by Leah Holt
“Hey, wait up!” The same deep, husky growl ricocheted off the sand dunes. “I can't just leave you out here like this, it doesn't feel right. Let me walk you back to your hotel.”
“What? No, it's fine, you don't need to.” Waving my shoe in the air, I dropped it to the ground. “I'm alright, really.”
Why the hell am I saying no?
You wanted this.
I had a habit of doing that, saying no when I really wanted to scream yes. I wasn't sure why I was predisposed to automatically say no, but I did it without even thinking about it.
Maybe it was because I had spent so much time after my mother passed away having to look out for myself. I spent my entire childhood practically alone. I was sent to boarding school during the school year and the only time my father was ever involved was when he shoved me into the star lights to find fame.
I had become so dependent on myself, that accepting help from another was like an out of body experience.
“I can't leave you after that jackass was harassing you, I'm walking you back.” His hand found the small of my back, guiding me forward. “Where are you staying?”
“I'm only up the street a block or so.” Pointing with my finger, I couldn't stop staring into his eyes.
They were mesmerizing, tickling my skin with light sparks of electricity. They were the same crystal blue as the ocean, white flakes were glittering around the rim of his iris', mingling with different shades of silver. There was no way for me to fully describe the way his gaze felt as it cast down on my body.
His eyes met mine, his fingers gently ruffled the trim of my shirt. Goosebumps shot across my skin, causing me to shiver as he spoke. “So, are you an official tourist or have you been here before?” His legs started moving and mine quickly followed with the pressure of his hand against my back.
The scent of mint and pine blew through the air, curling into my nose with long strokes. My breath hitched as another wave of his cologne stole my senses.
My mouth wanted to speak, but my brain had melted into a pile of mush. “Uh, well, kinda. But. . . Not really.” The words were hard to find, I was so lost in his presence.
“Okay, that's not a confusing answer at all.” Chuckling, Kealen's thumb pressed into my spine. “So you've been here, but you haven't been here.”
You sound like a fool, Allie!
Get it together!
“Well, I haven't been here before, but it reminds me of where I grew up.” My fingers twined together nervously as my eyes darted to the ground.
It was like I had just dropped in age, turning from a young woman into a fidgety, insecure teenager. My heart was palpitating inside my chest, strumming long notes that vibrated my ribs. My palms were sweating and sticky as his hand stayed static on my back.
Smirking, Kealen pulled his hand away and tucked it into his pocket, reading my body language as a negative reaction. My energy wasn't sensual and sexy, I was pushing him away as my body turned stiff, unsure of how to react to the man beside me.
He had it all wrong. It wasn't meant as a sign for him to back off, I just wasn't used to the feelings careening around inside my body.
But I wanted his hand back, I needed it back. With Kealen, I couldn't help but want more of his touch, even if it was barely a touch at all. All of this came from one instant, one moment where he made me feel like I was worth something.
“That makes more sense. Where did you grow up?”
I knew I had to be careful of what I said. If he really didn't know who I was, I didn't want to give it away. The wrong detail could start a landslide of information that would stop the conversation right there.
The runaway virgin was a target, no one would want to have their name slandered alongside my face. It could ruin whatever life they had created for themselves.
That was the last thing I wanted.
Tapping into the altered and watered down version of my past, I took a deep breath and answered. “On the west coast. How about you?” I wanted the focus off of who I had been and replaced with anything else at all.
It would be easier for me to listen than to give. I hadn't figured out what I wanted to share if it ever came up and I had only really planned on staying hidden, not thrown into the arms of a man.
“I'm from a little bit of everywhere. I moved around a lot as a kid and it kinda stuck with me. New places, new things, it keeps life colorful.”
He had just stolen a piece of my heart. I always wanted to travel, always wanted to taste new and see the unseen. He was living the life I wanted, the dream of freedom in the best form.
“That's awesome, I never did much traveling until recently. I always wanted to, it just never worked out that way until now.”
Be careful, be careful.
“I could give you a tour if you'd like. I've been coming here for years, I know a thing or two about this place.”
Tilting my head up, I smiled. “I'd like that.” Rounding the corner, I stopped outside my hotel. “Here we are.” Cupping my hands in front of my waist, I rocked on my heels.
“What room are you?”
Scanning the top row of doors, I held my hand above my eyes and squinted. “Uh. . . The one on the—wait. . . What are they—”
The door to my room was open, the cleaning lady's cart of items were parked in the entrance. But she wasn't just cleaning it, she was emptying it out.
“You've got to be kidding me!” Running up the stairs, I flew down the open corridor to my room. “Wait! What are you doing? Why is my stuff outside?”
A short woman wearing a light purple dress and bright yellow gloves popped her head out the door. “Excuse me?”
“This is my room, what are you doing?” Standing with my hands out, my mouth hung open.
“I'm sorry Miss, you'll have to go to the office and talk to the manager.”
“But this is my room, you can't remove my stuff.” Shock coated my expression as confusion rattled my brain.
What the hell is going on?
