Married By Midnight

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“For our honeymoon.”

Holding her dress to keep it from falling, Kelly stopped in midstride on her way back to the bathroom. “What honeymoon?” she said over her shoulder as she entered the bathroom and shut the door.

“The one I told your father we planned on taking.”

“You’re serious, aren’t you?”

“Of course I am. I told you, talking to your father about a honeymoon is the only way I can think of for us to get out of this mess. Once we’re out of here, you can go your way and I’ll go mine. That is, if you still want out.” He was beginning to hope she didn’t.

“You may be right,” Kelly agreed, but Max could tell he was on the right track. This might be Kelly’s only chance to go off on her own, but she didn’t sound as convinced she wanted to cut loose as she had earlier. “But what about the wedding Dad’s planning?”

“I’ll speak to him about our wedding, as one man to another. I’ll try to make him understand any legal wedding makes a marriage. Even if it isn’t the kind he would have chosen for you. The important thing is to get him to back off and leave us alone so we can make our own decisions.”

“Without a wedding license or a marriage certificate, good luck on proving ours was a legal marriage,” Kelly muttered. “And the way Patrick was looking at us, that’s the next thing he’s going to ask for. Whatever you thought happened last night, I’d be surprised if you find one.”

“Maybe you’ll be surprised,” Max answered. As Honey scratched at her collar, he ran his finger around his neckline to loosen his own collar that had suddenly grown uncomfortably tight. “I’ve heard getting married in Las Vegas is easy, so I don’t expect your brothers will give us a lot of static about the way we went about ours.”

“You don’t know my brothers,” Kelly said soundly as she entered the bedroom, fully dressed.

“Maybe not, but I haven’t given up looking for proof we were married. I intend to keep at it. In the meantime, I suggest we insist on a honeymoon. Like I said, once we’re out of sight, you can go your way and I can go mine.”

Kelly blinked at the sudden change in Max’s voice. She’d sensed his earlier physical reaction to her when she’d come out of the bathroom with one shoulder bare. She’d felt his desire radiate over her when he’d stood behind her to loosen her hair. She’d felt it so strongly, her own body had caught fire. What had caused the change in him? Was the charade almost over?

The problem was she remembered too much about last night. His searching hands, his warm breath against her breasts, the taste of his lips on hers. She remembered only too well his hard strong body finally joining hers and the burst of pleasure that had claimed her. She could have left anytime after Max had fallen asleep, but there had been something about him that had called her to stay. By the time she’d awakened again, it had been too late to leave.

Still, Max was probably more right about their situation than she cared to admit. She’d told her father she and Max were married, not only to forestall an argument, but to gain her freedom. She had to let the memories go, to look forward to making a new life for herself.

Honey jumped off the bed, scampered over to Max and started to growl.

Max backed away. “What’s wrong with the mutt?”

Kelly picked up the dog and crooned reassuringly in its ear. “The tone of your voice must have spooked her. Or maybe she thinks I’m going to leave her again.”

Max regarded Honey, quiet now but still wary. “Does she understand human speech?”

Kelly giggled at the incredulous look on Max’s face. “Dogs are more human than most people realize. It was probably your body language that spooked her.”

“That’s all I need, another watchdog,” Max muttered. “Patrick is enough. I hope you don’t intend to take her with you on our honeymoon.”

“If there is a honeymoon,” Kelly replied. “Either way, where I go, she goes.”

“Of all the fool ideas I’ve ever heard, that one was the worst,” a male voice roared. The fiberboard walls of the house seemed to shake with the man’s anger. Kelly held her breath and went out to meet her father. Max followed in time to see Michael O’Rourke storm into the house followed by Patrick and Damon. Sean trailed behind them and winked at Kelly and Max.

“Something wrong, Dad?” Kelly said.

Kelly’s father turned his angry gaze on Kelly. “Stupid is more like it!”

From her father’s accusing look, Kelly instinctively knew she and Max were involved. “What’s the problem?”

“The problem is the base chaplain refuses to marry you and Max. Father Joe insists the two of you need to know each other better before he’ll marry you.”

“But, Dad, I told you Max and I are already married!”

“An elopement in a Las Vegas hotel?” her father snorted. “That was no marriage. When I asked Joe to perform a real wedding in the base chapel, the fool refused. He wants to wait until he has a chance to meet and counsel the two of you to be sure it’s not a classic case of marry in haste and repent at leisure.”

With a cautionary glance at Max, Kelly moved closer to him. “That’s okay with us, but later, please. I insist on a honeymoon now. Max has to go back to work.”

