Saving the Bride, page 1
Saving the Bride
Alexa Riley
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 1
Read Me Romance
Stalk the Author
Copyright © 2022 by Author Alexa Riley LLC. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, email to riley_alexa@aol.com
http://alexariley.com/
Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.
Edited by Aquila Editing
Saving the Bride
by Alexa Riley
Emma is running out of time. She’s in school on a student visa, but it’s coming to an end. There’s no way to stay, or get to know the mystery man she can’t get out of her head.
Beckett is going through the motions of life until one day everything changes. The moment he meets Emma, there’s no going back. She’s got a little problem, but that’s easy to solve. All he has to do is marry the woman of his dreams and live happily ever after. That should be easy, right?
Warning: Could you past the ultimate test after only knowing someone twenty four hours? What do you wanna bet our hero can? Save the date for our newest Bride!
To Read Me Romance…
thanks for giving us a place to be together.
* * *
Chapter One
Emma
I watch Mara close her eyes and hide the pain inside as she lets her body move to the music. For a moment she looks almost peaceful, but I know the hurt is simmering under the surface. It’s one I live with every day. A broken heart isn’t something that can always be healed. Sometimes the cracks never truly fill in.
Hers are new, and I wonder if that makes a difference. She has people that love her and a life full of support with her family. They can give her what she needs to help lessen the pain. As for my scars, I was born with them. They’re a part of me, and there’s no healing them. Not that anyone has ever really tried.
For me, it’s only a matter of hiding my past and for some reason, dancing is one of the only times the rest of the world melts away. When I’m listening to the music, I’m lost in a sea of bodies. It doesn’t matter who I am or where I’m from, we're all here to feel good.
The music changes and my mind goes somewhere I don’t want it to. Him. The man with the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen. Something about them scares me, not that it stops me from coming here. He has the kind of eyes that can see straight to my soul and to everything else I try to hide from the world.
I’ve only ever caught glimpses of him when I’ve come here to let off some steam. I don’t think he’s here for the same reason as the rest of us. In fact I don’t think he really notices the people or the drinks being passed around. His eyes are always somewhere else as he moves through the club. I wonder if he does that on purpose so he can make sure he never connects with anyone.
It doesn’t matter, though. He could part a crowd like it’s the Red Sea and he’s God. He might be. At least here in this club, he's the ruler of us all, and it’s both annoying and alluring. The man is unmissable, but he misses everyone else. What would that be like? To be seen but not care about anything that surrounds you.
Mara moves closer, and then I see the sadness she’s trying to hide. Maybe this wasn't the best idea. It was selfish of me to bring her here because I needed this. In the short time I’ve gotten to know Mara, I know she can be shy, but I also think she’s a butterfly starting to come out of her cocoon. Too bad an asshole has tried to shove her right back into it. I wanted tonight to remind her that she can spread those beautiful wings all on her own.
Mara? I mouth, wanting to check in with her.
“I’m okay.” She tries to shout over the music.
She forces a smile that doesn’t meet her eyes. Others might buy it, but I don’t. She’s terrible at faking it, and it’s one of the things I love most about her. In a way, she might be shy, but it’s also brave to be willing to show everything you feel like she does.
“We can go if you want!” I shout back.
The point was for her to have a good time, not to make things worse. Mara starts to say something, but before she can, my whole body comes alive. My skin tingles as all the air leaves my lungs, and I know he’s here. This always happens when he’s close, but this time it’s more intense, almost paralyzing.
“What?” I ask as Mara’s eyes lock on something behind me.
Before I start to turn, I know who I’m going to see. What’s surprising, though, is seeing River standing there. He’s the guy who broke Mara’s heart and the reason we’re here to begin with.
We both stand there stunned as the two men come toward us and people rush to move out of their way. I’ve never seen River here before, so someone must have told him Mara was here. For some reason, I’m not completely shocked.
I’d been more shocked when about the bet he made and that the only reason he was spending time with her was so he could sleep with her and win a stupid bet. I don’t know River, but we’ve gone to school together for a few years now, and he never gave any girl the time of day until Mara showed up.
Before I get a chance to try and step between River and Mara, he’s all over her. To my utter surprise, Blue Eyes grabs me around my waist to keep me from going after my friend. Or from stopping River from carrying her out of here.
Not that I’m much of a match against River, but I could cause a scene, I suppose. It’s probably not the best idea with him being royalty and I’m barely hanging on to my visa as it is.
“You’re coming with me,” Blue Eyes says with his mouth pressed against my ear so that I can hear him clearly.
