Delicious (29 page)

odd. But she actually looked bridal, hair upswept, pearls dangling at her

ears, sheer tulle trimmed in sparkling beads falling softly down her back, to

her hips. Her dress was simple. Cap sleeves clung to her shoulders. A Vneck hinted at cleavage, and the ruched silk cupped her generous breasts.

Sparse beading encircled her small waist. The rest of the gown cascaded

down to her feet in a gentle fall, a very short train behind her. In trembling

hands, she carried a small bouquet of baby red roses that matched her

lipstick.

Besides beautiful, Alyssa looked pale and scared. Luc clenched his

jaw, resolving to do his best to put the lies behind them and be good to her.

She had given him a gift he‟d never expected. Despite the enormity of her

deception—and his—a part of him still loved her.

As Alyssa neared, he held out his hand to her. She stared, her blue

eyes pale, red-rimmed, and swollen. She hadn‟t slept and she‟d been

crying. Clearly, second thoughts tortured her. Or was that guilt? Everything

inside him tensed.

Luc forced himself to smile. She took a breath, finally putting her cold

hand in his. Her gaze asked what her lips couldn‟t in front of all these

people: Why did he want to marry her?

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Answering was pointless. The truth would serve no purpose except to

expose his humiliation, tear them apart, and send her to back to Tyler‟s

arms. He‟d bear the secret. And if the child emerged looking like her

bouncer . . . Luc clenched his fist. Nothing to do but cross that bridge then.

The best strategy now was to calm his bride and be good to her for the rest

of their lives.

Beautiful,
he mouthed to her. A smile wobbled across her face.

Then the justice of the peace began the ceremony. The words were

short, a blur. He responded when prompted. Alyssa did the same, her voice

thin and high and shaking.

Then came time for the rings.

He held out his hand toward Deke, who leaned in and whispered, “You

really sure, man?”

Luc merely wiggled his fingers impatiently. With a sigh, his cousin set

the ring in the middle of his palm. Then he turned to Alyssa and began to

slide it on her finger as he recited his vows.

Love. Honor. Cherish. Until death. Could they make it work?

As she looked down at the ring, she gasped. And he smiled.

Earlier in the week, she‟d asked him if he wanted one. He‟d said a

band would be fine. Apparently, she‟d assumed he‟d get her the same. But

when he‟d gone to return Emily‟s ring and find something else, this had

caught his eye. Three stones meant to represent their past, present, and

future. He‟d seen it as their new family. The middle gem was nearly two

carats, the stones on either side a carat on their own. Set in platinum. No

baguettes, no channel setting, no filigree. Simple sparkling splendor. So

Alyssa.

“Do you like it?” he whispered.

Eyes wide, she nodded. A stupidly pleased feeling slid through his gut.

This marriage might be a train wreck down the road, but this made her feel

special. For now it was enough.

Then the justice of the peace prompted Alyssa. Still shaking, she

slipped a ring on his finger, a brushed platinum band. Stylish but not

fussy—exactly what he would have chosen for himself.

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“With this ring”—she swallowed—“I thee wed. To love, honor, and

cherish from this day forward, for better or for worse, in sickness and in

health, forsaking all others until death parts us.”

Alyssa took a deep breath and met his gaze. Her usually self-assured

expression was gone. She looked shaken, anxious. Was she worried he‟d

discover her lie?

Tamping down the ironic smile, he took her hands in his at the justice‟s

prompting. The older man paused and sent him a weighty stare.

“Kiss your bride.”

Now,
this
was something he‟d been waiting for since she‟d suddenly

reappeared in his life last Saturday. Since that moment, they‟d talked

wedding details by phone and e-mail, the tone infuriatingly businesslike.

Earlier this week, he‟d had to take a damn PR trip to New York and hadn‟t

returned to Lafayette until yesterday. The simple ceremony hadn‟t required

a rehearsal, so he‟d arranged a quiet dinner with his parents last night so

they could meet her. He hadn‟t been alone with Alyssa for a single minute

this week. He hadn‟t touched her since that disastrous night in her bedroom

above the club.

He was dying to kiss her.

Luc cupped her face and leaned in. Alyssa clamped her hands around

his waist, as if he were her anchor, and waited, breathless. Slowly, he

pressed his lips to hers. Soft, a brush. A shared sigh. He lingered, slanting

his mouth over hers again, a firmer press. Hunger crashed through him,

sharp, fresh, demanding. Beneath him, Alyssa went pliant and opened to

him. Luc was so tempted to sink deep into her, drown, guests be damned.

Later
. Now was about their first kiss as husband and wife with family

and friends looking on. Later, she‟d understand exactly what he wanted

from her and how badly he wanted it.

After savoring the meeting of their mouths a moment more, Luc eased

back and stared down into her flushed, golden face. She sent him a

nervous, tentative smile.

“Ladies and gentleman,” the justice said. “Mr. and Mrs. Lucas

Traverson.”

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Their guests politely clapped as the couple walked back down the

aisle. Jack Cole reached out to shake his hand. Kimber kissed his cheek,

whispering, “Be happy.” Sadie hugged Alyssa. Tyler still scowled.

The photographer, a friend of Luc‟s, awaited them. He snapped a few

pictures, posed them close together. Something greedy leapt inside Luc

when the man suggested they kiss again so he could get a shot.

Restraining himself this time proved more difficult. The first taste had

merely whetted his appetite, made the hungry beast inside him roar to life.

