The Beast Within (The Elite Series) - By Jonathan Yanez Page 0,18

run with it. In minutes he was standing in his room, towel wrapped around his waist, studying his wardrobe.

The restaurant in the hotel where Laren was staying was one of the best in town. He decided on a pair of black slacks, matching black shoes, and a light blue dress shirt. The blue reminded him of Katie—her eyes staring back into his—telling him she still cared for him. But she was the one that had let him go, the one that had made the choice. It was unfair for her to do this now, when she knew he had started seeing someone else.

He buttoned his shirt, then tucked the tails into his pants and headed for the door. His black hair was tussled slightly by the breeze. It was another night of decent weather and a clear sky.

With just a few red lights and stop signs hindering his progress, he reached the hotel restaurant in just under twenty minutes. Parking his truck in the back amongst the Ferraris and Lamborghinis, he made his way around the building .

An attendant greeted him, opened the large glass door, and with a practiced smile said, “Good evening, sir.”

“Oh, hi. Thanks.”

Walking into the lobby, Connor was stunned. He knew where the hotel was but he never had a reason to venture inside before. The floor was made of white marble. Cream-colored pillars made of the same material extended from floor to the vaulted ceiling every few yards, and rich paintings hung on the walls. It was nothing like the Italian restaurant, where it seemed every square inch was covered, but more thought out, the décor more elegantly placed. There were large plants and a few couches scattered deliberately around the lobby. Classical music played in the background.

Not seeing the entrance of the restaurant, he approached the lobby clerk, who sat behind the front counter.

“Excuse me, where is the restaurant entrance?”

The plump, pleasant female receptionist looked Connor up and down. Her blue suit was wrinkle free and perhaps a size too big for her. Her gold-rimmed glasses fit her moon-shaped face just right and her short hair was so curly it reminded Connor of ribbons.

“Just down the lobby and to the left. You’ll see it marked with a sign. It’s called The Den.”

“Thank you.” Connor gave her a smile and a headed toward the area she indicated.

Before he could take three steps in that direction, he saw a figure moving toward him. The man must have been massive to look this big so far away. Connor made his way toward the restaurant, but the man chose a path that would intercept him before he reached his destination. In a few more steps, Connor was able to recognize who the burly man was; it was Lu.

The big man had long brown hair tucked back in a masculine way. His attire didn’t match the hotel’s at all. He was dressed in workout clothes, the cut off shirt he wore showed how muscular his arms were.

Connor wasn’t a violent person by nature, but every once in awhile he wondered to himself who would win in a fight if it came down to it. He would size other guys up, not in a threatening way, but more curious than anything. Most of the time he would bet on himself. With Lu it was a hard choice.

Lu stared at Connor for a second with his penetrating green eyes as the two met in the lobby. “So, this is who my sister has been spending all her time with.”

“It’s nice to see you again, Lu,” Connor said, extending a hand.

Lu ignored his outstretched hand, keeping his gaze even. Where Laren’s eyes were emerald green, warm, and friendly, Lu’s were full of anger and suspicion.

“Listen,” Lu started, “I can appreciate you being interested in my sister, but there’s a lot more here than ‘guy likes girl and girl likes guy.’ My family will not approve of you, so there’s no point in any of it, even if she does like you. Spare yourself some heartache and leave her alone.”

Connor thought this over for a few seconds before he responded. “No.”

“What did you say?”

“I said no. Laren’s old enough to make her own decisions, and if your family is going to dislike me, then I’ll just have to win them over.”

Lu held Connor’s gaze and for a moment—an unstoppable force met an immovable object—green eyes staring into brown.

“You have balls, kid,” Lu put his hand on Connor’s left shoulder and leaned in to