WynetteAfter I hung up the phone, I gave my forehead a light massage with one hand. The overnight clerk at my front desk wasn't going to be coming in. That shouldn't have come as much of a shock. He lived quite a distance out from the town center, on a side road that was not on anyone's list of top priorities to clear. It was necessary for him to call in frequently if there were nor'easters like the one that is currently bearing down on us. Because Mary, who worked the day shift, was such a fan of overtime, we never had any issues with this. However, Murphy's Law seemed to be operating at full strength this week. Mary was sick with the flu, and Louis, who worked a rotating schedule, had family visiting from out of town and was unable to work any extra shifts.It wasn't a problem for me to make up the difference, but at that moment we were very close to having the house completely packed. The building of the resort that the pack was going to build had begun, but because there were not
WYNETTEMy break finally arrived, and by that time I'd had plenty of time to think about whether or not I should extend an offer to Ale. My anxiety was so intense that it made my chest sing.As I nervously swiped at my blazer, the word "stupid" roared through my thoughts. It's possible that Ale means what he says about wanting to date me, and certainly, there might be things in the next few years that will keep him here.Nothing in any of that spoke to the viability of a romantic connection between us. Hadn't I just finished explaining to Teagan how unable our mother was to maintain a relationship with a partner? Hadn't I just been brought back to the realization that none of my siblings or I had been able to maintain even the remotest semblance of a normal, long-lasting relationship? Teagan was so certain that it was impossible for us to find a partner in love that she decided to get into a contract marriage for the purpose of convenience.Why should that rule not apply to someone li
WynetteI was on his mind. As I poured us both coffee from the little pot in the back office, the thought lifted my spirits and made me feel buoyant. I had been just as hesitant to take myself away from his arms as he had been to let me go, but I had to get to work, which was something that was brought to both of our attention by the screech of the phone that broke up our hug.Ale, on the other hand, displayed a wonderful lack of concern as he released me to attend to the phone and made himself at home at the tiny table that was crammed into the corner of the room. I came to the conclusion that he was more akin to the rakish space captains or cosmic pirates that populated Teagan's favored genres than any of the stately gentlemen that were featured in my most cherished romance novels. Despite this, when I looked over my shoulder to ask him how he liked his coffee, he was staring at me with the same kind of concentrated focus that heroes in stories of every genre give to the love intere
Wynette I was on his mind. As I poured us both coffee from the little pot in the back office, the thought lifted my spirits and made me feel buoyant. I had been just as hesitant to take myself away from his arms as he had been to let me go, but I had to get to work, which was something that was brought to both of our attention by the screech of the phone that broke up our hug. Ale, on the other hand, displayed a wonderful lack of concern as he released me to attend to the phone and made himself at home at the tiny table that was crammed into the corner of the room. I came to the conclusion that he was more akin to the rakish space captains or cosmic pirates that populated Teagan's favored genres than any of the stately gentlemen that were featured in my most cherished romance novels. Despite this, when I looked over my shoulder to ask him how he liked his coffee, he was staring at me with the same kind of concentrated focus that heroes in stories of every genre give to the love int
Alejandro I was frowning as I looked at myself in the enormous mirror that hung in the restroom. You are a shady piece of work, are you aware of that? As I stormed out of the bathroom and into the suite, I couldn't help but be irritated, so I spun on my heel and began thrashing at the light switch with one hand. It was ridiculously late, even for me, and as I made my way across the dark room, I could feel the effects of the long day coming up with me. After pushing the sheets to the side, I climbed into bed and landed on my back. Because I didn't want to wear anything more than shorts to bed, I turned the thermostat in my room all the way up, but now it's too hot. I grumbled at the ceiling as I kicked the flimsy, uninteresting blankets further off to one side of the bed and then turned my attention to the floor. I should have been more straightforward with Wynette and told her everything. During that first damned cup of coffee, I should have been honest about who I was and why I
Wynette I couldn't remember how I got inside my suite. I also didn't know where Ale's camera or either of our coats went, but when he pushed me against the wall and nuzzled my throat, I didn't care about anything but how he felt against me. I had missed the heat of his solidly muscled body more than I dared to admit, and the fact that he wanted me even though I was wearing jeans and a sweater instead of a beautiful dress was both heady and magical. "I dreamed about you last night," he said in a raspy voice. He kissed me behind the ear, which made me tilt my head back and sigh. “Mmmm?” I meant to ask a real question, but his hand got under my sweater and threw me off, so all I could do was hum. "Tucson was in my dreams. Of waking up before you left." “Oh.” I was filled with guilt. "I didn't—" Ale's fingers picked at the thin fabric of the thermal top I was wearing under my sweater, pulling it away from my fleece-lined leggings. "—I didn't want to disturb you." He grunted
Alejandro I was frowning as I looked at myself in the enormous mirror that hung in the restroom. You are a shady piece of work, are you aware of that? As I stormed out of the bathroom and into the suite, I couldn't help but be irritated, so I spun on my heel and began thrashing at the light switch with one hand. It was ridiculously late, even for me, and as I made my way across the dark room, I could feel the effects of the long day coming up with me. After pushing the sheets to the side, I climbed into bed and landed on my back. Because I didn't want to wear anything more than shorts to bed, I turned the thermostat in my room all the way up, but now it's too hot. I grumbled at the ceiling as I kicked the flimsy, uninteresting blankets further off to one side of the bed and then turned my attention to the floor. I should have been more straightforward with Wynette and told her everything. During that first damned cup of coffee, I should have been honest about who I was and why I
AlejandroThat night, I didn't get very much sleep.Instead, I used each of the three packets of pre-measured coffee grounds that housekeeping had left in my room to make one pot after another of coffee. I used up all of the grounds. After I used up all of the revolting powdered creamer that I had on hand, I switched to drinking my coffee black.I used the laminate table in the room to set up my laptop, and I placed a notepad and a pen next to it. I was able to retrieve the skeleton of a plan for going into business for myself from the deep depths of my digital archives. This was a plan that I had started years ago and occasionally pulled out to poke at when I was very unhappy with the work that I was doing.Because I did not have any fidget toys readily available, I paced about the room while turning my coffee cup in my hands. I did this as the gears in my head turned and the thoughts that were going through my head churned. Whenever I took more than a few steps, I dashed back to the