It was just the busiest season, when he needed to pay the most attention and keep his customers satisfied enough to return. He liked to take walks from one end of the grounds to the other, from the honeymoon suite to the employee break room, making sure everything was in tiptop condition and shipshape for what he was hoping would be their most successful season ever.
He was busy, but the thought occurred to him to go down to the shopping promenade and see if Brooke was around. She had not worked at Cole Couture, one of the fine clothing shops in their small shopping mall, very long. But Connor had already found himself making excuses to check, and usually ended up going back and forth with her, mostly petty arguing. If he was honest, it was often the best part of a day, but he didn’t want his brothers teasing him about Brooke, so he hadn’t mentioned her to any of them. There was no point involving them anyway; it was only a flirtation. That was all. A distraction to take the edge off, a way to vent.
“Connor!” His brother Nathan appeared from around a corner. The handyman did not look overly pleased, his tool belt loose on his hips. He had been running himself ragged fixing the tiniest little things around the place and Connor knew he’d rather be looking after Emily, his new born cub with his mate, Alanna. “Room thirty-two says their room smells like paint. They’re upset, and I don’t know what to do about it.”
Connor sighed heavily. All the rooms had been repainted recently, but that particular room had to be striped and repainted a second time. He nodded. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll talk to them myself, offer comped room service or something. It should be fine though, I made sure to air it out.”
Nathan rolled his eyes. “Yeah, but they’re a little much in there. Good luck.”
Connor patted Nathan’s shoulder and passed him in the hall before hollering back, “Have lunch with me in the hall later. Bring Em and Alanna. Please?”
“We’ll be there,” Nathan said, shooting him a finger gun.
Connor smiled to himself. The thought of hanging out with Nathan and his new family for lunch made him feel lighter, even as he made his way to room thirty-two in an attempt to please the picky guests.
That conversation took a half hour, and mostly consisted of Connor standing there and listening to the wife of the middle-aged couple whine. He ended up offering champagne and free use of the spa, which was overkill. Bordering on ridiculous, in his opinion, but at the beginning of the season he was much more willing to be generous and solicitous towards guests than at any other time. Nearly any complaint, no matter how small, was likely to get you something for free. Sometimes he suspected they knew that; complaints were more common around this time, but he couldn’t bring himself to care too much.
Connor found himself slammed with request after request for another hour. Finally, his phone buzzed just as he was heading back to his office and Nathan asked if it was a good time for lunch. Connor was so tired and wanted nothing more than to sit down, but forced himself to text a yes and made his way to the dining hall instead. His stomach rumbled in anticipation of whatever his brother Cody had on the menu for the day.
The dining hall was pretty packed, but Connor went straight for one of the private dining rooms with the RESERVED sign on the knob and let himself in, nodding at one of the servers as he did. He dropped into a padded dining chair and took a deep breath. He had been on his feet every second since five o’clock in the morning. It felt good to sit for a minute.
The server was one of the seasonal hires, bright eyed and bushy tailed. They seemed to get younger every year. He poked his head in. “Can I get you something to start, sir?”
“Yeah, that Moon Bear Brandy we just got in,” Connor said, nodding. “Oh, and that cheese log appetizer. And if you see Nathan or Alanna tell them I’m in here, would you?”
The server nodded obediently. Connor jogged his leg under the table for a couple of minutes until his drink was set in front of him. Nathan came through the door, carrying baby Emily in a carrier on his chest, followed by Alanna. Connor stood and kissed Emily’s head and gave Alanna a quick hug. Though he had seen them both just the day before, it felt like it had been months.
“Where’s Eric?” Alanna asked, eyes never leaving Em’s face as she fussed.
“Still on the front desk,” Connor replied. As the concierge, his youngest brother arguably worked harder than any of them, constantly dealing with customer complaints and requests. The workload had more than doubled since the hotel had reopened.
“You look tense,” Nathan said, laughing.
“Yeah, well…” Connor answered with a raised eyebrow.
