Page 54 of Howl You Doin?
She is absolutely stunning.
She moves closer and the smell of her arouses me so much that I’ve grown accustomed to walking everywhere with a hard-on tightening my pants. The way my hands shake, wanting to dig into her hips, is a new development.
Her brows pinch. “I thought you meant—you know what? Never mind what I thought. Do you want to explain last night? Or maybe want to talk about why you were in my bathroom that day?”
“Right to the point then?” I ask, unprepared for her tirade, but I suppose I should have been. “Maybe we should go somewhere more private.”
I wave toward her door, gesturing for her to open it. She unlocks it with her key and steps inside, then quickly turns to me with her hands balled into fists on her hips.
I know I’m in trouble, and her glare tells me I better make my next words good.
“Listen. I will be completely upfront with you,” I say, walking in and closing the door behind me. “Last night was the best sleepI had in ages. I had a bit too much to drink last night, and I want to thank you for not tossing me from the room. You would have been well within your rights to.”
The tension in her shoulders softens as if she’s surprised. “You’re welcome.”
“Can you forgive me for being a complete and total ass for the last few weeks? I really like you, Whitley, and Iamsorry for my past actions. As to what I was doing in your bathroom, I grew fascinated with thethingafter looking for something. All of this wing used to be mine, and they gave it to you while I was away without letting me check if it was truly empty. I was searching for something of mine and thought it may be in there.”
It’s not a complete lie; I actually do have a couple suit ties in this room somewhere, unless the staff removed them and didn’t tell me.
“And you were in the bathroom because...?” She raises a brow at me in question.
“I heard you coming into the room and panicked,” I say honestly, shrugging.
Her eyes narrow, and her skirts swish lightly as gives me her side.
“Can you at least tell me why you were such an ass,O’Doyle Rules?” A small smile plays at her lips at the strange nickname she has given me, before quickly hiding it.
“I’ll be frank with you—I’ve been stressed about opening the hotel. We decided to throw a ball not long after you arrived, and much was happening around that time that I can’t tell you. Vlad has also disappeared with very little warning, and you kind of came at a bad time for me.”
Whitley folds her arms and her lips pout. “But you hired me then.”
I scratch the back of my neck, unsettled by how nervous I am by this conversation. “Due to a mix-up, Aubrey actually arriveda week early, so we needed to rush to hire someone. We didn’t want the hotel’s reputation to be damaged by our very first guest, who also has a really big social media following. We were worried she’d ruin us before we were even open.”
“But none of this explains why you were so harsh on me in comparison to everyone else.”
I find my gaze slipping away, unable to meet hers.
“There’s much I can’t tell you, Whitley.” Yeah, like how I’m a werewolf and this hotel is owned by monsters. Or that she calls to my instincts in a way I’ve never experienced before, and it’s been driving me and my cock nuts for weeks. “I guess I’ve liked you from the beginning, but you’re my employee, so I thought putting a wall between us would be best.”
“You’ve liked me from the beginning?” she whispers, her posture losing all its stiffness, and I hear her heart stutter.
Her skin flushes in a way that makes me want to pull her into my arms and nibble on her.
“Yeah, I have,” I say, surprising myself by how true that may be.
It’s regretful that we’re having this kind of discussion about my behavior when I’ve found her exceptionally beautiful from the very beginning. Although her tempestuous nature has always grated on me, I’ve often found myself seeking that battle with her because she is so beguiling. I’ve been unable to stay away, her scent making me pant like a werewolf in a rut, but resisting her and her charm seemed easier at first.
Whitley is pretty, and her curves make me want to bring her into my strong arms so I can feel her softness. I wish I could tell her that, but I also don’t want to sound like a sappy sod trying to negate everything I’ve done.
“A-and the garden?” she asks in a small voice, a blush rising in her cheeks.
A grin threatens my face. “Just testament to how hard I find it to resist you.”
She folds her arms and gives me her side again, like she wants to hide. “Say I forgive you. What happens next?”
“To be completely honest, if this didn’t go as planned, I was going to convince you with more orgasms.”
“What?” The shock that lines her expression brings me unadulterated joy.
