are you doing?”
“I needed to see you.”
“You see me every day. You could probably use a break from me.”
“I don’t want a break from you, baby.”
“I’m not your baby,” she shouted. “I’m your freaking cousin!”
Ew. “What’s going on here?” Why would her relative be pining over her? Ah, he realized.
The fucking pheromone!
She turned to him. “I’m sorry, Soren. Dinner’s over. I can’t deal with this now.”
“Gioia, you’re so stubborn. If you’d only spend some time alone with me,” Wes muttered. “Look, you won’t get rid of me. Please come to my room and…talk.” The lowered tones of his voice indicated his intention to do a whole lot more than talk.
“Step back, jackass,” Soren threatened the man. He grasped Gioia. “Do you wanna get out of here?” he asked her.
She nodded, her brow creased with worry. Soren tossed a hundred on the table to cover the meal. With Wes still stammering about needing to see her, and with the wait staff echoing the same sentiment, Soren spirited Gioia away.
Chapter 4
The next morning, Soren paced in his brother’s office at the lodge. While Ryland sat at his desk, his fingers steepled in front of his face, Soren wore a hole in the floor. “You need to kick him out of here…this Wes.”
“Bro, would you please stop pacing? You’re making me feel sick now.”
Soren halted for a second and then resumed pacing.
Ryland huffed his frustration. “Look, my security has spoken with Wes Clementine. He’s promised he won’t cause a fuss, and he’ll stay away from Gioia.”
“Promises,” Soren stammered. He was ready to pull his hair out. “What if he’s a sex fiend or…something?”
“Like you, you mean?” Ryland’s shoulders lifted and fell in a silent laugh.
Soren shook his head, the farthest he’d ever been from amused. “This is your resort. You need to do something to make sure she’s safe from all the blue-balled men around here. And I want Clementine checked out.”
“I called in a favor with Drew, my friend on the police force. He did a background check on the man. He’s clean. Not even a speeding ticket to his name. Nothing to indicate he’s a violent deviant in any way.”
“That means nothing. What if her pheromone drives one of these men crazy with the need to mate with her?”
Ryland got red in the face, clearly at a loss. “I’ve told security to watch her. And before you ask, yes, I assigned my mated guards to watch her. They won’t be affected by her scent. They’ll make sure no one gets too close. Okay?”
Soren dropped into a chair, feeling the slump of his shoulders as if cinder blocks were sitting on them. “This is a madhouse.” He chewed his bottom lip. “Thanks for posting Lloyd outside her room last night, by the way. I appreciated having one of your mated guards there.”
Ryland grinned. “Yeah, well, there probably wasn’t any need with you hovering outside her suite.”
“You noticed?”
“With the way you were pacing, everyone in the wing had to notice.” He arched a brow in his direction. “So, I suppose this means you’ve accepted Gioia is your mate?”
“No.” Yes. No. Sort of. Oh, hell . “This is new to me. Don’t pressure me.”
Ryland deadpanned, “Right. I wouldn’t want to intimidate the big, old bear. Look, Soren. I can appreciate you’ve always been the irresponsible younger brother and that your lifestyle provides you with endless self-indulgence and pieces of ass. But I’m telling you, if you even suspect Gioia might be your mate, you’ll need to grow up fast. Because frankly, that woman will want a man in her life, not another boy. And if you plan to act on this, you’ll need to tell her about the pheromone thing. For her safety.”
“It’s just so fast,” Soren mused, mystified. The emotions swirling around in his gut were unlike any he’d ever felt. He didn’t know whether to feel sick or enraged or grateful. And his fucked-up cock
“I needed to see you.”
“You see me every day. You could probably use a break from me.”
“I don’t want a break from you, baby.”
“I’m not your baby,” she shouted. “I’m your freaking cousin!”
Ew. “What’s going on here?” Why would her relative be pining over her? Ah, he realized.
The fucking pheromone!
She turned to him. “I’m sorry, Soren. Dinner’s over. I can’t deal with this now.”
“Gioia, you’re so stubborn. If you’d only spend some time alone with me,” Wes muttered. “Look, you won’t get rid of me. Please come to my room and…talk.” The lowered tones of his voice indicated his intention to do a whole lot more than talk.
“Step back, jackass,” Soren threatened the man. He grasped Gioia. “Do you wanna get out of here?” he asked her.
She nodded, her brow creased with worry. Soren tossed a hundred on the table to cover the meal. With Wes still stammering about needing to see her, and with the wait staff echoing the same sentiment, Soren spirited Gioia away.
Chapter 4
The next morning, Soren paced in his brother’s office at the lodge. While Ryland sat at his desk, his fingers steepled in front of his face, Soren wore a hole in the floor. “You need to kick him out of here…this Wes.”
“Bro, would you please stop pacing? You’re making me feel sick now.”
Soren halted for a second and then resumed pacing.
Ryland huffed his frustration. “Look, my security has spoken with Wes Clementine. He’s promised he won’t cause a fuss, and he’ll stay away from Gioia.”
“Promises,” Soren stammered. He was ready to pull his hair out. “What if he’s a sex fiend or…something?”
“Like you, you mean?” Ryland’s shoulders lifted and fell in a silent laugh.
Soren shook his head, the farthest he’d ever been from amused. “This is your resort. You need to do something to make sure she’s safe from all the blue-balled men around here. And I want Clementine checked out.”
“I called in a favor with Drew, my friend on the police force. He did a background check on the man. He’s clean. Not even a speeding ticket to his name. Nothing to indicate he’s a violent deviant in any way.”
“That means nothing. What if her pheromone drives one of these men crazy with the need to mate with her?”
Ryland got red in the face, clearly at a loss. “I’ve told security to watch her. And before you ask, yes, I assigned my mated guards to watch her. They won’t be affected by her scent. They’ll make sure no one gets too close. Okay?”
Soren dropped into a chair, feeling the slump of his shoulders as if cinder blocks were sitting on them. “This is a madhouse.” He chewed his bottom lip. “Thanks for posting Lloyd outside her room last night, by the way. I appreciated having one of your mated guards there.”
Ryland grinned. “Yeah, well, there probably wasn’t any need with you hovering outside her suite.”
“You noticed?”
“With the way you were pacing, everyone in the wing had to notice.” He arched a brow in his direction. “So, I suppose this means you’ve accepted Gioia is your mate?”
“No.” Yes. No. Sort of. Oh, hell . “This is new to me. Don’t pressure me.”
Ryland deadpanned, “Right. I wouldn’t want to intimidate the big, old bear. Look, Soren. I can appreciate you’ve always been the irresponsible younger brother and that your lifestyle provides you with endless self-indulgence and pieces of ass. But I’m telling you, if you even suspect Gioia might be your mate, you’ll need to grow up fast. Because frankly, that woman will want a man in her life, not another boy. And if you plan to act on this, you’ll need to tell her about the pheromone thing. For her safety.”
“It’s just so fast,” Soren mused, mystified. The emotions swirling around in his gut were unlike any he’d ever felt. He didn’t know whether to feel sick or enraged or grateful. And his fucked-up cock
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