Page 77 of His Southern Temptation

Epilogue

CYPRESS SUITE, BELLAGIO HOTEL

ONE MONTH LATER

Lucky watched the sparkling Las Vegas skyline through the bowed windows spanning the entire length of the bedroom portion of the suite. The vivid neon of the Strip, the flickering headlights of the never-ending traffic, and the lights pulsing in the spectacular fountain display were breathtaking. But none were as beautiful as his wife, lying across his body, their hands intertwined and breathing in perfect rhythm.

His wife.

He laughed, catching the rumble low in his chest in effort to avoid waking Taylor. She was exhausted, the past month catching up with her and spiraling her into a deep sleep not long after sinking to the bed in a boneless, sated heap of sexual satisfaction. He’d thought that nothing could be better than the bliss of burying himself inside Taylor and watching her shatter with pleasure, but he was wrong. Knowing she was his—until parted by death—added an astonishing blessing to the love they shared. Sappy? Maybe a little, but you couldn’t blame a happy man who knew just how good he had it.

“What’s so funny?” Taylor nuzzled into his chest, her mumbled words tickling his skin.

He wove a hand through her hair, the other coasting across the silky skin of her back, following the line of her spine until it reached the spot of her tattoo. Their initials, woven together in the form of a loose heart, matched the smaller one inked onto the inside of his left wrist. Taylor had been surprised when he suggested them, but was completely on board when he explained that nothing said forever like matching ink.

“Nothing’s funny. I’m just happy,” he said, pressing a kiss against her hair.

“Ummm…me too.” She stretched, the soft and silky bits rubbing against the parts of him that swelled in response. Her hazel eyes, exposed by a slow, sleepy blink, caught his and mesmerized him. “Sorry I fell asleep. How long was I out?”

“Not long. You needed to catch a power nap. You’ve been going nonstop for the past month. The wedding, starting the spa business with Mom, and helping supervise the house construction. You’ve been amazing.” He trailed his hand lower, cupping her tight little ass and giving it a little squeeze that prompted the wiggle he was looking for. “Besides, you’re on your honeymoon and all you need to do is eat, sleep, and have sex with your husband.”

“Is that right?”

“Yep. I read it in one of those bride magazines your mom left lying around the house. In fact, I think it actually said that having sex with your husband was first on the list.”

She kissed his chest, her lips trailing along his skin in a shiver-inducing pattern. “I think I can support that agenda.” Taylor mouthed her way over to his nipple, giving a quick bite before sitting up and pressing a quick kiss to his lips. “Right after I get something to drink. Did I see a bottle of champagne?”

“Over there.” Lucky gestured toward the armchair placed next the window. A tray was there, a bucket of champagne and a domed silver platter covering the surface, compliments of Sheriff Burke and Mrs. Burke. He scooted up in the bed, pushing pillows behind him to watch his wife, naked and stunning against the multicolored backdrop of the city below.

“It was so sweet of the Burkes to send this to us.” She lifted the dome and did a little shimmy when she spied what was underneath. “Yum. Strawberries.” Taylor glanced over her bare shoulder, the wide grin splitting her face into equal parts girlish joy and invitation to sin. If he didn’t love her already, that one look would have made him fall. “Do you think they had a good time?”

“Hell, yeah they did. Especially Burke.” Lucky scrubbed a hand over his face as he remembered the drama that had unfolded just after the rehearsal dinner the night before. One of the high rollers in the casino had turned out to be none other than the elusive Sarah Morgan, and Burke had tackled her to the ground when she tried to beat feet out the door. She could have gone anywhere and she chose to go to Vegas—crazy. “It was kind of fun to see him sprawled on top of a woman for once.”

“I think everyone was having a good time,” Taylor said on a laugh.

“Especially Teague.” Lucky hadn’t seen Teague as hammered as he was tonight in a long time. The man had been under a ton of stress the last few months and was apparently auditioning for the position of poster boy for Vegas tourism. At the rate he was drinking he wouldn’t have to worry about Vegas rules, because he wouldn’t remember it anyway.

---