Page 18 of Desperate Measures

“Pleasure to meet you. Hello Michaela,” I said, dipping my chin, my eyes now on my bride.

“Wait a second. I just don’t understand what is happening here and maybe you can help with that?—”

“Shelly please! You promised no questions,” Michaela hissed.

“Well excuse me, but I am your best friend, and I didn’t even know you were seeing this guy, Micky. I know you had a crush on him when you were a teenager, but what the hell? Now you’re just marrying him and without your family here?”

She had a crush on me?

“It’s just one of those things, Shelly,” she whispered, but I saw the way Michaela’s eyes rounded and the pink glow filling her cheeks told me her best friend had inadvertently spilled the beans.

I lost the battle with my grin, stepping closer, I put my hand on Michaela’s lower back.

“I know this is fast, Shelly—may I call you that?” I asked, waiting for her assent. She nodded, so I continued. “But I promise I will take care of her.”

“Yeah? Well, you better,” Shelly replied.

“I swear it. Now, if you will all give me one minute to speak to my blushing bride?” I said, unable to resist teasing her.

“Liam! Come on. Let’s do this now,” Maggie hissed, but I ignored her.

“One minute.”

I took Michaela’s hand and pulled her to the other side of the room, ignoring the electric jolt that zapped through my arm straight to my cock at the seemingly platonic touch.

I turned Michaela to face me, not knowing if I could trust her face to remain impassive while I asked her what I had to ask her.

“Before we do this, are you okay?” I asked in a hushed whisper.

“What? Oh. Yes,” she nodded.

She blinked slowly. Casting her gaze my way. Those dark eyes of hers were wide open, and damn, she looked pretty.

Was she in shock? Maybe. But it looked good on her.

I’m a sick fuck for thinking that.

I huffed, angry at myself and my hardening cock. But it just couldn’t be helped.

“Look, I know you owe my sister for something. But we can walk out of here right now if you don’t want to go through with this,” I said, gritting my teeth against the words.

I hardly knew this girl, but sometime in the last ten minutes I started thinking about her asmine.

Yeah, I’d met her before. But she was a kid back then, and I never allowed myself to think of her as anything but.

Seeing her now, though, all grown up and looking good enough to eat? Well, let’s just say, I wanted to kick myself in the nuts for giving her an out.

“No, I-I gave my word. I want to go through with it,” she whispered, shaking her head.

Thick fringed midnight eyes blinked up at me and fuck, that look was intense. Like that piece of volcanic glass I kept on my desk. I brought it back with me from China ages ago.

“If we do this, you understand you won’t be able to just walk away, right?”

“I understand.”

“Okay then,” I murmured, wondering at the charge that seemed to buzz between us.

I turned around, taking her hand, and we both walked to the front of the room where everyone waited.