“I’m not going anywhere.” I try to wiggle my way out of his hold, but his hands tighten and he groans. The sound rumbles through him and into me as heat explodes through my entire body.
“That’s not helping your situation,” he growls, and I freeze when my ass presses into something very hard.
I turn my head, and my eyes lock with his for the first time.
Chapter Two
Beckett
“You’re mine now,” I say as I lift her off the ground and put my hand on her round ass.
“Who do you think you are?” She wiggles, but I see how her lips part and she runs her tongue over her bottom lip.
“Don’t pretend you don’t know who I am.” I smirk, and the way her eyes narrow makes my cock even harder. “Baby, everyone in here knows I own this place, including you.”
“Put me down.” She ignores my comment, and I swear I think she wiggles against me just to feel my dick get bigger.
“How old are you?” I say, and she stops moving instantly.
“I’m over twenty-one.” She blinks quickly and then looks away.
“Then why are you so nervous right now?”
Without realizing it, I’ve walked us to the edge of the dance floor where it’s dark and I can hear her talk.
“Because I don’t have an ID.”
“Interesting.” I put her on her feet, but I don’t release her. “Then how did you manage to get into my club?”
She shrugs, and I see the hint of a smile. “Your bouncers didn’t need much convincing.”
The thought of them looking at her in this little dress and imagining what they’d do to her makes me want to shut this place down and lock the doors for good.
“What’s your name?” I ask, needing the distraction from wanting to pummel the front door guys.
“Baby, don’t pretend like you don’t know,” she throws back at me, and god, I want to kiss her. Those full lips turn up at the corner and dare me to push back.
“Oh, this is going to be fun.” I lean down, and her eyes lock with mine.
“What’s going to be fun?”
“Making you mine,” I say as I slide my hands down her back. “I’ve been waiting a long time for you to show up. And now that you’re here, I’m not letting you go.”
“I must be dreaming.” She leans her head back as I get closer, and I smile down at her.
“Then I promise never to wake you up.” With that, I close the distance between us, and our lips connect.
The kiss isn’t gentle or tender, but consuming and full of need. The moment my mouth is on hers, I know that this is the woman I’ve been waiting my whole life to kiss. Her body softens as her hands go to my chest and I press her against the wall. I want to grab her thighs and spread them open so I can sink into her wet heat, but just as I have the thought, alarms are going off in my head.
Is this my mind telling me to slow down? Are we moving too fast? God, I don’t want to stop because the second I saw her, I knew she was the one. Now my mind is screaming at me to hold back? This doesn’t make sense.
“Beckett!”
Someone yells from behind me and then roughly yanks on my shoulder. It causes me to break the kiss, and I snarl as I turn around and see my night manager Burt looking crazed.
“Beckett, the kitchen is on fire!” he yells, and that’s when I realize the alarms that I thought were only in my head are in fact blaring through the club.
The music is off and the lights have been turned on and all of the emergency exits are wide open as security moves everyone out.
“Fuck.” I see the smoke coming from the back, and I can hear the fire trucks in the distance.
Turning to face my mystery woman, I can see she’s just as stunned as I am. How did we miss all of this with just one kiss?
“We need you, Beckett!” Burt shouts over the alarms.
“Get her out of here,” I tell Burt, then pull her into my arms for one quick kiss. “Tell me your name.” This time it’s an order, and she doesn't hesitate.
“Emma.”
I look at Burt and push them toward the exit door beside us. “Make sure she gets out of here safe. Do you understand me?”
“I’m on it,” he says as he takes her by the arm and leads her out.
“I’ll find you!” I shout to Emma as she looks over her shoulder one last time before they’re gone into the night.
It’s almost dawn by the time they get the fire in the kitchen put out and have secured the building. I had to stay and talk to law enforcement and make sure that everyone got out safely. Thankfully, there weren’t any injuries with the staff either. We have a small kitchen in the back that serves late-night food, and someone forgot to turn off the grill. It was a simple mistake that just created a shitty domino effect, and now the club has to be closed until the repairs can be made.
There are insurance companies to deal with, construction crews to handle, and a whole mess of other things that I really don’t want to contend with. Not when I can’t get Emma off my mind.
By the time I made it outside, the crowd had been sent home by the firefighters so they could secure the location. Burt said he personally put Emma in a cab, but he didn’t ask where she lived. That doesn’t make it impossible, it only makes finding her take a bit longer than I wanted.
I’m exhausted, but one thing is for certain: I met the one, and there’s not a damn thing in this world that will keep her from me.
