The Things I Do for You
Page 21
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Raina giggled and even when Nick turned around and glared at her, she couldn’t stop. “I’m sorry.”
Elvis finally noticed her behind Nick and leered. “Hey, now. That’s no Raina Winters, but she’s a close second.” He looked back at Nick. “How’d you pull that one off?”
Raina buried her face against Nick’s shoulder to muffle her laughter. “Yeah, Nick. Do you want to tell him how you pulled it off?”
The edges of Nick’s lips twitched but he managed to keep a straight face. “I think we’ll save that for another time.”
He turned back to Elvis and picked up the pen that was on the counter. “Where do we sign?” He filled out everything on the form and scrawled his name at the bottom. When he was done, he handed the pen to Raina.
She filled out her name on the opposite side of the form next to Nick’s and then glanced up at him innocently. “Your middle name is Eugene?”
“If you tell anyone that I cannot be held responsible for the consequences.”
She just smiled and filled out the rest of the form. When she was done, she looked up to give the paperwork to the Elvis impersonator, only to realize they were alone.
“Where did he go?”
Nicholas grasped his head between his hands. “I swear, if he passed out somewhere…”
Raina followed the sound of music to the inner sanctum, if you could even call it that. It felt sacrilegious to even call this place a chapel. The interior was just as gaudy as the entryway with large plastic cupids hanging from the ceiling.
There was a table below the altar with a bouquet of flowers and a rhinestone tiara on it. As she approached the front of the room, a canned rendition of “Love Me Tender” started playing.
“Wow. Raina, we can go somewhere else. I know we’re sacrificing a lot by having a quickie wedding, but I think we can do better than this.”
“There is nowhere better! You won’t find a better chapel on the Strip than the Chapel O’ Love.”
Nick jumped when the blue-haired Elvis popped up from behind the podium at the altar. “Jesus! Has he been back there the whole time?”
Raina felt a bubble of completely inappropriate laughter rising in her belly. She clamped her lips together, trying to hold it in, but the whole situation was so ridiculous. She was standing in a chapel decorated with plastic babies about to be married to the only man with the power to break her heart.
By a drunk Elvis impersonator with a bad wig.
“It’s okay. We can stay here.” She finally lost the battle and dissolved into giggles. The longer she laughed the more confused Nick looked until he finally cracked a smile.
“I’m glad you can find the humor in all this. Because this is not what I imagined my wedding would be like.”
Raina wiped the tears from her cheeks and marched up to the podium. She picked up the plastic bouquet and jammed the rhinestone-encrusted tiara with the attached bridal veil on her head. It was strange, but the tackiness of this wedding was only going to help her stick to her determination to keep this union businesslike.
She wasn’t sure if she could stick to her guns and not fall in love if she had to take vows with Nick in a real church. But being married by a drunken Elvis while holding plastic flowers shouldn’t be too hard. She was doing this for one reason and one reason only. Because Nick’s old-fashioned sense of honor wouldn’t let him impregnate her unless they were married.
But once she was moody and eating everything in sight and had cankles, he’d realize she’d been right all along. He’d leave and she’d be ready. As long as she didn’t fall in love with him, she could let him go and focus on what she had left.
Her baby.
“Raina, are you sure about this? I meant what I said. We can find another chapel. One that’s not so cheesy.” Nick peered at her, seemingly not convinced by her enthusiastic embrace of the Chapel O’ Love.
“I’m ready,” she repeated. She was beyond ready to get this farce of a wedding over with so they could get down to why they were really here. So she could drag his sexy ass back to the hotel room and get him naked.
She held up the plastic roses. “Let’s do this.”
* * * * *
NICK KNEW HE’D always had it easy. Up until now, he’d made his way using a mixture of brains, charm and bravado. In business it had served him well. He’d achieved everything he’d ever dreamed of and more.
But for the first time in his adult life, he found himself wondering if he would be able to measure up. Because as much as he loved his career, nothing he’d accomplished there was anywhere near as important as convincing his new wife that she hadn’t made a mistake. He wanted her to realize their connection was deeper than just sex.
But it was hard to remember that when she was looking at him like she wanted to devour him whole.
“That was the longest wedding ceremony ever.” Raina kicked the door to the suite closed behind them and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.
Before he could respond, she pulled him down and her tongue was in his mouth. Nick groaned as her hands slid into his hair, grabbing and holding the strands tight. All thought fled as everything within him responded.
He pulled her into his arms and stumbled through the main living area until he reached the bedroom. She clung to him with her legs wrapped around his waist and her arms around his neck. She kissed his throat and he shuddered when she bit him on the throat.
