Travis threw his head back and laughed, since he knew that both he and Derek were responsible for the massive desecration of Brandon and Cam’s wedding cake on their day.
“Please don’t,” Derek warned, although there was mischief behind his eyes and a smile on his lips. “I think my mother would be mortified if we had a cake fight.”
“I’ll try to contain myself.” Travis’ heart always warmed at the interaction between Derek and his mom, because of how close they were. Travis had Emily in his life now, and he was eternally grateful for it. She was the closest thing he had to family, but their relationship was nothing compared to the bond that Derek shared with his mother. Travis envied it. Growing up in the system, alone without anyone to care for him, had left him with emotional baggage that he’d worked really hard to get through, but he’d done it, and now he had family. There were probably more than thirty people in this room right now, most of whom jumped on a plane at a moment’s notice, in order to witness their wedding.
They ate, drank, and danced for the next couple of hours, without any food fights or drunken disasters. Everyone was having a great time catching up with their families, and it was the perfect opportunity for Travis and Derek to sneak away. They would have the suite to themselves, which was basically a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so they quietly slipped out the door and laughed way too loudly as they raced down the hall.
“Wait.” Derek stopped Travis from stepping into their suite. “I think I gotta carry you inside.”
Travis laughed. “You dropped me on the floor a little while ago. I don’t want—” Before Travis had a chance to finish his sentence, Derek lifted him off his feet. It wasn’t a graceful carry over the threshold, due to their slightly inebriated state. Instead, it was a fireman’s carry that knocked Travis’ ankles against the doorframe. It caused Derek to stumble, and, for a moment, Travis thought they’d both crash to the floor again, but Derek regained his balance. Through laughter, Travis kicked the door closed, and Derek staggered through the suite and into their bedroom, where Travis was unceremoniously dropped onto the mattress.
A floral scent filled Travis’ nostrils, and his hands landed on something soft and velvety. He lifted his head and found deep red rose petals strewn all over the comforter. He picked one up and rubbed the smooth texture between his fingers, floored by the sentiment. “Derek . . .”
“It wasn’t me. I wish I would have thought of it, but I didn’t. The guys must’ve done it on their own.”
The thoughtfulness of it made Travis close his eyes. He was such a sucker for sweet gestures like this, and he loved the guys all the more for doing it. The bed bounced unexpectedly, and Travis opened his eyes to find his fully-naked husband straddling him. His pulse, and other body parts, immediately skyrocketed. “Hello, Mr. MacAlister.”
“Hello, yourself.” Derek sat back on his knees and began to slowly undress Travis. He tugged off the tuxedo jacket and then pulled at the ends of the bow tie. He meticulously undid each button that ran down the center of Travis’ dress shirt.
It was an unrushed seductive striptease, but it was taking too long. Each second that passed had Travis’ heartrate spiking and his breath deepening. It was suddenly sweltering in the room, and he needed out of his clothing. He ripped the shirt off, then stood and removed the rest of his things. He faced Derek, totally naked and unashamed of his body. Obviously, Derek had seen him this way a million times, but it always took Travis by surprise by how comfortable he had become in his own skin. The way Derek eyed him with desire made Travis feel beautiful. Derek never saw any of Travis’ flaws or imperfections, and that was the biggest turn on.
Travis crawled onto the bed, cupped his husband’s face in his hands, and delivered a tender kiss. “I can’t believe we’re married.”
“Me neither.” Derek reached out and took Travis’ length in the palm of his hand. He stroked it, long and slow, as if they had all the time in the world. “You’re my husband.”
“You’re my husband.” Travis’ breath deepened as he touched Derek, and they fisted one another. He was suddenly impatient and wanted this man inside him. “Make love to me, for the first time as my spouse.”
Derek paused and pulled back to look at Travis. His gaze and facial expression were filled with emotion, as if realizing how special and intimate this moment was for the both of them.
