THE CALLAHANS (A Mafia Romance): The Complete 5 Books Series (53 page)

I went into the bedroom and closed the door. I thought about flipping the doorknob lock, but decided locking the bathroom door would be good enough. At least, I hoped it would be.

I caught sight of myself in the mirror just as I’d done last night. This time, I really couldn’t look at myself. How could I have done this? No matter how bad things got, they couldn’t be much worse than what I’d already lived through, what we’d already lived through. So why did I agree to this? How did I let myself be manipulated into this?

What was I going to do now?

I undressed slowly, thinking about the man out in the living room. He seemed totally different from the man Joy had described to me yesterday. Yeah, he had a love for the cards. But he didn’t seem to have a dark temper. He hadn’t tried to take advantage of me while I lay naked in his bed. He didn’t say anything about the rights he had now that we were married. I’d been afraid that he’d want to take me back to bed at some point, but that hadn’t seemed to even crossed his mind.

How could I have gotten this lucky? I tricked a womanizer into marrying me, yet he hadn’t tried to sleep with me. Was I just not his type? Or was there something else going on? Was he really a good man hiding under the guise of a jackass?

That’s not what the girls I worked with had said. Most had slept with him on one or more of his visits. Most of them had gotten their hearts broken when he decided he was done with them and sent them away. And a lot of them complained that he’d treated them like prostitutes by giving them insane amounts of money to make them disappear. To be honest, some of them hadn’t minded that last part, but some had.

I didn’t know what to think about the whole thing. He’d seemed more than ready to toss me onto his mattress last night. But now? Should I be grateful or offended that he hadn’t even hinted at a desire to sleep with me?

Grateful. I should be grateful.

I climbed into the shower, using his body wash and shampoo to clean myself. I even borrowed one of his disposable razors, not really in much of a mood to dress up with stubble dotting my legs. I stepped out of the shower and wrapped myself in one of the heavy, white towels that the hotel provided. I closed my eyes, enjoying this little touch of luxury that I rarely was allowed to experience any more. I’d forgotten how good something so simple could feel. Then I rubbed the complimentary lotion into my skin, missing the indulgence of my own thick lotion that was sitting on the bathroom counter in my little, efficiency apartment across town.

A touch of his deodorant—I hoped I didn’t smell too manly when this was all said and done!—and I slipped out into the bedroom. There was a box sitting on the edge of the bed from one of the nicer boutiques downstairs. He sure worked fast. I opened it and pulled from the tissue paper a beautiful blue gown that was cut low in the back and sported one full sleeve and one bare shoulder. It was daring, something I wouldn’t have chosen for myself. But once I slipped it on, I had to admit that it fit my curves almost perfectly. Even better than the prom gown my mother had custom made for me just five years ago.

I couldn’t take my eyes off the mirror now. I was a different person. No longer a cocktail waitress in some dark, smoky Las Vegas casino. I was Amelia Clark Wallace again. I was a debutante, walking down the glorious curving stairs of my father’s house, smiling down at the gentlemen waiting to ask me to dance. I was grace and luxury, independence and intelligence. I was my mother’s daughter once again.

Tears welled in my eyes. I stared at myself in the bathroom, and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I’d gotten so used to being the exhausted, overworked cocktail waitress that I’d forgotten who I used to be.

I lifted my hair off of my shoulders and twisted it into a knot at the back of my head, using bobby pins I’d had in my hair the night before to hold it in place. I had lip gloss and mascara in my bag that I applied carefully despite the shake in my hands. When I stepped back again…no matter what happened next, this was going to be a night to remember!

Kyle was in the bedroom when I came out of the bathroom again. He was sitting on the far side of the bed, sliding on a pair of shiny dress shoes that probably cost more than my yearly take on tips. In fact, I knew they did because they were the same brand my father once prided himself on wearing. He stood and straightened the line of his jacket before he turned. His eyes widened slightly as he took in the dress that hugged every curve of my body, bringing out the beauty without adding the trashy that my uniform showed off perfectly.