Elvis finally noticed her behind Nick and leered. “Hey, now. That’s no Raina Winters, but she’s a close second.” He looked back at Nick. “How’d you pull that one off?”
Raina buried her face against Nick’s shoulder to muffle her laughter. “Yeah, Nick. Do you want to tell him how you pulled it off?”
The edges of Nick’s lips twitched but he managed to keep a straight face. “I think we’ll save that for another time.”
He turned back to Elvis and picked up the pen that was on the counter. “Where do we sign?” He filled out everything on the form and scrawled his name at the bottom. When he was done, he handed the pen to Raina.
She filled out her name on the opposite side of the form next to Nick’s and then glanced up at him innocently. “Your middle name is Eugene?”
“If you tell anyone that I cannot be held responsible for the consequences.”
She just smiled and filled out the rest of the form. When she was done, she looked up to give the paperwork to the Elvis impersonator, only to realize they were alone.
“Where did he go?”
Nicholas grasped his head between his hands. “I swear, if he passed out somewhere…”
Raina followed the sound of music to the inner sanctum, if you could even call it that. It felt sacrilegious to even call this place a chapel. The interior was just as gaudy as the entryway with large plastic cupids hanging from the ceiling.
There was a table below the altar with a bouquet of flowers and a rhinestone tiara on it. As she approached the front of the room, a canned rendition of “Love Me Tender” started playing.
“Wow. Raina, we can go somewhere else. I know we’re sacrificing a lot by having a quickie wedding, but I think we can do better than this.”
“There is nowhere better! You won’t find a better chapel on the Strip than the Chapel O’ Love.”
Nick jumped when the blue-haired Elvis popped up from behind the podium at the altar. “Jesus! Has he been back there the whole time?”
Raina felt a bubble of completely inappropriate laughter rising in her belly. She clamped her lips together, trying to hold it in, but the whole situation was so ridiculous. She was standing in a chapel decorated with plastic babies about to be married to the only man with the power to break her heart.
By a drunk Elvis impersonator with a bad wig.
“It’s okay. We can stay here.” She finally lost the battle and dissolved into giggles. The longer she laughed the more confused Nick looked until he finally cracked a smile.
“I’m glad you can find the humor in all this. Because this is not what I imagined my wedding would be like.”
Raina wiped the tears from her cheeks and marched up to the podium. She picked up the plastic bouquet and jammed the rhinestone-encrusted tiara with the attached bridal veil on her head. It was strange, but the tackiness of this wedding was only going to help her stick to her determination to keep this union businesslike.
She wasn’t sure if she could stick to her guns and not fall in love if she had to take vows with Nick in a real church. But being married by a drunken Elvis while holding plastic flowers shouldn’t be too hard. She was doing this for one reason and one reason only. Because Nick’s old-fashioned sense of honor wouldn’t let him impregnate her unless they were married.
But once she was moody and eating everything in sight and had cankles, he’d realize she’d been right all along. He’d leave and she’d be ready. As long as she didn’t fall in love with him, she could let him go and focus on what she had left.
Her baby.
“Raina, are you sure about this? I meant what I said. We can find another chapel. One that’s not so cheesy.” Nick peered at her, seemingly not convinced by her enthusiastic embrace of the Chapel O’ Love.
“I’m ready,” she repeated. She was beyond ready to get this farce of a wedding over with so they could get down to why they were really here. So she could drag his sexy ass back to the hotel room and get him naked.
She held up the plastic roses. “Let’s do this.”
* * * * *
NICK KNEW HE’D always had it easy. Up until now, he’d made his way using a mixture of brains, charm and bravado. In business it had served him well. He’d achieved everything he’d ever dreamed of and more.
But for the first time in his adult life, he found himself wondering if he would be able to measure up. Because as much as he loved his career, nothing he’d accomplished there was anywhere near as important as convincing his new wife that she hadn’t made a mistake. He wanted her to realize their connection was deeper than just sex.
But it was hard to remember that when she was looking at him like she wanted to devour him whole.
“That was the longest wedding ceremony ever.” Raina kicked the door to the suite closed behind them and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.
Before he could respond, she pulled him down and her tongue was in his mouth. Nick groaned as her hands slid into his hair, grabbing and holding the strands tight. All thought fled as everything within him responded.
He pulled her into his arms and stumbled through the main living area until he reached the bedroom. She clung to him with her legs wrapped around his waist and her arms around his neck. She kissed his throat and he shuddered when she bit him on the throat.
