High Stakes (6 page)

“Hold up a minute. She was engaged? Is the fiancé
still in the picture?”

Liam hoped not. “I don’t think so. She said
they broke up a while ago.”

“How long is a while?”

“How the hell should I know? Like I said, I
just met the girl a few hours ago.” He was getting tired of playing twenty
questions with his kid brother. “We’re going out for dinner in a bit. That’ll
give me a chance to get to know her better, and I’ll find out what the deal is
with the ex before we… take it any further.”

“I just don’t want you to be her rebound
guy. You know that never ends well.”

The thought of Alisa using him to get over
some other man made him sick. When he made love to her, he wanted her undivided
attention. The image of her making love to him and fantasizing about someone
else…

“She must’ve freaked when she found out who
you were, huh?”

“She doesn’t know.”

“What? Why the hell haven’t you told her?”

“I don’t know. I just haven’t.” His brother
would never understand. He had married his high school sweetheart the year
after they graduated college. He had no idea what it was like to swim in waters
infested with sharks on the hunt for the green lining his pockets. “I want to
get to know her better first, try and figure out what her deal is.”

“You know you could be making a big
mistake, keeping it from her.”

“Listen, the chances of me seeing her again
are slim. She may never find out.”

“Is that what you want?” Matt asked
quietly. “Just another meaningless affair?”

“No.” He ran his fingers through his hair,
something he only did on the rare occasions he was agitated. “Hell, I don’t
know.”

“Man, listen to me. You’re not getting any
younger.”

“Thanks for the reminder.”

“I’m serious. You really want to be alone
forever? Doesn’t it get old, going home to that big, empty house every night?”

“My house isn’t empty. Abby’s there.”

“Okay, fine. Doesn’t it get lonely going
home to an empty
bed
every night?”

He would never admit that it was getting
harder with every year that slipped past. “You know how busy I am with work. I
don’t have time for a relationship…” Liam’s mouth dropped open when the
adjoining door between their suites opened and Alisa appeared, still damp and
wearing only a towel. “Jesus,” he whispered, looking her up and down as he
began to salivate.

“What? What is it?” Matt asked.

“I gotta go. Talk to you later.” He let the
phone fall to the bed, and he noticed a flash of annoyance cross her face.
That’s when he realized she’d overheard the tail end of his conversation with
his brother. “I was just talking to—”

She held her hand up as she walked past
him. “You don’t owe me an explanation. I left my purse out here; there’s
something in it that I needed. I didn’t mean to interrupt your conversation.”

“I wasn’t talking to another woman, if
that’s what you think.”

She bent at the knees to retrieve her purse
from the floor. “It’s none of my business who you were talking to.”

He got up off the bed and went to her.
Cupping her shoulders in his hands, he held her captive, forcing her to look at
him. “Listen, I was being honest with you earlier. There’s no wife, no
girlfriend, no lover waiting for me at home. I swear.”

She looked at the hand on her shoulder.
“There’s no tan line, but that doesn’t mean anything. Maybe you don’t wear a
ring because you engage in these… affairs… all the time.”

“Damn it, Alisa…” His frustration mounted
as he thrust his hands into her wet hair and tipped her head back. “Trust me,
you’re the only woman I want right now.” He wasn’t going to let her get away
because of a misunderstanding, not when there was so much left to explore.

He finally took the kiss he had craved ever
since his eyes landed on those full, glossy pink lips the first time. As soon
as his tongue broke the seal of her lips, the sparks ignited a fire that lit
him up inside. Every nerve ending was on high alert as he plunged in and out of
her mouth, letting his lips travel over her jaw, down her neck, to the swell of
her exposed breasts.

“Liam,” she said, pushing against his
shoulders, “I need to be sure about this… about you.”

He tried to leash his irritation as her
words settled over him. He was moving too fast; he needed to figure out how to
slow this down before he scared her away. “You’re right.” He held her face
between his hands as he leaned his head against her forehead. “You finish
getting ready. I’m gonna jump in the shower.” A nice, cold shower.

She looped her thumbs through his belt loops.
There was no way for either of them to ignore the presence of his arousal
between them, letting her know how much it cost him to walk away from her now.
“I didn’t mean to—”

“Don’t,” he said, pressing a chaste kiss to
her lips. “Don’t say another word. I just need a few minutes to pull myself
together.”

Alisa was suitably impressed when Liam led
her to a small but elegant private dining room set with a table for two. “This
is lovely,” she said, taking the seat their host held for her. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure, ma’am.” He turned to Liam.
“Sir, shall I bring the wine you requested?”

Liam smiled at him. “Yes, thank you,
Robert.”

The man seemed pleased Liam thought to
address him by name, though he wore a gold name plate affixed to his black-and-white
uniform. “Okay, tell me the real story. You said you were in the hospitality
industry, but I’m getting the impression that you’re a pretty big player in
that game.”

Alisa had spent enough time in her father’s
company to observe how people treated VIPs and Liam definitely commanded
preferential treatment.

He folded his arms over his broad chest and
watched her carefully for a lingering moment before he said, “Okay, you got me.
Last name’s Bryson.”

“Bryson?” She let his announcement settle
over her before she said, “You’re Liam Bryson. This is your hotel chain?” She
rolled her eyes. “No wonder they treat you like royalty around here.” She took
a sip from her water glass before she asked, “Why were you so reluctant to tell
me who you are?”

He shrugged his broad shoulders. “Women
tend to see only the dollar signs when they meet me.”

Her eyes traveled over his well-cut black
suit before coming back to rest on his handsome face. “I can assure you, the
last thing I think about is money when I look at you.”