Whatever lay between them, this—touching her— was always gripping and

exquisite. To have the right to do it whenever he wished was heady.

The rest of the luncheon passed in quiet festivity. They cut the cake

he‟d made early this morning. Simple and all white fondant with beads of

frosting decorating the edge of each of the three stacked tiers. White

ribbons of fondant ran along the sides, so it resembled an elegant package.

Fresh flowers circled the cake on the pristine white tablecloth.

He and Alyssa hadn‟t talked specifics after he‟d volunteered to handle

this part of the reception. Now Luc was oddly nervous that she‟d had

something else in mind.

“You made this?” Her voice was barely more than a whisper. “It‟s

gorgeous.”

“Amaretto with Swiss buttercream filling. I hope you like it.”

Together they cut the cake, and flashbulbs went off. Gently, he fed her

a piece and she moaned, to his satisfaction. Then, with shaking fingers,

she fed him as well. The desire inside him surged, tearing at his restraint.

Luc was still grappling for self-control when Deke rose and toasted

them. “After one of the most inauspicious meetings, you‟ve elected to share

a future that I hope will be filled with love and all the best life has to offer.

Congratulations.”

Holding her sparkling water, Alyssa leaned to him. “He couldn‟t

possibly have written that on his own.”

Luc laughed for the first time today. “I‟m sure Kimber helped.”

Then Sadie rose to make her own toast. “To a great boss, friend, and

human being, who‟s always there for her employees, whether that‟s lending

a shoulder to cry on or a helping hand. You deserve great happiness. Luc, I

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haven‟t known you long, but I‟m hoping you‟ll be a strong, positive force in

her life and will love her as she is. To a long and happy life together.”

Moments later, the soft instrumental music he‟d chosen sounded over

the restaurant‟s speakers. Luc rose and extended his hand to Alyssa. She

bounced a surprised gaze up to him.

“Dance?”

She bit her lip, then stood. The guests were dead silent as they

watched him take her in his arms. She felt good against him, too good.

Hunger kicked up another notch, and Luc buried his face in her neck. Her

peaches and cinnamon scent mixed with a light perfume, driving him mad

with the need to hold her, strip her, take her.

“I thought the ceremony was lovely,” she murmured. “I‟m sorry . . . I‟m

sure your parents would have preferred a fancier wedding.”

One that wasn‟t rushed, in which the bride wasn‟t a pregnant

stripper—Luc heard regret in her voice. He lifted her chin with his finger.

“They want whatever makes me happy. Proposing was my choice, and I

don‟t regret it. Sadie wants us to have a long and happy life together. Let‟s

start it by looking forward, not back.”

LUC‟S earlier words on the dance floor echoed in her head. Could they

really look forward without the past coming back to haunt them?

“What am I doing?” Alyssa asked aloud as Sadie helped her out of her

wedding gown in Bonheur‟s bathroom.

“You asked me this question when you were putting on your wedding

dress earlier. The answer is still the same.”

“I know I‟m providing a more stable home for this baby.” She sighed

into her hands, regret crashing through her. “But I‟m going to fall for Luc

completely and utterly, and I‟ll never be more to him than the great lay

whose egg happened to meet his sperm.”

“You don‟t know that. When he looks at you, I see something more.”

“Annoyance?”

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She knew that wasn‟t true, but she didn‟t understand why he‟d married

her. She‟d been perfectly willing to allow him whatever parental rights he

wanted. Luc had given her some reasons for the wedding . . . but they all

benefited her. What was in it for him?

And the uncertainty on his parents‟ faces concerned her. It wasn‟t

disapproval . . . yet. But what if that came? What if her job, her life, her

past, became a bone of contention between Luc and his family? Or

between Luc and herself? There was a whole lot about her he didn‟t know.

And God willing, he never would.

Sadie shook her head. “Annoyance, no. Serious lust, totally. But I think

it‟s even more.”

Alyssa was afraid to hope that Luc had genuine feelings for her.

Pushing it aside, she stepped out of her wedding dress, then turned her

back to Sadie. “Can you take this off?”

Her friend hesitated. “No. That white corset is hot! You‟ll knock Luc

dead with it.”

Biting her lip, Alyssa wondered if that was a good thing. She‟d tasted

the desire in his kiss, felt a surge of her own. Hell, she did whenever he

was in the same room. In the same zip code. But they had to start building

their marriage on something more than sex and the coming child. They

couldn‟t do that if he kept seeing her as a stripper.

“I‟d rather not.”

“But it‟s your wedding night,” Sadie reminded.

“Yeah, never thought I‟d have one of those.” Hoped, maybe, but after

fourteen years of pure shit romantically speaking, she‟d learned to mistrust

men. They‟d do or say anything for sex. So why had she tied herself to

someone who‟d likely become a lying bastard and ruin her life?

Because you were dumb enough to fall in love, and you’re still hoping

that the baby will round out the perfect family so you can all live happily

ever after. Yeah, right
. . .

In a million years, she‟d never imagined that one man would get under

her skin and that she‟d be tempted to keep him forever. But she wanted

Luc too much to refuse. What if he realized that she loved him? What if he

moved on?

“Don‟t you want to make an impression on your wedding night?”

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Alyssa was pretty sure she‟d already made it. “Just take it off.”

Sadie harrumphed. “You‟d better have something sexier in mind.”

“Totally,” she lied.

With a cackle of glee, Sadie tore into the corset. Alyssa pulled the

boning away from her body, then thanked her friend as she waved and

exited carrying her dress in its protective bag.