Married By Midnight. Mollie Molay

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СКАЧАТЬ narrowed eyes. “Not that I’m all too happy over my daughter’s elopement, you understand. But considering her impulsive nature, I suppose I shouldn’t have been too surprised.” He gazed reprovingly at Sean. “This young one here seems to have the same knack for doing the unexpected, but I think I have time to cure that.”

      Kelly gasped. “Dad, how can you say such things?”

      “The proof is standing next to you,” her father answered, gesturing to Max. “So, what do the two of you have to say for yourselves?”

      Max took a quick inventory of his chances with this audience and shot Kelly a warning glance.

      Damon, an air force officer like his father. Patrick, a local Las Vegas lawman. All three highly trained with instincts and senses honed to a razor’s edge. All sharp and unlikely to be fooled easily. On the other hand, there was Sean. From the boy’s sheepish grin, Max sensed Sean was a maverick like his sister.

      At least there was one friendly male member of the O’Rourke clan.

      Max caught Patrick’s frown as he stared at Kelly, almost as if he were on a criminal case. Max’s own gaze followed Patrick’s to the hand Kelly used to clutch the robe to her throat. To his mind the answer to Patrick’s frown was clear. Kelly, ostensibly a newly married woman, wasn’t wearing a wedding ring.

      Max stirred himself. The moment of truth was at hand. Husband or not, for Kelly’s sake, if not his own, he owed her his support. “Here, sweetheart, let me help you with that,” he said. On the pretext of helping her close the bathrobe more closely around her neck, he managed to slip his class ring off his finger and onto Kelly’s wedding-ring finger. With a warning look into her startled eyes, he turned back to the O’Rourkes. Just in time to glimpse a shadow cross Patrick’s face. Moments later, he saw Patrick’s gaze settle on the bridal bouquet and the wedding veil on the coffee table.

      Max responded to the stunned look on Kelly’s face. He had to do something to break the tension before Patrick started asking questions for which he and Kelly had no answers. The sooner the better. “Sweetheart, why don’t you go in and get dressed?”

      She nodded reluctantly. “Okay. I’ll be back in a minute, Dad. Max, can I see you in the other room for a moment?”

      “Sure,” Max answered. Before he followed Kelly, he noticed the envious look in Sean’s eyes as the boy studied the untouched champagne breakfast. “Sean, why don’t you help yourself to some breakfast? No use letting it go to waste.”

      Kelly pulled Max into the bedroom and pushed the folding doors together. She pointed to the open slats on the doors, then dragged him into the bathroom and carefully closed the door behind her. Soft, romantic music filtered through the room. “What in heaven’s name are we going to do now?”

      “Good question.” Max gazed at the exotic surroundings that were obviously designed to stir a man’s senses. Even with trouble waiting for him in the other room, his thoughts turned to putting the scented oils to good use. He blinked. Of all the fool times to think sensuous thoughts, this was probably the worst.

      “Brazen it out, I guess,” he answered, firmly turning his thoughts to the more serious issue at hand. “We’ll just pretend everything is okay until they leave. Then, if it turns out we actually were married last night, we can talk about an annulment.”

      “An annulment? After last night?” Her startled expression got through to Max. She was right. Married or not, they had shared an intimate night together. An annulment was probably out.

      “Okay, maybe not an annulment,” he answered. “Maybe a divorce.”

      “That’s ridiculous,” Kelly muttered angrily. “In the first place, I keep telling you we’re not married. In the second, O’Rourkes don’t get divorced! That’s why neither of my older brothers are married—they’re waiting for the right woman. As for my getting a divorce, it’s out of the question. I’d be breaking Dad’s heart!”

      “Keep it down,” Max cautioned. “This is what I think we ought to do. For now, we’ll tell your family we’re going on a honeymoon. We can settle all this later when we’re alone.”

      “Honeymoon?” Looking outraged, Kelly demanded, “Honeymoon? Who said anything about a honeymoon?”

      “Take it easy, Kelly,” he soothed, with one eye on the bathroom door. If they didn’t come to some sort of agreement soon, he expected an O’Rourke to be pounding on the door in minutes. “It’ll only be a pretend honeymoon. Just long enough to get your family off our backs.”

      “Maybe.” She didn’t look mollified, but she finally agreed. “But don’t let Patrick fool you. Damon, either. If you knew them as well as I do, you’d know they’re up to something.”

      “Now you’re being paranoid,” Max answered, his nerves shot. “You’re their sister. It’s natural to worry about you.”

      “That’s the problem. They think they have to keep an eye on me. It drives me crazy. There were times when I was a kid that I used to think my thoughts were engraved on my forehead.” She rubbed her forehead. “I sure hope this isn’t one of those times.”

      With a last regretful glance at the Jacuzzi, Max turned Kelly toward the mirror. “Take a look. There’s nothing written on your forehead. Besides, as a married woman, you don’t have to account to your brothers.”

      Instead of continuing to argue, Kelly looked into the mirror. Max’s hands held her by the shoulders, his chin rested on her hair. He was right. Except for a frown, her forehead was clear. But, to her chagrin, there was definitely an awareness of Max reflected in her eyes. As her gaze met his in the mirror, she read the same awareness in his. The strange excitement she remembered beginning with the garter ceremony began to fill her again.

      “We aren’t really married, you know,” she murmured. She was strangely unwilling to break the sensual tension between them, but the truth was the truth.

      “Why don’t we wait and see,” he said softly as he drew a damp tendril from her forehead. “In the meantime, we’re in this together.”

      “Thank you,” she answered gratefully. “But I’m not sure we’ll hear the last of this. Even if Dad’s convinced we’re married, I know he’s disappointed. He would have preferred a traditional Irish church wedding with all the O’Rourkes in attendance.” She worried her bottom lip. “We’ll have to be careful. In the meantime, please go along with whatever my dad says until we’re alone. Okay?”

      Max had a gut feeling she was right. He felt guilty, although he wasn’t quite sure why. Having too much punch? Becoming attracted to Kelly and marrying her on impulse? Consummating their wedding night? Any or all of the above?

      He couldn’t afford to dwell on the possibilities, not now. Not when judgment day waited for him as near as the next room.

      What further complicated the situation in his mind was that they were obviously on Kelly’s home territory, or her father and brothers wouldn’t have shown up so soon. With his own home and his family in the East, he had little to lose. He also had a plane ticket to Hawaii in his suitcase for a few days from now. He’d intended to spend some time in Vegas and enjoy the nightlife, then fly on to Hawaii for a much-needed vacation with Lian. Left behind, Kelly, for all her bravado, was the vulnerable one. The least he could do for her was to find out what really happened last night and to make sure she wouldn’t СКАЧАТЬ