High Stakes

by Cheryl Douglas

  His grip on her leg tightened and she could tell he was trying to maintain his composure. “I’m your husband now, Alisa. Whatever you need, I’ll provide.”

  Oh, so it was going to be like that, was it? “I don’t have time to talk about this. I need to take a shower so I can make that meeting.”

  “Fine, I’ll come back to Nashville with you. I was supposed to stay on here for a few days, but—”

  “Liam, last night was a mistake, a huge mistake.” She winced when she realized her hasty words had hurt him. “I’m sorry, I thought I was thinking clearly last night, but obviously I wasn’t. It was crazy to think this could work. It goes without saying that I’m attracted to you, but what happened last night never should have happened.”

  “You mean you shouldn’t have married me, or you shouldn’t have slept with me?”

  “Neither.” She dropped her head and thrust her hand through her tangled mass of hair. “I’m sorry if that’s not what you want to hear, but that’s how I feel.” She thought about last night. She hadn’t been so far gone that she forgot how she felt or what she thought when she made the decision to accept his proposal, but without benefit of alcohol to make her believe the impossible was possible, she knew there was no way this man could be the one, could he?

  He turned to look out the window at the impressive view of the skyline as he asked, “So, where do you suggest we go from here?”

  “I’ll contact my lawyer when I get home. I’ll have the papers to you by the end of the week. I don’t want anything from you; please don’t worry about that. We’ll just tell everyone that we had a few too many drinks. We weren’t thinking clearly…”

  “No one who knows me will believe that. I don’t overindulge in alcohol, ever.” He shoved his hand into the pockets of his terry robe. “My old man was a drunk. I swore I wouldn’t make the mistake of letting the booze get the best of me as well. That’s why his business was failing. It’s what ultimately killed him.” He looked her in the eye. “I won’t lie about what happened or how I feel about you. If anyone asks, I intend to tell them the truth. I married you because I wanted to, and I don’t have any regrets about my decision. None.”

  The sincerity behind his words made her question everything. Was it possible that what she thought she felt for him last night was real? “I need to get out of here. I think we both need a little time and space to think this through.”

  “I think you’re right. That’s why I have no intention of signing your divorce papers until you’ve given us a reasonable amount of time to try and make this work.”

  She gaped at him. “You can’t be serious.”

  It never occurred to her that he would try and keep her in this marriage against her will. Could he even do that? She didn’t know enough about matrimonial law to know whether he had grounds to contest the divorce or annulment or whatever it would be, but given his wealth and power, she had no doubt he had a dozen legal sharks on retainer who would be more than happy to keep this tied up in the courts just long enough to make her life miserable.

  “I wouldn’t joke about something like this. So, here’s the deal. You give me one year, and if at the end of that time, you’re not happy with me, I give you ten million and we agree to walk away.”

  She closed her eyes, hoping when she opened them, he would be gone. No such luck. “I told you before, I don’t want your money, and I’m not going to sacrifice a year of my life over one stupid mistake.”

  He let his hands fall to his sides as he clenched his fists. “I wish you’d stop referring to last night as a mistake. You know that’s not how I feel about it.”

  She jumped out of bed, taking the six-hundred-thread-count Egyptian cotton sheet with her. “I don’t care what you think. I’m not going to stay married to you, no matter what. You can beg, bribe, or sic your team of vultures on me, but you won’t wear me down. By the end of the week, you’ll have those divorce papers. Sign them or don’t. It doesn’t matter to me. Either way, I intend to get on with my life as though last night never happened.”

  He growled as he reached out and grabbed her left hand. He held up the ring he’d placed there last night. “Like hell you will. You’re not daddy’s little girl anymore, Alisa. You’re Mrs. Liam Bryson, and with that title comes some responsibility. If I even hear a whisper about you behaving inappropriately in public or going out with another man, I’ll be on my private jet and touching down in Nashville before you can even think of a suitable defense. Is that understood?”

  She knew he was used to ordering people around, but she wasn’t one of his lackeys and she wouldn’t be treated like one. “I don’t know why the hell you think you have the right to tell me what to do or where to go, but—”

  “I’m your goddamn husband. Have you forgotten that?”

  “I wish I could,” she muttered. She looked up and almost cowered in the face of his rage, but she was determined to stand her ground. “You’re my husband in name only and just until my lawyer can figure out how the hell to get me out of this mess.”

  His hand tightened like a barnacle around her wrist as he smirked. “What happened in that bed last night defies the name-only argument, don’t you think?”

  She cursed the blush creeping up her neck when she remembered how incredible their wedding night had been. “Let go of me. I don’t have time to stand here and argue with you anymore. I have to get to my meeting and then to the airport.”

  He let her go. “Fine, but this isn’t over.”

  Liam sank down on the bed and dropped his head into his hands. He’d tried to act composed, as though he had it all figured out, but inside he was a mess. After they made love and she fell asleep in his arms, he was so sure they were on the same page about presenting a united front to their friends and family today. Instead, she pulled the rug out from under him when she told him she wanted a divorce. He called himself an idiot for not being emotionally prepared for the worst-case scenario, but before he finally fell asleep last night, the only thoughts drifting through his head were how he couldn’t wait to make this woman a part of his life, to introduce her to his daughter.

