Page 32 of Clash of Kings

“You were going to say but something. But?” Bas ignored Anthony’s pout.

Dakota pointed to Anthony. “Does that childish face work on others?”

Tony winked. “It worked really well on Jolee.”

“Yeah, and you saw the males of my pack. The bar wasn’t that high.”

Lydia doubled over laughing, and Bas arched a brow at his cousin. “I think you just got burned.”

“Why you picking on me, woman? Damn.”

“Because it’s so much fun.” Dakota leaned against Sebastian’s arm. “Let’s go ahead and drive the two hours so junior stops pouting.”

“Do you want me to reserve rooms for all of us?” Lydia offered.

“Nah. I’ll let Dakota put it on our card. I’ll text you the address before we hit the road so you don’t have to follow us.”

“Sounds good.” Anthony held out his keys to Lydia. “You drive. I need both hands for these.” He held up the bag of puffs. “Want some?” he asked Dakota.

“No thank you. I’m still full of brisket.”

“Your loss.” Anthony tossed back a mouthful, then climbed into the passenger side of his vehicle.

Clutching the keys in one hand, Lydia waved with the other. “See you in a couple hours.”

Sebastian walked Dakota to her side and helped her in. He pulled his wallet out of his back pocket before climbing in. Once inside, he handed Dakota a credit card as well as his phone after he unlocked it and texted the address for the inn to Anthony. “Here’s the website for where we’ll be staying. Please book three rooms.”

“Three?” Dakota asked.

“If you want your own room, then book four. I didn’t mean to assume.” Bas started the Jeep and shifted into reverse. He backed out of the spot without looking at his mate. Instead of stating her preference, Dakota began tapping at the screen. A few minutes later, she situated the credit card and phone both in one hand and typed the number into the phone. When she was finished, she placed the phone into the cubby and returned his card to his wallet. He was dying to know if they were spending the night together, but he’d find out soon enough.

Dakota slid her hand across his shoulder and tangled her fingers in his hair. “Tell me about this lodge and your vision for it.”

Sebastian’s Goyle hummed appreciatively at the contact. “I looked at three different ones. The Wellis Lodge was in the best condition, plus it’s on a mountain. The building is in good repair and won’t need too much work to make it into what I envisioned. The attic will need walls built since it’s all one big area, plus it’ll have to be plumbed in for bathrooms. That’ll be the biggest expense. A couple in our Clan have opened several restaurants, and they’ve offered to help with the kitchen. If you open my phone to the photos, I took lots of pictures if you want to see it before we get there tomorrow.” Dakota plucked the phone from the cubby, tapped the screen, and paused. “The passcode is 062565.”

“Is that significant?” Dakota asked as she typed it in.

“That’s the date you pounced into my life,” he admitted. Call him a sentimental fool, but that day changed everything for Bas.

Dakota’s fingers paused stroking his hair, then started up again as she scrolled through the photos. “This place looks awesome. Are you planning on living there?”

“That was the plan. I was going to take one of the rooms while renovations are being done.”

“Was the plan?”

“I have you to consider now. I’ve inquired about the surrounding land, and if the owners are willing to sell, I planned to build a house close to the lodge. If not, I was going to remain there long enough to get the business up and running, then find another property to do the same thing. What are your thoughts about remaining in West Virginia? Because if you’d rather move to another state, we can still proceed with renovating Wellis Lodge while looking for property to build our home elsewhere. And then there’s my home in Atlanta. We have a place to live while searching for somewhere else.”

Dakota replaced the phone after looking at all the photos. “What about your office?”

“I do a lot of business by phone and email. I’ll use the office at the lodge for the time being, and I can always find real estate in town. If I’m needed in Atlanta, I can either drive or fly back.”

“I’m not opposed to living in West Virginia. I might be on the outs with my pack and my father, but I wouldn’t mind staying close to my mom. She’s a typical omega, always baring her neck to my alpha father, but she’s been on my side for the most part. Carlton is close enough to see her if I want, but also far enough away I won’t have to worry about the pack showing up every five minutes.”

“You sure about that? You said you didn’t think King would let the challenge go without retribution.”

Dakota squeezed Sebastian’s neck before resuming her caress of his hair. “I’m sure. He might come after us, but I have no doubt you can take him down. How did Sloane end up flying out the window?”

“Anthony punched him, then kicked him. I don’t think he meant to send him flying, but Sloane had his claws around Lydia’s neck. She cut Sloane, then Anthony did the rest.”

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