“You don’t know,” he uttered, stopping in front of her.
Headley shook her head. “No. I don’t have a clue.”
“It’s our wedding night.”
“That’s impossible. We aren’t getting married tonight. Our wedding is three days from now.”
“Not anymore,” Troy answered pulling her against his chest. “I’m not going to wait any longer to marry you. I know you Headley. You’ll get cold feet and run out on me. So, I paid the good judge here to marry us tonight without the blood tests. We can get those later.”
Planting her hands against Troy’s hard chest, Headley shoved him away from her. He couldn’t do this to her. She wasn’t ready to get married tonight.
Troy was fine earlier in the day with them waiting, so what was with the rush now? Was there something going on that she didn’t know about?
“I can’t marry you tonight.”
“Sweetheart, you don’t have a say in this discussion. We’re getting married tonight. Now just take a deep breath and it will be okay. I’ve taken care of everything.”
“This isn’t making any sense,” she muttered moving away from Troy and the tempting scent of his cologne. “We have to talk about this. I need to tell you something.”
“You can tell me anything you want after we say I do,” Troy exclaimed wrapping his arms around her waist.
Think of a way out of this!
“I can’t marry you,” she said.
“Why not?” Strong lips pressed against the side of her neck while long fingers massaged her stomach through her shirt.
“I don’t have a dress to wear.”
“Yes, you do,” he stated stepping back from her. “Go upstairs and it’s the first door on your left. Everything you need is up there and I’m giving you thirty minutes to get ready. If you aren’t back by then, I’ll come up there and get you.”
“Troy….” Headley retorted facing the man, she was in love with.
“Headley, don’t make me carry you up those stairs. This is your last night as a single woman. Now, you can either go up those stairs or I can carry you up them, but you’re going to marry me tonight.”
“I’m going.” She stepped around Troy’s powerful body and headed up the stairs wondering why he was so insistent on marrying her tonight. However, if Headley had looked back at the man in the living room, the answer to her question was written all over his face.
Chapter Fourteen
Resting his hand in his palm, Troy watched his new wife as she slept soundly next to him. She was shocked by the surprise wedding just as he knew she would be, but he wasn’t going to take the chance of losing her again.
Douglas was awake and her father hated him. He could have been married to Headley years ago if she hadn’t run from him.
She would be so surprised to know how much he cared about her. Headley could have him wrapped around her little finger if she wanted to.
Brushing a strand of hair off her forehead, he ran the tip of his finger down her smooth cheek.
She still looked so much like the young woman he fell in love with. A part of him was upset she didn’t return his feelings, but it didn’t matter. Headley was his now and nothing was going to change that.
Easing the covers off her body, he tossed them over the side of the bed. He had been so busy earlier loving his wife that he didn’t get a chance to just look at her beautiful body.
Headley’s skin was the most amazing shade of Hershey’s kiss chocolate.
A sense of pride filled him knowing that she would never know another man’s touch but his.
Her blemish free complexion would make any skin cream model jealous and Headley didn’t even know it.
She was clueless to her natural beauty and sex appeal. She wasn’t the type to go around and flaunt what she had. Headley was very low-key which only made her beauty stand out more.
Headley had a huge amount of dark, thick hair that he loved running his fingers through while they made love. He would hate it if she ever cut it short. On the rare occasions that she wore it down, it stopped in the middle of her back.
His eyes slowly traveled over her perky breasts down to her slightly curved stomach, where he gently laid his hand so he wouldn’t wake Headley.
“I would love for you to be pregnant. A baby would only seal the love I’ve for you,” he whispered. They had not used protection even once since they started making love.
Troy removed his hand and pulled Headley flush against his body, because he couldn’t fathomed one night without her wrapped in his arms. “I hope that one day you will love me as much as I love you.”
“I’m going into town. I’ll be back in a couple of hours,” Headley yelled at him as glanced up from the stack of papers on his desk.
“Wait a minute. Come back here.”
“What is it?” Headley asked coming back into his office. “I need to go or I’m going to be late.”
Troy’s eyes narrowed on the red t-shirt that his wife was wearing. “I know you aren’t going where I think you are.” He got up from behind the table and advanced towards Headley.
“Yeah….Tommy gave me my job back at the Tycoon’s Club. Fancy is sick and he needed someone to fill in for her. I’ve got to go or I’m going to be late.” Headley turned to leave, but he caught her by the arm and then let go when she gave him a look.
“My wife isn’t going to work in that place dressed like that. I won’t allow it.” Crossing his arms over his chest, Troy dared Headley to deny him.
He had enough money from all of his investment ventures that she never had to work a day in her life. She was his wife now and she wasn’t going to step foot back in that club.
All those men there were only looking for one thing and they weren’t going to find it with Headley.
“You can’t be serious,” she gasped staring up at him. “My best friend needs my help and you’re demanding that I ignore her and Tommy’s request for help. I don’t believe you. If it was Maxwell or Cole you would be out that door in a matter of seconds. Hell, you wouldn’t even tell me goodbye before you left.”
