Page 36 of Cruel Alpha Bully

We head into a lodge surrounded by smaller cabins to check in. I gratefully put my bag down next to the desk and think very seriously of a hot bath and a big, soft bed.

And Bae lying right beside me while I trace my fingers down his chest—

Stop it!

“Hi,” Bailey says to the girl at the counter. “Do you have any rooms available?”

“We sure do,” she says brightly. “Standard or deluxe?”

“Deluxe,” Bae answers immediately, surprising me.

“Oooh, special occasion?” the girl asks.

Bae grins and nods, throwing an arm around me and squeezing me against his body. “Sure is! It’s our honeymoon!”

Part of me wants to protest, but after the words sink in, I realize it’s technically true.

The girl goes through the process of checking us in while Bae tells a grand tale of our hiking honeymoon across the peaks, staying at local cabins along the way.

“We just love the thrills, and the solitude of the peaks,” he says. “And staying in little places like this in between makes it so much more fun.”

“I’m sure you’ll enjoy your cabin,” the girl says as she hands over the keys. “You’ve got a king-sized bed, private hot tub, and there’s limited room service available. Otherwise, you can head to our restaurant out the back.”

“No problem!” Bae grins at her. “Thank you so much.” He picks up both our packs and grabs my hand, giving it a squeeze. “Come on, wifey, let’s try out that bed,” he teases me.

Behind us, I hear the girl giggling. By the time we get outside, my cheeks are burning so hot, they must look like tomatoes.

“Was that really necessary?” I hiss at him.

“Yes,” Bae answers. “Got to keep our cover, don’t we? Besides, it’s actually true.”

He doesn’t let go of my hand all the way to the cabin, and I don’t pull away. When we stop at the door, he turns to look at me, and my fingers tighten around his. There’s an intensity in his eyes, more than I’ve ever seen. For a moment, it feels like he is going to say something profound, but then turns away from me to open the door, and the feeling passes.

“I think we should jump straight in the hot tub,” Bailey says, grabbing the room service menu. “You want some champagne?”

Yes, and YES!

“No, Bae. We have a job to do, remember?”

He scowls. “Yeah. But I just thought we might…”

“I know,” I say, my tone a bit too hard. “But let’s take care of our duty to the pack first.”

I’m using an excuse he can’t possibly argue against, but I know in my heart it really is just an excuse. If we relax in here alone, we are going to tangle together and fall into that bed and probably never leave it.

I’m not ready. I’m just not ready.

I take a shower and change quicker than I ever have in my life. Bae ordered some lunch while I was in the bathroom—sandwiches and tea, no champagne—and I eat while he freshens up.

“Ready to go?” I ask the second he steps out of the bathroom

“Yep,” he answers, grabbing his jacket. “We might not find anything, you know. It might take a few days.”

I can tell by the hopeful tone in his voice that he wants to get back here as quickly as possible and be alone with me. I feel like I’m being torn in two, because I want that as well, but I’m so scared to move too fast.

“Better get started, then,” I say, heading for the door.

As we leave, Bae takes my hand. I try to pull away, but he gives my hand a squeeze and sidles up closer to me.

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