Once Upon a Marriage (15 page)

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

H
E
'
D
 
BEEN
 
TO
 
Vegas before. But it had been a while. He'd forgotten the peculiar energy that buzzed up and down the Strip like a virus infecting everyone. Boundaries evaporated in Las Vegas. Partially because so did some laws. Many things that were illegal in other places were not only legal but openly accepted on the Las Vegas Strip.

The old saying about what happened in Vegas stayed in Vegas might not necessarily be true, but the perception that it was true clearly filled the veins of people who were probably straitlaced and responsible any other place on earth.

Not only did anything happen, but it happened twenty-four hours a day. Loudly. Boldly.

Las Vegas was one place where more people than he'd ever seen were capable of letting their hair down. It brought out the wildness in people—even those with only a tiny bit of wildness inside them. If it was there, Vegas would find it.

He had a wild side. Or he had had. It had been a long time since he checked in with it. Maybe he'd grown out of it. The point was, it didn't matter if it was there or not. It wasn't his to set free that weekend.

He had a job to do, and he was going to do it.

He accompanied the wedding party to the private brunch in the bridal suite, intending to stand back, to be the observer he was being paid to be—not a participant.

But when Liam insisted he come forward, and Barbara watched him without looking as though she was anything more than curious about him, he knew he was going to lose the battle.

Truth was, he'd been about to lose it anyway. He'd seen the chairs set around the square glass table in front of a wall of windows looking out over the mountains behind the strip. Eight chairs. The bride and groom sat together. Bruce's brother and his wife pulled out chairs that were side by side. Which left four chairs and Gabrielle, Liam and Marie.

Elliott couldn't let her sit alone. Even a guy who was just a friend wouldn't do that to her. Not on this day.

And the suite they were in was private. It wasn't as if he had to be on guard duty.

Seven people talked. About the wedding. The honeymoon. The food. Las Vegas. Their plans for the afternoon.

Elliott sat next to Marie. He ate. And when she smiled at him, he smiled back.

When she leaned over and asked him in a whisper if he liked his food, he nodded.

And when the meal was complete and everyone was having coffee, he leaned back, stretched his long body and was careful not to touch her as his hands fell to his lap.

Her rose scent had been filtering over to him the entire meal. And that dress...

He remembered the kiss Marie had given him back in Denver the day before they left.

Neither of them had so much as acknowledged it. But he was never going to forget the stupendous effect that chaste little peck had had on him.

As he sat there with her family, knowing that he was never going to have a real relationship with Marie, he thought about kissing her again. Really kissing her. For a moment he allowed himself to imagine that he and Marie were every bit as much a couple as everyone else sitting at that small private party.

And hoped to God that this time what happened in Vegas, even if only his mind, really stayed in Vegas.

* * *

M
ARIE
 
HAD
 
NEVER
 
been to Las Vegas. By early afternoon on Saturday, she decided she loved the place. There was so much energy, so much to see and do. So much beauty.

There was filth, too, but she chose not to look at it. Not that day.

The luxurious resort in which they were staying was opulent. Beauty unimaginable and over-the-top, from life-size real floral art pieces that moved, mosaic art on ceilings and floors, live entertainment even that early in the day. Pretty clothes. Pretty shops. Pretty faces.

Her mother was married. She was laughing out loud. Something Marie hadn't even realized had been missing from their lives until she was pleasantly shocked by the sound.

Gabi and Liam were holding hands. Her new step-uncle, Michael, had just whispered something to Aunt Erin. And Elliott had sat next to her at brunch.

The party had broken up shortly after that as everyone went to change into jeans and sweaters for a day of adventure—except Elliott, of course, who stood out in his daily blacks. When she'd seen the length of the Strip, Marie was glad she and Gabi had packed tennis shoes.

She'd been alone in her hotel room while everyone changed.

But from the minute the party regrouped, Elliott had been by her side, staying by her side, as they made their way through the huge resort and out to the limo that was waiting to take them to the small airport that housed several helicopter pads. She was about to take a helicopter ride above the Hoover Dam, compliments of her new stepfather.

Elliott leaned in to ask her, “You scared?” He'd moved closer as the crowd grew thicker.

“Not in the least.”

She couldn't wait.

For whatever Las Vegas might bring her that day.

* * *

A
S
 
SOON
 
AS
 
Marie saw that the helicopter seats were in rows of two, the little dance going on inside her sped up. She and Elliott were going to be sitting together. As they had in the limo. She couldn't think of anything she wanted more in that moment than to experience her first helicopter ride, her first look at mountains and canyons she'd never seen before, with him.

“It looks like it's you and me again,” he said as he buckled himself into the seat beside her in the back of the helicopter. Liam and Gabi were directly in front of them, with Michael and Erin directly behind the pilot. The bride and groom had their own helicopter.

“I don't mind if you don't.” She was happy and didn't bother to hide that fact. They were in Vegas.

“Are you kidding?” He leaned over to speak so that only she could hear. “Of this whole group, you're the easiest one to be with.”

Not the least bit romantic, but her heart soared anyway. She was grinning from ear to ear. As though she'd just received an avowal of everlasting love from the man of her dreams.

She was over-the-top. And didn't care. She was in Vegas.

And Elliott wasn't just another guy. He'd been different since the day she met him. Almost like what her mother had described feeling the first day she'd seen Bruce as a man rather than a therapist.

The pilot came on. Asked them all if they were comfortable. Checked their seat belts. Went over safety measures. Gave them a rundown of what they were in for. And told them it would be another couple of minutes before they were ready to take off.

Gabi turned around to ask, “You ready for this?”

“Yep!” Marie smiled at her. Gabi looked at Elliott and smiled back.

