Page 5 of The Billionaire's Bride for a Day

She reached over to the table and picked up the pretty red card with floral designs and scanned all the precious signatures within it.

“To the Belmont Christmas Bride. Best wishes on your special day.”

Olivia cherished the moniker they’d given her. The Belmont Christmas Bride. Ha, she was more like the Belmont Disgraced Bride.

She would be the laughingstock of the entire town. Earlier that day, the staff even greeted her as the Belmont Christmas Bride when she arrived with her sister, Bria, at the check-in counter. “Oh, you’re the Belmont Christmas Bride this year,” they’d welcomed her with warm smiles. “Every Christmas we have one lucky bride who gets married in our famous ballroom. Congratulations, ma’am.”

“Thank you,” she had gushed. Bria beamed with excitement. Finally, they would have wonderful memories for Christmas Day even if Mom couldn’t be there physically.

The truth was, she could not afford to host her wedding there. It was a donation from the management team at the hotel that gave away an affordable wedding package to one lucky couple each year and Olivia and Jack were supposed to be that one lucky couple this year.

But, that was not going to happen now, was it?

The phone rang again.

She spun her head around to the noise. Jack was calling her again. She really didn’t want this. Not now.

Olivia intended to ignore it but she sucked in a deep breath and walked over to the phone, her heart still revving over the limit. She was sure her blood pressure must be through the roof.

She picked up the phone. “Jack, you are one crazy, inconsiderate jerk! I don’t want to speak with you again. I don’t want to see you again. And-”

“Whoa! I think you’ve got the wrong guy, miss.” A smooth, deep voice that sent tingles down her spine sounded over the phone instead. It wasn’t Jack. Oh, God! This was more than embarrassing. Now someone else knew Jack and Olivia were no longer an item.

Could this day get any worse?

“Um…sorry, who…who is this?” Heat rushed to her face and slithered down her neck. Shit! This was humiliating.

Damn, Jack!

“Dane. I was told you needed some assistance. Is everything okay?” His silky voice lulled her into a relaxed mood. Dane? Oh, God. Was she that loud when she’d argued with Jack over the phone? Had one of the other guests complained about the noise coming from her suite?

“Um. I…um. Well, no…um. Yes. Yes, I’m fine.” He was told she needed assistance?

Olivia lifted up her head and turned her gaze towards the adjoining door in her suite. Great! The hotel guests in the adjoining room could probably hear her sobbing and arguing with Jack. Did they phone the front desk?

“I’ll send someone up right away.” Dane's mellow baritone voice was edged with control and authority. He didn’t wait for her to answer. Her hesitance may have sparked an alarm. For all he knew, she could be held against her will in her own room. He sounded like a man not to be reckoned with.

After Olivia replaced the phone on the receiver, she clenched her jaw and hugged herself. Her heart was pounding hard and fast. What was with her? She really didn’t want anyone to see her like this. Not now. Especially not a man with a rich, sexually-charged baritone voice that made her tingle in places that ought not be tingling. Her mascara was probably running down her face after her teary conversation with Jack. She got up and paced in front of the fireplace.

Oh ,God! She was going to be humiliated in front of hundreds of her friends she hadn’t seen in years as well as her family. Her heart wasn’t broken, it was shattered in a million tiny pieces. Her eyes drifted to the dark sky outside and the blowing snowflakes falling against it. It should have been the most romantic evening of her life. Christmas Eve. Tomorrow was supposed to be her Winter Wonderland themed wedding in the ballroom of the hotel. All the decorations were in place. Hotel staff had congratulated her earlier.

But Winter Wonderland was nothing more than a frigid nightmare. Icy fear twisted around her heart. Olivia felt numb with shock. She felt like a fool. Like a walking disaster in stilettos.

Moments later, a knock at the door distracted her thoughts.

Olivia glanced in the mirror over the dresser to make sure she didn’t look as bad as she felt. She dabbed her swollen eyes and removed some of the mascara that had run down her cheeks after her torrent of tears. The last thing she needed was to be the guest of honor at her own pity party.

“Just a minute,” she called out, her voice quivering. She had to get a hold of herself. She had to regain her composure.

When she opened the door, her jaw dropped.

