Tanner’s mind splintered. If he hadn’t been positive this woman was a shifter, he would have thought Ella was a goddess. Her long pale blonde, curly hair fell around the most perfect face he’d ever seen. And those eyes! He’d never seen a color blue like that before. Ever. Was his libido going wild? Yeah, it was, but whose wouldn’t be? She was gorgeous, tall, lithe, and exuded a confidence that thrilled him.
Hell, if he’d been trapped under ten feet of snow with no way out, he might have freaked. Of course, he had an advantage. He would have broken the window and melted the snow around the car, but Ella couldn’t have done that.
While the avalanche had blocked only a part of the highway, the road leading from Thedia to that area wasn’t in the best condition either. Getting a truck down that road—especially one carrying a large load of wood—wouldn’t have been easy and maybe even impossible. His suppliers were smart not to attempt delivery.
To his delight, Ella didn’t struggle in his grasp nor did she shiver. Occasionally, he would draw her closer to his chest in order to provide her with heat. When he finally spotted Plux in the distance, he had to decide where to drop her off. The easiest would be to land on top of the hotel that he’d help build and let her go on her way. Then tomorrow, he’d check on her car to see if the road crews had managed to extract it. From her point of view, it would be rather upsetting to be stuck in a different province with no means of transportation.
Not that she was Tanner’s responsibility, but he had saved her life. Any decent human would make sure she arrived safely at her final destination.
He landed on top of the Conrad Hotel, set Ella down, and shifted. “Here we are.”
“Why are we on top of a building?” She looked around. “How will we get down?”
He laughed. “I guess it seems strange to a non-dragon shifter, but I needed room to land. “Come on. We can go down through that rooftop door. It opens to a staircase that will take us to the elevators.”
“The door isn’t locked?”
It was a reasonable question. Tanner pulled out a key. “It is, but since my construction company built this hotel, I have a key.”
“I see.”
Normally, he would have returned it, but their manager understood Tanner’s need to have a safe landing place. He escorted her down one flight to the elevators. Tanner suddenly realized he must look a mess. Not only did he need a shave, his clothes were wrinkled from sleeping on the office sofa.
“This is the nicest hotel in town. Stay the night, and then tomorrow we can see about getting your car out of the snowbank.”
When Ella grabbed his arm and stepped close, his body went crazy. His inner scales flashed, and most likely his eyes had turned teal.
“You would do that for me?”
“Of course. Mind you, if I have a meeting tomorrow or something, I’m sure I can find a couple of good men to retrieve your car.”
She stared at him for a moment. “Oh, okay.”
The elevator doors opened, and they stepped inside. To his dismay, the cramped space didn’t help calm his lust one bit. When they reached the lobby, Tanner set her suitcase down. “Can you take it from here?”
“Sure. And thanks.” She pulled out her phone. “How can I reach you?”
He removed his cell from his pocket. “Let me call you. That way you’ll have my number, too.” She gave him her information, and a moment later her cell rang.
Ella smiled. “Hello, rescue man.”
He laughed. She was cute. “If you get hungry, the New Frontier Diner is right through those doors. Food’s really good too.”
She smiled, and his dragon breathed fire in his gut. It was time to go.
“Thanks again,” she said. “I owe you big time.”
He refused to let his imagination consider how she could repay him. Tanner spun on his heels and had to work hard not to turn around and kiss her.
Chapter Three
As soon as Tanner left the hotel, Ella picked up her suitcase from near the front desk and headed toward the chairs in the lobby. She had no idea how much a glamorous place like this would cost, and she had to make sure she could afford it. While one of her jewels would easily cover the cost of a month’s stay, she wasn’t about to trust a clerk to know its value.
From her purse, she pulled out her wallet and counted her money. This would have to last her until she could find a jeweler who would buy her goods.
The name Conrad Hotel was written in shiny gold letters above the desk. Using her phone, she located the website and checked the going rate. While high, she could afford to spend a week’s stay as well as eat, assuming she didn’t go overboard on drinks or dessert. If she planned to stay longer than that, she’d have to find a jeweler soon.
Ella wasn’t sure when she decided she would give this town a try, but she figured all towns looked more or less the same—except this one had a hero—and a hot one at that. When the line at the front desk disappeared, she strode up to it, reminding herself that she was no longer the daughter of the mighty Alpha of the snow leopard clan. Her mom had brought her daughters up to snub others, but Ella was more like her dad—compassionate and strong.
After she paid for two nights, she headed up to her room. Only because she had spent many nights in high-end hotels during ski season did this room seem slightly cramped. Her room at home had a king-sized bed with a sitting room attached to it. But Ella didn’t live there any