“It’s different. My friends would only come to me for help when they really needed it. Fancy is always in some kind of trouble and most people here just blew it off. But now that you’re back in town, she has you to run to. Once you learn how to tell her no, things will be a lot better.”
“Listen Troy, just because we’re married now doesn’t mean that you own me. I’m still my own person and I can do what I want. Fancy needs my help and I’m going to help her.” Turning away from him, Headley stormed for the door but she didn’t make it two steps.
He wrapped his hand around her arm and tugged her back to him. Tossing her over his shoulder, Troy carried his struggling wife from the room.
“Troy, you put me down this instant,” she screamed hitting him in the back. “You know how much I hate when you do this.”
“You aren’t going to leave the house dressed in that outfit. I know what the men at the Tycoon’s Club are looking for and they aren’t going to get it from my wife,” he growled as he headed up the stairs.
“Do you really think I’m going there to do something like that? Do you not trust me?”
Troy blocked out the hurt in Headley’s voice as he opened the bedroom door and carried her inside. She didn’t get how men were drawn to her. She was so damn sexy without even trying. He knew the thoughts that raced through his mind when he first saw Headley in that outfit. .
Sliding Headley down his body, he held her in front of him so she wouldn’t move away. “Sweetheart, I trust you. However, the men at the club are the ones I don’t trust. I know they would find a way to touch that unbelievable body of yours and then I would have to hurt one of them. Honestly, I’m not interested in spending the night in jail but I would do it for you.”
“You have control issues,” Headley uttered shaking off his touch, “and I’m not going to stay here and feed into this nonsense. I’m going to the cl
ub and I’ll be home in a couple of hours.” She moved around his body to leave, but he stepped in front of her.
“No, you aren’t.” Walking to the door, he stood there blocking her exit.
Headley might hate him for this, but he didn’t care. The Tycoon’s Club was no place for his wife and he was going to make sure she stayed home.
“Just stay here and watch some television. After I’m finished with my work downstairs, we can go out and talk about a more suitable place for you to find a job. I don’t think you need to work, but if you really want to, I won’t stop you.”
“You aren’t thinking about leaving me locked in this room. I know you aren’t.” Headley took a step towards him.
“I’ll be back.” Troy stepped out into the hallway and closed the door, locking it quickly behind him.
“Troy Christian, you get your ass back here this minute and unlock this damn door. You can’t keep me from helping out Fancy.” The sound of his wife’s fists banging on the door echoed in the hallway.
“Fancy is a grown woman and it’s time for her to deal with her own problems. You aren’t her problem-solver, so calm down. I’ll be back before you know it.” Troy touched the door with his hand and then left, more than a little concerned about how he was going to make this up to Headley.
Moving away from the door, Headley threw out curses that would have embarrassed the most seasoned sailor. “I can’t believe this! He actually locked me in this room like I was a child.” She had to find a way out of here.
Troy wasn’t going to have this kind of power over her. He might be her husband now, but that didn’t make him the ruler of her world.
If she didn’t love him so damn much, she would be headed to a lawyer’s office tomorrow. They had only been married for a week and he was losing his mind.
She had a right to help out any of her friends without him saying a word. He would have to learn how to be more supportive of her choices or their marriage wasn’t going to work.
She had loved this bad boy side of him when she was a teenager. It made him so much more dangerous to fantasize about; however, now that she was older it wasn’t as hot.
Why are you lying to yourself? You know that you find that ‘Me Tarzan and you Jane’ stuff a turn-on. Troy had a way of making his domineering personality a sexy little game between the two of them.
She honestly didn’t mind it sometimes, but today wasn’t one of those days. Her friend was in trouble and she wasn’t going to let Fancy down.
“I’ve got to find a way out of here. Troy isn’t going to get away with this.”
Pacing around the room, Headley tried to think of ways to escape when her eyes landed on the window.
“Yes!” She grinned as she rushed over to it.
She undid the front latch and pushed it open. Looking over the edge, she tried not to think about how high she was up. There was no way she could jump out without hurting herself. The drop would be too much. However, the big oak tree next to the window would be the perfect thing for her to climb down.
Standing on the ledge, she grabbed one of the branches and swung her body around the limb. She pushed her fear to the back of her mind as she quickly climbed down the tree and jumped down at the bottom.
Troy was going to hit the roof when he found out that she was gone, but it couldn’t be helped. He had to understand that she wasn’t a piece of property that he could lock away anytime he desired.
“I’ll deal with Troy when I get back. I know he’s going to be pissed, but I can’t worry about that now.” Headley muttered as she made a dash for one of the cars parked in the driveway.
She just hoped the car keys were inside of the glove compartment or her mission impossible escape would have been for nothing.
Chapter Fifteen
“Mr. Christian, your wife is on the phone. Do you want me to put her call through?” Heather asked him. “This is the third time that she has called.”
