The Overnight Bride

The women lounging around the massive Polaris swimming pool turned their heads in unison as a man emerged from the water. A sexy woman sunbathing on a beach towel bit her lip, while another on a lounge chair lowered her sunglasses for a better look. Even the women walking by stopped in their tracks, feasting their eyes on the spectacular view.

The man pulling himself out of the pool was absolute eye candy. He stood over six feet tall, his lightly tanned skin gleaming under the sun. His physique was flawless—he could easily pass for a Calvin Klein underwear model. The women couldn’t help but picture his gorgeous, smoldering body clad only in skimpy briefs, plastered across massive billboards. If that ever happened, they’d never get tired of staring.

He stood fully upright at the edge of the pool, pulling off his goggles and running a hand through his wet hair. The casual movement perfectly emphasized the hard muscles of his arms and his broad, sculpted chest. It was an incredibly sexy gesture that only fueled the hungry stares of his audience. Some women even felt a twinge of disappointment that he was wearing blue swimming shorts. He should have worn skimpy trunks instead—maybe in red, to accentuate his long, shapely, subtly muscled legs and his firm, round backside. It would have given them an even more scrumptious view. But even so, he looked undeniably, sinfully hot.

And that was just his body. This hottie possessed a devastatingly handsome face to match. He had a charming, almost boyish aura, yet it masked an underlying sense of authority and dominance. His lips were full and supple, leaving any woman wondering how he kissed—or hell, what he tasted like. His jaw was strong and sharply defined, framing an aristocratic, straight nose. His brows were perfectly thick, resting above eyes framed by long, dark lashes. Those dark brown eyes were sultry and enticing—the kind that could pierce right through you and melt you on the spot.

Needless to say, what woman in her right mind wouldn’t be attracted to Lorcan Maximiano? At twenty-five, he owned Il Denaro, a massive, highly exclusive casino in Metro Manila. Devastatingly good-looking and filthy rich. He was easily one of the city’s most eligible bachelors.

Even as Lorcan walked toward the lounge chair where he had left his white towel, he could feel the women’s eyes trailing his every move. Their heated stares burned into his skin. They were feasting on him—lusting after him, really.

He couldn’t help but shake his head, a wry smile playing on his lips. The perks of winning the genetic lottery.

Thanks to his handsome face and sculpted body, he never had a hard time finding a date. In fact, he never even had to look. Women practically lined up for the chance to be with him, just to experience for one night how he could pleasure them in bed.

And who was he to refuse? Especially when drop-dead gorgeous women were practically throwing themselves at him. He was blessed with a great body; he might as well put it to good use. It would be wonderful to sleep with every single woman who asked, but he wasn’t entirely a slave to his primal urges. He still had rules when it came to choosing who he dated—well, who he took to bed. Call him picky, but he wasn’t a sex addict who would sleep with anything in a skirt. He didn’t get turned on easily, either. He didn’t necessarily need someone who was flawlessly beautiful or perfectly sexy; she just needed to ooze pure sex appeal. Someone who could make his blood run hot, someone who could keep up with his pace between the sheets.

And absolutely no attachments. He avoided clingers like the plague. Virgins were also a major no-no. Hell, no. He didn’t need some furious father chasing him down with a shotgun. He also steered clear of damsels in distress; he knew himself too well—he might end up feeling sorry for them if they refused to let him go.

If there was one glaring weakness in his character, it was his soft heart. He was easily swayed by pity and guilt. So, to avoid the hassle, he strictly avoided women who might play the victim. And so far, his strategy was working flawlessly. He only had sex with consenting adult women—liberated, wild, and fully aware of the rules. Absolutely no strings attached.

Besides, even if he wanted to make romancing women his full-time job, he couldn’t. He had a massive casino to run. If he neglected Il Denaro and let it go bankrupt, he’d lose his wealth. He’d go broke, and that would definitely dock his handsome points. It sounded shallow, but he firmly believed part of his irresistible charm was the fact that women knew he was loaded.

He dried off his wet body, fully aware of the eyes still glued to him. He knew exactly how this day would end: he wouldn’t be leaving this sports club alone. A beautiful, sexy woman would be riding on the back of his Ducati 1198.

Shortly after, Lorcan sat down for lunch with the owner of the sports club, Vaughn Aguila, his maternal cousin. Vaughn’s mother and Lorcan’s late mother had been sisters. Vaughn was almost two years younger than him, but he was far more serious when it came to business. His social life was practically non-existent, and he didn’t have a girlfriend. They rarely hung out since Vaughn was always busy micromanaging the sports club. He was a hands-on owner, seemingly terrified of disappointing their paternal grandfather, who had passed Polaris down to him.

“Who’s the lucky girl this time, man?” Vaughn teased midway through their meal at the Polaris restaurant.

Lorcan looked up from his food. “Excuse me?”

“Don’t play dumb. I know you didn’t drive all the way out here for the pool—you have a massive one at your house. You’re here hunting for a date.”

Lorcan chuckled. “First of all, I came here specifically for the Olympic-sized pool. Second, I’m not looking for a date,” he corrected.

