The sound of his phone ringing--again--had Rome turning over and reaching for it. He pulled his jeans up off of the floor with one hand, trying not to wake Ella up, but she stirred and rolled over, freeing his other arm. It was Bart on the phone. Rome slid out of bed and went into the living room to answer, not caring that he was nude. “Hey. What’s up?”
“Glad to know you’re alive,” Bart said, making it obvious he’d tried calling before. “Did you make it to your destination?”
“Yeah. We’re here. Did Bridgette text you?”
“She called. A couple of times. She was worried. Whoever Ella’s dad sent over there seems like pretty bad dudes. Am I on speakerphone?”
“No. And she’s asleep.”
“Good. I don’t think you’ll want her to know about all of this. Bridgette said that these two big guys came knocking on Ella’s door, and when they couldn’t get in, well, they forced their way in.”
“Are you shitting me?” Rome was glad he’d thought to get Ella out of there before that happened.
“That’s what she said. They were there for about ten minutes, but then they left.”
“Did they take anything?”
“Not that she could tell. They could’ve taken smaller items in their pockets, though. She was worried about them leaving the door open, but a locksmith showed up soon enough and switched out the lock.”
“A legit locksmith or another one of Sinders’s guys?” Rome realized that meant Ella wouldn’t even be able to get into her own apartment without getting a key from her dad--or busting the lock again. He would rather the latter.
“I don’t know if he was legit or not. Anyway, she said she didn’t dare go talk to them. They seemed menacing.”
“I don’t blame her. I’m glad she didn’t. Thanks, Bart. Did she know she was talking to you or did she think it was me?”
“She thought it was you. She asked you to meet her at Lucky Red tonight. I told her you were busy but suggested she look for your friends. She said maybe she’d be into that.”
“Good for you,” Rome laughed. “Thanks for the heads up, man.”
“Yeah, you be careful. Ella’s dad isn't the sort of guy you screw around with.”
“So I’m gathering. But then… neither is my dad. This is going to be complicated, Bart. Why does it have to be that way? We love each other. We want to be together. Why does it have to be so hard?”
“I don’t know. But be careful. No one needs to end up dead over this.”
Knowing his friend was right, Rome thanked him again and then hung up, praying no one would get hurt at all. Ella was stirring on the bed again. He needed to put everything Bart had told him aside for now. He had a city to show the woman he loved--and a marriage to arrange.
Seeing that she was awake, he dove onto the bed, jarring her slightly but getting a giggle out of her. “What are you doing?” she asked, rubbing her eyes.
“Staring at the most beautiful woman in the world. What are you doing?”
“Trying to wake up so you can take me out on the town.” She turned over and stroked his cheek, and Rome lowered his lips to her palm. God, she was so beautiful. How could he ever pull himself back out of this bed?
“Is there any place, in particular, you wanna go?”
“No,” she replied. “I’m pretty sure I don’t want to go to the Paris hotel, though.”
He laughed. “That’s too bad. There’s a bakery there I bet you’d like. But there are plenty of other places to visit.” He couldn’t help but lean down and taster her lips again. Her mouth was so warm and sweet, he momentarily forgot he was trying to get her out of the bed.
Ella stroked his arm and then lifted her hand to his cheek again. Her fingers running through his hair had him deepening the kiss. “Keep doing that, and we’ll never get out of the room,” she murmured when he came up for air.
“Vegas is overrated anyway,” Rome replied, kissing her again. Maybe they’d go out eventually; maybe they wouldn’t.
Walking down the Strip made Ella feel like a little kid at an amusement park--or a big kid at an amusement park. She couldn’t help but gawk at everything. From the beautiful lights to the dancing fountains to the statues, it was so vivid and alive. She wanted to go into every hotel, look at every building, say hello to everyone that she met.
They had disguises on again, but this time, they were better. They’d taken their time trying to make sure neither of them were recognizable, but especially Rome since he was a celebrity, and it was only a problem for her if Ella were photographed with him and the photos got back to her family. But if Rome wasn’t recognizable, it didn’t matter. No one would be interested in them if it weren’t for his celebrity status.
“We could go back to the Venetian and go on a gondola ride,” Rome suggested after they’d made it almost to the end of the Strip. “We also need to get you a dress.”
“Are you going to wear a tuxedo?” she asked, giggling with glee.
“Do you want me to?” His smile had her stomach doing flip-flops. Even though he didn’t look exactly like himself, he was still adorable.
“Yes. With tails.”
“Well, all right then. I guess I have some shopping to do, too. We have three hours before our appointment at the chapel. They said to expect to spend half an hour getting the marriage certificate, so we’ll have to keep that in mind.”
“Do you think the Venetian will have a dress I’ll like? I don’t want anything too fancy, nothing that screams bride.”
“Yet, you want me to wear tails.” He gave her a playful jab with his elbow, and she giggled again.
“I’ll wear something elegant if you like, something like the gown I wore to the ball.”
“No, I want you to wear whatever you want to wear,” he assured her.
“I’ll need shoes, too. I forgot to grab any heels.”
“All right. Then let's head back to our new home away from home.” Rome pulled her close and kissed her on the lips, right there on the sidewalk, and Ella was happier than she’d ever been in her whole life.