argue with him, but he placed a finger over her lips. “Later, Red. Besides, dinner is getting cold.”
Taking her hand, he led her through the living room and entered his bedroom. He spoke before Charlotte could even say anything. “I’m not trying to be presumptuous. To get to our dinner location, we have to go through the bedroom.”
“I believe you.”
With a flourish he opened the balcony door. The sight that greeted them was more than what he’d expected. The staff had gone all out to make the dinner as romantic as possible.
“Wow, Gage, this is beautiful, and look at the Strip. It’s so vibrant.”
The table sat in the middle of the balcony, a white tablecloth covering it. In the center sat a small flower arrangement with a large pillar candle burning brightly. The silverware gleamed in the fading light of the setting sun.
He walked over to a seat and pulled it out. “Are you ready to eat?”
The fabric from her dress whispered seductively as she walked past him and sat. His body throbbed in anticipation of perhaps getting lucky enough to see what she had on beneath her gorgeous bridal dress. A foolish notion. There was no way he was going to get lucky for the next twelve months—unless he could get her to change her mind about the no sleeping together clause.
He sat opposite her and reached for the bottle of champagne to pour some into the flutes sitting on the table. Once he placed the bottle back in the bucket, he picked up his glass and held it high.
“You look beautiful, Charlotte, and your wedding dress is stunning. I’m a very lucky man. Here’s to the beautiful woman I now get to call my wife.”
He waited for Charlotte to raise her glass. She didn’t. He lowered his glass. “Come on, Charlotte. I’m trying to make the best of the situation. Would you rather I raise a toast to hoping we don’t kill each other in the next twelve months? It would be just as true.”
“I don’t know. What is going on between us, Gage?”
He blew out a breath. “The terms of our agreement haven’t changed. We’re married. The next step is getting you a green card.”
“I understand all of that. But that toast … it seemed … well, too personal. It was a toast a man in love with his wife would say, not business partners.”
“Well, we’re not truly just business partners, are we? Charlotte, no matter what happens over the next twelve months between us, there are going to be situations where we’re going to have to look like we love each other. Business dinners with prospective clients of mine. In front of my family. In front of your family. Do you want everyone to think we made a rash decision and that we can’t stand each other?”
“Isn’t that what we did? Didn’t we just make a rash decision?”
Gage took a swallow of his champagne. He’d made plenty of rash decisions in the past. Decisions that had cost him his college education and football career. He didn’t think this was one of them. He knew at the end of the day he was getting the land. He’d made plans on what he was going to do with that property. He’d wanted to do it while Dad was alive so he could see that his youngest son wasn’t a loser. Now Dad was dead and his chance to prove his worth to him was gone. But it wasn’t gone from proving to his brothers he wasn’t just a punk kid who threw away a great opportunity when it presented itself.
“No, we didn’t. We made a decision that would benefit the both of us. How about we toast to this instead?” He raised his champagne glass again. “To the both of us getting what we want.”
He relaxed when Charlotte raised her glass and tapped it against his.
“Let’s eat.” Gage pushed back from the table and went over to the warming cart in the corner. Using a folded tea towel, he set a plate down in front of Charlotte before going back and getting his own.
As he cut into his steak, he remembered his first glimpse of Charlotte as she stood in the doorway of the
Taking her hand, he led her through the living room and entered his bedroom. He spoke before Charlotte could even say anything. “I’m not trying to be presumptuous. To get to our dinner location, we have to go through the bedroom.”
“I believe you.”
With a flourish he opened the balcony door. The sight that greeted them was more than what he’d expected. The staff had gone all out to make the dinner as romantic as possible.
“Wow, Gage, this is beautiful, and look at the Strip. It’s so vibrant.”
The table sat in the middle of the balcony, a white tablecloth covering it. In the center sat a small flower arrangement with a large pillar candle burning brightly. The silverware gleamed in the fading light of the setting sun.
He walked over to a seat and pulled it out. “Are you ready to eat?”
The fabric from her dress whispered seductively as she walked past him and sat. His body throbbed in anticipation of perhaps getting lucky enough to see what she had on beneath her gorgeous bridal dress. A foolish notion. There was no way he was going to get lucky for the next twelve months—unless he could get her to change her mind about the no sleeping together clause.
He sat opposite her and reached for the bottle of champagne to pour some into the flutes sitting on the table. Once he placed the bottle back in the bucket, he picked up his glass and held it high.
“You look beautiful, Charlotte, and your wedding dress is stunning. I’m a very lucky man. Here’s to the beautiful woman I now get to call my wife.”
He waited for Charlotte to raise her glass. She didn’t. He lowered his glass. “Come on, Charlotte. I’m trying to make the best of the situation. Would you rather I raise a toast to hoping we don’t kill each other in the next twelve months? It would be just as true.”
“I don’t know. What is going on between us, Gage?”
He blew out a breath. “The terms of our agreement haven’t changed. We’re married. The next step is getting you a green card.”
“I understand all of that. But that toast … it seemed … well, too personal. It was a toast a man in love with his wife would say, not business partners.”
“Well, we’re not truly just business partners, are we? Charlotte, no matter what happens over the next twelve months between us, there are going to be situations where we’re going to have to look like we love each other. Business dinners with prospective clients of mine. In front of my family. In front of your family. Do you want everyone to think we made a rash decision and that we can’t stand each other?”
“Isn’t that what we did? Didn’t we just make a rash decision?”
Gage took a swallow of his champagne. He’d made plenty of rash decisions in the past. Decisions that had cost him his college education and football career. He didn’t think this was one of them. He knew at the end of the day he was getting the land. He’d made plans on what he was going to do with that property. He’d wanted to do it while Dad was alive so he could see that his youngest son wasn’t a loser. Now Dad was dead and his chance to prove his worth to him was gone. But it wasn’t gone from proving to his brothers he wasn’t just a punk kid who threw away a great opportunity when it presented itself.
“No, we didn’t. We made a decision that would benefit the both of us. How about we toast to this instead?” He raised his champagne glass again. “To the both of us getting what we want.”
He relaxed when Charlotte raised her glass and tapped it against his.
“Let’s eat.” Gage pushed back from the table and went over to the warming cart in the corner. Using a folded tea towel, he set a plate down in front of Charlotte before going back and getting his own.
As he cut into his steak, he remembered his first glimpse of Charlotte as she stood in the doorway of the
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