Desire the Night(56)
“I loved the first one I tried on. What was the point in going through a dozen more?”
“None, I guess. Next stop, Las Vegas.”
Kay knew she looked like a tourist, but she couldn’t help staring as Gideon led the way toward one of the casinos. She had heard about Vegas; she had seen pictures online and on TV and in movies, but the real thing was amazing. Cars, taxis, campers, and RVs crowded the streets; the sidewalks were thronged with people, many of them tipsy, and all of them apparently having the time of their lives. She saw men and women in shorts and flip-flops, men in suits and ties, women in dresses and heels, and everything in between.
The hotel lobby was lavishly appointed. Imported carpets muted her footsteps. Sofas and chairs covered in plush velvet vied for space with low tables, potted palm trees, and exotic statues. The whole place reeked of opulent decadence.
The clerk at the desk informed Gideon that there were no vacancies; nevertheless, five minutes later they were checking into a luxury suite on the top floor.
“How did you do that?” Kay asked. “He said every room was either booked or reserved.”
“A little mind control, that’s all.”
“That’s all,” she muttered under her breath. “Just a little mind control.” With a shake of her head, she draped her wedding gown over the back of a chair. “Now what?”
“We need to get to the marriage license bureau over on Clark.”
“I didn’t even think about a license,” Kay said, glancing at her watch. “Isn’t the office closed by now? It’s after nine.”
“Honey, everything is open late in Vegas, including the license bureau. They call New York the city that never sleeps, but the title really belongs to Vegas. Are you ready? Then let’s go.”
Getting a license was remarkably easy. No blood tests were required. Since Kay didn’t have any identification with her, Gideon performed another bit of mind magic to convince the clerk that he had seen her ID. Gideon showed the man his driver’s license, handed over sixty dollars cash, and the clerk handed them a marriage license good for one year from the date of issue.
“I wish I had that mind control thing,” Kay remarked when they returned to their room.
“Comes in handy, that’s for sure.”
Kay kicked off her shoes. “Since there’s no hurry, I’m going to take a shower.”
“Okay.”
“Did you buy something to wear to the wedding?”
“Of course,” he said with a wink. “What do you think’s in that garment bag hanging on the door?”
She smiled at him as she picked up her wedding gown and headed for the bedroom. “I won’t be long.”
Gideon dropped into an overstuffed chair and stretched his legs out in front of him. In his mind’s eye, he pictured Kay in the bedroom, getting undressed, stepping into the shower. If it hadn’t been so late, he would have joined her, but there wasn’t time, not if they were going to be married tonight. It was already after eleven. And he wanted to spend as much time as possible with his new bride before the sun came up.
Just when he was about to go in and tell her to get a move on, she stepped out of the bedroom. Gideon whistled softly. If she had tried on a hundred dresses, she couldn’t have chosen a better one. The neckline was square, the skirt long and full and sprinkled with rhinestones that reflected the light when she moved. In all his life, he had never seen anything more beautiful than Kay in her wedding gown. She wore her hair down; it fell over her shoulders like a river of ebony silk beneath the shoulder-length veil.
“Thank you,” she murmured, pleased by the open admiration in his eyes.
“Thank you.” Grabbing the garment bag that held his tux, he went into the bedroom and closed the door.
Kay paced the floor, thoughts sifting through her mind like sand in an hourglass. She was going to marry Gideon. Sooner or later, her father would find out. What would he say? Worse, what would he do? Was she making a mistake? Or would this act of defiance convince her father once and for all that she had a mind and will of her own?
Her troublesome thoughts came to an abrupt halt when Gideon stepped out of the bedroom. The well-cut black jacket and trousers emphasized his broad shoulders and long legs. The coat and pants fit him as though they had been hand-tailored. No doubt about it, he had been born to wear a tux. She grinned inwardly. She could hardly wait to get him out of it!
After a quick check on Gideon’s cell phone, they decided to get married in the Victorian Chapel at the Chapel of the Flowers. The room was adorned with bronze-colored velvet draperies, crystal chandeliers, beige marble floors, and mahogany pews.