Page 7 of The Russos
Hurriedly I started to clamber out of the vehicle, only to have Anton stop me and swing me up in his arms, making me squeal in surprise as he laughed and ran up the steps with me in his arms. He stopped when we got to the top and I came eye to eye with a beautiful red-haired woman with familiar green eyes and a bright grin of welcome on her face.
“Hello, Hannah, it’s lovely to see you,” Renee said with a kind smile.
I couldn’t help but return her smile; she exuded kindness and sympathy. “Hi, you must be Renee. You and Lottie have the same eyes and smile.”
“That I am for my sins,” she grinned at me, looking me over as I lay back, relaxed in Anton’s arms. I’d wrapped an arm aroundhis neck and was quite comfortable. My mate was strong. He hardly seemed to feel my weight.
“Let’s go and get you checked in, shall we,” she motioned to where the rest of our group were standing at the reception desk.
Anton started walking forward at her words with me still in his arms, allowing me to look around with interest, taking in the dark mahogany furniture and brightly coloured cushions set off by the dark parquet floor. Big urns filled with ferns, and delicious monsters were interspersed with vases of bright gerbera daisies and roses.
“Do you want a tour of the hotel? I’ve put a few items of clothing in your room for you to try on as per Anton’s instructions. Hopefully, you will find something suitable for your trip away to the falls,” Renee continued to talk as we arrived at the reception desk.
Tapping Anton’s arm to let me down. Once I was back on my feet, I turned to Renee, who I found was just a little taller than me.
“Yes, please to the tour,” I smiled at her. “I have no idea what you mean about clothing, but thank you, I’m sure they will be fine.”
Turning to Anton, I pressed a kiss to his cheek. It really was handy when your mate was the same height as you. “I’ll catch up with you later. Enjoy some time with the others; Renee’s going to show me around.”
His dark eyes searched my gaze in concern, but whatever he found there reassured him and he smiled before flicking his eyes at Renee, who rolled hers at him with a grin and flicked his ear with her finger.
“She’ll be fine, I promise, and I’ll have her back here for tea in an hour, then I’ll take you to your rooms.” With that comment,she tucked my arm in hers and took me on a tour of the hotel, introducing me to staff who she knew by name as well as some of the guests as we walked around.
I’d never felt this comfortable with another female other than Julie and Annie in what seemed to be forever. I smiled as I listened to her tell me about her younger sisters and how proud she was of them. How happy she was that Lottie, Julie, and Amy would be making her an aunt soon. I spent a wonderful hour in the company of a beautiful female that kept me calm all the time she was showing me around. There was something very special about her.
CHAPTER 8
ANTON
With a smile, I watched as my mate happily walked away with one of my oldest friends to be taken on a tour of the hotel. There was no uncertainty at all. I was happy that it was Renee that met us at the hotel. While I loved the twins, I didn’t think their brand of exuberance would have settled Hannah as much as Renee had.
Turning away from the delightful sight of my mate’s arse as she walked away, I went and joined my brother and our visitors, who, after they’d checked in, had made themselves comfortable at the bar on the back veranda overlooking the vast expanse of gardens and the pool. I had to admit the twins knew what they were doing when it came to this hotel. It had been a sad, unkept place when they’d bought it a year ago, and I knew that not all the rooms were up to their standards yet. Out of the fifty rooms this hotel had, only twenty had been refurbished, along with the downstairs, the kitchen, and the dining room. The other thirty would be done as they started to make money.
Taking the beer from the bartender with a nod of thanks, I joined the rest of the males on the veranda. They were discussing what was on the itinerary for the rest of the week.
“Tonight, we’ll take you to the nightclub the girls own and then tomorrow we’ll hit the road and head to Livingstone to see the falls. It’s a long trip so we won’t get there until the evening,” Luca informed them just as a waitress arrived with a tea trolley filled with cakes and sandwiches.
“Thanks, Patience,” I said, moving a chair out of the way so she could get it closer to the table. Patience was the daughter of one of our rangers but preferred to live in town rather than on the ranch. The girls had snapped her up when they’d opened the hotel. “You’re welcome, Mr. Anton. Ms. Renee and Ms. Hannah will be here soon. They are in the kitchen at the moment trying out a new pudding that the chef is playing with,” Patience smiled at us as she offloaded her trolley and took her leave.
I heard Renee laugh and then the quiet tones of Hannah saying something before they appeared in the doorway. I’d not realised how tense I was until Hannah stood just a few feet away from me. Her eyes found mine, and while I could see she was tired from her walk, it was the happiest I’d seen her.
With her arm wrapped around Renee’s, they slowly made their way towards us until they stopped next to my chair. Moving over, I helped Hannah sit next to me and wrapped an arm around her shoulders as she relaxed into my side.
Renee picked up the teapot and held it up with an eyebrow cocked in enquiry. “Yes please,” Hannah replied.
“I’m good, thanks, Ren,” I replied, as did all the males. Happy to stick with beer, but we made short work of the sandwiches and cakes. Before long, I felt Hannah grow heavy against my side. Looking down, I saw she’d fallen asleep.
“Take her up, Anton,” Renee said with a soft smile when she noticed Hannah sleeping. “I’ve put clothes in the wardrobe for her. Supper is at seven, then we’ll head to the club after.”
“Thanks, Ren,” I acknowledged, scooping my sleeping mate up in my arms, turning to the males on the veranda, “I’ll see you at supper.”
A round of “Later, Anton” was called out as I walked away and headed up to our room, where I tucked my sleeping mate into the beautiful four-poster bed, setting an alarm on my phone. Stripping, I joined her, pulling her in close to me. I fell asleep with a smile on my face at the deep purr she emitted at my action.
Waking to the sound of the alarm emitting an annoying beep, I reached across to the side table and switched it off. Getting a grumble from the sleeping female on my chest. Pressing a kiss to her forehead before I nuzzled into her neck, breathing in her scent to appease my animal. He’d been patient so far, understanding that our mate was in no way able to handle anything other than affection until she was stronger.
“Han, time to get up and meet the others.”
Muttering, unhappy at being woken up, I watched in amusement as she opened one green eye to a squint before opening the other so that I was now looking into sleepy eyes. My mate was so beautiful but, for the moment, didn’t believe it. Her scars bothered her and made her feel less. It was something I’d be working on with her.