Chapter Three
Emma
This morning I’ve got an eight o’clock class that I’m almost late for. I knew going out last night was a gamble, and boy did I roll the dice. Meeting Beckett was insane, but kissing him was out of this world. I’d never felt so wanted before in my entire life, and the look he gave me when I walked away said it was the hardest thing he’d ever have to do.
What the heck am I going to do now? How am I possibly going to learn anything when all I can do is think about his lips on mine?
My professor is lecturing about spreadsheets and data, while I try to take notes and not think about last night. Which is clearly impossible because I notice that I’ve written Beckett’s name in the margin of my notebook. Gah, what am I, like twelve?
As soon as class is over, I grab my bag and check my phone. I see a missed call, and the number makes my stomach drop. I wait until I’m out in the hallway and away from people before I answer.
“Hello.” I glance around as I tuck myself against a window and look out at the quad.
“Hi, Emma, this is Zuri again calling about your immigration status. We’ve got your paperwork for an extension, and I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news.”
I sigh as I close my eyes and prepare for the worst.
“Since you’ve completed your scholarship and have been denied funds to continue your degree beyond the bachelors, we’re not extending your visa.”
“How long do I have?” I ask, needing to get it over with.
“We’ll email you the exact date, but it will be after graduation. You’ll have until then to make accommodations in your home country.” There’s a pause where she must be waiting for me to say something, but I don’t. “There will be opportunities to reapply in the future if you’re able to get a job in your field.”
I’ve already applied to dozens of jobs, but nobody wants to hire me based on a temporary visa. Even if I got a job, my work visa could be denied and they would have invested all that time in training an employee that they might lose. I’m too much of a risk. At least that’s what they told me at my last interview.
“Thanks,” I mumble, because what else can I say?
“I’ll email over everything now, but if you have any—”
I hang up and tuck my phone in my back pocket. What’s the point of listening to her? Zuri is nice enough, but she’s always got bad news. The more I listen to her, the more upset I’ll be. After the high of last night's kiss, I’m plummeting back to reality. One where I’m forced to leave the only stable place I’ve ever been.
In my home country, I was brought up in an orphanage because I was abandoned as a baby. I knew from the moment I could talk that if I wanted out, I had to be smart. I learned all that I could and when I got the opportunity to go to America on a scholarship visa, I jumped at the chance. I thought this would be my big break and that coming here would change my life. It has, in so many wonderful ways, but maybe it was a mistake. Now I know what’s on the other side of the looking glass, I’m not sure how I’m supposed to go back to life before I came here. How do I leave all this behind and go to a country that never felt like it fit? I’ve made friends, I’ve lived, and now I have to go back and close my heart. The thought sends tears down my cheeks, and I angrily wipe them away.
It’s not fair, but nobody ever told me life would be. All that I have is because I worked my ass off. I just have to figure out what the hell I’m going to do next.
“Hey.”
The sound of his soft voice makes my head snap up. When I see Beckett leaning against the wall in front of me, his arms crossed over his chest, I think he might not be real. That’s when I notice he’s scowling, and I can’t help the laugh that bubbles up out of me.
Am I going crazy? Maybe. My emotions are all over the place, and the absolute last thing I expected to see was the blue-eyed devil from the club last night.
“What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”
I realize there are still tears on my cheek and wipe them away. “It’s nothing. What are you doing outside my class?” I change the subject as he pushes off the wall and comes closer.
“I was waiting for you, then I saw you take a call.” He nods to my pocket. “Is everything okay?”
“What?” I stall, trying to think of a lie. “Oh, that? It was nothing. Just bad news about a final. It’s all good.”
“Hmm,” he says, and I know he’s not buying it.
“Seriously, how the hell did you find me?” His hair is wet, and I wonder if he’s fresh out of the shower. The image of him naked with soapy water running down his muscled body stirs something low in my belly.
“River.” He shrugs like it’s obvious. “Have you eaten?” As if on cue, my stomach growls, and he grins. “Want to grab some food before your next class?”
I check my watch and see I’ve got some time until my lab. “A little,” I hedge, not sure I’m truly believing what I’m seeing. Has this gorgeous man really tracked me down just to have breakfast with me? And what about that kiss? I’m weak in the knees remembering his lips on mine.
As if he’s thinking the same thing, he walks right up against me until my back is pressed to the wall. “A little is all I need, baby.” He leans down, and this time when he kisses me, he slides his tongue against mine.
He’s so big and strong as he holds my face and devours me like I’m his last meal. God, I’ve never felt anything so overwhelming, and all I want to do is wrap my body around his and pretend the rest of the world doesn’t exist.
