefly, his breath mingling with hers. “Marry me darling and save me from myself.”
Amani laughed breathlessly, her hands going around his neck as her mouth met his. “I doubt I am able to do that.”
“You would be surprised.”
His lips moved over hers and he could feel her body reacting to his immediately. “We belong together.”
“Liam–” she moaned as his tongue entered her mouth and talking was suspended for a long time!
*****
His wife of two hours was sprawled on the sheets, her naked curves there for his admiring gaze. He had proposed to her yesterday afternoon and he had wasted no time in acquiring the license and persuading her that they should get married right away. He had noticed that when money was involved, the process tend to move much faster and now Amani Michelle Lincoln was Mrs. Liam Moses. The marriage certificate had been duly signed and was in his possession. She was now wearing the engagement ring as well as the platinum band he had given her. He was also wearing a ring because he wanted the world to know that he was the willing husband of the exquisite woman who now bore his name and who was wearing his ring. He had made love to her slowly, his touch lingering over her body as he showed her, in ways he was not yet ready to tell her, how much she meant to him. He was going to have to deal with his mother and sister and the rest of the world who would want to know why they hurriedly got married. But he did not care about that right now. All he cared about was that she was now married to him, she was his wife and he loved her so much that he could not think about anything else. They were on his yacht and would remain there for the rest of the week until they surfaced. He had to tell his mother and sister of the change in his status. He grinned as he realized that he was now a married man! She stirred and opening her eyes she peered up at him.
“Why are you not sleeping?” she murmured.
He slid down the pillows and trailed his fingers down her back. “I am excited.”
“You are excited about giving up your freedom?” She looked skeptical as she turned sideways to look at him. “That’s pretty hard to believe.”
“Believe it!” he wrapped a hand around her waist, pulled her closer to him and nuzzled her cheek. “I feel pretty good being your husband.”
“Was that why you rushed me to the altar?” She quirked a tapered eyebrow at him.
“I rushed you to the altar because I could not stand the chance of you changing your mind and running out on me.”
“I thought about that, but I remembered that I was also being blackmailed” she reminded him.
“There is also that.” There was a twinkle in his eyes. “I had to use what I had for you to say yes.”
She placed a hand on his chest, watching the muscles flex. “You do not honestly think that I agreed only for that reason, do you?”
“What is the other reason?”
“We have been having unprotected sex since we met each other, and I did want to run the risk of being pregnant and depriving the baby of its father.”
His heart increased the pace as he stared at her. “Are you trying to tell me something darling?”
She shrugged and smiled at him mischievously. “I am not sure yet.”
“How about we make sure?”
“We will, as soon as the honeymoon is over.”
“The honeymoon will never be over darling,” he whispered as he pulled her beneath him.
*****
Timothy stared at the cream-colored invitation in his hands with a frown. He walked into the living room where his wife was putting their daughter down for her nap, before coming into the dining room to have dinner with him.
“What’s that?” Robyn asked as she looked up at her husband.
“An invitation to a party.”
Robyn patted her daughter’s stomach before coming over to her husband’s side. “What party?”
“On Liam’s yacht for Saturday at precisely 7pm. There is also a note saying that our presence is requested and that we should bring Talia with us.”
“We are not talking our baby girl to one of Liam’s decadent parties,” Robyn said firmly.
“It might not be that bad,” Timothy frowned as he looked at the invitation. “The last time I spoke to him he was saying how he was in love with this woman. It might be an engagement party and you know how Liam never does anything in half measure.”
“We are not taking Talia,” she insisted. “We will leave her with Hillary and Malik.”
“Okay,” he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. “That’s settled.”
*****
In an apartment several hundred miles away, another couple was having a similar discussion as they looked at their invitation. Adam climbed into bed with his wife, the invitation in one hand as he pulled her into his arms. He had just discovered that she was two months pregnant and his joy knew no bounds! Amber had warned him that she did not take kindly to him coddling her and that he should not even entertain that idea. He had every intention of ignoring her because it was his pleasure to give her everything her heart desired.
“We have been summoned,” he murmured as he brushed back her hair.
“Hmm?” She was busy running her fingers over his muscles and enjoying the feel of his taut chest.
“If you are going to continue doing that love, I am not going to be able to concentrate,” he whispered huskily.
