Protecting Shaylee (The Fae Guard Book 1) by Elle Christensen Page B

out to let Aden shower and dress. He’s standing at a small table, by the front window, munching on a doughnut, still in nothing but the towel. I stifle a groan. Ugh, why does he have to be so freaking gorgeous? I mentally bitch slap the panting whore inside me.
    I clear my throat and work to keep my voice steady, “Um, the bathroom is free.” He looks up and chuckles when he sees my top. Raising his eyes back to mine, they go warm, a genuine smile creasing his face. Gone is the smug bastard from earlier and I feel my irritation melting away at the reappearance of my Aden. The sweet, fun-loving Aden that melts my heart. Don’t pretend that the overconfident asshole doesn’t cream your panties.
    I pad over to the table and set my bag by the door before plopping into a chair. Grabbing a doughnut, I watch Aden as he saunters over to his suitcase and grabs some clothes. His back is to me and I take the opportunity to study him a little as he heads to the bathroom. His back is defined with sinewy muscle and there is a small tattoo on the back of his neck that I never noticed before, but I’m too far away to really see what it is. My eyes drop lower to the most incredible ass I’ve ever seen. Wow.
    The towel molds to the shape and with each step, it slips a little lower, revealing those sexy dimples at the base of his spine. I bet my tongue would fit just perfect in one of those little dips. I can just imagine how tight his ass is and how it would feel in my palms while he— oh for crying out loud, Shaylee! Can’t you think of anything but sex? I just barely keep myself from banging my head down on the table in frustration.
    My attention returns to my breakfast and I force my mind from the naked temptation on the other side of that flimsy door. So much has been thrown at me in the last sixteen hours; I haven’t really had a chance to process it. It’s seems surreal. Faeries, magic, fallen Fae, it’s all been a part of my imagination. Now I have to accept that they are a part of my reality.
    Closing my eyes, I remember my dad and listen intently to what he was always telling me. I can feel the truth in his words, but there is still a part of me that wants to wake up and have this all be a dream. I wanted my life to be simple and now it is more complicated than ever. But I know, if my father were here, he would have told me to hope for the future rather than lament the past. I open my eyes and look at the sliver of sunshine peeking through the ugly, floral curtains. What is it with these hotels? Cheap equals ugly?
    The sunshine practically calls to me and I slide the curtain back to bask in the glow. The parking lot sits open in the sun but each of the three sides of the hotel sport an overhang that shades the walkway and doors. There aren’t many cars, so I’m surprised when I notice movement in the shadows across the way. But, it was only for a second. I feel a rush of heat roll through me, just for a moment, so I scan the area again—there is nothing.
    The bathroom door opens and Aden steps out clothed (a good thing, I suppose) and throws everything in his suitcase. He glances at me quickly as he checks around the room for anything we might have forgotten.
    “You ready to go?” he asks distractedly. He doesn’t wait for my answer, just grabs the keys to the car and throws both of our bags over his shoulder. “Let’s go.” When he reaches the door, he stops before opening it. His eyes close and I watch, mesmerized as his skin takes on a slight glow. I’m not talking about the sparkly vampire kind of light, or the aliens made of light that you read about in books. It’s more like a radiance. The way skin looks when it’s out in the open, soaking up the sun. But he’s standing in the shadow of the door and yet, I see the brilliance of sunlight, even in that tiny glow.
    He opens his eyes, and the light recedes. I find myself feeling the loss of it, as though I’ve been deprived of something that makes me