Behind her, Max stirred. “Let me handle this, Kelly.”

“No!” Kelly glared at Max. “I’m tired of being told what to do. It’s my life! I say we’re going on a honeymoon. Starting tomorrow morning.”

“Now see here, Kelly,” her father growled. He shook a finger at her. “You’re putting the cart before the horse. You have to get married properly before you go off on a honeymoon. After all, there might be consequences.” His eyes blazed beneath his bushy eyebrows.

Consequences? No way, Max reassured himself. When he’d changed out of his tuxedo back at the hotel, he remembered checking his wallet for the protection he usually carried. To his relief, he’d come up empty.

On the other hand, maybe he’d jumped to the wrong conclusion too fast.

There had been a deep, satisfied feeling of peace when he’d awakened this afternoon with Kelly’s creamy shoulder up against his bare chest. Judging from the contented smile on her face and the condition of the bed they had been in, the night must have been filled with more than pleasant erotic dreams.

Definitely, once hadn’t been enough.

Max felt his stomach begin to churn.

Maybe it was a good thing he was so sure he and Kelly were married.

At the rate the argument between Kelly and her father was going, and at the accusing looks Patrick and Damon were sending him, Max realized the redheaded O’Rourkes were too stubborn to compromise easily. He was a stranger, a civilian, definitely not Irish and, according to Kelly, therefore suspect. Still it was up to him to do something before things got out of hand. Before he jumped into the fray, he tightened his arms around Kelly in warning.

Kelly’s father glanced at Sean’s grinning face. “This isn’t the time nor the place for this discussion. We’ll talk about this later.”

Kelly mentally crossed her fingers and backed into Max’s arms. “I think you’re wrong, Dad, but that’s okay, too. One wedding is good enough for me.”

“Well, it’s not good enough for me,” her father replied. He regarded Max with deep suspicion before he gave in. “However, since I’m sure no reputable minister or priest around here will marry you if the word gets out about Joe turning me down, I’m willing to compromise. I’ll rent you a houseboat for the honeymoon. That way, you’ll be close enough to come back and meet the family. If you agree, I’ll go along with a short delay. What do you say?”

Max thought about it. “How long are you talking about?”

“A week.”

Kelly gasped. “No way!”

Max held her closer. She might be feisty, a stubborn redhead like her father, but he still felt her tremble in his arms. His respect for her grew, and so did his determination to protect her. But he could see there was no way he could sway her father without creating a hell for all concerned.

He eyed his father-in-law. “You’re right. We accept. As long as we can leave tomorrow morning.”

Chapter Four

“Max Taylor, is there something wrong with you?” Kelly erupted when the last of the O’Rourke men disappeared. “Why did you agree to this houseboat honeymoon? There’s just so much of this nonsense I can take.” She pulled out of Max’s arms and headed back to her bedroom.

Max stopped long enough to shake off Honey’s firm grip on his trouser leg before he followed her. “I’m afraid there might be a problem.”

Kelly pulled to a stop and Max ran into her. Momentum carried them onto the bed in a tangle of arms and legs. Instinctively, Max bent to take her lips in his.

Kelly’s lips tasted as sweet as honey and stirred hazy memories. Memories of last night when Kelly had been warm and willing. A night when he had believed she was his wife.

Lost in her instinctive response tonight, Max ignored the voice at the back of his consciousness that whispered caution. In spite of that voice, tonight Kelly was his wife.

Caught unawares, Kelly found herself returning his embrace. If this was going to be their last night together, she wanted to share every moment of it with him before the time came for them to part.

“Another problem?” Kelly asked breathlessly when she managed to catch her breath. She lay gazing up at Max. “What new problem are you talking about?”

Max sat up and took a deep breath. Controlling himself wasn’t easy, but he owed it to Kelly to be truthful. “I’ll tell you in a minute. But first I want you to take it easy. Try to remember I’m on your side, okay?” Kelly nodded. “To be honest,” he went on with a wary eye on her, “there is a chance your father could be right.”

“Right about what?”

“About possible consequences—a baby.” At the dark look that came into Kelly’s eyes, Max stood up and cautiously took a step backward.

“Which baby are we talking about?” The tone of her voice boded no good.

Max knew he had to be up-front with Kelly—there was no use beating around the bush. After all, he’d been raised to believe telling the truth could never hurt him. From the ominous tone in Kelly’s voice, he wasn’t too sure the adage applied to the present case. Still, her father had raised a question that needed addressing. “Ours.”