Wicked Heart (38 page)

I look at Liam and smile. “I love you, too.”

“Good. Now, you can choose to keep that check for a million dollars, or stay with the other box.”

I laugh. “Hmmm, let me think if I should keep the bogus check.”

He says nothing and smiles. I look down at the small piece of paper. “Oh my God, Liam, this is a
real
check for a million dollars?! What the hell?”

“Does that change your mind about choosing the other box?”

I fan myself with the check. “No.”

“You sure about that?”

I just about scream in frustration. “Liam!”

“Okay, fine. Here.” He passes me the box. “Just remember, you turned down a million dollars for this box. I couldn’t be happier with your choice. I just hope you’ll
feel the same way.”

I take a deep breath and let it out. When I lift off the lid and peer inside, my breath catches.

Oh, God.

Inside is a black velvet ring box. A very
expensive
-looking ring box.

I look up at Liam, and he smiles. “Take it out.”

I clasp the tiny box with trembling fingers and pull it out.

Oh my God. He bought me a ring. And knowing Liam and his generosity, it’s going to be a monster.

Okay, Elissa, just breathe. Don’t pass out when you see he’s bought you something that makes the Hope Diamond look like a Cracker Jack prize.

I take a deep breath and exhale.

I’m not prepared for this. Not even a little. It’s not that I haven’t considered marrying Liam, because I have. I still get embarrassed about how passionately I pictured myself
walking down the aisle to him when I was trying on wedding dresses with Angel. I just didn’t think it would happen so soon.

Liam leans over and presses his lips against my ear. “So are you going to open that thing or just hold on to it all day?” There’s the smugness again.

I close my eyes as I open the case. When I open them, I can’t believe what I’m looking at.

“Uh . . . wow. Okay.” It’s not a ring. It’s a quarter nestled in the place where a ring should go. “I’m so confused right now. You said the box containing a
million dollars sucked, but you’re happy I’ve chosen the one containing . . . twenty-five cents? Is it just that you’ve saved yourself a whole bunch of cash, or . . . ?”

Liam reaches over and takes the coin. Then he gets down on one knee and pulls another ring box from his pocket, and this one doesn’t contain a coin. It contains the most stunning
engagement ring I’ve even seen. Emotion knots in my throat as he takes my hand and kisses it.

“Elissa, I love you more than anything in the world and desperately want to be your husband. I’ve wanted it for a long time. And yesterday, seeing you walk down the aisle in that
church . . . I’ve never seen anything so beautiful in my entire life. I want to be yours, and for you to be mine. And even though I’m certain you want that, too, I know your sensible
side will try to argue that it’s too soon. at the world’s not ready to see me committed to another woman. So, I’m going to challenge you to leave it up to fate. What can be more
random than a coin toss, right? Five flips. If it comes up heads every time, you wear that ring to the fund-raiser tonight. You don’t have to make a big announcement or anything, but if
anyone asks, you tell them we’re engaged. And if I lose, well then—”

I stop him with a kiss. The kind of kiss that tells him I’m not interested in flipping a coin to prove how much I love him. My love isn’t based on chance or luck. It’s a fact.
Solid and irrefutable. I’ll shout it from the rooftops if that’s what he wants.

“Put that ring on my finger,” I say, holding my hand out as I pull back. “It would make me the happiest woman on the planet to be your fiancée.”

He beams at me, and I feel like my heart and my eyes are about to over flow. With the care of handling something precious, he slides the ring onto my finger. When it’s on and glinting in
the light, he lets out a shaky sigh of relief.

“You okay?” I ask.

He nods, and I can see how emotional he is. “I wasn’t expecting you to ditch the coin toss. I thought for sure I’d have to convince you, so I went to the trouble of getting a
double-headed coin.”

I gape at him. “Liam! What about all your talk of fate?”

He looks at me lovingly. “Sometimes, fate is what you make it, right? And there was no way in hell I was taking any chances with this. I want to be with you, Liss. Always. I’ve even
practiced saying, ‘Oh, hi. Have you met my wife, Elissa?’ See how good that sounds? My
wife
.”

