“I can help the next guest in line,” she said as Ashlyn grabbed her bag and made her way to the front desk.
“Welcome to The Grand Emerald Bay Hotel & Resort. My name is Victoria. How can I help you today?”
“I have a reservation under the name Ashlyn Cambridge,” Ashlyn said as she pulled her wallet from her bag.
“How is your day going so far, Mrs. Cambridge?” Victoria asked as she focused her attention on her computer and searched for Ashlyn’s reservation.
“It’s hard to say at this point,” Ashlyn said, mostly because she absolutely refused to think about Shayne or what they did on the couch this morning, and focused on the only thing that mattered.
A hot bath, a nap, and room service, and then, she planned on spending the rest of the night going over the files that she’d managed to convince Tristan to let her download. She should have more than enough to keep her distracted for the night, something that she desperately needed at the moment. She refused to think about Shayne, what they did or the fact that it was taking everything that she had not to turn around, get back in her car and drive the two hours back the way she came so that she could crawl back into his arms.
But she knew after this morning that if she did that, she would never be able to leave again. For the first time in a long time, she’d felt safe, protected, and loved, and that scared the hell out of her. She knew just how quickly that could be taken away. She still remembered the moment that she woke up in the hospital to find a social worker waiting in her room to tell her that her mother had-
It didn’t matter.
None of it did.
Right now, she needed to focus before she lost her damn mind. She-
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Cambridge, but I can’t seem to find your reservation anywhere. Do you have your confirmation number with you?” Victoria asked with a sympathetic smile.
“Of course,” Ashlyn said as she pulled her phone out of her bag, absently noting that Shayne still hadn’t called or texted her, which was fine since it would make this easier. He could go to hell as far as she was concerned, Ashlyn happily thought, glaring at her text app before she clicked on her email app, scrolled down to find the confirmation email the hotel sent this morning only to frown when she didn’t find it.
She swiped back up and checked the trash folder, and when she still couldn’t find it, she checked her junk mail folder to no avail. Biting back a sigh, Ashlyn pasted her warmest smile on her face as she said, “I’m afraid that I can’t find it. Is there any chance that I could book another room?” Ashlyn asked, only to watch Victoria’s expression cool.
“I’m afraid that we’re fully booked because of the festival,” Victoria explained as Ashlyn stood there, debating her next move.
“Are there any nearby hotels that you could recommend?” Ashlyn asked as she slid her phone back into her pocket.
“I’m afraid that every hotel in town if also fully booked for the next two weeks for the festival,” Victorian said, barely paying attention to her as she gestured for the next guest.
“Thank you,” Ashlyn said, biting back a sigh as she stepped out of the way so that she could put her wallet back in her bag as she tried to figure out what she was going to do now only to go still when she heard the familiar brogue that would no doubt haunt her dreams forever.
“I have a reservation for Shayne MacNéill.”
Telling herself that this wasn’t happening, Ashlyn slowly looked up to find Shayne standing in front of her just as Victoria ran an appreciative eye over him. With a smile that was a hell of a lot friendlier than the one she got, Victoria said, “Of course, Mr. MacNéill,” as she quickly typed his name into her computer.“I have you in the honeymoon suite for fifteen nights. Is that correct?”
“That’s correct,” Shayne said smoothly, completely ignoring her as she stood there, seething.
“You’re lucky that we had a cancellation this morning. That suite is normally booked out a year in advance,” Victoria said with an inviting smile as Shayne handed her his credit card.
“Luck of the Irish,” Shayne drawled, making Victoria laugh as Ashlyn narrowed her eyes on the bastard that had a lot of explaining to do.
“Will your wife be joining you on this trip?” the clerk asked suggestively as she clocked the wedding ring on Shayne’s finger, the ring that somehow matched the one on Ashlyn’s finger, black with bronze trim along the edge.
“Aye, lass,” Shayne said as Ashlyn noted the disappointed look on Victoria’s face.
“If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask for me,” Victoria said with a look that told Ashlyn exactly what she was willing to help Shayne with as she handed him two keycards.
“Thank ye, lass. I’ll keep that in mind,” Shayne said, sliding the keycards in his pocket before he grabbed his bag and headed towards the bank of elevators, leaving her to glare at him as she grabbed her bag and followed him.
He didn’t say a word as they stepped into the elevator. He ignored her as he pressed the button for the fifth floor and-
“I know you can see me!” someone yelled from behind her, startling the ever living hell out of her as something cold brushed against her arm, sending a wave of dread coursing through her veins as she stood there, struggling to remember how to breathe as she glanced over her shoulder and-
There was no one there.
God, she really was losing her mind, Ashlyn thought only to gasp when she felt it again. Before cold dread had a chanceto tear through her this time, Shayne was there, caging her in against the wall and making her forget about everything else.
