Justin sat beside his bride, heat pooling low in his stomach as he waited for her to be ready to leave the plane. When he’d decided to send off for a bride, he’d thought it would be easy. Now he knew better. Nothing that involved others was as easy as you wanted it to be.

He’d been a little surprised when she’d not gotten off the plane like he’d expected. He’d questioned the flight attendant as she’d stepped off, who had assured him that Hannah was on the plane, but didn’t know why she wasn’t getting off. She had contacted the pilot and gotten permission for Justin to board.

The moment Hannah looked up at him, he knew what was wrong. He’d let it slip his mind that she’d recently lost people to a plane crash and when she looked up, eyes wide and lower lip slightly trembling, he knew in an instant she was terrified. While it could be of the unknown, he strongly suspected it was the plane.

“I’m ready whenever you are.” Her voice was steady this time, telling him she’d managed to regain her composure.

“I was hoping you’d say that.” He gave her his best smile and hoped it would calm her nerves, “I have a car waiting. We can go any time.” He glanced around. “Do you have luggage?”

“I do, they checked it.”

“My driver will take care of that, if it’s not ready by the time we get out of here, then he’ll have it sent over to The Aussie.”

“The Aussie?”

“Yes.” He didn’t bother to explain, she’d see it for herself soon enough. Justin stood and held out one hand in her direction. After only a moment’s hesitation, she stood, smoothed the pale pink skirt on the designer suit she wore, then picked up the small bag from the seat next to her and looped the long strap over her head. Hannah bent again to pick up the manila envelope she’d been holding, tucked it under her arm then laid her hand in his. The simple touch sent a spark of awareness through his entire body. Her hand was soft in his, speaking of a life like he’d always wanted to have. She’d never had to build calluses from hard work like his mother had.

“Let’s go.” He led her off the plane and through the terminal. He’d been in the smaller section of McCarran reserved for private and charter flights several times and knew his way around. In only a few minutes they stepped out into the scorching desert heat.

Hannah gasped as the sunlight and dry air hit her, but she didn’t say anything. Whatever had driven her to sell herself into marriage, it seemed she wasn’t prone to complain. He liked that.

“Thank you,” Justin said to Barry, his driver, who held the limo door open while Hannah slid inside. “She has a bag that will need to be retrieved, and we’re headed back to The Aussie.” He’d brought the limo so they could have some privacy on the way back to the casino.

“Yes, sir. I will see that her bag is delivered. I’m not sure how long the delay will be, but shouldn’t be more than a couple hours.”

“No problem. Just have it delivered to my apartment.”

“Yes, sir.”

Justin ducked into the car and settled into the seat beside Hannah. “Have you ever been to Las Vegas?” The interior was nicely cool after the shocking heat they’d passed through, Barry had kept the air conditioning running while he waited.

“No.”

He watched as she folded her hands in her lap and stared out the darkened window. “Ah. Well, it’s not always this hot. Only about three months of the year. The good news is on the strip you can go days without ever leaving the building. Even then, much of the city is twenty-four hours, so what you have to do outside The Aussie can be done at night. In a few months it will cool off and you can go back to traveling normally. Oh, and there are plenty of pools to help cool off if you need some sunshine.” He couldn’t help but notice the slightly sun-kissed look to her honeyed skin. He didn’t know if it was a cultured tan or because she liked being outdoors, either way, it made him want to taste it. He wanted to see if she tasted as sweet as she looked.

With a slight jerk, the car started moving.

“Do you have any questions?”

She looked at his face then shook her head. “No. The agency was quite clear on my half of the contract, as long as I keep to that I trust that you will keep yours as well?”

“I was a little surprised when the agency contacted me that you had stipulations of your own.” He tipped his head to one side while he watched her reaction. “However, considering my own requirements, I was happy to oblige such reasonable requests.” It hadn’t been the fidelity clause that she’d asked for, nor the one that awarded her fifty million dollars should he abuse her, not that ever would. Her only request had been the stipulations that she had the right to leave, and ask for a divorce, after one year. And that he would provide for any children that the marriage might result in. He’d taken her request farther and had added settlements for her at different intervals, depending on how long the marriage lasted. He’d also added a few clauses about any children, to make her feel better. He’d never leave his children un-cared for, but she had no way to know that. He wasn’t looking to trap her, only to get into the right circles.

“Thank you.”

She turned back toward the window again and he let her watch the city pass by while he watched her. Something about her pulled to him and he wasn’t sure what. That intrigued him.

When they reached The Aussie, the car pulled up outside the entrance Justin typically used. It was an out of the way, unobtrusive door that patrons didn’t use, and most people didn’t even realize existed. He waited until Barry opened the car door.

“Come see your new home,” Justin invited before ducking out of the limo. He stood and straightened his suit jacket while Hannah stepped out. “This side’s not as impressive as the front, but traffic on the Strip is horrendous and it takes forever to get even half a mile. Most of the big casinos are designed to cater to foot traffic off the Strip. There are other, more public entrances, but I didn’t want to get stopped with business on our way in.” He reached to smooth a finger down her face, but stopped before touching her. “I wanted to keep this between the two of us as long as I could.” He watched as she stared up at the tall curved wings of the almost shell-shaped building. “Let’s go inside where it’s not so hot.” He opened the door, knowing it would unlock with the proximity of the chip he’d had embedded in the phone in his pocket, and held it while she went inside, then followed.

“This way.” Justin led her through the hallway toward his business office on the main floor. “Do you want another dress or anything special to mark the day?”

“No. I came prepared. Ms. Creed said to be prepared to make things legal as soon as I landed.” She kept pace with him and he didn’t have to drag her or slow his own pace like he had with some women he’d dated in the past.

“I like that you came prepared.” He let it drop at that and they made the rest of the short trip in peaceful quiet. Contrary to what he’d expected his stomach fluttered with nerves. He was about to commit himself to a woman he’d met less than an hour before. He wondered, not for the first time, if he was making a mistake. No. He pushed the thought away. He’d planned things carefully and this was what he needed. A wife with the social connections he didn’t have. “Through here.” He opened another door, this one leading to the back hallway. It had taken him a while to learn the hallways, but he was glad now he’d taken the time. He wanted to get there and get this done, not get stopped by customers and employees who wanted to talk or check on something. “This shouldn’t take too long, then I’ll give you the grand tour.”