“Oh, right. Women date you,” Vaughn agreed with a laugh.

“Keep your nose out of my social life. At least I have one. What about you? There are dozens of beautiful women here practically begging for your attention, and yet you never go out.”

“I date. I just don’t do it three times a day as you do. Besides, I hate getting too involved. Women just ruin my routine. I don’t like anyone interfering with my life.”

“Control freak!” Lorcan shot back. “You’re going to grow old and die a bachelor.”

“Hey, if your Uncle Leandro can get married at fifty, there’s hope for me yet,” Vaughn replied confidently.

“Wow, man. Love the fighting spirit,” Lorcan fired back sarcastically.

He honestly couldn’t imagine what kind of woman could handle Vaughn. His cousin was arrogant, stubborn, and incredibly dominant. While Lorcan had inherited his soft heart from the Maximiano side, he knew he also possessed the same arrogance and stubbornness from his mother’s family—just a more recessive version of it.

“I might even beat you to the altar,” Vaughn challenged boldly.

“What, are you going to marry your laptop? Probably!” Lorcan mocked.

But in the back of his mind, it did make him wonder when he would actually settle down. Would he end up like his paternal uncle, Leandro, who only decided to tie the knot at the ripe old age of fifty? Imagine waiting half a century before getting tired of the bachelor life.

“Let’s go out later. I saw a girl by the pool who’s exactly your type,” Lorcan offered, trying to drag his cousin out of his shell.

“I have a meeting scheduled this afternoon; it might run until tonight. Next time,” Vaughn declined.

Lorcan just shook his head. He knew Vaughn’s ‘next time’ probably meant next year. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had successfully dragged his cousin out, considering they didn’t see each other often. He didn’t know whether to be impressed by his cousin’s work ethic or to smack him on the back of the head. Vaughn was just twenty-three years old, for crying out loud! He should be living life to the fullest, but instead, he seemed ready to marry his business.

Lorcan refused to end up like that. Yes, he had his own business to run, but he wasn’t going to let it turn him into a total hermit. The world was too beautiful to miss.

Even now, Lorcan couldn’t quite believe that his Uncle Leandro was actually getting married. He had met a Filipino-American woman in her late thirties named Ysabel. They had been together for two years before finally deciding to tie the knot. Leandro’s K1 Visa was already approved, and he was flying to California next week.

“Finally tired of the bachelor life?” Lorcan asked playfully as they lounged in the library of the Maximiano ancestral home in a quiet Quezon City village.

Lorcan had lost his parents a long time ago. They died in a car crash when he was only ten. With no grandparents left either, he was raised by Uncle Leandro, an aging bachelor and his father’s only brother.

“Let’s just say I finally met my match,” Leandro answered smoothly. “True love.”

“Karma, more like.”

“You are such a cynic.”

Lorcan laughed. “I learned from the best.”

Yup. He was definitely Leandro’s nephew. From his carefree, adventurous attitude right down to his wild streak with women. They were wild, untamed men of the world.

“You’ll fall in love someday, too, Lorcan,” his uncle teased.

“Just pray it doesn’t take me as long as it took you,” Lorcan fired back.

Leandro chuckled. “In your case, I wouldn’t be surprised if you have arthritis before you finally settle down. You go through women faster than I ever did; there’s no way you’re going to get tired of your wild escapades anytime soon.”

“What can I do, Uncle? I was cursed with a pretty face and an irresistible body.” Lorcan laughed out loud. He couldn’t even imagine himself walking with a cane and still picking up girls for one-night stands.

“And tons of money.” Leandro stretched in his seat. “Lorcan, remember, a lot of money can go down the drain if you don’t manage our business properly.”

“Uncle, I told you, you can trust me on this. I’ve already learned so much from you.”

“Alright, I trust you. Everything here is in your hands now,” Leandro reminded him.

Leandro had been drilling him for the past week on what he needed to handle while he was in the US. It seemed his uncle had no immediate plans to return to the Philippines. Ysabel owned a car dealership over there, and Leandro wanted to help her expand it. That, and of course, they wanted to build a family. It wasn’t too late for them to have kids.

“Don’t worry, I will never let Il Denaro fall behind. Besides, you’ll still help me out from your end, right?”

Il Denaro was a casino founded by his grandfather. Through the combined efforts of his father and his uncle, they had managed to grow the business exponentially. Things were going great, and Lorcan was absolutely determined to maintain the casino’s stellar reputation. It was a massive challenge on his part, especially now that his uncle was leaving the country.

“Take care of this house, too, and our rest house in Rosario,” Leandro added. Suddenly, he remembered something. “By the way, I never got around to collecting a debt from Dante.”

“Dante?” Lorcan asked, his brow furrowing.

“An acquaintance in Rosario. He’s a compulsive gambler who occasionally visits Il Denaro. He lost everything he had on him one night and ended up owing me over a hundred thousand pesos. I’ve been trying to collect for months, but he still hasn’t paid.”

Lorcan shook his head in disapproval. “You shouldn’t let people like that off the hook, or they’ll just keep doing it.”

“I thought the same thing, but...”