“I wasn’t sure it would be the right size. I had to guess.”

“You made a good guess.”

His eyes moved slowly over me much as they had the night we met in the casino. “I did. I guess I’m better at that than I thought I was.” His eyes slowly came to my face then. “Do you like it?”

“Like” wasn’t even the word I would use to describe it. I loved it. I loved that it made me feel human again. I loved that it took me back to a time when I didn’t have a care in the world. I loved that it made me feel sexy and powerful in a way I thought I’d lost long ago.

But I think he saw all that written all over my face.

“Thank you,” I said softly.

He inclined his head—even though his eyes remained on mine. We stood there for a long moment, just sort of staring at each other. He was…he was a very handsome man. I could see why it was so easy for him to talk so many women into sharing his bed. He was dark, sort of exotic looking, broad shouldered, and exceedingly masculine—even in that suit. But there was a delicacy to his features that reminded me a little of Harry Belafonte or Michael Ealy, this sort of gentleness that belied the power that was humming just under the surface whenever he touched me. I liked the way the suit hung from his shoulders, the way his waist seemed so narrow compared to his heavy arms and broad chest. And I liked the cool, leaning-back-against-the-wall sort of detachment he seemed to exude even when he was standing at attention as he was now. There was something about him that just called to the dangerous woman that hid deep inside of me. That part of me wanted to jump into his arms, push him down onto the bed, and do things I’d never done before just because he was handsome, just because he seemed to promise—with just a look—an excitement that I wouldn’t find anywhere else.

I had to work to push that part of me away before it grew out of control.

“The shoes should be in the bottom of the box,” he announced, turning away from me and heading out the door, sort of dismissing me as if I was nothing more than an accessory. “We should get going.”

And I did feel dismissed. Like I didn’t matter.

I whispered a few choice words under my breath that I didn’t normally indulge as I dragged myself back to the bed to search the box for shoes. They were tucked into the bottom, blue pumps that matched the dress almost perfectly. I slid them on, not surprised to discover they fit perfectly. They raised me up a good two inches, high enough that I might actually come to Kyle’s shoulder when we stood side by side. That was another thing about him. He was super tall. At five foot three, most of my dates were taller than I was, but Kyle towered over me. He had to be six foot, at least. Maybe more. Another plus in the masculine column.

I walked out into the sitting room to find him studying his cell phone as he waited for me. He didn’t even look up as I came into the room.

“Ready?”

He didn’t wait for my answer. He slipped the phone into an inside pocket of his jacket and opened the door, moving to the side as he watched me walk through.

“We’ll have to put on a show,” he said as he pressed his hand to my back and guided me through the hallway. “People need to believe this is real, that we’re deeply in love, and that we aren’t trying to figure out a way to get out of this as soon as possible.”

“I’d actually appreciate that.”

“Yeah?”

“We’re married now. My church doesn’t believe in temporary marriages like most people do these days. Once you make that promise to someone, you can’t just walk away from it unless a priest tells you it’s okay.”

We stepped onto the elevator, and he jammed his finger onto the appropriate button, then turned to me, curiosity burning in his eyes.

“So, if we couldn’t get a proper annulment, you would refuse a divorce?”

I tried to look him in the eye, but I wasn’t good at lying. My eyes fell to the floor as I uttered a quiet, “Yes.”

“Well, that’s good to know. I’ll get in touch with my lawyer as quickly as possible.”

“What about your dad?”

He shrugged. “Contacting a lawyer doesn’t mean anything until things are put in motion. We’ll decide how fast to move on this after talking to him.”

“Okay.”

“But, until then, we have to convince people this is genuine. I don’t want any rumors swirling around that might hurt my family.”

“Of course. Neither do I.”

He touched my chin with the tip of his finger, forcing me to look up at him. When our eyes met, he stepped closer into me.

“Maybe we should practice, just to make sure we have the proper chemistry.”