They made love facing one another. The languid movements of their bodies heightened the sensations that filled Travis’ body, and each thrust brought a new wave of emotion. As he stared into Derek’s green eyes, he saw his own reflection, and it took his breath away. He witnessed the joining of their souls during this profound union as a married couple. When they were done, it was is if they were now eternally fused together, and they held one another tightly.
“Can I make a wedding night confession?” Travis asked.
“Of course.”
Travis lowered his eyes for a second and then gazed at Derek with earnest. “I told you earlier that I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time, but I didn’t tell you that marrying you was all I thought about while I was getting better. It’s the one thing I clung to when my life fell apart and my head was all screwed up. The idea that we’d get married one day, and that you’d be mine forever, is the only thing that kept me moving forward. It pushed me to get better. Every single day I told myself that I was one day closer to being well enough to be with you.”
Derek’s eyes watered, and he swallowed hard.
“I had setbacks,” Travis revealed. “It wasn’t an easy road. Some days, I felt like I was starting over from day one, while only the day before I thought I was light-years ahead of where I started. There were some days that I thought I’d never get better. That I was spiraling into a dark pit and there was no getting out. On those days, I imagined your hand reaching into the blackness that engulfed me and pulling me into the light. I saw it in my head, as if I were watching it happen in a movie. I thought I was crazy for doing that, but it helped me. You were my lifeline. If it weren’t for you, I don’t think I’d be here right now. I owe you everything. You asked me to marry you today, and it was my dream come true.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you wanted to get married, Trav? I would’ve jumped on that in a heartbeat.”
Travis shrugged. “I don’t know. I almost did. A few times. But I guess I was afraid you weren’t there yet.” Or, maybe, he was afraid that Derek would never be on board with marriage. Fear of rejection was something that still lurked deep in Travis’ heart. It was hard enough living in the limelight and always wondering if, one day, his fame and popularity would slip away as quickly as it came. But if that happened, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. He’d get over it. Rejection from the man he loved more than anything wasn’t something he’d recover from.
Derek held up his left hand to display his wedding band. “Well, I am there. You’re stuck with me now, Fontana. Forever.”
They arrived in Monte Carlo the day after Christmas. The best thing about the place was that there weren’t any out-of-control fans. Travis and Derek weren’t bombarded when the plane landed, and they were able to walk through the airport just like regular people. Although two personal bodyguards still followed them at a distance, it felt as if they had privacy, for once.
Monte Carlo was everything and nothing like Travis expected. It was alive with festive lights and colorful decorations. White Christmas trees were everywhere. The weather was cool, but not cold enough to snow, so machines pumped artificial flakes through the air in front of the Hotel De Paris. It was literally a palace, and he gaped at it in awe. “Man, this place rocks. Have you been here before?”
“A few times. On vacation,” Derek replied.
“Who the hell vacations in Monaco?”
“We all like to gamble, and Brandon loves extravagance, so it’s an easy choice.”
Travis just shook his head. He’d never get used to the way the guys threw money around as if it were nothing.
The lobby of the hotel was ridiculous, both in size and in opulence. Huge arches, carved with intricate detail, and white marble gleamed from all angles.
Everything was decorated in red and gold for the holidays and sparkled brilliantly. The grand lobby was dominated by a Christmas tree that looked as if it should be standing in Rockefeller Center. At first, Travis hated it, because he thought it had been chopped down for ornamental purposes. But at closer inspection, he learned it was artificial. It was gorgeous and totally over the top, but he was more focused on the incredible piece of sculpture next to it, whose beauty outshined everything else in the room.
Travis immediately gravitated to the large bronze statue of a horse and its rider and admired the piece of art with awe.
“That’s Louis XIV,” Derek explained.
Travis’ head snapped toward Derek. “Since when do you know art?”
“Since Jeremy had a 15-minute conversation with one of the bellmen about this piece. It’s pretty cool.”
It was said as if Derek were commenting on anything except a priceless sculpture probably worth millions of dollars. “It’s exquisite,” Travis corrected.
