Christy found herself nodding along with Alice. Her hand tingled, and though she knew it was all for show, she couldn’t keep her lips from curving in a silly grin.
Alice sighed heavily. “It’s incredibly romantic.”
“Would you like to join us?” David asked “Christy and I—”
“Thank you for the kind invitation, Mr. Warner. But this is your honeymoon,” Alice said, with a hint of regret in her gaze. “You certainly don’t need to be spending it gabbing with an old woman.”
David started to protest, but the woman shook her head, her expression wistful. “Love is such a special gift. I hope you both realize how lucky you are.”
Lucky?
Christy slanted a sideways glance at David. Right now she’d give anything to be so lucky. Not the seven-come-eleven kind of lucky. Or the megawinner-slot machine kind of lucky. All she wanted was to be a woman lucky enough to be in love with the man she married. And even more important, lucky enough to be loved back.
Chapter Three
Christy took one last look in the mirror. Her blond hair fell in loose curls to her shoulders and she’d taken extra care with her makeup. Though she looked perfectly presentable in her black linen sheath, she couldn’t help but worry.
What would David’s family think when they heard the news? After all, anyone with an ounce of sense had to wonder what kind of woman would marry a man she hadn’t seen in ten years.
Desperate was the word that came to her mind. But in Christy’s case that didn’t apply. Though her publicist had told her she’d go further in her career if she were married, she’d known what she wanted in a husband and she’d been determined to wait for the right man—forever if necessary.
An image of David’s handsome face flashed before her, and though Christy had to concede a man couldn’t get much better looking than David Warner, looks had never been at the top of her list.
Still, he had looked oh-so-handsome when she’d first set eyes on him in the lobby. And he’d looked even better when he’d taken off his jacket and tie. And when he’d…
Christy reined in her thoughts and reminded herself there was a lot more to a successful marriage than physical attraction. Unfortunately, at this time, she and David had little else to go on.
She dabbed on a little lip gloss, snapped her purse shut and glanced around the room. The bellhop should be here any time to transfer her bags to David’s room. Their life together was about to begin and never had she felt so unprepared.
Several brisk raps against the door pulled her from her reverie.
“Christy? Are you ready?”
She wiped her suddenly damp palms on her dress. “Coming.”
On her way to the door Christy pushed in a half-open drawer and shut off the bathroom light, finding comfort in familiar actions. Unlatching the chain, she slowly opened the door and stepped into the hall.
“Wow.” David stepped back. Though he was ten minutes late, he didn’t hurry. His gaze lingered and a look of approval filled his eyes. “You are so incredibly beautiful.”
Christy couldn’t stem the pleasure that flowed through her at his words. “You’re looking pretty good yourself.”
Good was an understatement. David’s charcoal pants and light-gray shirt and tie were stylishly elegant and he wore them with an easy self-assurance that was infinitely appealing. And it didn’t hurt that he smelled as good as he looked. Christy breathed in the scent that had permeated her dreams, and her heart picked up speed. Her gaze rose to meet his.
His eyes darkened. “You are so lovely.”
“I think you said that before,” she protested halfheartedly, knowing he could say it a hundred times and it wouldn’t be too much.
A slight smile lifted his lips and David raised one hand, lightly touching her cheek.
Her skin prickled and turned to gooseflesh.
David moved closer, and Christy closed her eyes. Every fiber of her body anticipated his kiss.
He lowered his lips.
She held her breath.
A door slammed down the hall and the sound of laughter filled the corridor.
Christy took a step back, her heart pounding in her chest.
David exhaled a harsh breath, and when she met his gaze Christy knew the disappointment in his eyes mirrored her own. “We’d better get going.”
“I guess so,” Christy said reluctantly.
The boisterous group from down the hall joined them on the elevator ride to the main floor. It wasn’t until she and David had gotten off and were halfway across the casino floor that Christy realized she had no idea what David planned to say to his family.
She grabbed his arm and pulled him to a stop. “I’m not sure this is the right thing to do.”
“You said you wanted to play this out.” His gaze narrowed. “Have you changed your mind?”
“No, not at all.” Christy shifted her gaze to the flashing lights of a nearby slot machine and took a deep breath. David had completely misunderstood her. She wanted to see his family again, she really did. But why did it have to be tonight? She and David had barely had a chance to talk, much less get their stories straight. “I’m just nervous about going into this meeting so unprepared.”
“It’s a dinner, not a meeting.” His fingers tipped her chin to meet his gaze. “And I’m nervous, too. But remember what we decided? We’re taking it a step at a time. Tonight is the first step.”
It had made sense when they’d talked about it. But Christy had always been a planner. The concept of taking something day by day was as foreign to her as taking a vacation on the spur of the moment. Unfortunately she didn’t have much choice in this situation.
“You’re right.” Christy smiled with more confidence than she felt. “I don’t know why I’m so stressed. After all, I’ve met your grandfather and cousin before.”
“And you know Lauren,” David said, as if that should make her feel better and not worse.
Lauren. The woman he’d dated off and on for years. The woman he’d intended to propose to in Las Vegas. The woman who in high school had been Christy’s best friend.
Christy cleared her throat. “I didn’t think Lauren would be joining us.”
“Why wouldn’t she?” David’s surprise showed in his voice. “She’ll find out sometime, and I’d rather her hear it from me.”
Though David had continued to insist that there had been no real talk of commitment between him and Lauren, Christy had her doubts. The fact that Lauren had been invited to come to Las Vegas to help celebrate his grandfather’s eightieth birthday seemed to indicate otherwise. “I wouldn’t want her to feel uncomfortable.”
“You let me worry about that,” David said, taking her arm. “We’d better get going. I don’t want to keep them waiting.”
Christy glanced at her watch and picked up the pace. David was right. If they didn’t hurry, they were going to be late. And she certainly didn’t want the evening to start off on a sour note.
They got a taxi right away, but the traffic moved at a snail’s pace along the strip. By the time they reached their destination—a French café inside the Paris Hotel complex—the hostess told them that their party had already been seated. David’s hand rested lightly against Christy’s back as they wove their way through the linen-clad tables toward the back of the restaurant.