I blink. “Horses?”
He nods, as if he’s just as confused by the information as I am. “But only the miniature ones.”
Orion presses his lips together, shoulders shaking as he tries to hold back his laughter. “So if we got a horse, we’d be fine, but a three-legged cat is not allowed?”
Chadwick, completely missing the sarcasm, says, “Technically, yes.”
I rub a hand over my face. “So what does that mean for us?”
Chadwick explains the hotel’s policy about emotional support animals versus service animals, clearly repeating something he’s been trained to say while hoping no one argues.
Exhaling slowly, I acquiesce and hand over my credit card. “Fine. Put it on the card.”
Sass presses his nose against my cheek, purring harder, like he knows I’m seconds from committing a crime.
“Look at him,” Orion says, gesturing to my cat like a lawyer defending his client. “Does that look like a two-hundred-dollar face to you?”
The man smiles back weakly. “Sir, that’s above my pay grade.”
Chadwick clicks at his keyboard for a beat too long, frowning at the monitor like he’s alarmed at what it’s telling him.
“Uh,” he says finally, squinting. “Earlier, you said ‘two beds.’ It looks like your booking is for a king suite.”
Orion leans forward. “No, no—two beds.”
Chadwick shakes his head, sympathetic but unmoved. “Sorry, sir. All our doubles are sold out. There’s a concert this weekend. The best I can do is a pull-out sofa.”
Groaning like the drama queen he is, Orion accepts his fate. “Fantastic. I’ll just sleep folded like a lawn chair. My chiropractor will love that.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose, trying to muster up some patience to deal with his theatrics. My prosthetic’s throbbing, my shoulders ache, and Sir Sassafras has started purring againstmy throat again—probably because he can feel the tension radiating off me.
“Fine,” I mutter. “King’s fine. I’m not picky.”
Orion smirks. “Oh, you heard him, Chadwick, a king is fine. We’re basically a married couple now. Do we get a honeymoon discount?”
Chadwick blinks. “Um—”
I shoot Orion a look sharp enough to draw blood. “Dude. Stop.”
Sass chirps softly, maybe to remind me not to murder anyone in front of witnesses.
Once the paperwork’s done, Chadwick prints the receipt, hands over our key cards, and confides in us as we walk away. “For what it’s worth… he is really cute.”
“The cat’s got more rizz than both of us.” Orion bumps my shoulder as the elevator doors close. “You realize you just spent two hundred bucks to share a bed with a cat that thinks you’re his tree, right?”
“It’s worth every penny.”
The elevator doors close behind us with a metallic sigh. The moment we’re alone, I let out a deep exhale and try to stifle the shaky breath that tries to bleed out frustration and only manages to stir up everything I’ve been avoiding.
Orion elbows me lightly. “You good?”
“Peachy,” I grumble.
He grins. “You sure? You’ve got that ‘two seconds from punching drywall’ look on your face.”
“You know me better than most, Orion. You should know by now that’s just my face.”
The elevator dings.