“I'm only doing my job, please, head down to the office and talk to the manager. You'll have to talk to her.” Flipping her finger up and pointing, she nodded her head down the stairs.
Grumbling to myself, I lifted my bag off the ground and turned to walk away. I wanted to say more, I was ready to give her holy hell for what she was doing. But it wasn't her fault and I knew that. She had orders to follow, I couldn't get angry at her for that.
I tried to convince myself there had to be some sort of mistake. Maybe I was being moved to another room, maybe there was an issue with the one I had. There were so many possibilities that could happen; leaky pipes, new paint, new carpet, anything.
“I don't know what's going on here.” Brushing past Kealen, I headed towards the office. That was the last thing I needed. To see my room, my home for the next week, being vacated without a valid reason had blindsided me. I paid for the room, I deserved some notification of any changes they might throw at me.
I could hear his feet behind me, his heavy steps matching mine. Looking over my shoulder, Kealen was following right behind me. “What are you doing?”
“I'm coming with you.”
“You don't have to do that, I'll figure out what's going on.”
“And if you don't, you'll need another option.”
Option? Something was going on with my room, that was all this was. I didn't need another option. They couldn't kick me out.
“Alright, you can come if you want, but I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for this.”
Walking into the office, the woman behind the desk stood there gleaming with a smile. “Hello, welcome to Waterford, do you have a reservation?”
Gripping the edge of the counter, I leaned in. “Hi, yeah, so I'm in room fifty-three and the maid said I needed to come talk to the manager. What's going on with my room?”
“Oh. . . Yes, Miss Landry, your room.” Tapping the keys on her keyboard, she glanced between the screen and my face. “I'm sorry, but the cred
it card you gave us has been declined.”
Wait, what?
Declined?
That wasn't possible, they accepted it this morning when I checked in. How the hell could it be declined?
“No no no no, there's some type of mistake here. My card worked this morning, I paid for a full week.”
“Not exactly. We took down your information, but we didn't try to run your card through until a little while ago, and it was denied. I'm sorry, the clerk should have informed you that we don't always bill for payment at time of check-in. If you like, we accept cash or check, would you like to pay that way?”
“I'm sorry, this isn't making any sense.” Yanking out my wallet, I tried to hand her my card. “Here, try again.”
“We ran the numbers through three times, I'm sorry. We do accept other forms of payment, but your card is no good. We could try another card if you have one.”
“I don't have another card.” Hanging my head, I laid my palms flat on the counter.
This couldn't be happening. There was nothing wrong with my card, I had plenty of room to pay for this. As I stood there dumbfounded and perplexed, it hit me.
My father must have canceled or frozen the card. That had to be the answer, that was the only thing that made sense. The card had my name on it, but he was the primary holder.
Damn it!
How could I forget that?
Dragging my nails through my hair, I cupped the sides of my neck between my forearms. I couldn't believe I had forgotten we had a joint account. I was broke. There were no more funds for me to tap into, no savings account or secret stash for me to use.
“Allie, let me—”
Holding up my hand, I cut Kealen off. “No.”
“You don't even know what I was going to say.”
“I don't need to, I don't want any more help.”
His fingers brushed the hair off my shoulder, tickling down my back. “I already told you, you might need another option.”
“And?” I asked, tucking my wallet back in my purse.
“I'm your option.” Kealen held his arms out, a big smile etched across his face.
The woman behind the desk let her eyes drift between us. The phone started ringing with different tones, chirping in like a flock of birds. Backing away from the counter, she said, “Honey, if I were you, I'd take option number two.” Winking, she sat down in her chair and answered the phone.
What is she getting at?
“Come on, I know what we can do.” Kealen went to the door and pushed it open, holding it for me.
There was no place else for me to go and I wasn't about to let him pay for a night. Tomorrow I'd be in the same boat; broke and homeless. But it wouldn't change anything, what harm was there in enjoying whatever idea sprung into his head.
Grudgingly, I threw my bag over my shoulder and stepped back into the bright sunlight. “Could this day get any worse?”
“It can always get worse, but it won't.”
“You can't know that, you have no idea what I've been through.”
“You're right, I don't, but that was before.”
“Before what?”
“Before you met me.” Smiling, Kealen nodded for me to follow him. “Come on.”
I hesitated, unsure if I should trust a man I had just met. But I had nothing to lose, there was nowhere for me to go, no one to call, no one to come save me.
All I had was a life to run from.
Huffing under my breath, I pursed my lips. “Where are we going?”
“You're coming with me.”
“What does that mean?”
“You'll see.” His smile broadened as his full lips lifted from ear to ear.
Even with how horrible I felt, I still wanted to kiss him. His lips looked soft, smooth, and easy to kiss. I was riding this strange high, a mix of sexual desire and freedom with hopelessness floating in between.
It was easy for me to forget the situation I had just found myself in while he was near me. I hadn't completely been able to understand why, and right then, I didn't care. I was going to ride this rollercoaster till I hit the peak and dropped off.
