CHAPTER7
Mia
“Aww, don’t be a spoilsport,” I teased Brutus, pulling on his arm, even though I knew there was no way I could get him to budge if he didn’t want to. We were outside of the taco stand, where we had just had another dinner of amazing tacos. The place was only a short walk from my bungalow, and along the way, I stopped, noticing a fortune teller.
“Please,” I begged. “For me.” I playfully batted my eyelashes.
He folded his arms across his chest. “You’re trying to use your trickery against me.”
I guffawed. “What trickery?”
He deadpanned. “Your ability to make me say yes to just about anything.”
I squinted. “I don’t have—”
“You do,” he admitted.
My smile widened. “Does that mean you’ll do it?” I clapped my hands.
“I don’t believe in fortune tellers,” he insisted.
Turning my head up to the sky, I let out a groan. “But you do believe inThe 48 Laws of Power?” I asked with my hand on my hip.
“Are we back to that again? It’s a decent boo—”
“Eek.” Covering my ears, I shook my head adamantly. “Don’t you dare finish that sentence, not when I’m starting to fall for you. Don’t ruin it.”
I laughed and released my ears. But when I looked up at Brutus, his face was a mask of seriousness. I dropped the joking manner and wondered what had made him so serious all of a sudden.
He answered that question for me when he stepped closer and pulled my chin into his hold. God, but I loved it when he did that, capturing my chin so I had no choice but to look directly at him and only at him.
“What did you just say?” he asked in a low, but demanding tone.
I parted my lips and tried to recall what I’d said.
I’m starting to fall for you. I remembered the words that came from my mouth without me thinking.
“You have fallen for me, Mia,” he said before I could repeat myself. “And I have fallen for you.”
My mind was moving too fast to process everything. I wouldn’t dare let myself think I had gone and fallen in love. That would’ve been ridiculous. It’d been less than five days since I met him.
But standing there on the sidewalk with him looking down at me like that stirred something profound inside of me.
He leaned in and whispered in my ear, “I’ve fallen for you, too,” before kissing the corner of my mouth. “But no way in hell am I going into that fortune teller for her to rip me off.”
I chuckled. “Fine. I need to get home and rinse this salt water off my body.”
We’d spent all day out. An excursion that was only supposed to take us until to lunchtime turned into lunch on the beach, followed by kayaking and more swimming in the cenotes. And then dinner. By all accounts, I should’ve been exhausted.
But I felt rejuvenated.
Brutus wrapped an arm around my waist as he escorted me back to my bungalow. A part of my heart grew heavier with each step we took. I didn’t want the day to end. I wondered if it would be too forward of me to tell him that?
Neither one of us spoke as we approached my door. When I went to turn the knob to let myself in, Brutus’ hand covered mine.
I spun around to joke about him double checking to make sure no masked murderer was waiting in my bungalow, but I didn’t get the chance. His lips crashed down on me and stole any previous thoughts in my head.
I surrendered to the kiss, allowing my bag to fall from my hand and then wrapping my arms around his neck. I gasped in surprise when Brutus took that opportunity to lift me, forcing me to wrap my legs around his waist. He was so broad that my short legs barely encircled him in his entirety.
