Chapter 4: Hello Beautiful
1506 Words
Startling blue eyes in a heart-shaped face met his. Holy s**t! He was a goner. f*****g beautiful. She glared at him and her lips pressed into a thin line before she ignored him. His Bear roared at her disinterest.
Had she just dismissed him without a second glance? No f*****g way. But that was exactly what she'd done.
She turned back to talk to the concierge. Marcus growled and stared at her even harder. Turn around and look at me, he willed, but she did not budge.
Ugly clothes or not, she had the most beautiful eyes he'd ever seen. They were the color of a September sky. Clear and bright, they were easily the bluest eyes he'd ever witnessed. Utterly breathtaking.
His stomach tightened as he inhaled her scent. Tupelo honey with the faintest hints of English lavender. He imagined she'd taste just as sweet on his tongue. Grrr.
He felt his Bear's possessive growl tremble through his body. His fingertips ached, and his gums itched, his Bear desperate to make an appearance. Uh oh.
He should get as far away from her as possible. The thought was met with more rumblings from his Bear. He wanted her now in his den where he could stake his claim.
We must leave her for now, he told his inner beast. She is a normal and doesn't know of our kind, best not frighten her, his attempt to soothe the Bear was met with anger and impatience. Finally, he dominated the Bear with a single growled thought. Back off.
His self-preservation instincts were nothing compared to his Black Bear's drive for him to find his mate. f*****g terrible clothes or not, this woman is mine. MINE.
Still, he knew better than to frighten her. Marcus exhaled, but couldn't stem the slow growl that crept up from his throat. Her eyes jumped back to his and he covered up the noise with a cough. She frowned.
Time's up, Romeo. I need to get out of here. He should really move, but his legs refused to work.
The urge to gather her up in his arms and sniff her from head to toe was damn near overwhelming. He unconsciously stepped closer to the woman. His Bear rumbled with happiness at her nearness.
"Can I help you?" his mate asked. He felt his cheeks heat and realized he'd been caught ogling her. He grew even redder as she regarded impatiently.
"I said, can I help you? Mister?" Her voice was husky and rich, music to his ears, but it was her wide eyes that held him hypnotized.
"Mr. Devlin, your key!" his attention was brought back to Mr. Gordon who was waving his card key in the air. What the f**k am I doing?
"Sorry, excuse me," he murmured and quickly turned away from her.
No way. We're not doing this here! He fought the Bear for dominance and won. Though his chest was heaving with the effort.
He turned to Mr. Gordon and gathered his key, nodding at her on his way to the elevator. This time he managed to avoid eye contact.
His Bear snarled and growled at him, but he refused to listen. He was here for two things, work first, then relaxation. Not to find his f*****g mate in some normal. She was a badly dressed tourist on vacation for s**t's sake!
Too late, fucker. She is the one. Normal or not.
His Bear seemed to smirk at him. Hints of her honey sweet scent filtered through the cooling system of the hotel and Marcus groaned. He was so f****d.
***
Leya sighed and took in the incredible view of the ocean from her room. Moongate Island was situated in the Atlantic, but this was unlike any water she'd ever seen on her brief trips to the shore.
It was crystal clear and almost teal in color. The waves tickled the sand with foam, and dozens of tiny little fish swam just a few feet from the hotel guests.
She longed to go down to the surf and frolic and play. Leya watched the couples scattered all over the sand. Each one an island unto themselves. She sighed, a little green with envy.
Oh well, at least I'm here. She had to stop daydreaming about finding true love. It clearly wasn't gonna happen for her.
Instead, she needed to concentrate on the paradise she'd landed in! It was all so beautiful, and she could see every inch of Moongate Island from right there!
By some lucky twist of fate, she'd learned that the bargain rate room she'd booked was uninhabitable when she arrived. Some water damage or some such thing.
The hotel manager insisted she accept a luxury suite without any additional charges to make up for it. Leya happily agreed. She was due some perks in life, and a free upgrade was a fine way to begin her vacation.
After her disastrous encounter with the gorgeous stranger in the lobby of the hotel, she was determined to enjoy herself. Oh boy, was he hot!
Of course, she noticed the huge man when his blatant stare had become obvious. Of course it wasn't all coming up roses, for Leya, the man had a fierce scowl on his perfect face as his eyes bore holes into her.
She doubted it was anything good that kept him staring. Then she had to go and open her big mouth, but whatever. He had no right to give her dirty looks! Just because he was hot as hell and she was, well, her.
Okay, so she wasn't exactly used to big, good-looking men staring at her and as a result, she hadn't been the friendliest when she spoke. He'd apologized and skedaddled out of there as fast as his long legs could carry him.
Oh well, nothing was going to come of that encounter anyway, so why mourn the loss? Leya shrugged to herself. For some reason, she'd missed the big guy when he'd walked away.
He was so out of my league, she stopped the thought. Leya had to get over this whole she wasn't good enough thing.
How often did she come across a man who made her heart pound and her mouth water? Not f*****g often. That's it, she scolded herself. No more hiding!
"Here's to the first day of the rest of my life," she smiled and sipped from her complimentary champagne.
Not a big drinker, her first impulse had been to refuse the gift basket from the hotel staff. She was glad now that she didn't. The bubbly drink soothed her nerves. It was like sipping sunshine.
She walked to the large bedroom and unpacked her carry-on luggage. What had she been thinking? Leya frowned at her clothes.
She picked up item after item, tossing them to the polished floor. I dress like an old lady. So many years wasted trying to hide her ample figure under oversized tunics and slacks. She resembled a piece of furniture most of the time!
The green outfit she had on was a gift she'd received last Christmas. She hated it, but since it fit her, she figured why waste an outfit. Oh Leya, you should've thrown it away!
Society spent billions in the fashion industry convincing women like Leya that they should hide their bodies. She knew it was wrong and biased, but thin was in! And she was not thin in any way shape or form.
She caught herself in the mirror and cringed. No wonder tall, dark, and studly stared. I look like an old cat lady's couch!
She tore off the offending clothing and tossed it across the room. Uh! I know, a swim might cheer me up! Leya had one swimsuit and groaned as she put it on. Dear Lord! She shook her head in disgust. Well, this is what you get for ordering from a catalogue.
It was the wrong color. The wrong size. And it made her body look short and puffy. Her bust was uncomfortably pushed down, and her butt looked enormous. OMG! I am a mess! She frowned as she turned around in the mirror.
"No freaking way," she put back on her ugly green outfit and left her room. First thing on my vacation-to-do-list, shopping!
She was looking through her wallet when she walked right into something. It was hard and immovable. A wall, perhaps? In the middle of the hallway...
"Oof!" Leya swayed, but strong hands reached out to steady her. Large, rough hands, hmm, definitely not the soft manicured hands of her ex-boss.
She'd thought about him with nothing but distaste for the last twenty-four hours. But all those thoughts went right out of her head as those strong hands that steadied her, suddenly pulled her closer.
She tilted her head back, eyes going wide with a mixture of surprise and, oh yes, desire. She was helpless to do anything but stare as the gorgeous giant from the lobby bent his head to her throat and sniffed.
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