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"Thank you," they chorused. Sharing a laugh, Desmond wrapped his arm around Rebecca, and she nestled close against his side. Her thoughts curled just as closely against his, in a tumult of anticipation, proving how deeply she trusted him by lowering her mental barriers. He snatched the packet off the desk and hurried her toward the elevator. He wanted to drop his own shields and melt into her. But they needed to reach the room to merge together properly.
He stopped, halfway across the casino, chilled by his near lapse of judgment. Surrounded by blinking, beeping, clanging distractions, he couldn't see the walls, let alone look for the sundries shop he knew must be somewhere in this lobby.
"Hon? Is something wrong?" Rebecca asked, leaning close to be heard over the din.
"No. I'm just looking for the gift shop." He started walking toward the elevators again. Once they got out of the casino, they could skirt the edges until they found it.
"The gift shop?"
"Mm-hmm." They exited the casino, into a quieter area of shops and restaurants, and he pulled her aside. "Gillian's more than enough to handle. I don't really want another child right now. Do you?"
Rebecca's blush scalded her cheeks, paling to an adorable soft pink by her ears. "I, uh, hadn't thought about it. But, yeah. You're right. We should, um, do something about that."
"Why, Rebecca," he teased. "I never would have thought someone with your voracious sexual appetite would be a prude."
"I'm not! I'm just— " Realizing he was teasing her, she frowned and tugged him toward the elevators. "We can stop at any late night drug store for that. We need to get our luggage, then go out and buy the rings before the jewelry stores close."
He sighed melodramatically, but followed readily. "Dear heart, sometimes you can be too practical for your own good."
THEY ARRIVED at their room before the bellman. Opening the door, Desmond's gaze was immediately drawn to the huge king size bed dominating the room. Bright neon colors played across the spread, shining through the window from the displays on the Strip. Rebecca strolled over to the window and stared out.
"Oh, look. It's like a giant riverboat paddling down the street. Come see."
He joined her at the window, but his attention was on the draperies. The sheer gauze privacy curtain wouldn't shield any sunlight to speak of. The thicker, primary curtain might block most of it. But it was alarmingly thin compared to the reassuring blackness of his tinted windows back home.
"Will the neon light come in, even with the drapes drawn, do you suppose?" he asked her. Without waiting for a reply, he pulled the privacy curtain closed on his side of the window, then fumbled for the cords to draw the drapes.
She pulled her side of the sheer curtain closed, and stepped out of the way of the drapes. "Not much on scenery, are you?"
"I'm sorry." He opened the drapes again, and parted the curtains. "What was it you wanted to show me?"
"There. The big boat."
A knock on the door saved him from having to answer.
"That must be the bellman. I'll get it."
The man unloaded their bags, and Desmond hastened him out with a generous tip. They could settle in later. They needed to get to the jewelry store before it closed.
Desmond and Rebecca took the elevator back down to the lobby. Turning in the other direction, they walked th
rough a different casino to reach the Forum Shops. They stepped through the archway separating the two areas, and it was like stepping into another world.
The marble paving stones beneath their feet lasted only as long as the gold-plated, marble-fronted slot machines. Then the ceiling lifted, painted midnight black and shining with tiny Christmas-light stars. The storefronts became two or even three stories tall, with elaborate frescoes and statues on their roofs, and the floor changed to a cobblestone street with raised stone sidewalks. They came out on the village square, in the center of which sat an elaborate fountain depicting plunging horses, cavorting sea creatures, and a selection of Roman gods.
Desmond stepped closer, amazed at the detail and lifelike nature of the statues. They must have paid a fortune to get such skilled sculptors. Not to mention the sheer cost of all this marble. He ran his hand over the hoof of one of the horses.
"It's Plexiglas."
"Of course it is," Rebecca answered over her shoulder, heading around the fountain for the jewelry store. "What did you expect? This is Las Vegas. Everything's an illusion."
"I should have expected it. But I've never been inside Caesar's before. With all the marble on the floor and walls, it was an honest mistake."
She chuckled. "Uh-huh. And I've got a bridge I can sell you...."
He caught up with her, and they entered the jewelry store together. The only customers in the store, they had the salesman's full attention.
"We'd like to buy a set of wedding rings, please," Rebecca told him.
