“Oookay.” His face drops as he backs away from me.
“Shit, Carter. I just…”
“It’s okay. I know this isn’t what you want. I just thought that maybe you’d…”
“Maybe I’d what?” I ask when he trails off, staring down at his feet like he regrets opening his mouth.
He sucks in a breath before he brings his green eyes up to meet mine. They’re dark and full of emotion. It doesn’t matter that I can’t get a proper read of how he’s feeling about all of this, because it hits me in the chest nonetheless.
“Maybe that you’d give this a chance. I know it wasn’t planned or whatever, but—”
“Yes,” I say, interrupting whatever it was he was going to continue with.
“Yes?” His cheeks start to lift with a smile.
“Like you said earlier, let’s just hang out. We’ve got plenty of time to figure out what to do about this mess when we get home. Let’s just enjoy Vegas while we have the chance.”
“I’ll be waiting.” He winks and backs out of the room to allow me the time to finish what I’m doing.
I make quick work of putting on some make-up to brighten my complexion before drinking my coffee and finding some shoes.
When I pull the door open, the sound of Carter’s deep, rumbling voice fills my ears, and goosebumps prick my skin at the sound. I wish I could remember last night. The aches in my body tell me that it was a really good one.
I bite down on my lip as I think about our first time. I wonder if last night was as hot? I sigh. Maybe I should see about a replay…
I’m expecting to find him on the phone when I enter the living area. Instead of it being at his ear, he’s talking into it, but the second he spots me, he locks the screen and drops it into his pocket.
“You ready to go?”
“Yeah, but if you’re in the middle of something, I can wait,” I offer.
“No, it’s fine. Let’s go. I’ve got plans.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Come on, I’m going to show you that spending time with me isn’t all that bad.”
“I never said…” I trail off, knowing that I’ve not been all that welcoming to his company since the first moment we met. “Maybe we should just start over.” I stop before the door that will lead up from our suite. “Hi, I’m Danni. Operations Manager for my family’s antique business, five foot two, coffee lover, wine connoisseur, looking for something a little more serious,” I say, rattling off my online dating profile.
He looks me up and down, assessing the goods, and I can’t help tinges of desire erupting in my belly.
“Carter, friends call me Titch. Tattoo artist, some might say comedian, your husband.”
“Comedian?” I ask, ignoring his final point.
“I like to think so.”
Shaking my head. “Why do I get the idea that you’re the only one who does?”
He shrugs and I laugh, following him into the lift.
“So what’s the plan?”
“You’ll have to wait and see.”
As the lift descends, the tension in the small space becomes heavy. We’re standing side by side, the heat of his body burning my arm. My fingers twitch with my need to do something, but I fight it. Although, when we come to a stop and the doors start to open, it becomes apparent that maybe I wasn’t the only one with the same thoughts, because no sooner have I taken a step than his fingers are linked with mine. He glances at me when I still for a second before he smiles as I continue forward.
He walks straight up to an awaiting taxi, and after quietly muttering our destination to him, we climb in and set off.
It’s a short journey down the strip before the car comes to a stop in front of The Venetian.
“Why here?” It’s not that I don’t want to see it, I’ll happily follow him anywhere to soak up a little bit of Vegas, but I’m curious as to why this was his first choice.
“Seems like a good place. Venice is meant to be…” He leans towards me, his breath tickling my ear. “Romantic.”
“Oh, so this is a move?”
“Yes and no. I always thought it was kinda cool, and I hoped you might too.”
“Lucky for you, I do.”
“Awesome, let’s go then.”
We both thank the driver and hop out of the car.
“Wow, it’s stunning,” I muse as we walk around, looking at the architecture.
With our hands interlocked, we dodge other holiday makers and enjoy the sights this Venice replica has to offer. We head into an art gallery when a painting in the window catches Carter’s eye. He follows me into a couple of the shops, but neither of us spends any money aside from the coffee and cake we stop for.
“You fancy a ride?” Carter asks as we stand on one of the many bridges, watching the gondolas going up and down the Grand Canal.
“No, it’s okay,” I say with a laugh.
“Yes. Come on. Let me give you a memory you might look back on fondly once this trip is over.” His voice has a sadness to it that tugs at my heartstrings. I haven’t meant to make him feel like I don’t enjoy spending time with him. I’ve discovered he’s actually a really great guy, now I’ve dropped my walls slightly. Although, it still doesn’t mean I’m all that thrilled about our drunken wedding.
He takes my hand once more and drags me down to where people have been getting on and off. Thankfully, it’s not all that busy, and after only a few short minutes we’re at the front of the queue.
“After you, m’lady.”
“Why thank you, sir.” I take his outstretched hand and allow him to help me step onto the very wobbly boat.
My stomach tumbles the second I’m basically standing on water. It might be a makeshift river, but still, I already feel a little sick.
I keep my eyes on Carter as he climbs aboard and sits down with him.
“Are you okay?”
“I get a little seasick.”
“And you didn’t want to mention that before now.” He glances at me, amusement in his eyes.
“I didn’t have much of a chance, did I?”
“I’ll keep you safe, doll.”
“I’m not worried about going over the edge. It’s probably only two foot of water beneath us. I’m concerned about puking my pancakes on your shoes.”
“It’ll be a smooth ride,” the gondolier says with a laugh.
“Great,” I mutter at having both of them laughing at me.
Carter’s strong arm wraps around my shoulders and he pulls me into his warm body. His scent fills my nose, and my body immediately relaxes. The heat of his lips almost burns the top of my head as he drops a chaste kiss there.
“Tell me if you feel too sick. We’ll get off.”
Suddenly, I don’t even realise we’re floating. I’m too lost in him, to his tenderness, his thoughtfulness.
“I’m good.” He stills when I snake my arm around his waist, but my need to connect with him is too strong in that moment. My fingers brush over his abs, and I swear he shudders. A smile of achievement spreads across my face, knowing that my touch affects him so much.
“There we go, lovebirds,” the gondolier says with a smile. It’s only when I look up that I find he’s brought us to a stop at the edge of the river where more people are waiting to get on.