I opened my lips to protest, but then he was just there, his lips brushing against mine with a gentleness I’m not sure I would have associated with him. He seemed like the kind of guy who’d just as soon push a woman against the wall and steal what he wanted rather than taking his time and waiting for her to offer it up to him. But he was being patient, waiting for me to respond. I hesitated, but then I moved into him, taking a small grip of his jacket, and returning the kiss with just a bit of interest. His lips were softer than I’d expected them to be. And warm. His breath was like fire against my cool skin. And when his tongue touched the corner of my mouth, I wasn’t quite sure what to do with it. I panicked a little, pulling back, even as I was really getting into his touch.

“Where are you going?” he asked in a deeper, huskier voice as he came after me, trapping me against the back wall of the elevator.

“Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. That was actually quite nice.”

He pushed a stray hair out of my face, tipping my chin up toward him again. He brushed his lips against my bottom lip, then slid them slowly over the side of my mouth, down along my chin. I sighed when his lips grazed my throat, moving slowly down over my raging pulse. I wanted to push him away, but I also wanted to draw him in closer. Twenty-three years of pushing men away, waiting for that one guy who was enough like my daddy to win my heart, was ingrained awfully deep. But it felt so good! If the touches of all men were like this, I could understand why so many of my girlfriends lost their way so quickly after taking the purity pledge.

I wrapped my hands in the lapels of his jacket and drew him closer for a long moment as a sigh slipped from between my lips. He nibbled just a little along the outer edge of my throat, then he groaned as he pressed his face against my shoulder.

He pulled away, and the elevator door opened. I wasn’t sure which happened first and which motivated the other. But my head was spinning as he took my hand and led the way out into the corridor.

Mickey was waiting for us outside the banquet hall doors.

“Perfect timing!” He came over to us, took Kyle’s face between his hands, and kissed his cheeks like he was a child being greeted by a grandparent. Then he turned to me, a cloud rushing over his eyes as he bent to kiss the center of my forehead. “You make such a lovely couple.”

Kyle drew me against his side, tugging me to him. “I think so.”

Surprise widened Mickey’s eyes briefly, but then he smiled. “So, come inside. They’ve got quite a party prepared for you.”

Kyle led the way, urging me to stay beside him with his arm wrapped tight around me. There was silence in the banquet hall as we walked in. Then the crowd burst into applause, some people calling out my, or Kyle’s, name. I caught sight of Joy right at the front of the room. She was clapping and smiling, but the smile didn’t make it all the way up to her eyes. Some of the other girls were staring daggers at me even as they clapped for us. There was jealousy so thick in this room that I could feel it wrapping itself around me like a cloak.

“Smile,” Kyle whispered against my ear.

“Congratulations!” Joy approached us, a big smile on her lips as she held her hands out to me. “I can’t believe you’re a married woman now!”

“Thank you.” I stepped into her embrace, wondering if I’d misread her face. But I knew the truth when she whispered into my ear, “You must be fucking good in bed!”

I glanced at her, but she was already moving on, wrapping her arms around Kyle’s neck and whispering something in his ear that made him laugh. Then they both looked at me before she moved on and another of the waitresses came up to congratulate us.

I was so aware of the anger and the disbelief in this room that I wished I was anywhere else. But then music began to play and champagne flowed. A few dancers from the strip club came in and did a performance—both male and female performers—so close to the table where they sat Kyle and me that I thought the blush would become permanent on my face. But then Kyle slid his arm around my shoulders and drew me close to him.

“A bachelor and bachelorette party all mixed up with a wedding reception. What a brilliant idea!”

He kissed my jaw, pulling me so close that I was practically sitting in his lap. He was free with his hands, too, sliding one over my bare shoulder and along the side of my throat. I’d never been touched that way in public. I didn’t know how to respond. But then he kissed my temple and I moved into him, turning so that our lips just barely brushed. It was nice. Comforting, somehow.