“You felt sorry for him?” Lorcan laughed. That was the classic Maximiano weakness—they were just too damn soft-hearted.

“Oh, well. Try to collect it if you ever drop by Rosario. Money is still money.”

Lorcan grimaced. Rosario was a good six-hour drive from Metro Manila. It was a sleepy coastal town. Incredibly boring. If he remembered correctly, he had only been there twice in his entire life. He wasn’t built for the slow, provincial life. He grew up in the big city. He was used to the roar of sports cars, the neon lights of the nightlife, and hot women. He was addicted to the fast-paced lifestyle.

“Sure. If I ever go there,” Lorcan muttered. Maybe in forty-eight years.

A little while later, he said goodbye to his uncle. He had a date to attend to that night before he needed to check in at Il Denaro. Valerie had been texting him nonstop.

Okay, it wasn’t really a date—he and Valerie didn’t go out for dinner or take a romantic stroll. He went straight to her condo unit. The second she opened the door, she greeted him with a scorching kiss. A kiss that quickly devolved into desperate grabbing and heavy touching.

They didn’t even bother to fully undress. They had quick, steamy, against-the-wall sex. He rammed into her so viciously yet sensually that the woman screamed, practically hysterical as she climaxed.

He knew this was going to be another long, drawn-out goodbye. The women he spent the night with rarely wanted to let him go easily. He couldn’t really blame them. He was incredible in bed, an absolute expert in the art of sex. He knew exactly which buttons to push. And he wasn’t a selfish lover either; he always made sure he wasn’t the only one finding satisfaction between the sheets. He could give mind-blowing, unparalleled pleasure to any woman he took to bed—or, in tonight’s case, to the wall.

“Oh, you’re so amazing, Lorcan! I want you more, babe,” Valerie moaned, slowly coming down from the blinding high he had given her. One of her legs was still securely hooked around his waist, refusing to let him go. “Give me more!”

He just shook his head, a knowing smirk on his lips. Typical.

Lorcan never realized just how difficult it was to manage Il Denaro without his Uncle Leandro. Both the CEO and COO were practically useless. Only now did he realize how much they leaned on his uncle, constantly asking for directions and waiting for his every command.

It had only been a month since Leandro left the country, and Lorcan already felt like the stress was going to give him gray hair. And, shit—it had been a month since he had any semblance of a social life. And, oh god, sex! He couldn’t believe it. He had been on a total dry spell for a solid month. One whole month!

He stretched lazily as he sat in the leather swivel chair in his office. Well, at least things at the casino were finally stabilizing. He had done a good job—okay, he had to rely on a few frantic phone calls to his uncle for advice, but he could confidently say he played a massive role in ironing out the kinks in the business.

And now that the stressful period was over, it was time to let loose. He scrolled through the long list of female contacts on his phone—women eagerly waiting for his call and his attention. But even as his thumb went numb from scrolling, he couldn’t find a single one he actually felt like taking out tonight. He was also too lazy to go barhopping just to pick up someone new.

Lorcan ended up going straight home after eating a solitary dinner at a Chinese restaurant. He had just stepped out of the shower when his phone rang. It was Vaughn.

A miracle!

“What’s up, man? Did a girl finally trap you, and you need me to help you escape?” he answered breezily.

“Your jokes are terrible. And me, getting trapped? No way,” Vaughn laughed. “I was actually going to ask if you wanted to go out tonight. There’s a newly opened bar in Makati; I heard it’s pretty good.”

“Well, I’ll be damned. Miracles really do happen. What did you eat to make you invite me out tonight of all nights?”

“Man, your sense of humor sucks. So, are you coming or not?”

“Vaughn, I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to be the one to reject you tonight,” he admitted honestly.

“It really is a miracle!”

They both burst out laughing.

“Maybe next time,” Lorcan added.

“That’s my line. Have some originality!”

“I’m just really not in the mood.”

“What is this, a mood swing?” Vaughn teased.

“Screw you, man!”

Lorcan went to bed early that night, actually exhausted. He slept soundly until morning. After a quick breakfast, he showered and got dressed, not having a clue where he was going. He just hopped into his Mustang GT and drove. He just kept driving.

It was only when he noticed his gas tank was running dangerously low that he realized how long he had been on the road. He was already way out of Manila.

As he pulled into a gas station, he looked at the highway stretching out ahead of him. It was heading north. On a whim, he decided to just keep driving—all the way to the coastal town of Rosario, straight to their rest house. Well, if he could even stand driving that long, given how much he hated long road trips. But he didn’t have anything pressing to do at Il Denaro anyway. He could just leave instructions with the CEO in case he actually made it to Rosario and decided to stay for a few days.

Then it hit him—he hadn’t packed any clothes or toiletries. Oh well, he could just buy some when he got there.

Lorcan smiled to himself as he started the engine again. He felt wild and free just hitting the open road like this. Alone, completely unbothered, with zero hassles.

He was only an hour away from his destination when he remembered something important. He dialed his uncle’s number.

“Hello, Uncle Leandro? Sorry to bother you, but I’m actually on my way to Rosario right now. Where exactly does Dante live?”