Derek smiled wide. “I forget my guy has culture. I’m just a heathen. But you really dig this shit, don’t you?”
Travis chuckled. “Yeah. I dig this shit,” he mocked. He was enamored with every inch of it and could spend an hour just admiring the detail in the horse’s mane.
Derek reached out and rubbed the horse’s knee, as if it were a genie’s lamp.
“What are you doing?” Travis exclaimed, horrified. “Don’t touch it.”
“You’re supposed to. It brings good luck.”
Travis eyed him skeptically. They were both known for their rebellious attitudes, but even Travis wouldn’t go as far as to desecrate someone’s artwork. “I don’t—”
“It’s true,” a bellman offered, in a thick French accent. “This equine has been bringing luck to patrons for over 150 years. There have been many stories of guests touching the horse’s knee and then winning hundreds of thousands of dollars at the casino.”
“Really?” Travis asked, astonished at the story.
“Oui, monsieur.” The bellman tipped his hat. “Please let me know if you require any other history about the hotel, and I will be happy to arrange a tour.”
“Thanks. I’ll take you up on that. But first, I want to try my luck.” Travis touched the raised leg of the horse. It was shiny and stood out like pure gold, rubbed clean by years of visiting hands hoping for good fortune, unlike the aged patina that adorned the rest of the sculpture. Travis stroked the horse’s knee, not really expecting the odds to be swayed in his favor, but it was a fun bit of folklore, and he was happy to play along.
Derek practically rubbed his whole body on the thing. “Daddy needs sevens and elevens!”
“Daddy doesn’t need anything.” Travis pulled Derek away from the statue. “And since when do you call yourself daddy?”
“Since this horse is going to bring me luck at the craps table.”
Travis headed toward the elevator bank, but Derek caught his arm. “Where are you going? We need to capitalize on the luck before it wears off. We’re hitting the casino.”
The famed Casino de Monte-Carlo was literally across the street. It had the most amazing crystal chandeliers and a circular skylight that comprised most of the ceiling. It was a magnificent dome of glass, and Travis gazed up at it for a long time, staring at the light filtering down at him. “It’s gorgeous.”
Derek slid his arm around Travis’ waist and looked up at the ceiling. “I never really noticed it before.”
“Are you kidding? It covers the room in sunlight! It brings the outside inside! And look at the way the glass is sectioned off.” Travis pointed up at it. “I wonder how many pieces make up the whole thing and how long it took to make. And how heavy it is.”
“Your guess is as good as mine.” Derek pulled Travis away and toward a gaming table. “Do you play craps?”
Travis, who never had a spare dime until recently, didn’t gamble. That didn’t mean he wasn’t about to give it a try, especially since Derek seemed to enjoy it so much. “I don’t know how.”
“Get ready to get schooled!” Derek said, with enthusiasm.
They squeezed into the craps table, and Derek cashed in a large wad of bills for an enormous mountain of chips. He split them between himself and Travis, and then placed a stack of chips on the table that was at least three inches high. “Go ahead,” Derek encouraged. “Make a bet.”
“I have no idea what I’m betting on.”
Derek ran through the winning and losing rolls of the dice, but Travis didn’t absorb much of it. He didn’t feel entirely comfortable betting with Derek’s money either, so he simply placed four chips on the table.
“That’s it?” Derek laughed. “Live it up. It’s our honeymoon!”
The other players at the table overheard and offered Travis and Derek a round of congratulations and raised their glasses. Travis’ cheeks turned pink at the attention, but Derek proudly wrapped his arm around Travis’ shoulder and smiled brightly. It left a humble and all-consuming feeling in Travis’ chest to be so utterly loved, without judgment. Derek’s love was pure and untainted. There were never any ambiguous feelings. Derek always put his heart on the line and made Travis feel completely wanted and cherished, and he’d never been happier. It left him with a brazen recklessness, and he pushed a stack of chips on the table that matched Derek’s.
“That’s more like it.” Derek smiled and gave Travis a hearty slap on the back.
