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

“Ooh, the spa! Maybe you will have a hot masseuse! He can work you over and then he can really work you over,” she said with a voice that sounded like reverence.

I chuckled again. There was no way that I was hooking up with a resort employee. It kind of creeped me out to think about it, but I was definitely looking forward to that massage.

“Well, hey, Jessica. I have to go. Still have to call mom and dad,” I told her. I heard her sigh and that made me smile.

“I’m surprised they even let you go unchaperoned. How did you managed to get by them?” she asked with a certain amount of awe in her voice.

My parents had always been quite unnaturally protective of me, and Jessica had even commented on it several times in the years that I had known her. They knew when I had tried to find my birth parents, and they had been supportive, but they had managed every step of my progress. They had pretty much managed every aspect of my life from the day they had adopted me.

After college, when I told them that I was going to move out and get my own place, it had also become an argument. They would have been fine with me remaining at home with them for the rest of my life. However, I had needed a chance to become an adult.

Don’t get me wrong. They were wonderful parents, and I knew they loved me as if I were their own, but they were definitely overbearing. It seemed like they needed to be, and it was something that I never understood.

They had never tried to hide the fact that I had been adopted, but they could never quite let me go, even after graduating college. That was why I still lived in Kansas City. I just didn’t have it in me to move away from them. They seemed to need me close, and I gave them at least that much.

The worry I had seen on my mother’s face when I told her about my vacation, that was a familiar expression. I had seen it many times over the years. My father had done a better job of hiding his concern, but they were both uncomfortable with the idea of me going away by myself.

I had no idea why they were like that, but this vacation had been a long time coming for me, and I was determined to have a good time. Not even my daily call to them could put a damper on my excitement.

After saying goodbye to Jessica, I made the call to my mother’s cell. She answered after the first ring, and I knew that she had been anxiously waiting for my call.

“Chelsea, are you okay?” she asked, and I could hear the worry in her voice. I sighed deeply and closed my eyes.

“Mom, I’m fine. I just wanted to let you and dad know that I made it here safely. I’m in my room, and the resort is amazing. I know it’s going to be fun,” I told her, trying to sound as excited as possible.

Unfortunately, my mother was too good at reading me, and I didn’t want her to hear the loneliness in my voice. I put on my happy face and tried to sound animated while I continued the conversation, hoping that she would not read through it.

“Well, dad is here too, and we are both glad to know that you made it there safely. You will call us every day, right?” she asked anxiously. I grinned at that, knowing that I did not really have a choice. They would be on the first flight to Tucson if they thought something was wrong.

“Of course, mom. I love you both, but it has been a long day, and I actually plan to go to bed early tonight. You know flying takes it out of me. I just ordered room service, so I am going to eat dinner and then go to bed. I will call you guys tomorrow. Promise,” I told her.

After “I love you’s” from both of them, I hung up the call and finished my dinner. By the time I made it back inside, I was shaking from the cold. The night had turned even cooler than I had expected. Checking the thermostat in the room, I headed to the bathroom for a hot shower. That would warm me up quickly.

After pulling on some flannel pajama pants and a tank top, I crawled into the bed with my phone. My charger was already plugged in on the table next to the bed and ready for me to plug up my phone. I checked social media and then some emails from work. I didn’t even remember falling asleep.

Chapter 2

The next morning, I dragged myself from the bed. Surprisingly, the bed in the room was quite comfortable, and I had slept like a baby. I was fairly sure that I woke up in the same position that I had fallen asleep in.

Unfortunately, I had not charged my cellphone last night, and fell asleep with it lying beside me on the bed. The battery was just under 15%. I plugged it into the charger as soon as I realized, knowing that I did not want to leave the resort without it.

Luckily, the hotel supplied a couple packets of coffee, and I headed to the kitchen. I was going to have to take a trip to a grocery store before the day was out. Or maybe I would do it tomorrow. My day today was pretty full, and how many vacations did I take after all? I could afford another evening of room service.

Once the coffee was going, I went back to the bedroom to get dressed. A pair of jeans and a t-shirt would be perfect for hiking. I put on a pair of thick socks and grabbed