MIDNIGHT Bride The CEO's TEMPTATION

Instead, Joshua immediately brought her to get a marriage license.

"You are the one who proposed at your graduation ceremony, but now you are afraid to get a marriage license?" He chuckled.

"Who says I'm afraid?" She blushed with embarrassment as she looked at him angrily.

A smile curved his lips, and he couldn't wait any longer. Joshua put his arm around Hazel's waist and scooped her up into his arms.

She exclaimed, looking shyly at Joshua. "Put me down! Everyone is looking at us!"

"Then let them watch." He chuckled. Hazel buried her face in his chest as Joshua carried her into the building.

***

It is like a dream come true, Hazel thought as she continued to stare at the marriage license in her hand.

After an insanely crazy afternoon, they had obtained a marriage license, went to a nearby church, and found a priest to marry them. It all felt so unreal, but she had the proof in her hand, they were married. 

Walking out of the bureau, Hazel smiled at Joshua, she was beaming with happiness. "Joshua, pinch me, so I know this is real!"

Joshua thought it was adorable that Hazel was still in disbelief about their marriage. He smiled and slid his hand down from her waist to her bottom. He gave it a quick pinch and said, "Does this feel real?"

He pulled her close and kissed her lips. The passion flowing from his lips to hers left Hazel feeling hot all over. His grasp became stronger and stronger as if he was going to melt into her arms.

"Hm..." He gave her another deep kiss until she was out of breath.

"I asked you, does it feel real?" He chuckled.

"Yes! It does!" She blushed.

Their public display of affection attracted a lot of attention, and Hazel hoped Joshua would calm down, but instead, he picked her up again.

"I, I can walk myself…." Hazel said shyly. She tried to figure out why Joshua had to carry her out, he had carried her in, that was more than enough for her.

"I know," he said with a faint smile. "I just like to hold you close."

"Where are we going now?" Hazel asked as he sat her on the car seat, "Home?"

"Mmm, home." he smiled mysteriously.

"Oh." Her expression was a bit disheartened. She realized that since they were married, they would have a wedding night. Even though they hadn't had an actual wedding, they eloped, so there was no special celebration with friends and family, but there would still be the wedding night.

"What's the matter?" Joshua noticed that something was bothering her.

"Nothing." Hazel smiled and shook her head. Joshua had proposed to her, and she had her marriage license in her hand, so it was going to be hard for her to continue acting virtuous.

Joshua smiled. He knew Hazel had no idea where he was taking her, which was good because he wanted to show her that he had more planned.

Hazel looked out the window and realized they were not going toward Denmark Residence, she trusted Joshua, so she didn't question him. She had no idea where they were going, but she smiled as she closed her eyes.

Watching Hazel sleep was one of Joshua's favorite things to do. He knew she had been worn out because of the excitement recently. He just looked at her and smiled.

As she woke up and stretched, Hazel looked around. She didn't recognize anything and wondered where they were going.

"Where are we? Why are we still driving?" she asked expressionlessly.

"Just stay calm, we're almost there," Joshua whispered as he put his hand on her leg.

She was puzzled, but the car soon slowed to a stop. She opened the door and saw a beautiful villa in front of her. She was astounded by the scenery; there were mountains, a lake, and numerous flowers and trees all around.

A breeze blew, and the fragrance from the flowers left Hazel feeling safe and secure.

"Here, here…" She was too shocked to speak fluently.

"Shh..." He raised his finger and made a silent gesture. "Don't try to speak. Let's just go inside and have a look around."

She nodded her head and followed him toward the villa.

Once inside, Hazel was even more amazed. She admired the beautiful fireplace in the living room when she saw something moving out of the corner of her eye. Suddenly, a large golden retriever was licking her hand and wagging his tail.

Hazel saw something else move from the other side of the room. It was a fluffy orange cat balled up on the sofa. The cat squint at them when she heard the dog but then put her head down and went back to sleep. 

The villa was identical to the home she told Joshua she dreamt about, he made it happen.

"Joshua, do you seriously know how to read my mind?" She gazed at him with sparkling eyes. "How could you know I wanted all of this?"

She was trying to hold back her tears; the entire thing was so touching. It turned out that he actually remembered everything she had ever told him. He really cared more about her than she could ever imagine.

"Because we know each other." He smiled. Then he took her by the hand. "Let's go upstairs for a look."

She nodded slowly and smiled. After walking up the spiral staircase, Joshua led her to the bedroom. There was a large bed surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows so that the lake and mountains were visible. Sparkling white lights lit up the balcony.

"It's really beautiful here!" Hazel walked out onto the balcony and said happily.

"Do you like it?" Joshua asked softly, looking at her with loving tenderness.

"Yes, I like it very much!" She sighed.

"I'm glad that you do." He kissed her on the forehead.

Hazel began to explore more, she continued to wander around the villa like a child.

They took a walk outside by the lake and found a bench nearby where they stopped to relax. Hazel leaned into Joshua as he put his arm around her.

After a while, it began to get dark, and Joshua whispered, "It's time to leave." 

"But, can't we stay here a little longer?" Hazel's pleading.