The Alpha and the Dragon Princess

Chapter 5

Jazmine (POV)

"You would not be putting me out," Xander said, coming up beside me. "Please allow me to help you."

I stopped walking and turned to look at him. His light brown eyes were pleading.

"Why do you want to help me?" I asked. I didn't get any bad vibes from him, but why would he do this for me?

"Because you look exhausted, and I can not, in good conscience, allow you to sleep in your car. What kind of man would I be if I allowed such a thing?" he said, giving me a sexy smile.

"What kind of woman would I be if I agreed to stay in a strange man's room?" I asked, hoping to get a feel for his true intentions.

"A trusting one." That was not the answer I was expecting.

That's what got me into this situation. If I had been less trusting, then maybe I would have noticed the signs sooner. If my guard was up I would have seen the holes in Tony's stories. Maybe then I would still have my apartment. I was stupid for giving that up and moving in with him.

"Please Jazmine," he begged, pulling me out of my own thoughts. "Let me help you. You will have your own room. We can let the front desk know you will be staying here tonight to help ease your mind. I promise I have no ill intentions. I just wish to offer you a safe place to sleep for the night." he said, staring down at me. His eyes were pleading, making it hard to look away.

I knew I should say no. It was stupid to agree to stay in a strangers' room, no matter how handsome he was. Every instinct in me was telling me to run. Danger! But there was something about him. I don't know what it was, but I trusted him. I didn't think that he would hurt me. Could I really stay in his room with him? He may not hurt me, but was it really a good idea?

"I don't know." I hesitated.

"How about we check you in at the front desk? We can get you a parking pass and let them know your staying the night. You can grab your stuff and take it up to my suite. You can check it out for yourself, then make a decision. If your uncomfortable staying there, you can leave and stay in your car for the night."

I thought about what he said. It wouldn't hurt to check it out. My eyes were heavy, and I didn't really want to spend the next few hours sleeping in my car.

"Okay." I said, hoping I was not making a horrible mistake.

"Great." Xander said, taking my hand and leading me to the front desk.

Once Xander got me checked in at the front desk, I was given a parking pass and a set of entry keys. The woman at the front desk was very accommodating. Xander was now walking me to my car to grab some clothes for the night. My face heats up when I see all the trash bags stacked up on my back seat. I did tell him I was heading home.

I grabbed the first thing I found that would be acceptable to sleep in and shoved them into an old overnight bag, I was lucky enough to come across and closed the door. Xander was standing at the back of my car looking around the parking lot.

I walked over to him with my bag over my arm feeling nervous. He smiled and took the bag from me.

"I can carry it." I said, reaching to take it back from him.

"My mother would be very disappointed if I allowed such a thing." he said, smiling down at me. He really was handsome.

"Well, we wouldn't want to disappoint your mother," I said as we walked back to the hotel.

Xander gave a small laugh. "No we wouldn't."

We didn't say anything as we made our way to the elevator. The silence was making me feel uncomfortable. I wanted to fill it but didn't know what to say.

"Thank you for helping me." I said, realizing I had never thanked him for his kindness.

"You don't have to thank me for doing the right thing," he said as the doors to the elevator slid open.

I followed him into his room feeling a little jittery.

"Wow!" I said in surprise as we walked into his suite. It was huge.

"See there is plenty of room to share," he said, giving me a sexy smile. He took my hand and led me into the suite. "The kitchen is fully stocked. You are welcome to help yourself to anything in there." he said, waving his hand with my bag towards the full-sized kitchen off to the side.

"I'm staying in the master bedroom over there." he said, pointing to the open door by the huge window that took up the whole back wall. "The two rooms on the other side are empty." he said, now pointing to the two closed doors across the room.

"Thank you." I said, letting his hand go and taking my bag from him. I walked over to the first door and opened it. I stopped in the doorway. It would be rude not to say anything to him.

"Thank you again for this. I'll be out of your hair in a few hours."

"You are welcome to stay as long as you like."

"Thank you. Have a good night." I said, giving him what I hoped was an appreciative smile.

"Good night Jazmine," he said as I closed the door behind me.

I leaned against the door with my eyes closed for a few seconds, breathing heavily. I can't believe I am actually staying in a strangers' room for the night. What was I thinking? That I was tired. That's what I was thinking. I opened my eyes and smiled at the king-sized bed in front of me. I dropped my bag and climbed onto it, not bothering to change into my bed clothes.

I lay there staring up at the ceiling, the events of the day running through my mind. I couldn't get the thought of Tony screwing that girl on our counter out of my mind. How could he do this to us? I thought he loved me. I thought we had a good relationship. I thought we were happy together. How could I be so stupid? How did I not know? I can't believe that I was actually thinking about marrying that jerk.

What if I had stayed at my mom's and didn't come home early? I would still be in the dark about the kind of person he really was. How long would he have continued to cheat on me before I found out? Would I have ever found out? Thinking back, there were signs. Signs that I choose to overlook and ignore because I trusted him.

I grabbed one of the pillows and held it over my face and yelled into it. It felt good to let out my anger and frustration I was feeling. I was mostly frustrated with myself. I was mad that I allowed Tony to deceive me for so long. But I was pissed at myself for giving up my apartment. How could I be so stupid? I'll never find housing this late in the semester. I was lucky to find that place at all.

I rolled around on the bed pulling the covers out from under me. I would have used less energy if I just got up and pulled them down. I snuggled in and closed my eyes. What I need is a good night's sleep. I'll be able to think clearly in the morning.