Vegas, Baby - Volume 2

My excitement got the best of me, though, and after only a short interval, I urged Aurora to sit up and face me. She was looking at me quizzically, and I opened my mouth to start my carefully rehearsed speech. I didn’t get one word out before a deafening crashing sound startled us. In the next instant, we were soaked to the bone as buckets of rain emptied from the sky.

“Holy shit!” Aurora gasped as the cold precipitation drenched her and immediately started shivering. I dragged her into my arms to help keep her warm as the gondolier frantically paddled toward solid ground.

I was utterly stunned at the turn of events. Not only was it extremely rare to have rain in Las Vegas, but a storm of this magnitude was even less likely. But what really had me dumbfounded was the fact that this unusual occurrence had chosen this moment to make an appearance. I was tempted to shout, “What the fuck?” to the universe.

Aurora started shaking, and I held her tighter, worried she was getting too cold. Until I heard her muffled laughter from where she’d buried her face in my chest. Her small giggles grew into loud belly laughs and stole her breath. It was impossible to remain angry with the sound washing over me, leaving only love and joy behind. I shook my head even as I smiled at her and kissed the tip of her nose.

At last, the gondolier was able to pull up next to the grassy area on the side of the river where the hotel sat. I placed both hands on the ground and hauled myself from the boat before turning back and grasping Aurora’s waist and lifting her up to stand next to me.

The rain was letting up, and the man decided to make his way back to the dock where we’d begun our ride. I gave him a hefty tip and waved as we dashed to the hotel where we’d have shelter from the rain.

We were both laughing as we entered and shook off some of the water. “I must look like a drowned rat,” Aurora groaned.

I yanked her against me and whispered in her ear, “You look unbelievably sexy, baby, but we need to get you changed into something that isn’t glued to your every delectable curve before I kill someone for looking at what is only for me.”

Aurora shivered, but from the flames in her eyes, it was clear it wasn’t from the cold. My plans had gone to shit, but I had a sudden idea of how to salvage my romantic proposal. I led her to the gift shop where we bought a set of sweats for each of us. It wasn’t exactly fancy, but they were dry, and I was pretty sure our attire wouldn’t affect Aurora’s answer to my question.

We quickly changed and used the shopping bags to hold our wet clothes. By the time we made our way to the front entrance of the hotel, the rain had stopped. I glared at the sky and mentally cursed a blue streak.

“Looks like it’s let up enough for us to get back to the Lennox,” Aurora surmised as she took a tentative step outside. “I think a hot bath is in order.” She threw me a saucy wink, and I almost abandoned my idea for hers.

No, I thought. I promised to sweep her off her feet and that didn’t mean asking her to marry me in a bathtub at home. “I just have one more thing to do,” I told her as I took her hand and set out for the hotel that sported a replica of the Eiffel Tower.

When we arrived, Aurora was looking at me with a speculative stare. I was pretty sure she was debating whether I’d lost my mind. Today had certainly been off, and I hadn’t been myself, so I could understand why she might wonder.

“Trust me,” I murmured as I brushed my lips over her cheek before giving her a soft but promising kiss. She sighed as we parted and nodded her head, then gestured for me to lead the way. I grinned and turned to enter the hotel, heading for the elevator that would take us to the summit. What could be more romantic than asking the woman you love to marry you from the top of the most iconic symbol of romance?

I paid for tickets and thanked the universe for the first thing all day that went my way when we ended up alone in the lift.

The doors slid closed, and I gently enveloped Aurora in my embrace, lowing my head to give her a tender kiss. Cradling her face in my hands, I poured all my love into the kiss. She melted into me, and I felt the same outpouring of emotion from her.