She starts to roll, turning her face away from us. As she does, the sheet that’s wrapped around her starts to pull down, revealing her bare back to us all. I move before I even know I’m doing it. I push past the two security guards to get into the room. I have this sudden urge to block them from seeing her.
“Sir, let us,” one of them says. I turn back toward them at the same time I hear a small gasp, letting me know the girl is now awake. The two guards start to look past my shoulder to the bed, but I shove them both in the chest with my open hands. It’s forceful enough that they both take a step back.
“Out,” I bark. The thought of them looking at her has me enraged for some strange reason.
“Sir—” The other one tries this time.
“I said get the fuck out,” I bark, making them both stumble back another few feet until they are out of my range. Where they end up actually works out perfectly. I grab the doors and close them, flipping the lock into place so they can’t come back in. Oh, I know they can easily get through the doors, but they should get the point now.
“The hell is going on, Hunter?” Marco calls from the other side of the door. “Who is that? I need a name.”
“You do know I’m the one who gives orders, right?” I remind him as I slowly turn around to face the girl that has me acting oddly at the moment. She has the sheet clenched high to her chest, shielding her body.
The need to get the other two men out of the room before they saw more of the girl's skin was strongly overwhelming. Even now as I think back on my actions from seconds ago, I’m confused. Which is something I’m not used to being. I don’t act impulsively in my personal life or in business. But for some reason, this young woman has me acting way out of character.
I want to pepper this goddess with questions, but based on the look on her face, I refrain from doing so. I should be having her escorted out of here, but that’s the last thing I find myself wanting to do.
“Please don’t get me fired!” she suddenly says, breaking the silence. Then she bursts into tears. “I need this job,” she says through her sobs.
I should be growing angrier by the second, but her tears chip away at the ice I’ve kept firmly around my heart. It's the only way to be if you want to make it in this world. Not allowing my emotions or feelings to take over allows me to make the best decisions. It takes a minute for me to register what she said.
“Stop crying,” I order her. Each little sniffle and tear that leaves her pains me.
“I can’t just turn it off.” She hiccups but tries. Her eyes roam the floor, landing on her clothes. I recognize the uniform instantly. Her words make more sense now. She works for the hotel. “I’m sorry. I’ll change the sheets and leave. Please,” she begs. It’s obvious she has no clue who I am and probably has mistaken me for security.
“Don’t move.” I issue another order before I head into the bathroom and grab one of the robes and bring it back. A plan is quickly forming in my mind.
I should give her the uniform and send her on her way, but I can’t bring myself to do it. The idea of this beautiful young girl who looks more like an angel wearing that uniform feels wrong. That’s the last thing she should be wearing. Even from this distance, I can tell her skin is silky smooth. She needs to wear soft, delicate things that won’t harm her precious skin.
When I come back out of the bathroom, she’s still sitting in the bed with the sheets clenched to her chest. The tears have stopped coming, but her face still shows the evidence of it. Good girl. She listens well. I enjoy that way more than I fucking should.
Who am I kidding? I’m enjoying every damn second of this. For the first time in a long time, I feel something. It’s been so long that I didn’t think it was possible for me anymore. I hate it. At least I think I do.
Then why do I hope it never fucking stops?
4
Aspen
My heart beats so fast that I swear it feels as if it’s going to come out of my chest. I stare at the giant man as he walks back toward me with a plush robe clutched in his hand. I get my first good look at him. Gosh is he handsome. I mean, I don’t think this situation could get any worse.