“He loves it,” Alanna said firmly, just as the cheese log arrived. She lit up and scooped up a bite. “This is his favorite time of year, I bet.” She chewed and swallowed and nodded at Connor. “You seem to like it, anyway. The kind of guy who wants to stay busy.”
“Alright, maybe,” Connor said. He pretended to bristle at that, jokingly scowling at Alanna over the rim of his glass as he took another sip of brandy. Emily pointed at him and laughed, and he stuck his tongue out at her. “What about you guys? If there’s anything you need-”
“Connor,” Nathan said, chuckling, “we’re more than fine.”
“I’m eager for this little one to start walking and talking,” Alanna said, reaching over to boop Emily’s tiny nose. “Other than that, I’m good.”
“Good,” Connor said softly, but abruptly he felt a keen sense of melancholy. More and more lately, Connor had felt a hole where there had never been one before. He wanted what all three of his brothers now had. They had found their mates. It had not been easy, but they had fought for love and been rewarded with their soulmates. They were all starting their own families now. Nathan and Alanna had their little cub, Emily. Cody and his mate, Jess, had an entire brood of adopted cubs. Even Eric and his mate, Lydia, were already talking about having cubs someday, although they seemed quite happy since Lydia had just started art school. But they all had a keen eye on their futures together.
When Connor thought of his future...it looked lonely. He was in his thirties and he was naturally given to want a family of his own. Each day without one seemed a little colder, and if he was honest, he was more than a little jealous of his brothers.
“I’m glad you guys are happy,” he said, and he meant it. He just wanted some of that happiness for himself. He tried to sound genuine and cheerful on top of that, but he saw the quirk of Nathan’s eyebrow. Nathan knew.
After lunch, Connor felt a bit better, full of Cody’s prime rib and cheese and just enough brandy to smooth out the rough edges of his nerves. But Nathan didn’t leave with Alanna, who took Emily with her and left a kiss on her mate’s cheek. Instead, Nathan stayed behind to talk to Connor.
“You alright, man?” Nathan said. “You seem…? Something? I dunno. Just, off.”
Connor had already spoken to his brothers before about how much he wanted to find a mate and start a family. At a point, it just felt pathetic to keep going on about it.
“I’m good,” Connor said simply. His tone brooked no argument; Nathan knew better than to push.
“Oh! There is one more thing,” Nathan said. “I’ve heard a few mentions about a new wolf pack in town. Nothing serious yet, but they’re new and uh, sounds like they’re skirting the edges of our territory. Puts the other bears on edge, you know?”
“Oh great, something else to worry about,” Connor muttered. But he waved a hand at Nathan’s worried look, nodding. “It’s fine. I’ll keep an eye out.”
With that, Nathan left, and Connor remained for a couple minutes, sipping his brandy and brooding until he forced himself out of his chair and back to work.
But instead, he found himself heading to the promenade to look for Brooke.
* * *
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This alpha water dragon was sent to protect me.
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This shifter is out of control. He drives me crazy.
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Apart from getting under my skin, he’s also been pulling me closer.
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Book Four: The Alpha Dragon's Protection
A dragon with a thirst for me.
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He hasn’t visited the dark corners of my life.
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She’s a human woman.
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I’m a wolf shifter and Alpha of the Lenox pack.
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Lana is my fated mate.
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She only knows me as a firefighter who saved her life.
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Harper is my mate… She just doesn’t know it yet.
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She knows me as a firefighter at the Lenox fire department.
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Harper hasn’t seen what’s hidden behind this mask.
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Harper is cautious.
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My dark past haunts my new reality.
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Well, neither can she.
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Mark her as mine.
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Her long, gorgeous legs serve as a sweet distraction.
That soft skin makes me forget about my real destiny.
Things are complicated and being together might be a mistake.
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About the Author
Brittany White is the author of hot paranormal romance. She began writing short stories for family and friends. Her vivid imagination and love of mysteries and romance eventually led her to follow her dreams to become a published author.
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Brittany White
Billionaire Dragon's Nanny (Irish Dragon Shifter Brothers Book 1) Page 14