The first roll of the dice had everyone at the table cheering, and the stack of chips in front of Travis and Derek doubled. Then tripled. It was an incredible rush, and it had Travis giving Derek a high-five and bear hug every time more chips were pushed in front of them. It felt as if they just won the lottery, until misfortune took it all away with one throw of the dice.
Travis gulped, and his heart felt as if it fell to his feet. “Oh my God.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Derek said. “We’ll win it back.” He shelled out another chunk of cash in exchange for more chips.
“Let me,” Travis offered, pulling his wallet from his pocket by the chain.
“I already got it,” Derek said.
Travis didn’t feel right about Derek using his money to finance their gambling, but let it go since he didn’t want to make a scene.
Now it was Derek’s turn to roll the dice, and he held them in his fist. “Kiss it for luck, baby.”
Travis kissed Derek’s knuckles, and everyone cheered as he threw the dice down the green felt. “Yeah!” Derek shouted when the dice came to a stop. Travis still didn’t really understand the game, but he kept kissing Derek’s fist and the chips kept coming.
“You’re my good luck charm!” Derek announced, and continued to win everyone at the table large sums of money. Ultimately, he “crapped out” and the humongous stacks of chips in front of them were confiscated with the swipe of a wooden stick.
Travis’ jaw dropped and his knees almost buckled at the loss, but Derek simply shrugged.
“Win some. Lose some.”
Travis was frozen in place, staring at the empty green felt where all of their chips had been, until Derek pulled him away.
“Let’s try blackjack.”
“Derek, there had to be $250,000 worth of chips on that table. We just lost a quarter of a million dollars.”
“No. We only lost twenty grand. That’s all I shelled out. The rest were winnings.”
Travis stopped walking. He couldn’t understand how Derek could be smiling and walking with a bounce in his step, ready to drop more cash on the gaming tables. “Why aren’t you upset? Twenty grand is still a lot of money. We’ve only been here an hour.”
Derek draped his arm around Travis’ neck and gave him a side hug as he led them toward the blackjack tables. “Didn’t you have fun? I had a fucking blast! That’s all that mat
ters.”
Not wanting to dampen Derek’s spirits, Travis nodded and sat at the blackjack table with Derek, but he used his own money. He didn’t admonish Derek or cast any judgmental stares when Derek didn’t hold at 19, or when Derek lost two thousand dollars on one hand of blackjack. Travis played it safe and folded more times than not, and at the end of the next hour, he actually left the table with an extra $500 in his pocket. “I’m not even going to ask how you did,” he told Derek, as they made their way back to the Hotel de Paris.
“I won over three grand,” Derek bragged.
“Woo hoo!” Travis joked, and then let out a burst of genuine laughter. He needed to stop worrying all the time about the little things. They were on their honeymoon, and he was going to live it up.
They finally checked into their suite, which, naturally, overlooked the Mediterranean and was grand enough for the entire royal family to stay in. He felt tingly all over as he stood on the balcony with his arms around Derek and gazed at the gorgeous view. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more beautiful hotel. It’s totally overblown and excessive, but I wouldn’t change it for anything. This is the perfect honeymoon suite.”
“You know what makes it even more perfect?” Derek flashed a wide smile. “That Alan paid for it.”
“Fuck yeah! Thank you, Alan Delgado!” Travis actually forgot that they hijacked Alan and Jeremy’s wedding. Everything fell into place so seamlessly, that it was if he and Derek had planned their marriage down to the last detail way ahead of time. “Is he paying for room service too? Let’s order one of everything on the menu.”
Derek laughed. “No, we’re paying for that, but I’m still game if you are.”
Travis began to feel sentimental and didn’t care about food anymore, which was crazy since they hadn’t eaten since they got on the plane, and probably a record for the both of them. Instead, he hugged Derek and kissed him under the setting sun. They had dinner in the room, but didn’t order everything on the menu, and fell asleep under the stars.
A Bulletproof New Year (The Holiday Collection Book 2) Page 7