“Anyone want to go skydiving next?” Liam asked.

At which time Gabi elbowed him in the ribs. Whispered something to him. And he laughed. Marie had always loved Liam's laugh. It was full-bodied. Boisterous. Free.

But she didn't love it nearly as much as Gabi did. Liam and Gabi together...it made sense. Gabi had always been the one whom Liam had listened to most. When the girls had disagreed on ways he should handle things, he'd followed Gabi's advice most often.

Her friends were happy. Which only added to Marie's buoyancy.

The pilot was back. Rumbles filled the air. Marie felt ready to take off without an engine. Her hands clenched into fists on her thighs. She was ready for anything life had to offer.

And scared, too.

Nothing was as it had been.

Elliott moved. His shoulder touched hers, and she wanted to lean into him. And not just for the moment.

She, Marie Bustamante, who hadn't allowed herself to lean on a man since the first time her father walked out on them, wanted to lay her head on that shoulder.

She stared down. Bracing for takeoff. Knowing that helicopters weren't the safest vehicles.

Elliott's hand came into view. So much larger than hers. Strong and capable. It covered her fist, his fingers unfolding hers. And then intertwining with them. He was holding her hand. Elliott Tanner and she were holding hands.

Like a couple.

She was flying.

And they hadn't even left the ground.

* * *

T
HE
 
FLIGHT
 
WAS
 
MAGNIFICENT
. They had to yell to be heard, so no one said much. Marie saw such indescribable natural beauty that after a while she couldn't take it all in. Even the pristine blue of the sky became too much.

So she concentrated on Elliott instead. On the way he leaned over to see out. The expressions that crossed his face. Thoughtful. Assessing at every turn. And a weird kind of peaceful, too. His face softened in a way she'd never seen before.

Natural wonder? Because he wasn't working? Or because of her?

He didn't let go of her hand.

She didn't let go of his, either.

And she knew that holding hands with him wasn't going to be enough.

Not by a long shot.

* * *

T
HE
 
TWO
 
OLDER
 
couples went their own ways after the helicopter ride. Michael and Erin had a flight that evening back to California. And Bruce and Barbara were spending the night in their suite before leaving in the morning for Florida where they were going to board their cruise. The flight back to Denver left a couple of hours before theirs so they said their goodbyes as soon as they all arrived back at the hotel.

Liam suggested that the four of them, he and Gabrielle, Marie and Elliott, hit the Strip. Elliott had the thought that he should call off on an evening of partying with Marie. But knew by the look on Liam's face that he'd be playing a losing hand if he tried to get the other man to stay in. Or to agree to go out without his bodyguard present.

Employer number one had just warned him off, and yet the second he'd seen the fear on Marie's face when they were ready to take off in the helicopter, he'd reached for her hand. Because he'd known she'd enjoy the ride if he did.

He'd be lying if he tried to convince himself he hadn't enjoyed it, too. It was becoming more and more obvious that Marie thought of him as more than a friend. He could no longer deny that he was falling for her.

But he'd given his word. Would lose everything, including her, if he pursued the relationship they both seemed to want and the truth ever came out.

Which it would. Somehow. Eventually. It almost always did.

As he was trying to come up with a good reason to leave the threesome to enjoy the rest of their day, Liam, employer number two, insisted that he wanted his bodyguard along with him as he perused the wonders that Las Vegas had to offer. Just as Elliott had known he would.

They were all three looking at him, and he knew it would draw more attention if he suddenly decided Liam was in no possible danger at all.

In spite of what his instincts were telling him in terms of staying away from Marie, he had to do as he was told.

* * *

T
HEY
 
GAMBLED
 
A
 
little bit. Penny slots only. They ate. They had one beer apiece because in the casinos they were free, and they were in Vegas. What happened in Vegas stayed in Vegas.

Or so they kept telling each other as they walked from resort to resort with thousands of other people. On every corner men and women flicked cards at passersby. From what Marie could see, the cards depicted women posing with little or no clothing. Neither Liam nor Elliott seemed to notice. Gabi shook her head. Marie grinned and hooked her arm with Elliott's.

They were in Vegas.

* * *

B
Y
 
TEN
 
O
'
CLOCK
 
that night, Marie didn't feel like anyone she'd ever known. Her skin was alive. Buzzing. She wasn't the least bit tired. And couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next. The city never slept. That meant the day never had to end.

Tomorrow would come. She would enter it when it did.

Gabi, of all people, suggested they go to the salsa nightclub they'd seen advertised in their resort. It had live entertainment. A dance floor. The three of them had learned some salsa in college. They weren't dressed for a nightclub.

And Liam had them on their way before either Marie or Elliott had had a chance to disagree.

He also had Elliott on the dance floor soon after they got there, though it was obvious that Elliott had had no intention of dancing. Period. But when Liam wanted to dance with Gabi, and Gabi said no because Marie was the one who loved to dance and she couldn't do salsa the way she liked to without a partner, Elliott had given in to the demands Liam had made of him.

Marie wanted to feel badly for him, but she wasn't sorry. Most particularly not when she was on the dance floor with Elliott. As big as he was, she hadn't expected the natural rhythm with which he'd moved.

“You've done this before,” she said as they stood, face-to-face, for a brief moment. He swung her out. Pulled her back into him.

“When I started getting so tall...”

With his hand holding hers, she twirled. And rested against him for a beat. “My aunt suggested that I take a dance class to offset the awkwardness.”

Marie missed a step.

And fell head over heels in love.

* * *

A
T
 
MIDNIGHT
, 
WHEN
the band took a break, Liam suggested that the four of them head back to the casino to see how the tables were doing.