Her Promise

Her Fear | Chapter Five

When plans change…

AXEL

“I can’t wait for tonight,” Lemon said excitedly. I smiled as I watched Daniel and Allen carrying boxes out of my house.

“We’re almost done here. One more load should do it, then I’ll get dressed and come pick you up,” I promised her.

“Don’t forget my bag on the bed,” she reminded me again.

“I know, baby. I won’t forget it,” I laughed. She reminded me twice before I dropped her at the inn. Daniel rolled his eyes as he shoved another box into the back of my car. I didn’t care; I was too happy.

“And you checked on all the reservations you made?” she worried.

“Lemon,” I stopped her.

‘What?”

“Who’s taking who on this date?”

“Axel!” she whined.

“Just leave everything to me. Tonight is going to be perfect; I promise,” I told her confidently.

“Alright,” she calmed.

“See you in a bit.” I hung up before she could start another protest and shoved my phone into my pocket. Daniel was leaning against the car, shaking his head at me. “What?” I asked.

“It’s just weird watching you,” he laughed. “She’s turned you into a goofy fuck.”

“I can still kick your ass,” I reminded him. He stood straight, raising his hands in surrender.

“I didn’t say it was bad. This is the happiest I’ve probably ever seen you,” he noted.

Allen came trotting out of the house carrying another box. “You seriously couldn’t hire someone to do this?” he called exasperatedly.

“Who the hell am I going to hire out here? I thought we were pack mates?” I shot back.

“Not even buying us a beer,” Allen grumbled.

“Nope. But I’ll make it up to y’all. Gotta take my girl out finally,” I smiled.

“Says the guy who sees his girl literally every day,” Daniel teased.

It had taken almost two weeks for Lemon to arrange her schedule so she could take more than a day off in a row. I hadn’t realized before just how much she worked. Many of the wolves working at the inn had needed time off to deal with things back in the pack between injured family members or worse. I had plenty to do as well, so I couldn’t complain.

“Look, some of us don’t need fate to tell us what is right,” I teased them back. Allen rolled his eyes, his singleness not a problem for him. He spent most of his time off patrol or training back in the pack, hanging out with other unmated wolves.

“I’m happy for you, I really am. But just keep in mind what can happen down the line. I’m telling you, man, when that mate bond hits you, you lose all sense,” Daniel sobered.

Allen punched him in the arm before I could say anything. “Don’t get down on him. Lemon’s cool.”

“I can see when I’m outvoted,” Daniel conceded. What I wouldn’t tell him was exactly how much it felt like a mate bond with Lemon. We hadn’t had s*x again since that first night at her house, but she was like an absolute drug now. I was a lovesick fool, and I had no intention of changing that. “Let’s get this stuff to her place so I can get out of here. I need a nap before Ann decides I’m on pup duty before patrol.”

“Our place,” I corrected him with a smile.

-

When I stepped into the inn, Lemon was helping someone at the front desk, but her eyes darted to me for a minute, excitement shining in them. I shot her a wink, then went to the couches to wait. We had plenty of time to get into the city and check into the hotel before our dinner reservations.

Another girl came from the back while Lemon finished with her check-in. Then she was quickly running down a to-do list. I had to stifle my laugh because she was too damn cute. Her eyes met mine again, and she blushed this time. The rosy color complimented her paly, freckly cheeks.

She held up a finger to me when she was done, correctly assuming my eyes were on her. She disappeared back to her office and reappeared a moment later with her bag. “Ready?” she asked as she came around the counter.

I stood to meet her, grabbing her and pulling her into a kiss. I savored the taste of her on my lips. When she pulled away, her eyes were hooded, and if we didn’t have reservations, I would take her back to her office. Lemon looked killer in anything she wore, but all her little businessy outfits made me want to ruffle her up. I couldn’t wait until my mark was on her neck. I had to continually remind myself she needed things to move slower than I did.

“Did you get everything moved?” she asked, intertwining our fingers.

“Yep, and it’s almost all unpacked,” I nodded.

“And my bag?”

I shook my head with a chuckle. “Did you really think I would forget it?”

“Sorry,” she blushed. “I’m just excited and nervous. This feels like a huge weekend.”

I guided her to the door, and we left the inn. “I hope it lives up to your expectations,” I said.

“Axel, you never disappoint me,” she frowned. Worry lines creased her forehead, and I poked them playfully.

