Her knees almost buckled when he explained to the clerk that they were there to get a marriage license.
Chapter Nine
Contents - Prev / Next The normal busy office sounds of the license bureau made a soothing background for Jennifer's thoughts, which could best be described as chaotic. She had assumed that the reason for their trip had something to do with the agency. By the time she could find some order to her thoughts, the clerk was asking rapid questions.
Jennifer answered them in a daze. Chad's composed answers further rattled her. After the money was handed over, Chad took the license and escorted her from the room. By the time they reached the hallway Jennifer had managed to find her tongue.
"Chad, wait!"
He looked down at her with no discernible expression and waited.
"We need to talk about this. I mean, you never-I didn't expect-We haven't-"
He held up his hand like a traffic cop at a school crossing. "You don't have to marry me if you don't want to, Jennifer. No one is forcing you. If you'd like, we can catch the next plane back to L.A. and-"
"I do want to marry you, it's just that-"
He took her arm and began propelling her down the corridor. "Then we shouldn't keep the judge waiting. He only has a few minutes between court hearings."
When she came out of the courthouse some time later, Jennifer felt as though she couldn't get enough air in her lungs. She felt as she had as a child when she had ridden the carousel-no matter how tightly she hung on, they were going around so fast she could scarcely catch her breath.
Once again they got into the car, only to drive a few short blocks. They pulled up in front of the Golden Nugget casino and hotel. The marble and gold trim glistened in the sun. She looked at Chad in total bewilderment. He assisted her from the car and handed the keys to the waiting attendant.
Once inside Jennifer stared around the lobby in awe. The place looked like her idea of a palace. Chad had gone over to the reservation desk, where he signed in and was handed a room key.
He took her arm and escorted her to the elevator.
When they reached their floor and started down the hallway Jennifer began to fully realize what had just happened. She and Chad were now married, and like any eager bridegroom he was rushing her to a hotel room.
Chad, rushing to get her in bed?
She glanced up at him but as usual could read nothing from his expression.
Chad? Not by a flicker of an eyelash did he betray that he heard her. Instead, he opened the door and motioned for her to precede him. The room was large and exquisitely decorated. Jennifer walked over to the window and peeked out. She heard the door close with a soft but definite thud and turned around.
Chad shoved the bolt through the door, then turned around. He reached up and began to loosen his tie as he slowly and deliberately paced toward her.
"Now, then. You may have to help refresh my memory as to what it is you want me to do to you." His coat came off and was tossed onto a chair. His tie soon followed and he started on the buttons of his shirt. "I believe the first thing was for us to be without any clothes, in the daylight, with no covers.. . so we could enjoy the sight of each other."
Jennifer felt a sudden need to retreat. Unfortunately her position by the windows precluded that, unless she wanted to be so undignified as to try to crawl out the window. With her luck, it was probably sealed. She put up her hands in a calming gesture. "W-wait a minute, Chad. I think we should talk about this."
"Talk? Haven't we done enough of that over the past.. . how many weeks has it been now? I can't remember when my sleep started to become interrupted with graphic descriptions of what you and I should do in bed together." He sat down on the side of the bed and quickly removed his socks and shoes. Standing once again, he unfastened his belt, unzipped his trousers and stepped out of them.
Jennifer could only stare at the man in front of her. Of course she had seen men stripped down to the barest of essentials. She'd been raised in Southern California, after all, and had spent much of her youth on the beach. But she had never seen C. W. Cameron in that condition. He could easily have caused quite a commotion on any beach.
Once stripped of the civilized clothing, Chad looked like a warrior. There wasn't an ounce of unwanted flesh on him. His broad shoulders and chest rippled with well-trained muscles. The navy-blue briefs he wore couldn't disguise his masculinity nor the well-developed muscles in his thighs.
Jennifer could only stare at him.
Barefoot, he padded over to her, reminiscent of some jungle cat silently stalking its prey. She took a deep breath and tried to release her tension along with the air. The exercise had worked in her aerobics class. She was willing to try anything at this point.
He paused in front of her, then began to systematically remove her clothes. Her hands came up to stop him.
"Is there something wrong?" he asked blandly.
"I just think we need to-"
"So do I. But it's more fun not to have clothes in the way."
"I mean, I think-"
"Ah, but this isn't the time to think, Sunshine. This is the time to feel, to enjoy, to experience." He tilted his head slightly, looking for the fastener on her skirt. He smiled when he found it and watched with enjoyment as her skirt fell to her ankles, leaving her standing in her teddy, hose and heels.
"Not bad at all," he commented. "I should have remembered my camera." He shrugged, "Can't remember everything, I suppose."
He took her by the hand and led her to the bed. Gently pushing, he lowered her to the bed and began to remove her hose.
Jennifer pushed his hand away. "I'll do it!" She removed her shoes and hose and she sat there, staring at Chad with something close to fear on her face.
Reaching behind her, he pulled down the covers to the bottom of the bed. Then he scooped her up and laid her on one of the pillows.
Chad stretched out beside her, turned on his side so that he faced her and propped himself up on his elbow.
"Now, then, it looks to me as if we still have on too many clothes, but I suppose they will take care of themselves."
Jennifer had always thought the teddy she wore to be feminine and dainty. She had never noticed how little the lace bodice actually concealed. There was more flesh than lace.
The same with the bottom half. Cut high on her thighs the silk and lace did more revealing than concealing. She must have leaped several inches when Chad rested his large hand on her abdomen.
"Why don't you just relax now? This is what you've been dreaming of and talking about for weeks now. Like Cinderella, your dreams are now coming true."
"Uh, Chad, before we go any further-"
He jackknifed up in bed. "You're absolutely right. It just isn't the same, is it? You kept insisting we would do this without any clothes." He reached over and slipped the tiny straps of her teddy off her shoulders and quickly pulled it down over her waist and thighs, knees and ankles.
Jennifer frantically felt around for the covers.
"No, no. None of that now," he said, smoothly sliding his briefs off his hips.
Jennifer quickly averted her eyes from his body. Her gaze met his and she saw the heated look of desire shining from his eyes. She blinked. He might be making a game of this, but there was no mistaking that his intentions were serious.
Closing her eyes, Jennifer tried to think, but it was no use. He was too close. She could feet his heated body brushing against her, smell that tangy after-shave that he wore, and when he leaned over and lightly touched his lips to her, she could still taste the flavor of his favorite mints.
This, then, was exactly what she had fantasized all these weeks. With her eyes still closed Jennifer tentatively reached out and touched his face, her palm resting on his cheek. He quickly turned his head and placed a kiss in her palm.
She slid her hand up through his hair. Jennifer loved the feel of his hair-the clean crispness that still had a faint scent of the herbal shampoo he used. Blindly she lifted her mouth to his. He accepted her offering with a gentleness that eased the constriction that had been in her chest since she had first awakened that morning.
This was Chad-Chad who had spent a lifetime teasing and provoking her, Chad who knew her better than anyone else in the world, Chad who had taught her so much-who was about to take the next step in her education.
Somehow his knee seemed to belong there between her thighs. It rested very comfortably there, and Jennifer became used to its solid weight pressing her gently into the soft mattress.
There was so much she wanted to learn about him. Jennifer began to trace the line of his shoulders and arms with her fingertips, barely grazing the surface. She felt a chill run over his skin where she had touched. She smiled.