Page 16 of Hitched to my Boss

"Mountain man," he repeats, laughing. "I like when you call me that."

The champagne keeps flowing. Somewhere around the fourth bottle, the conversation gets more personal, more honest. Jason admits he's never felt this connected to someone so quickly. I confess I've never broken my no-client rule before, but I keep thinking about breaking it for him.

"We should probably head back," I say, checking my phone and realizing it's past midnight. The numbers on the screen swim a little.

"Probably," Jason agrees, but neither of us moves to leave.

That's when the older couple at the next table leans over, clearly as drunk as we are.

"Hey, are you two lovebirds looking for some Vegas magic tonight?" the woman asks, her words slurring together.

"Vegas magic?" I ask, finding this hilarious for reasons I can't quite identify.

"Wedding chapel, honey! Elvis himself! We just came from there—most romantic thing ever!" She waves her arms enthusiastically. "They do it right there on the Strip!"

Jason and I look at each other, and I can see the same champagne-hazed recklessness in his eyes that I'm feeling.

"Elvis weddings," Jason says slowly, like he's testing the words.

"That's ridiculous," I say, but I'm laughing. "People don't actually do that, do they?"

"The Chapel of Eternal Love!" the man chimes in. "Twenty-four hours, no waiting! We saw the most beautiful ceremony tonight!"

"We should go look," Jason says suddenly. "Just to see. Not to actually..."

"Right, just to see what it's like," I agree, because somehow this makes perfect sense through the champagne haze.

"We're definitely not getting married," I add as we stand, the room tilting slightly.

"Definitely not," Jason agrees, steadying me with his hand on my waist. "We're just... investigating Vegas culture."

"Exactly. Research."

The walk down the Strip is a blur of neon lights and laughter. I keep stumbling in my heels, and Jason keeps catching me, and every time he touches me it sends sparks through my champagne-clouded brain.

"You know," I say as we walk, "you're really handsome. Like, really handsome."

"You're really beautiful," he says back. "Like, the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

"We're drunk," I observe.

"So drunk," he agrees. "But you're still beautiful."

The chapel is exactly as tacky as it should be—pink neon, fake flowers, and an Elvis impersonator who looks nothing like the real thing but sounds surprisingly authentic.

"Y'all looking to get hitched tonight?" Elvis asks, and I burst into giggles.

"We're just looking," I say, but my words are slurring together now.

"Just looking," Jason echoes, his arm tight around my waist.

"Well, darlin', looking's free, but I got a cancellation if you change your mind. Special price tonight, love is in the air!"

We should leave. We should definitely leave. But the champagne has made everything feel like a wonderful idea, and Jason is looking at me like I'm the most amazing thing he's ever seen, and I'm looking at him the same way.

"It would be crazy," I whisper.

"Completely crazy," he agrees.

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