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She giggled at the thought, and when he drew back to see what was so funny, she only laughed all the harder, unable to quit. Waves of giddy laughter gripped her and she was practically doubled over guffawing when they entered his suite. Her laughter died when she saw the room. Not only the lavishly appointed accommodations, the vast wall of glass looking out over the Vegas Strip. What she saw was the cake. The rose petals. The gift box tied with a pink ribbon.
“Wait!” he said. “We have to redo that. It was all wrong!”
“Redo what?”
“I have to carry my bride over the threshold. It’s tradition.”
“But I want cake.”
“Cake will have to wait. You said I wasn’t romantic with the proposal, so I have to correct things.”
She squealed as he swiftly picked her up.
“You’ve had a lot of Jack. You couldn’t drink liquor any quicker. Hey, that rhymes. You’re not going to drop me, are you?”
“I bench more than you weigh.”
She grinned widely.
“We’re drunk and married,” she shouted.
“And now it’s time for the honeymoon!” he roared.
“It was quicker and easier to get married than to get my driver’s license.”
“I know. And no test!”
“My adrenaline’s pumping! This was like jumping off a cliff.”
“Into a raging river.”
She glanced down at her glittering ring. “I love being a newlywed!”
He kissed her. “Me too.”
Laughing and happy as can be, they excitedly walked inside. As he set her down on her feet, she glanced around.
There on a low table, between tall white tapers, stood a small tiered cake, like a miniature of a traditional wedding cake, but she could scent its flavor across the room. This was no pallid vanilla with slick fondant. This was a decadent creation of chocolate and coffee and, if she had to guess, rich, thick buttercream. A long cake knife lay beside it, tied with a ribbon. She lifted it and sliced into the cake.
Remembering, she snapped a picture with her phone, then proceeded. She lifted out a sliver of cake and laid it on a crystal plate nearby. With a silver dessert fork, she cut a small bite of dense chocolate sponge layered with a sinful mocha buttercream. It melted in its rich intensity on her tongue. She moaned.
“Oh my gosh, you have to taste this. It is unreal!”
“I’m glad you like it. Enjoy.”
She dipped her finger in the frosting. He grabbed her hand and seductively sucked her finger.
“It’s delicious,” he said.
“You look so happy,” Marj said. “I’m never going to forget this look on your face.”
Pulling her close, he kissed her softly on the lips. “It’s going to take me the rest of my life to pay you back.”
“Nonsense. Just a year like we agreed.”
He smiled as she grinned.
Chapter 8
Brandon kicked off his shoes, rounded the table, and sat down on the couch, watching her. She perched on the arm of the couch and gobbled down her slice of heavenly cake. It was so redolent with the coffee infusion, the depth of the chocolate, that she was nearly overwhelmed by its deliciousness. And he had ordered this, had asked her favorite flavor and specified to someone with a few taps of his phone to make her perfect cake.
“Thank you. For trying to make this special for me. I get that the ring and the pictures are for show but this—this was just for me. No one else will even see it.”
“You took a picture. Everyone on social media will see it tomorrow.”
“But you didn’t. You didn’t even care that no one was going to see you made this gesture. You didn’t do it for attention. That’s what I don’t get. You’re being so nice to me.”
“Why wouldn’t I be nice to you? Apart from the fact that you just did me a billion dollar favor, you haven’t given me any reason to doubt you or be unkind to you.”
“I’m bound to. I’m moody, and I have a big mouth. You’ll have reason enough to dislike me pretty soon.”
“As long as you keep the big mouth under control in the press, we’re fine. I’m not known for my tact and discretion either. I’m known, in fact, for being rich and carrying on my father’s legacy which is dubious at best.”
“Really?”
“Good at business, crappy at relationships? Yeah, I’d call that dubious. This is my chance to turn things around...or, at least, to appear to turn things around. I want to make a real effort here. Consider it my training wheels to a future good relationship. You can teach me what I need to know to sustain a relationship. Be honest about what pisses you off and all that.”