He smirked. “I’m relieved to hear that.”

She had spent her entire life around
wealthy celebrities—her father, Ty, Nikki, Tori, her fiancé—and she knew people
treated them differently because of their wealth and fame. She couldn’t blame
Liam for being discreet. In fact, she kind of admired him for it. Many men
would have used that to try and entice her, but he seemed determined to
downplay it. “I know it’s not easy. My father is Trey Turner.” Since he was
honest with her, she felt she owed him the same measure of respect. “And my fiancé
is… uh,
was
Nick Sinclair.”

He closed his eyes for a brief moment, and
when he opened them to look at her, she was surprised to see the tense set of
his jaw. “Is he still in the picture?”

“Who? Nick?”

“Yes.”

Dare she tell him that Nick called her
every other week, begging for another chance? “He, uh, still calls me from time
to time.”

“Are you still sleeping with him?”

She didn’t know why she was so surprised by
his direct question. He obviously didn’t waste time worrying about diplomacy.
“No.”

“Good.”

“You’re willing to take me at my word, just
like that?”

“I don’t really have a choice, do I?” Liam
glanced at the waiter, who was opening the bottle of wine he requested and
pouring a sample into his glass. He swirled the burgundy liquid around, brought
it to his lips, and let it linger there while he watched her watching him. He
took a measured sip and said, “Excellent, thank you.”

“Very well, sir.” He poured wine into each
of their glasses. “Shall I give you a few more moments with the menu?”

Liam stared at Alisa as he said, “I already
know what I want. You?”

The temperature in the cozy room seemed to
ratchet up a few degrees as he waited for her response. “Um, I’ll let you
decide.”

“Let’s start with grilled calamari,
followed by filet mignon, and crème brulée for dessert.”

“Very well, sir. How would you like the
steaks prepared?”

“Does medium work for you?” Liam asked.

“Yes.” Alisa smiled when the waiter
collected their menus and walked away. “Are you always so decisive?”

“I know what I like, and when I see
something I want, I don’t believe in wasting time.” He leaned forward, grasping
her hand in his. “I like you… I want you… and now that you know my story,
there’s no reason to waste any more time, is there?”

She knew a man like Liam was used to
getting everything he wanted, which made her want to be the exception to that
rule. She didn’t intend to be just another one of the women who yielded to his
power, content to let him take the lead. “You may know how you feel, but I’m
still trying to figure you out. The physical attraction aside, I’d like to know
who you are beneath the fancy suits and flashy jewelry.”

He laughed as he glanced at the diamond
Rolex decorating his wrist. “I guess I’m not very good at being subtle, am I?”

“No, you’re not.” Alisa held the stem of
the wineglass between two fingers. “May I ask you something?”

He opened his hands in supplication. “I’m
an open book. Ask away.”

“Who do you love more than anyone else on
Earth?”

His answer was automatic when he said, “My
thirteen-year-old daughter, Abigail.”

Oh wow, she hadn’t seen that one coming,
and she didn’t know why it hit her like a blow to the solar plexus that he had
a daughter with another woman. “So, you were married before?”

He smirked. “No, just involved with a woman
hoping to marry my money. She thought getting pregnant with my child would help
her secure a place in my life.” He looked her directly in the eye when he said,
“She thought wrong.”

Alisa indulged in a sip of wine as she
tried to decide how best to respond to that. “So your ex-girlfriend isn’t a part
of your life?”

“Nor is she a part of Abby’s. It turns out
the
idea
of being a mother was more appealing than the job itself.”

Her heart went out to him and his daughter
when she thought of how much that betrayal must have cost them both. “I’m
sorry.”

Liam kissed her hand. “Thank you, but I’m
not. Abby’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I thank God for her every
day.”

Alisa was suddenly grateful she was only
spending one night in this man’s company. Someone who managed to run a billion
dollar company and love his daughter with his whole heart would be difficult,
if not impossible, to resist. “She lives with you, I take it?”

“Yes, I have a live-in housekeeper, so
there’s always someone there with her when I’m out of town. My mother lives
nearby as well; she stops by to check on her.”

Alisa smiled. “That’s so nice. I have a
close relationship with my grandparents as well.”

“I gathered that when I saw you admiring
the ring earlier.”

“Do you have a picture of her… your
daughter?” Alisa suddenly had a compelling urge to see the face of the child
he’d helped create.

He grinned for the first time and his whole
face lit up, making him look years younger. “Of course, what kind of father
would I be if I didn’t?” He reached into the breast pocket of his suit and
pulled out his phone. He held it out so she could see his screensaver.

“Oh,” Alisa whispered. “She’s beautiful.”
She looked up at the man sitting across from her and tried to picture him as a
doting father. Surprisingly, she found it easy to imagine. “She looks just like
you.”

“Yes, she does.” He slipped the phone back
into his pocket. “Now, tell me about yourself.”

“Um, well, there’s not much to tell. You
know that I modeled when I was teenager, but I decided to take my leave before
they forced me out for being too old.” She tried not to let bitterness creep
into her voice, but she sensed he was intuitive enough to hear it anyway. “I
enjoyed it while it lasted, but it was time for me to find something new to
focus my attention on.” She cleared her throat. “I was going through a
difficult time after my engagement ended, and I was doing some pretty
self-destructive things just to prove a point to my ex.”

“Like what?”

“Nothing serious, just drinking a bit too
much, partying too hard… dating a lot of different men.”

He brought his wine glass to his lips. “You
must have loved him very much.”