  God, how was this going to affect his little girl? He knew he should call and talk to her before she heard it from someone else, but he had no idea what to say. No matter what Alisa claimed to want, he wasn’t going to tell anyone, least of all his daughter, that his marriage was a drunken mistake.

  Before he could decide how to proceed, his cell phone rang. He glanced at the call display. Great, his brother had already heard, which meant his mother wouldn’t waste any time taking him to task.

  “What do you want?” Hopefully that would convey the message that he wasn’t in the mood to defend his actions.

  “Please tell me this is a joke.”

  “It isn’t.”

  “Damn it, Liam. How the hell could you do something so stupid, so reckless? Have you thought about how this is gonna affect your daughter or your company, for God’s sake? It’s so unlike you to be taken in by a hot piece of ass.”

  Liam counted to five as he clenched the phone in his fist. “If you still expect to have a job on Monday morning, you’ll watch your mouth.”

  Matt released a gusty sigh. “I’m sorry, I just can’t believe you would do this. I know you said you were in to her, but marriage? Come on, man, that’s way the hell out there, especially for you. You don’t do committed relationships, like ever. So, why the hell would you make the ultimate commitment to a woman you don’t even know?”

  “I know enough.” I know that I’m in love with her, that I want to spend the rest of my life with her.

  “Oh yeah, did you know that she was engaged to that country singer, Nick Sinclair? Maybe she’s got a thing for famous guys, ever think of that?”

  If he heard her ex-fiancé’s name one more time, he was going to lose his mind. “I’m not famous.”

  “Like hell you’re not. You make the richest people in the goddamn country list every year. I’d say that gives yo
u a certain amount of notoriety.”

  “Listen, I don’t want talk about this right now. Bottom line, I’m married. Get used to it, and when you do meet my wife…”—and Liam prayed he would—“I expect you to treat her with the same respect I’ve always shown your wife. Is that understood?”

  “Come on, you can’t compare what I have with Tracey to what you have with that… that…”

  “Be careful, little brother. I’m not gonna warn you again.”

  “Fine, I won’t say what I’m thinking, but please tell me you had the good sense to have her sign something, even if it was a cocktail napkin, stating she doesn’t expect anything when—if this marriage ends.”

  Liam knew this was coming, but it still irked him. “It’s my money, my business. I’ll give it away on the street corner if I choose to, and there’s not a goddamn thing you can do about it!” he shouted before punching the button to disconnect the call.

  He looked up to find Alisa standing in the doorway wearing only a towel.

  She winced as she pressed her fingertips to her temple.

  He didn’t hesitate to go to her. Bracing his hands on her shoulders, he asked, “Are you all right? You look kind of pale.”

  “My head really hurts. I just came out to get some water. Maybe that’ll help,” she whispered.

  He tried to hide his smile as he reached for the bottle and handed it to her. He’d had the mother of all hangovers once in college and he swore he’d never subject his body to that again. Fortunately, he was a man of his word. “Do you want some coffee?”

  She nodded her head and grimaced when a pain obviously ricocheted through her skull. “Please.”

  He couldn’t resist the urge to pull her into his arms and lay her head on his chest as he stroked her hair. “Oh, my poor baby. I’ll have to make sure to monitor your alcohol consumption a little more carefully next time.”

  “Liam—”

  “Shhh,” he whispered, tilting her head to kiss her. “I don’t want to hear it.” He pressed another soft kiss to her lips before his mouth skittered across her jaw to her ear. He drew her earlobe between his teeth and felt her hands around his waist, drawing him closer.

  “Hmmm,” she said, tilting her head back to give him better access to her neck. “That feels so good. Too good.”

  When he reached for the front of her towel, she gripped his wrists. “We can’t do this again.”

  He muttered a curse. He knew trying to win her over with sex was a bad idea, but it seemed to be the one and only weapon in his arsenal at the moment. “You’re in no condition to go to that meeting. Why don’t you reschedule for tomorrow? You can go back to bed, we’ll order in some food, and—”

  “Weren’t you listening to a word I said earlier?”

  He was, but the only one of those words that echoed through his head like a sadistic chant was divorce. God, he hated that word. “I heard everything you said.”

  “So you’re just choosing to ignore me?”

  “No, but I’m trying to take care of you. What kind of husband would I be if I didn’t?” He smiled, hoping she would give him the benefit of a break. He just needed a few more hours to make her see how great they could be together. He could already imagine their life, if only she would give him time to paint the picture for her.

  He could tell she was trying to suppress a smile when she finally surrendered. “I’m sure you would be a wonderful husband, but I’m never going to find out.” She fixated on the middle of his chest when she said, “I didn’t come here looking for a husband. I’m not ready for that kind of commitment.”

  “You were at one time.”

  “Sure, but I’d been dating Nick for a year before we got engaged. I knew him; he knew me. We knew each other’s family and friends.”

  “Yeah, and look how well that worked out for you.”

  She tilted her head back to glare at him. “I don’t need you to remind me.”

