His to Protect: Book 1 in the Bound to Him Series by Sandra Antoni (the reading list TXT) 📗

my jaw dropped in wonder. The room itself was a suite with a kitchen and living room area, and it was open and airy with a vaulted ceiling. But the room was set up so that when I first walked in, my eyes immediately went to the glass patio doors and the view beyond them.

Forgetting the rest of the room, I walked to the patio and threw the doors open and stepped outside. The view was incredible, and I studied the mountains in awe. There weren’t exactly any mountains anywhere near Kansas City, and I definitely did not get out of town often, but this was amazing. I could get used to this view.

Sitting down in one of the patio chairs, I could not bring myself to tear my gaze away from the mountains and the rustic and rugged landscape around me. Unpacking could wait a while longer.

I must have sat on the patio for over an hour before I finally made my way back inside. There was a large, stone fireplace along one wall, and I could imagine myself curled up on the couch in front of it this evening once the temperature outside got cooler.

The vaulted ceiling made the space look even bigger. There was a full kitchen to the left and a bar separated it from the living room. A door on the right led into the bedroom, and the bathroom was attached. Looking around the room once again, it suddenly made me feel lonely. I pushed that feeling aside.

With another glance around the room, I found the room service menu on a long, narrow table set against the wall next to the fireplace and decided to just order in for dinner. My budget would not allow for a lot of the expensive prices too often, but I was exhausted after the flight and wanted to watch the sun set.

Settling for just a salad, I made the call and began unpacking my suitcase in the bedroom, putting most of my clothes in the dresser, and hanging the few dresses that I had brought in the closet. I had brought mostly jeans and t-shirts, with a few pajama and yoga pants to wear around the room to be comfortable.

When I finished putting my clothes away, I found the pamphlets that told about the hotel amenities. If I decided to hike in the mountains, the spa would definitely be where I wanted to end up. A massage would be just the thing after a vigorous hike, and I took my hiking seriously.

I decided right then that tomorrow I would take a hike, and I called the spa to make a reservation for tomorrow afternoon. I was pretty sure that my muscles were going to be sore.

Hiking was something that I had always loved, but I had not had much chance for it over the last few years, and I knew that hiking in the mountains would be way more intense than anything I could find near Kansas City.

My job required me to sit behind a desk, and there was definitely not anything aerobic about it. I worked at a computer. That was the only thing that I did not like about my job. For eight hours of the day, I just sat.

Since beginning my career in marketing, I had not really done much for myself other than work. I did manage to get a run in several mornings a week but running on city sidewalks was not the same as being immersed in nature. It definitely had me excited for what tomorrow would bring, and I was excited for my upcoming hike through the mountains.

When I heard the knock on the door, I knew that it was room service. After giving the employee a bigger than usual tip, I took my dinner to the patio. It was definitely cooling off outside, and I grabbed my sweatshirt off the couch where I had thrown it when I was unpacking.

Managing to slide open the patio door with my elbow, I set the tray down on the table and went back to close the door. Then I put on my sweatshirt. It was cool out here, but it was invigorating.

The view from the patio made me feel like I was already immersed in nature. It felt like all I had to do was take a few steps off the cement and I would be surrounded by the rugged terrain and then the mountains. Tomorrow could not come soon enough.

While I ate, I made a couple calls. I knew that Jessica would want to know that I had made it here safely, and also my parents. I called Jessica first. It would be a much easier conversation with her. I really was not looking forward to the call with my parents.

“Before you ask…no. There were not any hot and sexy guys on the plane, and I was stuck next to a couple of grandparents. Also, I am alone in my room. All I have done so far is unpack my suitcase and order room service, and now I’m calling you. It was just too long of a day already, and I’m looking forward to crawling into bed tonight,” I told her as soon as she answered. Her response was a chuckle.

“Girl, I don’t even work that fast, but you still have two weeks ahead of you. And I expect to hear that you have left your room more than once in that amount of time,” she replied, and I could not help laughing.

Jessica always seemed to have a man on her arm. She could walk into a room single and walk out with a date. But for some reason, she never seemed to have serious relationships. To each their own. I guess she would settle down when she found the right guy.

“I already have plans to go hiking in the mountains tomorrow, and no, I am not going to have a hunk guide. The hiking I plan to do alone. But I have