Gideon woke with the soft, round curves of Kay’s body pressed close to his side, one of her legs lying across his, her breath warm on his neck, her hair like silk against his shoulder. He lay there, unmoving, basking in her nearness. Until Kay entered his life, he had never fallen asleep with a woman in his bed, nor wakened to find one beside him. It was a rare pleasure, and a sign of his complete trust in her that he allowed her to know where he took his rest.
Tonight, she would be his bride. The thought made him smile. He had never expected to marry anyone, let alone a werewolf. He chuckled softly. A strange union, that, vampire wed to werewolf, monster to monster.
“What’s so funny?” she asked, nudging him in the side.
“We are.”
Kay raised up on her elbow and stared down at him. “Why do you say that?” she asked, looking offended.
“You don’t find it amusing, a marriage between a vampire and a werewolf?”
“No. I find it … strangely romantic.”
“Strange is the word, all right.”
“Well, I’m sorry you feel that way.” Scooting to the far side of the bed, she sat up, her arms folded over her br**sts. “Maybe you’d like to call the wedding off.”
“Hey, Wolfie, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. But, come on, have you ever heard of a vampire and a werewolf getting hitched? It’s like a cat marrying a mouse, or a lion falling in love with a lamb.”
“Well, when you put it that way, I guess it is unusual.”
In a blur of movement, he was beside her, his arm stealing around her waist, drawing her back down on the mattress beside him. “You don’t want to fight on our wedding night, do you?”
His hand slid under the slip she had worn to bed, caressing her thigh, sliding up and down in long, sensual strokes that made her toes curl and her stomach clench with pleasure.
“Kiya?”
“No.” She gasped as his hand moved to her belly. “I don’t want to fight. But I still need something to wear.”
“Women,” he muttered good-naturedly. “All they think about are clothes.”
“And chocolate,” she said. “And right now, I need both.”
“Here.” Quitting the bed, Gideon pulled a pair of sweats and a T-shirt from his closet and tossed them to her.
Kay looked at him, one brow raised. “This is getting to be a habit,” she muttered darkly.
He shrugged one shoulder. “Well, you could go out as you are. You look mighty fetching in that slip. Of course, people are likely to stare.”
With an incredulous shake of her head, Kay turned her back to him, yanked the slip over her head, and pulled on the sweatpants and T-shirt. Both were miles too big. Sometime in the near future, she was going to buy a few outfits and leave changes of clothes in each of his lairs.
“I just hope you don’t expect me to wear your shoes,” she muttered irritably.
“Don’t worry, Wolfie,” he said, stifling a grin. “Your feet won’t touch the ground.”
He was as good as his word. Sweeping her into his arms, he transported them to the sidewalk in front of Bloomingdale’s.
Kay didn’t know whether to blush or laugh when he carried her up to the third floor. One of the salesclerks—ever polite no matter the circumstances—came forward. She tsked softly as she noted Kay’s outfit. “My dear, I can see that you need help immediately.”
“You have no idea,” Kay said, squirming in Gideon’s arms. “Gideon, put me down.”
He lowered her to her feet—her bare feet—and bowed from the waist. “I’m going downstairs. I’ll meet you back up here in, what? An hour?”
“At least,” the saleswoman said emphatically.
Gideon had been waiting about ten minutes past the agreed upon hour when Kay finally emerged from the dressing room wearing a clingy pink sweater and a pair of slinky black pants. Sometime during her shopping spree, she had bought a pair of shoes. He paid the bill, then picked up two large brown bags. “Ready?”
A smile twitched the corners of her mouth. “Aren’t you going to carry me home?”
Gideon glanced at the numerous shoppers milling around, several of whom were glancing surreptitiously in their direction. “Not right now.”
Their next stop was the wedding salon on the eighth floor of Macy’s, where Kay bought the first gown she tried on. White heels and a shoulder-length veil came next and she was ready to go in less than twenty minutes.
Gideon shook his head as they left the store. “It took you over an hour to pick out some jeans and sweaters, and less than thirty minutes to buy a wedding dress?”
“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.