“That’s good to hear. I was a little worried after my first performance in bed,” I said, opening the door to the car. Her eyes went wide, and her cheeks went cherry red. “I’m just joking!” I said quickly.

“I thought you might be upset with me!” she admitted. When I started laughing, she relaxed a little.

“We have all the time in the world to try again,” I told her, leaning into her ear. “And I intend to keep my word about making it even better.”

She swallowed audibly and slid down into the car. I smiled triumphantly as I shut her door and hurried around to the driver’s seat. If our night went well, it was going to turn into a nice early morning.

-

“Checking in under Roberts,” I told the girl at the desk. Lemon stood beside me, holding my hand and looking around the lobby. I had both our bags in my other hand, much to her protests.

“Roberts?” the girl said with a pinched brow. “You have a reservation?”

“Yea?” I told her, my certainty wavering.

“Can you spell that for me?” she asked.

I slowly spelled my last name for her despite not knowing another way to spell it. Then she asked for the phone number that would have been used when registering, and I regurgitated that as well. Lemon tried to look at her screen inconspicuously but failed. The girl gave her a confused look.

“I’m sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Roberts, we don’t have your reservation. Are you sure you received a confirmation for that?” the girl finally said.

Lemon looked at me, worried. “Uh, I don’t know. I didn’t check.” I dropped our things and pulled out my phone, quickly swiping through my inbox. I couldn’t find anything confirming our reservation. “Somehow, I don’t have anything. I know I made a reservation.”

“Did you maybe make a reservation with our affiliate hotel on the east side of town?” the girl asked.

“No, I made it here,” I insisted.

“It’s okay,” Lemon interjected. “Do you have anything available for tonight?”

“Unfortunately, we’re fully booked,” the girl frowned, shifting uncomfortably. My irritation climbed. I knew I had made the reservation.

Lemon’s hand moved to my stomach as she turned into me. “It’s okay. We’ll just check somewhere else,” she said, smiling up at me.

I eyed the girl behind the front desk, then dragged my gaze back to Lemon. “You sure?” I asked her.

“Really, Axel. It’s alright,” she assured me. I focused on the soft patting of her hand rather than the anger pricking at the back of my neck. I looked at my phone. Lemon needed to change so we could make our first stop. As if Lemon had read my mind, she turned back to the girl. “Do you have a restroom I could use real quick?”

-

Lemon took everything in stride. She managed to change quickly in the bathroom of the hotel we should have been staying at while I called around, looking for somewhere else to book a room. I managed to find something, but it was a significant downgrade to the small suite we should have stayed in for the night. She sat in the passenger sweet, smiling brightly and squeezing my hand, and we wove through traffic to our first stop.

“I’m really sorry about the hotel,” I told her again.

“Axel, it’s okay. Don’t even worry. We’re going to have a great night,” she reassured me.

The irritation over the reservation still lingered, but Lemon’s excitement eased the feeling. I put a smile on for her. “We are,” I agreed with her.

Soon we were pulling into the parking lot across the street from a cake shop. Lemon didn’t question anything until we were pushing through the door. “Cake before dinner?” she laughed.

“Something like that,” I smiled. I liked keeping her on her toes. Her eyes scanned the display case as we moved toward the register.

“You must be Axel! So that makes you Lemon,” a middle-aged woman greeted us. “I’m Colleen.”

“How does she know my name?” Lemon asked with a giggle.

“I told her what I was up to when I made our appointment,” I smiled.

“That’s right,” Colleen nodded. “He’s such a thoughtful one too.”

“I mean, I agree, but what’s going on?” Lemon asked us both.

“You know that wedding at the inn you have in six weeks? The one with the bride who hates all the dessert options you and the kitchen gave her?” I asked.

“Yea…” Lemon said, her brow furrowing.

“Well, Colleen here is going to give us a little tasting menu and maybe a few ideas to take back to the inn.”

“That’s right. I got all sorts of delicious stuff for you to try!” Colleen added.

“No way,” she gasped. “Isn’t that like stealing or something?”

Colleen laughed. “I don’t mind any. Truthfully, I thought it was so sweet when your boyfriend here called about a cake tasting that wasn’t for a wedding. I would be honored if my cake helped you tame a bridezilla.”

“Boyfriend?” she mouthed at me. I raised my eyebrows in question at her. We hadn’t used any specific term yet, but I would take whatever I could get from her. She bit her lip and nodded.

“So, what do you two say? Ready for some sweets?” Colleen interrupted.

“Yes, please,” Lemon smiled while my chest swelled.