As they approached the elevators, Lucas settled his hand on the small of her bare back and swiped his card that would take them to the VIP floors. They weren’t staying in a traditional honeymoon suite, but the nicest high-roller penthouse available. The three-thousand-square-foot room complete with their own waitstaff was ready and waiting for them.
Lucas would immediately dismiss the staff and have them on standby should he and Paisley need more food and wine. Other than that, he fully planned on keeping his wife all to himself tonight.
No way in hell were they going to worry about Sterling Perry or her mother or some damn letter.
Lucas had just one concern: How the hell did he get that lace jumpsuit off?
Five
Paisley’s hands shook as she stared at the enormous bathroom in their suite. Her entire apartment could fit in here and there would still be extra space.
The heated marble floors, the open shower big enough for a party, the wall of mirrors and the chandelier with so many twinkling lights...there was just so much to take in and she didn’t even want to know what this place cost per night.
She also knew Lucas wasn’t ready to dive into the letter or the truth. He was ready to dive into her pants. Paisley wasn’t even going to pretend she wasn’t looking forward to feeling his body against her again. She was human; she had basic needs.
But there was nothing basic about what she and Lucas had once shared. He’d always been an attentive lover, but they’d been so young. Clearly they’d both changed over the years.
Paisley took a step back and glanced at herself in the floor-length mirror. She certainly didn’t have the same body she’d once had. Gravity and doughnuts had made a few alterations.
Might as well get out of this ridiculous outfit. She’d been in such a spiteful mood when she’d gone wedding dress shopping for herself. Of course she had her favorites. There was one magnificent gown she’d had her eye on for the past few months.
Like any woman, especially one owning a bridal boutique, Paisley had her own vision of her big day. But there was no way in hell she was wasting any of that fairy-tale stuff on Lucas. Because one day she would marry for love. She’d get that gown of her dreams, the sparkling accessories, her mother’s simple diamond necklace, maybe even plan a destination wedding or a grand cathedral ceremony. Or maybe she’d go with a classy garden wedding.
None of those daydreams mattered now. All that mattered was trying to get through her current marriage with her heart still intact and finding the truth about her father.
She honestly didn’t know if she wanted Sterling to be her biological dad or not. He’d destroyed her finances, not to mention that of others, and he was just an evil, spiteful man. He currently sat in a jail cell, after being denied bail, because he was accused of fraud and not too long ago a body had been found on one of his work sites.
The thought sent a shudder through her. No, that was not the type of man she wanted for a father.
On the other hand, knowing who and where she came from would at least give her a sense of belonging. She certainly felt a yawning void since her mother’s passing. There was an emptiness in her life she hadn’t expected, and a large part of her seemed to just be going through the daily motions. The sense of being lost and floating along seemed to grow worse. Her heart ached and she was so utterly confused she truly had no clue what to do next.
Marrying Lucas didn’t help.
He’d had her suitcase brought up to the suite before the ceremony. Paisley had changed at the chapel so she could surprise her husband. Mission accomplished.
Paisley had brought her robe into the bathroom a few minutes ago and hung it on the back of the hook next to the garden tub. She had no clue what to expect when she stepped out, but she was thankful he was giving her a few minutes of space.
The tap on the door pulled her from her thoughts. There went that alone time.
“You plan on hiding much longer?” Lucas called through the double doors.
Paisley sighed as she straightened and reached around her neck for the hidden closure. “Almost done.”
The doors opened just as her top fell to her waist. Lucas’s vibrant eyes zeroed in on her bare breasts as he remained in the doorway. Paisley didn’t bother covering herself. He might as well see that she wasn’t a stick-thin twenty-year-old like she used to be.