“Yes you do. I had Tyler pack you a bag.”
Surprised pleasure flickered over her lovely face. “Do you think of everything, Mr. Stewart?”
“I try.” The elevator dinged as they reached the top floor. Transferring his grip from the railing to her waist, he began backing out of the car. “Right now, though, all I can think about is you and me and the king-sized bed that’s waiting down the hall.”
“I support that plan,” she said, a little breathless.
He bent and scooped her up.
On a giggle, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “Does it still count if the threshold you’re carrying me over isn’t home?”
“I’ll do it there, too. Mostly I figure I can move faster carrying you than you can walk in this dress and those shoes.”
“This is unarguable.”
He carried her down the hall to their suite, having Piper dig the room key Margot had slipped him earlier in the day out of his breast pocket and sliding it into the lock. Then, kicking the door open, he carried his bride inside.
Moody jazz spilled out of the stereo speakers. Candles, not yet lit, were scattered around the room. Champagne iced in a bucket in one corner, and a room service cart with the cold supper that would keep until they got hungry again, was tucked in the breakfast nook. The double doors to the bedroom were thrown open to reveal the sprawling bed, scattered with rose petals.
He let Piper slide down his body, keeping hold of her even as her feet hit the floor.
Her eyes were wide, taking everything in. “I’ve never seen roses this color before.”
“They’re sterling silver.”
“They’re gorgeous. Is it to match the silver theme from the wedding?”
Myles looked into those warm, chocolate eyes. “They symbolize enchantment. Which seemed fitting, since you enchanted me from the moment I first met you. And now you’re standing here with me as my wife.” He couldn’t keep the wonder out of his voice as he lifted her hands, pressing a kiss to the one that bore his rings.
Her lips curved. “You keep saying that.”
“If I keep repeating it, maybe it’ll start to feel real.”
Piper slid her hands beneath his jacket, shoving it off as she stepped close into him. “I’ve got a better idea for how we can do that.”
~*~
His coat hit the floor with a soft whoosh of fabric that had Piper’s pulse going thick with anticipation. She’d wanted him for months, almost from that first meeting at auditions. And now that wicked sense of humor and that poet’s mouth were hers. No more waiting, no more reasons to hold back.
She worked the tie loose, using the length of it to drag his mouth just a hair’s breadth from hers. “I do believe, Mr. Stewart, that you’ve been torturing me for days with the idea of claiming me as your wife. Time to pay up.”
Heat flared in his eyes. But if she’d expected him to rush toward that finish line, she was disappointed.
“Oh, I fully intend to take my time about that.” He brushed his mouth over hers in an unhurried kiss before stepping away.
Frustration shot through her. “A request, then.”
“Anything within my power to grant,” he promised, picking up a lighter and moving around the room, setting the candles alight.
“Once we get started, don’t stop touching me.”
“That is a promise I can absolutely keep.” He set the lighter aside and moved to the suitcase.
“What are you doing?”
“Condoms. I want to make sure they’re in easy reach.”
“Not necessary. I’m on birth control. So unless you have some other objection…”