Standing in front of her was a sex god. The most delicious tall, dark and sexy man she’d ever laid her large, brown eyes on—and he was wearing a tailored dark gray suit that accentuated what appeared to be a fit, athletic build.

Stop drooling, Olivia!

She couldn’t help but look up to him, as his head almost reached the top of the door frame. How tall was he? Six-foot-five?

“Hi. Is everything okay?” His smooth, deep voice sent shivers down her spine again.

“Um…yes…”

“I’m Dane Romano, from management. I called earlier.”

“And…I’m…” speechless.

Damn it, Olivia. He’s just a man. A fellow human being. Hello? Where are your thoughts?

Olivia had almost forgotten who she was for a split second. Okay, that had never happened to her before.

“Um…I’m…Olivia,” she finally responded, almost breathless. Almost too breathless for her liking.

“Yes. You’re Ms. Olivia McAlister, the Christmas Bride, right? You’ll be getting married in the morning?”

Well, that killed the moment.

She cast down her eyes; suddenly her eyelids grew heavy and there was that pronounced palpitation thing going on inside her chest again.

“May I come in?” he asked, obviously noticing her abrupt change in body language.

“Sure,” she said, opening the door wider while trying to swallow the lump that lingered in her throat.

Hmm. Well, her nostrils caught a whiff of his enticing cologne, which strangely enough had a calming effect on her. God, it was irresistible. It was as if for all her troubles that night, the universe had granted her a consolation prize of some sort. Only, Dane’s presence was more than a mere consolation. It was a little boost of goodness Olivia genuinely needed so that she wouldn’t feel as if her whole life was shot to hell right now. There was something about this man’s aura. Of course, he was probably taken. All the good ones were. A vaguely sensuous spark seemed to pass between them. Was he a hallucination she’d conjured up after being dumped on the night before her wedding? Or a god-sent angel in the disguise of the hottest guy she’d ever laid eyes on?

When his gaze met hers, her heart turned over in her chest. Olivia could feel the sexual magnetism Dane radiated.

Mixed feelings surged through her. Her emotions seemed so out of control. Disquieting thoughts raced through her mind. What was going on inside her?

Why hadn’t she ever felt this way with Jack? This was beyond absurd. What was this? Kismet? No. It couldn’t be. This man was obviously taken…and well, she was obviously betrothed to someone else…who happened to have dumped her moments ago over the phone.

But oh, those piercing blue eyes framed by long, thick lashes. His eyes were as blue as the ocean in summer and dangerously engaging. Mysterious. His smooth, olive complexion and his chiselled cheekbones and shiny cropped dark hair made it look like he’d stepped right off the cover of the latest edition of GQ to come to her rescue. He looked too good to be true.

“I guess you’ve heard complaints about this room,” Olivia spoke softly. She didn’t know what else to say.

Dane glanced around. What was he doing? Assessing the torn notes she’d left on the floor after she’d gotten off the phone with Jack? The clothes strewn on the bed? The obvious signs of a woman distressed and scorned by her fiancé moments ago?

“We received a call from a concerned guest in the hotel,” he said discreetly, his sexy ocean-blue eyes directed back to her.

How thoughtful of him. He could have said, room xyz called and said some crazy woman was next door having an argument with her lover and obviously didn’t know what "quiet conversation" meant.

Olivia guessed discretion was a managerial imperative.

Dane was peering at Olivia intently. So much so that she felt the heat of his gaze. Holy, moly! Why was this…stranger having this sort of effect on her?

Unbelievable!

Especially at a time like this.

When Dane’s gaze met hers, Olivia's heart turned over in response. Okay, maybe it was her just-jilted nerves taking over. She could not—should not read into it anymore. She glanced down at the gold-plated name on his suit.

It read: Dane Romano, General Manager—Belmont Hotel & Resort.

Almost instinctively, her gaze dropped to his left hand. Bare. No rings. Not even a tan line or evidence of any wedding bands ever gracing his long, tanned, slender fingers. His hands looked strong and capable, yet smooth. She wondered in her mind what they would feel like over her—

Stop it, Olivia!

Focus!

“Wait a minute! You’re the GM? What are you doing working here? At this time of night?”

“I decided to stay late since it’s Christmas Eve. During the holiday season it can get pretty crazy around here so we all do our part to make sure things run smoothly. I’ll be heading out soon.”

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