Kealen walked back in the direction we had just come from, passing the stairs I had marched down and going up another set in the far back of the courtyard. Tugging a key card from his back pocket, he stopped at a door and shoved it into the thin slot.
His arm pushed open the door as he twisted to look down on me. “Welcome to option number two, my room, the next stop in your tour of Waterford City.”
Who the hell was this man?
He had walked into my world, ready to fight off a man he didn't know for a woman he had just stumbled upon. And now he was swooping me under his arm and saving the day again.
How was I going to repay him for everything he was doing?
“You're kidding? We're staying in the same hotel?”
“Seems that way, and now it looks like we'll be staying in the same room.”
I couldn't understand his willingness to save me. Either he was just a really nice guy or he had ulterior motives.
Which I couldn't lie and say I would mind if he tried anything, but to agree to stay with someone I didn't know was crazy.
Except, what the hell was I going to do?
I was literally trapped and without a fucking thing to call my own. I was in an unfamiliar place, with no money, no way out.
Against all my gut instincts to just say no and walk away, I actually thought about it. The gesture was nice, but the risk in agreeing was huge. I had just met this guy, could I really stay with him in his room?
“So, what do you say?”
“I don't know what to say. I don't know you, remember?” Crossing my arms over my chest, I stood just outside the door.
“Well, you're about to get to know me.” Tossing the card onto the small table by the door, he turned to me. “I have two beds, so don't get any ideas.” His laugh hit my chest, forcing me to giggle.
I was already falling for this man and I knew absolutely nothing about him. But he had already done more for me than anyone else.
“I can't believe I'm agreeing to share a room with a stranger.” Taking a long, slow step into the room, he let the door swing shut behind me.
“I can't believe it either. Aren't there after school specials about shit like this?” A gritty chuckle hit his lips as he tipped his head back. “I'm kidding. Trust me, I'm harmless.”
Chapter Four
Alaska
“You hungry?” Kealen asked, sitting on the edge of his bed, watching me sift through my bag on the floor. His hands were balled together, elbows resting on the top of his knees.
“I could eat, but. . .”
“But what?” Pushing up on his hands, he leaned back and cocked his head to the side. A tight smile fixed on his face as he watched me scroll through excuses inside my head.
There was really only one reason I couldn't go out and purchase an actual meal, I didn't have to tiptoe around the answer. He was already well aware of my lack of funds. I had agreed to stay with him in his room, if I could have afforded to pay for another room without using the only card I had, I would've.
“I have a hundred dollars left in my pocket, I should try and save it. At least until I can get some sort of job so I can get back on the road.”
“I didn't ask you if you had money, I asked if you were hungry. Let me buy you dinner.”
Sitting up on my haunches, I stared at him. It was a nice gesture, but he had already done enough for me by letting me stay with him. I didn't want to be a burden on him anymore than I already was, and I definitely didn't want him to think I was trying to take advantage of his generosity either.
“No, thank you, but I can't let you do that. I'll just grab something from the vending machine.”
Scrubbing his jaw with his hand, his lip curled high. “You're pretty stubborn, huh?”
“What? No, it's just you've already done enough by letting me crash here.”
&nbs
p; Standing up, Kealen walked over to me and flipped my bag closed. “Come on, lets go.”
Holding out my palms, I teetered on my heels. “No, it's fine, I'll grab some snacks after. Go get yourself some food, I'll see you when you get back.”
Staring up at him, I could see the thick outline of his cock against his pants. My eyes glazed over the bulbous head, following the shaft until it disappeared. I could feel my tongue swell as my mouth started to water.
Blinking quickly, I wiped my lips and glanced away. He was reeking havoc on my insides, disarming all my self control.
I wouldn't say I was a prude or didn't want to ever have sex. But the feelings he conjured in me were brazen, tempting me to surrender to him.
His hand came out hard and firm, fingers flapping wildly for me to take it. “It's not an option, I'm buying you dinner. Come on.”
Closing my eyes, I laughed, letting my head roll deeper into my chest. “And you called me stubborn?”
“I did, because you are. I'm determined, it's different.” Gripping my wrist, he pulled me to my feet. “What do you like to eat?”
As he lifted me up, I stumbled forward, pressing into his chest. My fingers hit the hard muscles of his corded abs, digging into a firm set of stepping stones.
Holy shit, he is as hard as he looks.
Kealen felt hard as granite, like a stone mason had carved him from one solid block. Expelling a breath, I danced my fingertips lightly over his chest. Swallowing hard, I steadied myself and took a step back.
Our eyes met, his clinched as his fingers gently trailed down over the back of my arms and cupped my elbows.
Everything was tingling; my hands, my arms, the space between my thighs. This man did something to me with just an innocent touch.
We were so close, inches from each other. My stomach was flipping, head whirling with images of ripping his shirt off and tackling him. A deep seeded need was strangling my insides. I wanted to feel him deep inside me, spreading me open and giving me my first taste of cock.
It felt wrong to have such naughty thoughts about a man I had just met. I couldn't understand where the desire to have this guy stemmed from. Never in my life had I ever wanted someone so badly—especially someone I didn't know.