I shook my head. “Just asking some questions.” I waved him off. I could take a ribbing just as good as anyone else, but I wasn’t in the mood to talk about what led me to ask the question in the first place.
An almost overwhelming preoccupation with Mia had pummeled my mind for damn near the past forty-eight hours. I memorized every word she said to me. And if I hadn’t had plans with Jameson and the rest of my friends already, I would’ve happily spent the entire day with her. As it stood, the only reason I didn’t cancel on them was that Mia insisted I shouldn’t cancel on friends.
“What was that?” Will asked.
I peered across the table, realizing that I’d grunted out loud at the reminder that I was spending the night with them instead of with her.
Maybe I should take her some tacos in case she’s hungry.
“Are you still there?” Will’s question caught my attention again.
“Yeah, I’m here,” I answered begrudgingly.
“Shit, man. You’re usually quiet. But even your taciturn ass is being unusually muted tonight. What’s up?”
I snorted. “Nothing,” I told him at the same time my phone dinged.
It was the company I hired, confirming that the excursion I scheduled for the next day was all set. Immediately, I started texting Mia to let her know our day of snorkeling, visiting cenotes, and parasailing was all set. A thrill shot through me that reminded me of that feeling a little kid gets the night before Christmas.
Instead of presents under a Christmas tree, though, I looked forward to seeing Mia dressed in only a bathing suit.
At that moment, I stood from the table as my fingers stopped mid-text. I wanted to hear her voice rather than texting her.
“Hi,” she answered. “Are you still at dinner?”
My chest rose from the deep inhale I took before responding. “Yeah.” I glanced over at the table I’d just vacated to see Jameson returning to the table with the woman from the dancefloor at his side.
Grunting, I turned my back to the scene. “Our excursion for tomorrow is confirmed. I’ll pick you up at eight-thirty so we can have breakfast before we board the boat at ten.”
Mia groaned. “This is my sabbatical. Why do I have to get up so early?” she whined.
My lips twitched into a smile. “You were the one who wanted the morning slot. I offered to get us the afternoon slot.”
“No, by afternoon it'll be too hot and crowded. Besides, I like morning excursions. I’m just teasing.”
“That’s what I thought.” The music in the restaurant grew louder, and the crowd swelled.
“What’s that?” Mia asked.
I plugged my free ear and moved farther away from the fray to be able to hear her better. “Nothing.”
“You’re still out to dinner. You should go hang out with your friends.”
“I’m doing exactly what I want to be doing.” That wasn’t the truth at all. If I were doing what I wanted, I’d be in her damn bed instead of on the phone with her.
In time, I reminded myself. Hell, it’d been barely seventy-two hours since I’d met this woman.
There was a hesitation on the other end of the phone. “Seriously, though. If you want to spend more time with your friends over going snorkeling with me—”
“I’ll stop you right there. There are two things you should know about me,” I said, a hard edge sinking into my voice. “I don’t say anything I don’t mean. And I don’t volunteer my time for shit I don’t want to do. If I said we’re set for tomorrow, then we’re set. You should make sure to have your pretty ass ready by eight-thirty.”
Again, there was a pause on the other end. For a heartbeat, I wondered if I came on too strong. The last thing I wanted was to scare her away, but I’d be damned if I was about to let her get out of our day together. She wanted to go as badly as I did. I could sense it. I was a master at reading people. The skill had saved my life and the life of the family I worked for on many occasions.
“I guess you put me in my place.”
“If I’d put you in your place, you’d be in my bed right now.”Shit.I didn’t mean to say that out loud.
“You’re used to giving orders, aren’t you?” Mia questioned.
