Page 77 of Lost & Found

I opened the door and helped her out. The night was clear, and the moon in the sky was almost full. There was a gentle hum of waves in the distance. As we approached the door, it swooshed open and Chase and Lisa rushed over.

Their smiles were infectious, and Chase shot me a knowing grin, his eyes twinkling with mischief already. He had a beer in one hand and his other one held Lisa’s.

“You made it!” he exclaimed. His gaze landed on Isabella. “And you must be the lovely Isabella,” he said, trailing off as he extended his hand toward her.

“Yes, thanks so much for having me.”

Lisa stepped forward and smiled at Isabella. “I’m Lisa. It’s great to finally meet you. It’s been ages since we’ve seen Pasha.”

The girls shook hands, and Lisa turned to me. “You’ve gotten more muscular.” Her eyes twinkled with humor. “I’m not mad at it. It looks good on you. Come on, let’s get you settled in your room. You must be exhausted.” She once more turned to Isabella. “How long was the flight?”

The sound of our footsteps echoed against the pavement as we made our way inside. The reception area was quiet. Isabella and Lisa were chatting by the fire, and I wished I could hear the conversation.

But thus far, the expression on her face was serene. She wasn’t in freak out mode, so that was good. Chase and I approached the front desk. The receptionist greeted me with a flirtatious wink.

“Name, honey?”

“Lenkov, Pavel Lenkov.”

“I see, yes, reservation for two. Oh, so does that mean you’re taken?”

I coughed while Chase slapped my back and chuckled.

“Um, yeah. My girlfriend is there.” I pointed at Isabella.

My eyes drifted over to her. She looked stunning, even in exhaustion. The soft glow of the lobby lights had her eyes twinkling as she threw her head back, laughing at something Lisa was saying.

“Yeah, he’s so smitten we may have to have a double wedding. Now that would be epic,” Chase said far too loud.

“Well, if you change your mind…I’ll be here all night,” the receptionist intoned hopefully before handing me the room keys.

“What the hell just happened?” I asked, feeling like I’d stepped into the Twilight Zone, while Chase thought it was hilarious.

I’d forgotten how bold some American women were. Thankfully, Isabella hadn’t noticed the exchange. I stopped dead in my tracks. Even if she had, she wouldn’t have reacted. We weren’t really dating. I needed to get it together. We approached the girls, who quickly went silent on us. I raised an eyebrow at Isabella in question.

“You get everything?” she asked wickedly.

Okay, scratch that, she definitely noticed the receptionist’s lingering looks. I could practically hear the gears turning in her head.

“Boy, did he ever. Keep an eye on that one, Isabella,” Chase said with a smirk. “She wanted to slip him her number. Offered to be around should he need anything.”

“Is that so? Well, maybe I should stake my claim then. He only has eyes for me, isn’t that right?”

Isabella stepped over and stopped in front of me. Without a single glance in the direction of the front desk, she eased up on her tiptoes and I bent down. She placed a soft kiss on my cheek and then moved to my ear.

“Looks like I may need to keep you on a tight leash,” she whispered.

The connection sent a jolt of electricity through me. My dick jumped in my jeans and then the little demon had the nerve to take my earlobe in her teeth before nibbling it and sucking it into her mouth. I hauled her close on instinct, hearing her squeal.

“Careful, princess, or I’ll devour you whole. Lions don’t do well on leashes.”

“I’ll try to remember that,” she teased back, seemingly unaffected by the exchange.

I let her go reluctantly, and all of us made our way to the lift. It opened with a soft ding, and we stepped inside. Isabella’s leg brushed mine as we stood side by side. A second jolt coursed through my veins, and I seriously began second guessing us sharing a bed.

If she kept touching me like that, sleep wasn’t going to be the problem. As the lift began its ascent, Chase turned to me.

“Hey,” he said, nudging my shoulder. “How about we hit the hotel bar for a drink? Celebrate being here and all.”