“Oh, dear. Did I forget to remind you that we were taping the whole thing? As part of the extravaganza package, you get a DVD of the ceremony to take home with you. Plus, we offer live streaming of the ceremony, which is available on demand for thirty days so your family can log in online and watch it.”
“You really did think of everything.”
“Well, we offer just about everything, but it was your husband who thought to ask for it all.”
“My husband,” I whispered, feeling dazed. “Holy heck, I’m Mrs. Landon Heath.”
“C’mon, Mrs. Heath,” Landon purred. “We have a limo waiting out front to take us to our hotel.”
I let him lead me to the car, climbing in when he opened the door for me and moving over to make room for him as he slid in behind me. “What about our stuff?”
“It’ll be waiting for us in our room since it’s already been dropped off at the hotel,” he answered, pulling yet another bottle of champagne from a bucket of ice and popping the cork.
“Don’t we need to check-in first?”
“Already taken care of.” He handed me a glass and poured himself another.
“That’s probably for the best,” I sighed, gesturing at my dress. “I’m sure we’d look a little strange arriving at registration dressed like this.”
“What would be strange about a bride and groom checking in to the honeymoon suite?”
“The honeymoon suite? Why would you book us into the honeymoon suite?” I hissed.
“Because it’s our wedding night.”
Oh, crap. He said ‘wedding night’ like it was supposed to mean something, even though our marriage was a farce. He didn’t really think anything was going to happen between us tonight, did he?
Chapter 4
Landon
“But, this isn’t a real marriage,” Zoe stressed.
I kept my expression neutral, trying to hide the irritation building every time she insisted our marriage was a farce. Patience had never been something I possessed much of. But, I was trying to go as slow as I could, let her get used to the idea of us before forcing her to accept the fact that we were forever.
“These people will dig into every part of your life, Zoe. We can’t have them checking with the hotel and seeing that we spent our wedding night in separate rooms.” I handed her a half glass of champagne and she took it with trembling fingers. She was obviously a little overwhelmed with everything and the alcohol would help calm her nerves. Also, it would only help my endeavor to have a real wedding night. It may make me a bastard, but I was going to take every advantage I could get.
“You really think they will be that thorough?” Her tone was a little skeptical, though, there was worry in her eyes.
“Do you want to take that chance?” I asked seriously, settling myself beside her and taking a sip of the cool champagne.
Her nose wrinkled adorably as she thought, then she shook her head and gulped her down her drink. I took her glass and set it on the bar running along one side of the car. She looked on expectantly, clearly waiting for me to refill it. Instead, I filled a tumbler with ice water and handed it over. I wanted her to have a pleasant buzz, not be drunk. She was going to remember every detail of our first night together.
Before she could argue, the limo glided to a stop in front of the Bellagio. I set both of our glasses aside and climbed out of the vehicle after the driver opened the door. Leaning in, I extended my hand to help her out as well. We were at the main entrance and she looked around at the crowds, immediately trying to shrink into my side.
I loved having her against me, but I let her go and took her hand. She was my gorgeous bride and I wanted to show her off. Every motherfucker there was going to get one chance to see what they would never have. Everyone would know who she belonged to.
Ushering her into the lobby, we were met by a concierge who personally led the way to our suite. Zoe wandered across the room to stare out at the view.
“Your dinner will arrive in an hour, Mr. Heath. Everything else you requested has been taken care of. Can I get you anything else?”
“No thank you”—I glanced at his name tag—“James.” I gave him a tip and barely heard the soft click of the door shutting as I made my way over to my wife. Wife. Fuck, that felt good.
Zoe’s arms were wrapped around her middle and she seemed to be mesmerized by the lights of The Strip. She was a vision in white satin, the fabric clinging beautifully to her small frame and her blonde hair twisted up. A quick peek at my watch showed that the fountain show would be starting any minute and I smiled to myself, knowing that it would dazzle her.