Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 98321 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 492(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98321 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 492(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
Alone again, I realized right away I should have taken him up on his offer. There was no way I could reach the zipper on the back of my dress. I tried for several minutes before giving up. Sighing, I opened the door and went out into the room to find him pouring champagne.
“Hey,” I said. “I do need help.”
He set the bottle down and came over to me. “Turn around.”
I presented my back to him, and he slowly pulled the zipper down to my waist. Expecting him to make a joke or put his hands on me, I was surprised when he didn’t. “Thank you.”
“No problem.” He went back to pouring champagne, and I returned to the bathroom.
See? He’s not really interested. He didn’t even touch you.
I tried not to feel disappointed about it.
Behind the closed door again, I slipped out of my dress and hung it with the robes. After trading my white lacy panties for more comfortable pink cotton boy shorts, I tugged on my navy plaid flannel pajamas, took out my contacts, put my hair up in a scrunchie, and scrubbed off my wedding makeup.
When my face was clean, I put my glasses on and studied my reflection in the mirror. I was still wearing the diamond earrings he’d given me. I touched them both, my belly fluttering. It meant something to me that he’d given me a family heirloom. Then I looked down at my ring, which still said Love Always, Ricky inside it. It made me smile. Enzo had asked me if I wanted the engraving removed, but I’d said not to bother. It suited us.
And it served as a good reminder.
I left the bathroom, pulling my suitcase behind me, and hung up my dress in the closet. Then I went over to the bed, where Enzo was leaning back against the MR. pillow, legs stretched out in front of him, bare feet crossed at the ankle. In his hand was a glass of champagne and next to him was the box of chocolates.
“Hey,” I said, climbing onto the MRS. side of the bed and sitting cross-legged.
“Hey.” He reached toward his nightstand for a second glass of champagne and handed it to me. “For you, Mrs. Moretti.”
“Thank you, Mr. Moretti.” I laughed and we clinked glasses. “To the successful completion of phase one.”
“Salut.”
We both drank, and then it was quiet in the room. I studied the chocolates and picked one out, taking a bite. “This probably isn’t what you pictured on your wedding night, huh?”
Enzo chose one and ate it too. “Honestly, I don’t think I ever pictured my wedding night at all.”
“Seriously?”
He shrugged. “I take it you did?”
“All the time. Since I was a little girl.”
“Are you implying it didn’t look like this?” He spread his arms.
I laughed, shaking my head, and picking out another chocolate. “No. It did not.”
“So what did it look like? Wait, let me guess.” He took a sip of champagne and then continued. “A tall, strapping, dark-haired vampire carried you to his lair and penetrated you hard and deep with his steely fangs.”
He was spot on—at least where my teenage dreams were concerned. But I pretended to be offended. “No, that’s not what I pictured, you jerk.”
He smiled. “So tell me.”
“When I was little, he was Prince Eric from The Little Mermaid. As a grownup, I thought I’d marry my ex-boyfriend,” I said, carefully skipping over the vampire years.
“Oh, right. What was his name again? Taint?”
“Tate.”
“Whatever. And what was it that Taint was going to do to make the night memorable for you?”
I sighed, sipping my champagne. “You know what? I can’t even name anything specific. It was just going to be the most magical night of my life.”
“Magical? Well, fuck. You were doomed to be disappointed, babe. There’s no such thing as a magical dick.”
I rolled my eyes. “It wasn’t his dick that was going to feel magical. It was the night itself. It was the things he’d say. It was the mood.”
“Are you implying,” he said with mock offense, “that the honeymoon suite at the Bellamy Creek Inn lacks mood? We’ve got champagne. We’ve got chocolates. We’ve got swans in the bathroom and pillows that say MR. and MRS. What could possibly be more romantic than that?”
Laughing, I lifted my shoulders. “I don’t know.”
“See, I happen to think this is perfect. I never pictured anything, so I’m not disappointed.” He thought for a second. “Except for the no-sex rule. That’s definitely a bit of a letdown.”
“Well, I imagined sex too. And even if my groom didn’t have a magical dick, he would at least know how to use it.”
“Oh yeah?” Enzo looked amused. “Tell me all about it.”
“No, you’ll laugh.”
“I swear, I will not laugh.” He went to get the champagne bottle, pouring me some more before topping off his own glass. “I want to hear your innermost fantasies.”