“I love touching you,” she whispered back. He clamped a hand on hers to stop her.
“Liam has requested our presence at a party on the yacht, on Saturday at 7pm.”
“Are we going?”
“There is a note included that says if we want to continue to be his friends we had better show up, no matter where we are,” Adam said wryly.
Amber sighed and snuggled closer to her husband. “We should deliberately not go and see what happens.”
“As much as I would love to ruffle his feathers, I am afraid my curiosity is piqued. I want to know what happened with him and Amani.”
“He has probably moved on,” Amber predicted.
“You did not see him or talk to him that night at the party love, he was like a whole different person.”
“We will see,” Amber reached up and took the invitation from his hand, tossing it aside before climbing on top of him.
“Enough talk about Liam.”
“What do you want to do love?” he teased her.
She rotated her hips against his and his body shuddered. “No need to elaborate.”
*****
Liam caught her from behind and wrapped his hands around her waist, his lips nuzzling her neck as she secured the diamond knobs at her lobe. “You are making me lose concentration.”
“That’s the idea.” He continued to do it. “Mother and Lorelei should be here in a few minutes. I told them to come a little earlier than the other guests.”
They could hear the hum of the engine as well as the activities going on at the upper deck. He had ordered clothes for her from Romano’s and she was wearing a billowing white romper that left her arms and shoulders bare, the flared legs swirling around her as she moved. Her hair was professionally cut and styled by someone he had called, and her makeup was flawless. He had invited a number of his club members and their wives, and a few members of the press as well. He knew that there would be questions, but he had every intention of answering as clear and concise as possible.
She turned in his arms. “What are we going to say to them?”
“I already told my mother of my intention to marry you and I am sure she told my sister.”
“But what will we tell them when they ask why we could not wait to get married?” she persisted.
He bent and kissed her on the lips, his mouth lingering. “The truth.”
“And what is that?” Her hands trembled as she wrapped them around his neck.
“That I cannot keep my hands off you and that I was afraid you would not stick around long enough for a proper wedding.”
“You are not going to tell them that, Liam.”
He grinned down at her, lifting his head as he heard his mother’s voice outside the cabin. “I will just tell her that I could not wait to marry you.”
*****
Liam kept her hand in his as he wa
lked among the guests milling around and talking, as they drank the endless amount of champagne and partook of the sumptuous meal that had been prepared by the chef onboard The Lorelei, along with a catering service that he had also hired to help out. His mother and sister had stared at them, stunned when Liam had announced that they had gotten married a few days ago.
“Why the hurry?” Lorelei had asked him, looking at Amani suspiciously as if she was the one who had hurried her brother to the altar.
“I am the one to blame darling,” he had told his sister with a smile. “I was afraid she would change her mind if I waited.”
“There was a very great chance of me doing that because your brother does not take no for an answer.”
“You were going no say not to him?” The girl had looked at Amani as if she had taken leave of her senses.
“I found it very hard to believe too darling.” Both women had stared at him as he gathered Amani into his arms and kissed the top of her head. They had never seen him looked at anyone the way he was looking at her.
Now making the rounds with his wife by his side, he was relishing the stunned looks on the faces of his friends and the other people he had invited as well. When he had introduced Amani to his two closest friends, they had been so shocked that they had not remembered to acknowledge her! “Darling this is Adam and Amber Whitmore and Timothy and Robyn McLaughlin. I would like you to meet my wife; Amani Moses.”
“Could we borrow him for a few minutes?” Adam said half an hour later as they made their rounds. The pictures had been taken and the initial surprise had been replaced by the merriment of the gathering!
“Of course,” Amani said without hesitation. “I need to go and reassure Hanson that I was not coerced into marrying Liam.” She turned into his arms and wrapping her hands around his neck she leaned into the kiss, letting herself be lost in the sensuous movements of his lips on hers. She was the one who broke it off, her dark brown eyes amused as she looked at Adam. “He is all yours.”
“You look like a lovesick fool,” Adam told him darkly as they strode off to where Timothy, Robyn, Amber, Leesa Wellington, Kelly Takahashi and Stacey Stone were standing. A great number of the club members were present, but some were taking advantage of the lovely day by frolicking inside the pool, while others were seated in groups and enjoying the meal.