Hearing him say those words gives me goose bumps. “That’s pretty sexy, you know.”

His voice is dark and lustful when he says, “Oh, believe me, I know.”

“It doesn’t seem fair to all the other wives that I’m going to have the world’s hottest husband.”

His expression intensifies, and I see his Adam’s apple bob as he swallows. “You’d better not say that again, or we’re not getting out of this apartment tonight. Jesus,
Liss.” He pulls me into his arms, and as our bodies press against each other, I can feel his heart racing and thrumming beneath the surface. e tempo of it matches my own.

To be honest, I’m surprised at my reaction to his proposal. I’ve always considered myself to be a strong, independent woman, immune to the silly giddiness of the traditional gender
stereotypes. And yet having Liam’s ring on my finger and knowing it represents his love and commitment . . . I can finally see what all the fuss is about.

I think it has a similar effect on him.

“I’ve never been turned on by jewelry before,” he says as he pulls back and caresses the ring. “But right now, I’m about as hard as this diamond.”

“If I were to buy you a ring,” I say, “would you wear it?”

“So everyone knows I belong to you?” I don’t even get to answer before he whispers, “Hell, yes.”

Then it’s his turn to kiss me with everything he has, and I don’t even mind that I’m going to have to redo my makeup before we leave. Kissing Liam is worth it.

For too many years I fought against what I felt for him instead of fighting
for
it, but now I know better.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the past few years, it’s this: You can give up on a lot of things in life and still be happy. You can decide that jogging is the work of
the devil, or that the super-popular book everyone loves just isn’t for you. Or you can let your gym membership keep ticking over every month without ever stepping foot inside the door. But
the one thing you’re absolutely not allowed to give up on is true love. When you find it, you should grab it with both hands and never let it go, because although it might not always be easy
or convenient, it’s worth it. I can tell you that much for sure.

There was a time when I thought I’d missed my chance at true love, and I regretted it every single day. But now, here it is, wrapped around me in the form of the most remarkable, loving,
talented man I’ll ever know, and I couldn’t be more grateful.

Do I believe we were brought together by fate? Maybe. If anyone could make me believe in fate, it would be Liam. But I also think Liam’s right in thinking that sometimes fate is what we
make it. You get the love you fight for. The one you think you deserve.

Now I know I deserve Liam Quinn, and he deserves me.

Our fate is to keep reminding each other of that, no matter what craziness life throws at us.

Always.

I need to thank a million people who helped shape
Wicked Heart
. (Well, okay, maybe “a million” is overstating it, but there are lots.)

Firstly, to my amazing editor at SMP, Rose Hilliard, who pushed for Elissa and Liam’s story and spanked me until I got it right; thank you for your amazing brain.

To my wonderful and pretty agent, Christina Hogrebe; I still get giddy when you tell me you enjoy my words. Don’t see that changing anytime soon.

To my beautiful bestie, Andrea, who is my rock and my cheerleader: Thank you for making me feel good about my writing even when I’m pretty sure it sucks giant yak balls. Your positivity
and love is one of the greatest joys of my life.

To my darling Caryn, who pushed me from the start to write all the words and write them well. You’ve always had faith in me, even when I abused punctuation and continued my ongoing feud
with the question mark. (That’s never changing, by the way. Question Mark knows what he did. I will never forgive him.)

To my A-list pre-readers, Natasha and Kristine—girls, you rock my world. Just when I was on the cusp of chewing off all my fingernails and getting super-drunk, you talked me off the ledge.
Your incredible words of support and encouragement saved my sanity. One day, I will write fanfiction about a haunted vagina just for you. And maybe some dino-porn.

Enormous thanks to my spectacular husband, Jason, who puts up with my being distant and quiet while characters take over my brain. Who supports me when I lock myself away to rewrite scenes
1,827,381,621
times until they feel right. Who sees me writing in my pajamas at
3 P.M.
with uncombed hair and a face lined with too little sleep and
still tells me I’m beautiful. You’re my hero, honey. Always and forever.