  “I can promise you one thing, Alisa. You can always count on me to be faithful to you. Always.” He felt they were finally making progress when her eyes began roaming his face as though she was trying to decide if he was worthy of her trust.

  “I’m sure you’re a good guy, Liam, but you’re not the guy for me. I’m sorry.”

  He felt the sting of her words hit him square in the chest. “How do you know that? You haven’t even given me a chance. Let me prove to you how great we could be together. Please.”

  “I can’t.” She pressed her hands against his chest, pushing him away. “I’m sorry.”

  Chapter Ten

  By the time Alisa’s plane touched down in Nashville, she was exhausted, physically and emotionally. Liam’s pleas kept ringing in her ears, preventing her from stealing a wink of the sleep she so desperately needed. She’d had to fight off dozens of reporters, both at the hotel and the airport. Her cell phone rang nonstop since she stepped onto the hotel elevator, forcing her to turn it off. She listened to one of her father’s voice mail tirades, but she couldn’t listen to any more. If he wanted to tear a strip off of her for being stupid and irresponsible, it would have to wait until they were face-to-face, when she had no choice but to listen.

  Her first stop was the boutique. She meant it when she told Liam she couldn’t afford a day of rest. As much as she might have liked to hide away in his luxurious suite for one more day, she needed to get to work.

  The second she walked through the door, Lena corralled her into the office under the watchful eye of the sales staff, who were pretending to steam and price garments for display.

  “I can’t believe you,” Lena said, sitting her down in the swivel chair behind her desk. “When you told me you were in to him, I had no idea that meant you were gonna marry the guy. What the hell were you thinking?”

  “I wasn’t. Sir Patron was doing my thinking for me last night.”

  Lena laughed. “You’re trying to tell me you married a sexy stranger just ’cause you got into the tequila? That doesn’t sound like you. Nick had to practically beg you to marry him, and that was after a year.”

  “Yeah, I probably should have trusted my instincts on that one. It would have saved me a lot of grief.” Alisa started poking around in the desk drawers. “Please tell me you have aspirin in here somewhere.”

  Lena reached for her handbag and withdrew a tiny metal packet of pain reliever, passing it to Alisa. “That bad, huh?”

  “Worse.”

  Lena smiled. “Serves ya right. You promised big Daddy you wouldn’t drink anymore after that last fiasco at my birthday party. Remember you were up on the stage with that male stripper?”

  Alisa held her hand up. “Please don’t remind me. I’m sure my father is gonna be more than happy to remind me of all my stupid, drunken mistakes. No doubt he’ll think this one tops them all.”

  “Is that how you feel?”

  “I don’t know how I feel right now. I’m still reeling, to tell you the truth.”

  Lena picked up her friend’s left hand. “Wow, that is some serious hardware.”

  “I know, right?” Alisa held her hand out to admire it. She knew she should have given it back to him, or at the very least, taken it off on the plane, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. “I’m beginning to realize Liam’s an all or nothing kind of guy. No half measures with him.”

  “So, where did you guys leave things?”

  “I told him I’d have divorce papers to him by the end of the week.”

  When she woke up that morning, in pain and still trying to come to terms with her impulsive decision to turn her world upside down with two simple words, it seemed like the only logical solution. But four hours on a plane and two in the airport, waiting, gave her a lot of time to think, and a year didn’t seem like forever when she considered what she stood to gain. If he was right about them and they were compatible, if they could find a way to make this marriage work, maybe it would be worth it to try.

  “Damn, are you sure you wanna do that?”


  Alisa dry swallowed two of the tiny pills before she said, “I don’t know anything anymore. When I left here, I knew what was important to me, my business, but now, I don’t what the hell I want. This guy… he really got to me.”

  Lena snorted. “Obviously.”

  “I’m serious. I’m hoping I’ll be able to put it into perspective with a little distance between us because being there with him, it just felt so intense, so right.” She sighed. “Like he could be…”

  “The one?” Lena asked quietly, reaching for her hand.

  She looked at their joined hands a long time before answering. “Yeah, is that crazy?”

  “Honey, you’re the only one who knows how you feel about him, or how he feels about you. Speaking of which, how does he feel?”

  Alisa wandered to the small, upholstered sofa tucked away in the corner and sat down in the middle, hugging a pillow against her body. “He says he wants to try and make this work. He asked me to give it a year, and if I still want out…” She didn’t even want to tell her friend about his offer of financial compensation. It made their relationship sound so tawdry.

  “Go on…” Lena pulled her legs up on the chair, resting her chin on her knees. “I know there’s something you’re not telling me. What is it?”

  “He offered me ten million dollars if I still want out of the marriage after a year.”

  Lena shook her head, as though she was certain she’d misunderstood. “Hold on a second. This guy didn’t get you to sign a prenup before you tied the knot?”

  “No, he didn’t ask me to sign anything.”

  Lena’s mouth fell open. “Oh my God, Ali, that’s insane.” She pulled the laptop sitting on the desktop toward her. “I did a little more digging after I found out what you’d done, and this guy’s worth hundreds of millions of dollars. He makes the list of the country’s wealthiest people every freakin’ year.” She typed Liam’s name into the search engine and selected the website she was looking for. “Check this out.”