"Oh," he said, his eyes going wide. "You're the owner?"
"That's right. But enough about me. What is your name?"
"Leo," he said.
A grin broke out over my face. The fatesdidhave a sense of humor, didn't they?
"Is something funny?" he asked, tilting his head.
"No, not at all," I assured him. I made a mental note to explain why later. I didn't want him to think I was laughing at him. "Leo is a wonderful name. Anyway, come inside."
Leo didn't follow. "Er... I don't think I should."
"Why not?"
Leo rubbed his arm, looking away. His face was flushed with shame. I wanted to rub my thumb over his cheeks and wash it away.
"I... I can't afford the room," Leo said. He wouldn't make eye contact with me. "I don't know if you overheard me on the phone just now—hell, I was so loud, the whole world probably did—but myexjust broke up with me. He was supposed to be paying for the room. And this whole vacation. And now..."
My blood boiled. Thinking about how much that asshole Terry upset Leo was infuriating. Good thing he was far away, otherwise my gryphon would've had an excellent time treating him like a squeaky toy.
"Don't you worry about that," I said firmly.
Leo still wouldn't look at me. He stared at the ground and shut his eyes tightly, as if trying to fend off tears. He must've been so frustrated and upset. I needed to console him.
I gently lifted his chin with my finger. Leo gasped quietly and finally met my eyes. His gaze was watery.
"How can I not worry?" Leo said with a weak laugh. "The man who was supposed to be myfiancéjust dumped me over the phone, and now I'm stuck on an island alone with no money."
A protective, possessive urge flared up inside me. Hearing him talk about that scumbag was rage-inducing. How Terry could've treated Leo so horribly boggled my mind.
"Please don't worry about the money, Leo," I said, offering him a smile. "There's still a reservation in the system for you, so I'll comp your room."
"There's a reservation?" Leo asked, furrowing his brow in disbelief. "Are you sure? Terry probably cancelled it."
I wasn't actually certain. It was fully possible Terryhadcancelled the booking and purposely left Leo up the creek without a paddle. But that was no matter. I owned the resort. What my fated mate wanted, he would get. And unlike Terry, I wasnotgoing to let him struggle in the water.
"Well, let's just say I'm capable of pulling a few strings." I winked. "What kind of person would I be if I left you on the street? Please, come with me."
Leo resisted bashfully. "Ah, really, it's fine! I already owe money to the cab driver, and he said he'd put it on my tab here. I don't want to be even more of a burden."
"You're the furthest thing from a burden," I said gently. "The cab driver. Was his name Louis?"
Leo nodded slowly. "Yes, I think so. I saw it on his driver ID."
"He and I are good friends," I said as I pulled out my phone and tapped the screen in a practised motion. "I'll transfer him the money immediately... There we go. One less thing to stress about, eh?"
Leo blinked at me like a doe. "Thank you, um, Mr. Gryphon, was it?"
"Maverick. Please. Mr. Gryphon makes me sound like a grade school teacher."
Leo chuckled, warming my heart. "Okay."
I looked over his belongings, or lack thereof. "Where is your luggage? I'll have it arranged to be brought to your room."
Shifting the small backpack slung over his shoulder, Leo shrugged. "This is it. I don't have anything else. My ex was supposed to bring everything, and we all know how that ended."
The fire in my stomach burned at Terry's scumminess. How was Leo supposed to do anything with the bare minimum he'd brought to the resort?