To my boys, Xanny and Ky. Little dudes, you make me laugh every day, you make me love more than I ever thought possible, and your beautiful souls make my heart smile and swell with pride. Thank
you for allowing me to be your Mummy. Now give me topper tuddles. NO BAKEY! (You de bivvin’ ’em!)

I would need more pages to thank the countless amazing bloggers and reviewers who support the crazy that spills from my brain, but please know that if and when I meet you face-to-face, I’m
buying you a drink and smooshing the hell out of you. I’ve already achieved it with some of my faves (Vilma, Aestas, Nina, Kristine, and Natasha— I’m looking at you), but you ALL
deserve smooshings, and one day, I will make it happen. Trust.

To the Filets and Pams—you ladies are my safe place and my therapy, all in one. Thank you for your awesomeness.

And last, but absolutely not least, thank you to every single reader who has picked up my books, read them cover to cover, and still decided they like me. You have no idea how incredibly
grateful I am to you all. You validate my crazy, you make the process of writing incredibly worthwhile, and your amazing support and encouragement makes me cry happy tears.

I’m so blessed to have you all in my life.

Leisa x

The heart wants what it wants . . . and sometimes it wants something bad . . .

While performing the greatest love story of all time, they discovered one of their own.

Cassie Taylor was just another acting student with big dreams at her prestigious performing arts college . . . then she met Ethan Holt. She was the good girl actress. He was the bad boy on
campus. But one fated casting choice for
Romeo and Juliet
changed it all. Like the characters they were playing on stage, Cassie and Ethan’s epic romance seemed destined. Until it
ended in tragedy when he shattered her heart.

Now they’ve made it to Broadway where they’re reunited as romantic leads once again – and their passionate scenes force them to confront the heartbreaking lows and
pulse-pounding highs of their intense college affair. For Ethan, losing Cassie was his biggest regret – and he’s determined to redeem himself. But for Cassie, even though Ethan was her
first and only great love, he hurt her too much to ever be trusted again.

The trouble is, working with him again reminds her that people who rub each other the wrong way often make the best sparks. And when it comes to love, sometimes it’s the things that
aren’t good for us that are the most irresistible.

Don’t miss the intoxicating romance beloved by over two million fans online – a story that’ll captivate you and hold you breathless until the final page.

‘An unputdownable debut! Filled with delicious tension that will make your palms sweat, toes curl and heart race’

New York Times
bestselling author Alice Clayton

Some loves never let you go . . .

Cassie swore she’d never forgive Ethan for breaking her heart when they were in acting school years ago. He was her one great love, and when he refused to love her back,
a part of her died forever . . . or so she thought. Now she and Ethan are sharing a Broadway stage, and he’s determined to win her back. Finally he’s able to say all the things she
needed to hear years ago . . . but can she believe him? Has he really changed, and what makes this time different from all his other broken promises?

The answer lies somewhere in the past, and now the truth will come to light. Will Cassie rediscover what it’s like to be trusting and open again – the way she was before Ethan? Or is
it too late for these star-crossed lovers?

Don’t miss this mesmerizing sequel to
Bad Romeo
, the unforgettable love story that captured the hearts of over two million fans online.

‘This book grabbed me and didn’t let go. I’m in love with Leisa Rayven and the rest of the world needs to be, too’

Colleen Hoover,
New York Times
bestselling author of
Ugly Love
, on
Bad Romeo

Leisa Rayven is a freelance actor and producer in Brisbane, Australia.

Praise for
Bad Romeo
and
Broken Juliet

‘Leisa Rayven crashes onto the romance scene: laughing, flirting, and just daring us to put
Bad Romeo
down. I couldn’t!’

Christina Lauren,
New York Times
bestselling author of
Beautiful Bastard

‘An unputdownable debut! Filled with delicious tension that will make your palms sweat, toes curl, and heart race’

Alice Clayton,
New York Times
bestselling author of
Wallbanger

‘The perfect combination of hot and hilarious,
Bad Romeo
is utterly dazzling. I loved it!’

Katy Evans,
New York Times
bestselling author of
Real

ALSO BY LEISA RAYVEN