Rising Storm (Westin Force #2) - Julie Trettel Page 0,52
this section and everything in that direction.” He pointed away from the hallway we’d just come from. “They do serve breakfast every morning if you prefer to eat something else, and they have this coffee station over here set up twenty-four hours a day.”
My eyes widened with excitement. “All day coffee?”
“Yeah, I thought that would get you excited.” He snorted.
“You aren’t a fan, are you?”
He shook his head. “Never acquired the taste.”
I watched his reaction, and then a worry came to mind.
“Will you still kiss me if I drink it?”
He smiled. “I’ll learn to love it. Come on, I want to introduce you to some people.”
We walked over to the front desk.
“Hey Painter. Haven’t seen you around in a while.”
He grinned. “Been busy. This is Emma.”
“Your mate?” she asked curiously.
“Yes, she is. Emma this is Sondra, she won’t be the only one working here, but if you need anything at all they’ll help you, right Sondra?”
I wasn’t sure he was aware of his impact on the other females. He was big and handsome. He was often reserved so when he did speak to someone, but especially a female, he sort of dazzled them. Sondra didn’t look thrilled to hear he had found a mate, but she was sweet and nice to me just the same.
“Is Cal around here somewhere?”
“Sure. Cal,” Sondra called. “Get out here for a minute.”
A young kid peeked his head out from the room behind the desk.
“Hey, Cal. This is Emma. If she needs to head out or go anywhere, can you be sure to take her? Just put it on my room.”
“You got it Painter. Anything for you.”
“Where would I want to go?”
He smiled at me. “I don’t know, into town, over to Shelby’s, wherever. If I’m not around to take you, just come find Cal. He lives here with his parents who run the Lodge, so you can almost always find him around.”
“If he’s not available, we’ll find someone to take you. Don’t even worry about it, just come to the desk here and ask any of us working at the time.”
“Thank you, Sondra,” I said. I genuinely meant it too.
Painter nodded at them both. “Thanks.” Then he turned to me. “Grab a coffee if you want and I’ll walk you back upstairs before my meeting.”
He looked at his watch and I knew from his face that he didn’t have the time.
“Go on. I think I might go for a walk outside while I’m down here. Is that okay?”
“You’re not a prisoner, Emma. You are free to go anywhere you want.”
“Okay, great. Then I’ll see you later.”
He kissed me in front of the others, causing Sondra to blush. “I’ll be home in a few hours for lunch.”
I smiled and waved as he disappeared down the hall we came from.
“You are one lucky lady. He’s quite the catch. I know he’s not, uh, usual for around here, but he sure is nice to look at. There’s going to be a lot of girls around here sad to see he’s taken. First Grant, now Painter. They’re dropping like flies.”
“Ben is also mated,” I pointed out.
“He was already mated when he got here. He was never available. Don’t you worry. We respect mates around here. No one is going to go after your man. Flirting can be a hard habit to break though. Not that anyone ever cracked that man of yours, but plenty tried.”
I laughed. “He’s very good in bed. I don’t blame you for trying.”
Her eyes went wide in shock. “You’re handling all of this very well. How long has it been since you sealed your bond?”
There was that term again. “We haven’t. I don’t think we have. I don’t really know what that means.”
Sondra gave me a sad look. “Has he marked you yet?” She surprised me by pulling her shirt to the side and showing me two puncture marks on her neck. “I’m happily mated to my Aaron, but that doesn’t mean the guys aren’tthen fun to tease. Usually a mating female would have been growling and shooting me death stares. You’re so calm.”
“Is that bad?”
“I don’t know. You’re not, uh, like me.”
“A wolf?”
She smiled but looked around before lowering her voice. “The Lodge gets a lot of human visitors, so we try to be discreet about that around here.”
“Oh, sorry.”
“But, yes, that’s what I meant.”
“How should I be acting?”
“Emma, there’s nothing wrong with you. Every type is different, and every person is different. For me, I couldn’t stand Aaron being anywhere near another