Page 30 of My Big Fat Vampire Wedding
“I was thinking about how our book collections would fill up our flat,” Pandora said.
“Suuure.” Lucy rolled her eyes. “Wait, are you going to be getting all glandular with him?”
“What? No!” No matter how much she wished she could.
“Don’t you have to, though?”
“Why would we have to?”
“To make the marriage official,” Lucy said. “Right? Like, marriages aren’t official until they’re consummated.”
“Is that still the rule?” Pandora asked, a mix of panic and excitement flooding her system.
Excitement, because she’d done little but fantasize about that very thing since the first time she’d seen Victor.
But panic because, well, what if Victor didn’t want that? Didn’t wanther?
He’d sure been quick to move away from her, to put distance between them, after he’d saved her from that out-of-control cyclist.
“Why do you look like you’re going to be sick? Haven’t you been dreaming about getting between the sheets with him since you first laid eyes on him? I mean … he looks all buttoned-up and reserved,” Lucy said, looking over at Victor. “But I bet once you get him unbuttoned, he’s all commanding and assured. I bet that man loves to give an Aussie kiss.”
“What is an Aussie kiss?” Pandora asked as she took a sip of her chamomile tea, definitely needing something to slow down her nerves that felt ready to fly right off the tracks.
“You know … like a French kiss. But …downunder?” Lucy said, making Pandora choke on her tea as she laughed.
“I know. I’m hilarious,” Lucy said, rapping hard on Pandora’s back.
“You all right?” Victor called across the café.
“Look at you, being a concerned fiancé,” Lucy said, beaming at him. “She’s fine. Just … wrong pipe. Speaking of pipes …”
“Stop!” Pandora said, charmingly scandalized by her friend’s outrageous comments.
“What?” Lucy asked, the picture of innocence. “I was just going to say that it’s, you know, really important for pipes to be long and firm, and—”
“You’ve got no shame, have you?” Pandora asked, shaking her head.
“You can’t blame me. I’ve been DJing my own party for ages now. I have to live vicariously through you until some hot groomsman sweeps me off my feet.”
“I will pray for your sake that Victor’s best friend, Sebastian, is as hot as you are hoping.”
“Make him hotter. My standards are on the floor lately,” Lucy said with a wince. “Though, you can’t pray, so I guess I will have to settle for him retaining at least half of his hair and having decent dental hygiene.”
“Reaching for the moon there,” Pandora said as a small crowd of customers came in.
She managed to spend some time with Victor before he headed home to get some sleep, their conversation helped on by the constantly interjecting Lucy.
But, eventually, it was time to go home.
She truly had no intention of letting the cat out of thebag about her engagement as she reached to open the front door of the Von Ashmore house.
She genuinely was going to stick to her own plan.
Until, suddenly, the words were tumbling out of her mouth.
Really, it was all her cousin Bellatrix’s fault.
10
