Every Miraculous Moment (Hyena Heat #6)(7)
“Your rooms are all on the same floor,” Wendy said as she walked them to the registration desk. The lobby had white marble floors, rattan furniture, and several different varieties of palm trees in planters against the walls. “The females are on the third floor, and the males are on floors one, two, and four. All your meals are included, and if you need anything, just call me. I live on-site.”
“She was way too perky,” Jesmin said as she waited to be checked in.
“She reminds me of my friend back home,” Miracle said.
The women filed into an elevator, a bellhop pulling the trolley with their suitcases behind him, and then one by one they found their rooms. Miracle’s was in between Jesmin’s and Aria’s, with Leah’s across the hall.
“According to the itinerary, there’s a cocktail party tonight at seven,” Leah said. “I’m going to grab my bathing suit and head down to the beach. You in?”
“Definitely,” Miracle said. “Meet in thirty?”
“Hell yes,” Jesmin said.
Miracle followed the bellhop into her room and thanked him for setting her bags on the bed. When the door shut behind him, she turned in a small circle and took in her surroundings. The floor was made of wide, dark hardwood, and the walls were a sandy beige color, with peach curtains. A tall palm tree sat in a wicker container in the corner of the room, strung with tiny white lights. There was a small kitchen with a welcome basket on the counter; a living room with a white wicker couch, coffee table, and TV, and a screened-in deck that overlooked a marina filled with yachts. Beyond the boat docks, the water shimmered and twinkled in the sunlight.
She didn’t want to waste a minute of her time at the resort. She might not meet her mate, but she was sure as hell going to have a good time. Turning her attention to the suitcase that held her bikinis, she hurried to get ready for her first time on the beach.
*
Miracle ate the two olives from her martini and nibbled on the end of the plastic sword that had held them. Next to her were her three new friends – Leah, Jesmin, and Aria. The afternoon on the beach had been wonderful. She’d seen pictures of beaches, but she’d never actually been to one before. After squishing the wet sand between her toes and inhaling the salty ocean air, she knew that she’d been missing out on something wonderful. It was so different by the water than it was in the mountains. Dragon shifters were, by nature, mountain people, but she bet there were other dragons who liked the beach too.
The resort’s main ballroom was decked out in a beach theme: potted palm trees against the walls, seashells and beach glass scattered on the tables. The drink of the night was a Bahama Mama, which Miracle had firmly passed on in favor of a vodka martini with extra olives. She’d opted to wear one of the dresses she’d brought, a simple black tank, with strappy heels. She was a little sunburned on her shoulders, but Leah promised that it just made her look all glowy and happy.
“I think about fifty percent of the males here are wolves,” Jesmin said.
“That’s not a surprise,” Aria said. “There are more wolf shifters in the States than any other shifter type.”
Miracle let her gaze roam around the room. It was definitely a male-heavy group, and while a number of the attendees were clearly in their twenties, she was happy to see that there were also males who appeared closer to her own age of thirty-eight. She gave her dragon a mental nudge, wondering if the beast was asleep, since she didn’t appear to be interested in checking out any of the males. There was a virtual smorgasbord of unmated guys in the room, but instead of scenting out her mate, her dragon was snoozing.
“It’s like getting hit in the head,” Leah said.
Miracle returned her focus to the girls. “What is?” she asked.
“Meeting your mate,” Leah said.
“I don’t think it’s like getting hit in the head,” Aria said. “If it hurt, no one would want to do it.”
“I don’t mean like a painful hit, I mean like getting smacked. Suddenly you see him, and you and your beast are digging the sexy goods,” Leah said as she stirred her drink with a swizzle stick.
That made Miracle take another look around the room and give her dragon a harder mental push. But still…nothing. Her dragon didn’t so much as bat an eye at any of the males, even when a handsome wolf shifter approached and asked if she’d like to dance.
“Go get him, girl,” Jesmin whispered – too loudly – which made Miracle blush.
“I’m Deon,” he said as he placed his hand on her lower back and drew her close. Their fingers linked and she rested her other hand on his shoulder. She could feel how muscular he was underneath his silk dress shirt.
“I’m Miracle.”
“Yes you are,” he said with a wink.
She forced herself not to roll her eyes at the lame joke. He turned her around the small wooden dance floor, which was populated with a few other couples, and asked her a lot of small-talk questions: where she was from, her hobbies, and her family. Miracle felt like she was in a job interview.
Her inner critic started to point out all his flaws, from a snaggle tooth to the way his eyes darted around as if he were seeing if someone better was available. By the time the song was over, Miracle was happy to be free of him. She was grateful he was a gentleman and at least hadn’t tried to feel her up. When she returned to her friends, Leah was out on the floor.