“Hello?” I answered.
“Hey handsome. I’m just calling to see if I need to send housekeeping up or if you’re sticking around for the weekend.”
“I don’t know yet. Hey Zoey, are we staying another night?”
“Yes, but I have a room booked for tonight. I just can’t check in until three.”
“She spent the night with you? The lady you rescued last night?”
“My girlfriend,” I corrected. The lie rolled off my tongue with ease. It was only a lie in that girlfriend cheapened the fact that she was my mate.
Zoey’s eyes widened as she stared at me.
“Girlfriend?” Karla asked. “I didn’t think you did the whole girlfriend thing.”
“I don’t, or didn’t, but when the right one comes along even a guy like me caves.”
Karla sighed. “That’s so sweet. She’s really lucky.”
“Nah. I’m the lucky one.”
I winked at Zoey, knowing she was listening in.
“So, the room?”
“She has a room booked for tonight so we can move to that one. Any chance you’ll have one available sooner than three?”
The look on my girl’s face made me want to laugh.
You aren’t getting rid of me that easily, babe.
Karla sighed. “Let me check her reservation. What’s your girlfriend’s name?”
“Zoey . . .”
“Jones. Zoey Jones,” she said, cutting me off before I used her real name. I couldn’t help but wonder if that was really necessary, but Zoey looked calm and collected, yet something had changed within her that I couldn’t quite put my finger on.
I could hear faint tapping before the line went silent.
“Karla?” I heard a small intake of breath and then she squealed.
“Wait, liketheZoey?Zoey UnboxedZoey?”
“Exactly like that,” I proudly admitted.
“Holy shit, Monte. How the hell do you knowZoey Unboxed?”
“I told you, she’s my girlfriend.”
Mate, my wolf angrily insisted.
“This is wild. I can’t believe this is really happening!”
“It’s not that big a deal. Do not make a scene in there. She doesn’t like attention,” I grumbled.
That seemed to sober Karla up a bit.
And Zoey didn’t contradict me. She smiled that award-winning perfect kind of smile.
