CHAPTER 51
ROSE CALLOWAY
Connor retiesthe halter on my bridesmaid’s dress in the limo while I read an article to him off my phone. When I finish I say, “Well?”
“You shouldn’t fixate on a gossip columnist.”
“It’s not a gossipsite. This is anewsarticle, Richard,” I snap. “Did you not hear what they said?” I’m about to reread the part of the article where they condemn him for not being a real dominant in a dominant/submissive relationship. I didn’t even know there were standards that had to be met.
“There aren’t rules,” he says calmly. “We do what works for us, and if no one on the internet likes it, then they’re free to watch another porn that doesn’t starus.” He grins. “Although, they won’t be as good…”
I turn around and smack his chest. “I’m serious.”
“So am I,” he says, staring down at me with an intense gaze, like he’d love to consume all of me.
Love.
I smile. Yes, he loves me.
Thatnever gets old.
“You need to stop reading all of these articles that dissect the sex videos,” he says in a low, husky voice. “It’ll spin your mind.”
“Maybe I like my mind to be spun.”
“I can find a much healthierway to do that.” His lips rise, and he leans close to kiss me, but the limo bumps down the cobblestone street, tearing my attention to the outside.
“We’re here,” I say, filled with a flurry of emotions.
Our limo ditches the rabid media behind the entry, and I roll down my window, hearing the helicopters buzzing in the air. I ignore them and focus on the palace looming ahead, taking in the stunning architecture and massive size. This really is a wedding fit for a queen.
I hope Lily is more excited than anxious today. I feel like I’m carrying nerves for the both of us. I’m not sure what to expect. Connor has taken the reins of the wedding, which means every detail is a surprise. He’s already confessed to changing the venue, no longer a church in the heart of Paris.
We’re a little bit outside of the city now. “I still don’t know how you booked the Château de Fontainebleau,” I tell him, stunned.
Connor wraps an arm over my shoulders and leans into my ear. “I have my ways.”
Connor and his ways. “You mean your connections,” I clarify.
“Those, yes,” he smiles.
I check the time on my cell again, and he slips it right out of my hand. I ignore his tactics to calm my nerves, and I hike up my bright pink bridesmaid dress to climb to the seat closest to the driver. “Excuse me,” I say in clipped words. “Could you drive just a little faster? We’re running behind.”
“We’re thirty minutes early,” Connor reminds me, his smile only widening.
“And I wanted to be an hour early,” I snap at him. “But someone spent fifteen minutes just choosing cufflinks. I don’t think Loren really cares that you put on your…” I glance at his wrists. “Are those real gold?”
His grin lifts to his eyes, which only makes me roll mine. And then I catch a peek out the window and my stomach dives. What the…fuck!
I grab at my dress again, bunching the pink fabric in my hand so that I don’t rip it. I move to the window and practically stick my entire head out like a dog. Not the mostunladylike thing I’ve done. But it’s close. Connor’s hands land on my hips and pull me back in.
“There are cameras in the sky,” he says.
“And there are roses on the path!” I scream, my eyes bugged. “You changed the flowers to roses?!” Lily is going to kill me. This is so, so, so wrong. I choseorchids.Neutral flower territory.
Connor’s eyebrows furrow in confusion, and he follows my frantic gaze. “That must have been a mistake.” He turns back to me and cups my cheeks. “Breathe. I’m going to text the wedding coordinator and have them change it.”
“You’rethe wedding coordinator,” I refute.