“No, tell her that I’m still in a meeting and I’ll call her when I get out.” Troy pushed the disconnect button on his phone and ran his hand down his face.
He was still pissed that Headley actually climbed out the window to go and help Fancy. She could have broken her neck and his life would have been over.
Why couldn’t she just listen to him? He wasn’t ready to talk to her yet.
“Are you still mad at Headley?” Cole asked. “You shouldn’t hold a grudge over something so small. Headley was just being a good friend.”
“Cole, if I wanted your opinion, I would ask for it. Headley knew that I didn’t want her back at the club and she went anyway. She defied me and I’m not pleased at all.”
“Have you listened to yourself at all? Headley is your wife. You’ve been in love with this woman for most of your life, but you aren’t acting like it. You can’t control her by barking out orders or making demands on her.”
Troy hated that Cole was right, but it was hard for him to share Headley now that she was finally married to him. He just wanted them to stay locked away with each other, but in reality he knew that wouldn’t happen.
“I hear what you’re saying, but she acted like I was holding her prisoner in our house.”
“Man, what would you call it if she locked you in the bedroom and told you not to leave? Headley is a wonderful woman. Maxwell and I would both give our right arm to find someone like her, but you’re going to lose her if you keep this up.”
Fear lodged his words in his throat. Headley wouldn’t leave him over their first fight. He would tell her that under no certain terms was that an option. Wait!
Talking to her like that would make him a divorced man. He had to find a better way to communicate with his wife. He was just so used to barking out orders.
“Cole, I love Headley so much. I don’t want to lose her. Hell, we haven’t even been married for two weeks and I’m already acting like a jerk.”
“You’re in love and maybe if she knew that, things would be so much clearer for her. But if you kept it a secret, she’ll never tell you how she feels,” Cole commented.
“I know one thing for sure. Headley isn’t in love with me. She just married me to get her father out of debt and because the sex is good between us.” He wished like hell that his wife was in love with him.
“Are you seriously that dumb?”
“What are you talking about? Why are you calling me names?”
Cole stared at him closely before shock registered on his friend’s face. “You honestly don’t know, do you?”
“Know what?” Troy frowned. “I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.”
“Headley is in love with you,” Cole uttered, shocked.
“Sure she is and that’s why I’ve been sleeping in the guest room for the past two days.”
“First, do you honestly think Headley would have married you if she wasn’t in love with you? Does she come off like a woman who would do that to settle a money debt her father owed? How many times did she suggest using any kind of protection when the two of you made love before you got married?”
Hope filled Troy’s chest as Cole’s words started to sink in. “Why hasn’t she told me?”
“Have you given her a chance to say anything? I know you and how you work when it comes to business. You probably approached the marriage proposal like a business deal. I bet you have never told her you love her to see what she would even say. And the reason you’re in the guest room is all your fault. Did Headley tell to go there or was your pride hurt and you took it out on her?”
“How did you get so damn smart?” he asked. Cole was like Maxwell, he didn’t know much about his friend’s past or any past loves in his life.
“Let’s just say I learned from experience and I don’t want to see you lose the love of your life. Now, if I were you, I would find a way to make up with her and fast.”
“Do you think it’s too late?” His wife might not be open to listening to him after he blew off her latest phone call.
“If you don’t do anything else to hurt her, I think you should be fine. But remember, tell her that you love her and find a way to make her understand that you’re telling her the truth.”
“Wish me luck,” Troy sighed.
“I do wish you luck, because you’re going to need it,” Cole answered.
Chapter Sixteen
“I never guessed that not taking your phone calls would make you pack up your clothes,” Troy joked as he came into his bedroom. His heart was breaking. Cole was right, Headley was going to leave him if he didn’t act fast and find the words to make her stay.
“Troy, I’m leaving you. I’ve tried talking to you, but you just don’t know how to listen without giving orders. I’m fed up with it.” Headley folded up a couple of shirts and added them to the suitcase on the bed.
“Headley, we’ve only been married for a week. We’re just getting used to each other. I don’t think you should leave and move back to your dad’s house. Just give it some more time and we’ll get through this.”
“Did you not hear what I said?” she asked, pausing in folding up the rest of her clothes. “I’m going back home.”
“Yeah….I heard you say that you’re going back to your father’s house. I don’t think you should. We can’t work things out if you are there and I’m here. We need to be under the same roof and talk this thorough.”
“You do not understand what I’m telling you,” she sighed shaking her head. “When I said I’m going home, I meant back to New York. I called and talked to Avant and he offered me my job back with a raise. The hospital is getting my father’s paperwork ready so I can take him with me.”
New York!!!
Headley was leaving Texas forever. How could Cole think she was ever in love with him? She would never do this if she had any love in her heart for him.
“Why are you doing this?” He demanded. “I have money, power and I know I’m a nice-looking man. What is so special about New York that you want to leave me? I can give you a good life and you’re throwing it all back in my face.”
Dangerous Bet: Troy's Revenge: Tycoon Club Series Page 8
