Hunter had responded by kissing me fully awake, then straddling my hips and riding me to a delicious completion. We’d both fallen back asleep in each other’s arms. I’d never been happier.
“I’m happier now, you know,” I said, rolling onto my side to sling an arm over his stomach. “I thought I was happy with Charlie, back home, but we could never be like this. I loved him, sure, but he was too young, and I was too messed up to have a real relationship.”
“Is that what we have? A real relationship?”
“If you want. I don’t mean to presume.” I walked my fingers up to circle a nipple. It was a playful gesture, but I held my breath for his answer.
Instead of answering, he scrunched down in the bed, facing me and showing me his phone. The screen was filled with lists of boutique hotels and their unique features. “Did you know that the boutique hotel business is one of the fastest growing markets in the Northeast?”
“No. I didn’t. I don’t even know what a boutique hotel is.”
“If we’re going to make this thing successful, we have to start thinking of it this way. A specialty hotel if you will, withsome full-time residents. We can get Izzy and Theo to create some sigils, some warding, so it doesn’t get too weird. But—”
I stopped him. “Wait. Does this mean you’re in? You’ll do this with me?”
“I can’t think of anything better than operating a weird-ass hotel with my superhot boyfriend.”
“No,Ihave the hot boyfriend. You have a bloke with issues.”
“Um, we may have to fight that one out. But later, okay?” He kissed me. “’Cause I have enough morning wood to pound nails right now.”
“Hmm. How long before your mum expects us to be up?”
Hunter pulled me down. “Not long enough.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Hunter on proper maintenance of hotels and boyfriends
Two weeks later, I showed up for work with my tool belt. Since getting back to Philly, both of us had gone straight to work at the hotel. I wasn’t all that handy at construction, but I could hold up drywall or sand drywall or paint drywall. God, I was so sick of drywall.
Regge had a meeting that morning, but I was sure he was back here somewhere. He’d been working on a special project he wouldn’t elaborate on.
I nodded to Pery when I came in.
“Hey, Hunter, Barry said he needs you on the third floor.” He stood close to the bar’s entrance, some kind of power saw in his hand. I didn’t argue with him.
I dodged more wolves as they ripped up the carpeted stairs. “Hey guys, how’s it going?”
My question was met with a grunt, two growls, and a good morning. The last being from Skylar, Pery’s mate. Flashing her a smile, I rounded the corner to take the back stairs to the third floor.
Being a giant, Barry was easy to spot at the end of the hall. His usual muted plaid shirt stretched across shoulders so broad he had to turn sideways to get through our doors.
He’d moved back into the hotel last week, saying he couldn’t be in my small apartment another day. The good thing about Barry, besides rarely needing ladders or being easy to find pretty much anywhere, was that he was good with electricity. He didn’t generate his own spark, but he could transfer hot wires from one place to another without damaging himself or burningthe place down. All wins in my book. Theo had called him a conduit—a fae term for whatever his ability was. I supposed conduits were specific to a certain element. Fire, air, etc. Barry’s was electricity. By some miracle, he also had his certifications and paperwork so we would pass the city’s inspection.
“Hunter, Ima glad to see ya, laddie. Come ’ere.” His thick brogue rumbled down the hall.
As I approached, he reached up into a hole in the ceiling, and with a twist of his wrist, the overhead inset lights came on all the way down the hall.
“Oh, hey. That looks great.”
Barry surveyed his handiwork, giving me a shy smile. He swiped a big hand against his sweaty brow. “Aye, this is pretty simple stuff, but I need fer ya to see this.” He lumbered over to an open closet, totally blocking the view.
Slipping around to stand in front of him, I peered inside the narrow space. It had enough room for an upright vacuum cleaner and three shelves, empty at the moment. At the back of the closet was a large electrical panel, circuit breakers exposed, some wires hanging. A slight crackling sound sizzled along the wires. Barry reached over the top of me to touch a fat finger to the sparking wire. The sparking stopped immediately.
“There be sparkies here, lad.”
Barry wasn’t a pleasant-looking being. His brow was too pronounced, his eyebrows too bushy, and most of his features were over the top. But his blue eyes projected an unusual kindness. And his accent made me smile. Even if I didn’t understand him for half of it.
