Free The Wedding Rescue, Book Three (An Alpha Billionaire Club BBW Romance) by Alexa Wilder

1
Leigha
    I stared at the phone on the table as if it were a snake, poised to strike. It remained silent and dark, nothing more than metal, glass, and plastic. Before it could come to life with another creepy message, I turned and left the room. Whatever was going on, I didn’t want to know. Not right now. I wanted to walk out of that room in my fabulous dress, wearing fabulous heels, and go to my evil sister’s rehearsal dinner with my unbelievably hot date. That phone, and the powder keg of drama it suddenly represented, was staying behind. Nothing was going to ruin my night with Dylan.
    I was so focused on closing the door to the bedroom, I didn’t see Dylan until he was standing right in front of me. The guy was knee-weakening hot, normally. Standing before me in a classic black tux, he might have stepped right out of a romantic movie. More than his good looks, or the way the tux fit his broad shoulders, it was the look on his face that did me in. Possession, arousal, and admiration swirled in his eyes, telling me that I didn’t look as good as I thought I did, I looked better.
    Holding out his hand to me, he said, “Come here.” I crossed the distance between us, smiling as he drew me into his arms.
    “I’m going to ruin your lip gloss,” he said, his mouth coming down on mine.
    I didn’t give a flip about the lip gloss. I’d kiss Dylan any day, for any reason. He was gentle, almost reverent, his fingertips holding my chin in place as his lips claimed me.
    “Are you ready to go?” he asked when the kiss ended. I smiled up at him, suddenly a little shy. Unzipping my purse I said, “Almost.” I dashed into the bathroom and made a quick repair to my lips before re-joining Dylan. I was heading to the door when he stopped me with a hand on my arm.
    “One more thing,” he said.
    He picked up a velvet-covered box from the table beside him. My stomach pitched with nerves and apprehension. All of these clothes were one thing, but jewelry was another entirely. I knew that the necklace and earrings I wore with the dress weren’t sophisticated enough. My pearls were okay, but I was wearing Oscar de la Renta. A simple strand of cheap pearls didn’t cut it. Still, anything Dylan had in that box would be far more extravagant than what was appropriate. The dress alone went beyond the realm of acceptable gifts from a man I’d known only a day. Reading my mind, he said,
    “Don’t be stubborn.”
    “Dylan, you can’t -”
    “And don’t tell me what to do. That was the deal. I’m your date for the weekend, and in exchange, you’re mine. That means you do what I say. No arguing.”
    “If you don’t want any arguing, you’ve got the wrong girl,” I said.
    “I’ve got exactly the right girl,” he said, opening the black velvet box to reveal a thick gold choker that gleamed in the evening light. Beside it sat matching earrings and bracelet. “I was tempted to go for diamonds. But those are for tomorrow’s dress. This one calls for gold.”
    “When did you even have time to get these?” I asked, standing frozen as he fastened the choker around my neck. Without protest I took the earrings he handed me and began to put them in.
    “I remembered them from the display downstairs. I had them delivered.” Stepping back he surveyed me from head to toe, eyes hot and satisfied. “You look like a goddess. Not that it matters, but your bitchy sisters are going to choke with envy when they see how gorgeous you are.” He took my arm and drew me towards the door.
    “That shows what you know,” I said. “With sisters, it always matters.”
    “Not with those two. They should be beneath your notice, Leigha. Until they appreciate you for who you are, they aren’t worthy of your attention.”
    I needed to write some of this down. When Dylan was out of my life, I could pull out his outrageous flattery to prop up my sagging ego. No man had ever seen me the way he did–as if I was special, extraordinary, exactly as I