Fairy Tale Wedding, Book #3

• Marriage of Convenience
• Passionate Contemporary Romance
• Enemies to Lovers Romance
• Holiday Romance

Married by Midnight!
You’re invited to a wedding . . . your own!
Come to the Cinderella Ball single . . . leave happily wed.

The Cinderella Ball is the chance of a lifetime for individuals to come together to find their special someone. Their one and only. Their soul mate. Obtaining a ticket isn’t easy, but for those select few, it offers the chance at a lifetime of happiness.

Five long years ago, shy, passionate Ella Montague fell in love with tough, Costa Rican businessman, Rafe Beaumont. She thought he loved her, too. But that was before her family’s Cinderella Ball tore them apart. Now he’s back and insisting they marry at this year’s ball. If she refuses, he’ll destroy her family. His plan? To wed her and bed her, then leave her, which will prove once and for all that the “magic” of the ball is sheer fantasy.

What Rafe doesn’t count on is reigniting the passion they experienced all those years ago. Leaving Ella and returning to Costa Rica is the hardest thing he’s ever done. Then Ella shows up on his doorstep, determined to make their marriage a real one—no matter what it takes.
Will Rafe drive away his Cinderella bride or will he surrender to the magic of his Fairy Tale Wedding?

Anger flashed within his silver gaze. “There’s nothing at all appropriate about marrying a man you’ve only just met this evening. And you damned well know it. If I had my way there would be no more Cinderella Balls.”

“I’m well aware of that. I’m also well aware that you’ve done everything within your power to bring an end to them.”

A humorless smile cut across the angled planes of his face. “Not everything, or I wouldn’t be here.”

“What do you mean?”

He sensed her alarm, but did nothing to ease it. “I mean there were one or two methods I chose not to implement.”

“You mean you choose not to implement them . . . yet.”

He inclined his head in agreement and her mouth compressed. “I’m surprised you were willing to show such restraint.”

“I prefer to employ less absolute options,” he retorted. “Unfortunately, they haven’t worked. Which leaves me with a small dilemma.”

Ella lifted a dark eyebrow. “Is that so? You amaze me. In the past you never would have hesitated to do your worst. Don’t tell me you’ve learned compassion or forgiveness in the last five years.”

He tugged her closer, bitterly amused when even that failed to intimidate her. But then, why should she fear him? No matter how angry he became, he could never harm her. She had to know that.

“If I’m a man without compassion or forgiveness, you have only yourself to blame.”

A surprising softness glistened within the tawny depths of her eyes. “I don’t believe that any more than I believe you’d carry through with the various threats you’ve made over the past few years.”

“That may prove a costly mistake on your part.” He allowed a grim warning to infuse his voice. “The fact that I have not exercised all the options at my command shouldn’t be mistaken for weakness, mi amada.”

She laughed, the sweetness of the sound quenching a lengthy drought. Once upon a time he’d lived to hear her laughter. But he’d purged that need long ago. His mouth compressed. Too bad abstinence hadn’t purged his other needs as well—the ones that demanded a more physical expression.

“Trust me, I’ve never considered you weak. Far from it.” Her amusement faded, replaced by an apprehension he was hard-pressed to resist. “Why have you come, Rafe? Why have you really come?”

It was time to reach a decision. His choices were clear. He could carry through with his original plan and extract a revenge that would put a fast end to any further Cinderella Balls. Or he could achieve the same result while satisfying the need burning between them.
By his presence alone, a fire had been set. As he’d danced with her, the sparks had fallen on dry kindling. It wouldn’t take much to fan it, one kiss and the flames would rage out of control.

From there he knew the progression well. Once the fire had been fed for a time, it would settle into a delicious, hot flame. Too bad it couldn’t last, but such was the nature of fires. From hot flame it would slowly burn down, dying to warm embers before the inevitable fade to cold ashes.

The choice before him took little thought. The final outcome would be the same regardless. Tonight would see the last Montague ball. As to how he went about it?
His hungry gaze feasted on Ella. He’d be a fool if he didn’t take that which would fall so easily into his grasp. She wished to marry. He could save her from such foolishness. And he could prove to her, as well as to her parents, that the Cinderella Ball was a dangerous illusion.

“Why have you come?” she repeated. “What do you want?”

His decision made, he tugged her into his arms. “I want a wife, mi alma. And you shall provide one for me.”