“The atmosphere created in that little shop was so warm and welcoming. The customers would spend hours playing board games or bringing in their children and grandchildren to play in a spot the owner set up for them. It was a place where people came together.
“And it felt like no matter what was happening on the outside, in our little corner of the world, all was perfect. People got relief from their stress and got to relate with others over a good cup of coffee and delicious pastries. I want that again.”
That was the first time I’d ever expressed out loud the entirety of what my time at that coffee shop meant to me.
Brutus stared down at me, the edges around his eyes wrinkled as he smiled. He lifted my hand to his and kissed my knuckles.
“Sounds like a hell of a place to work.”
I nodded. “It was, and who doesn’t love coffee?”
We both chuckled.
“That’s why after this month in Mexico, I’m headed to Colombia for the rest of my three-month sabbatical, to live on a coffee plantation.”
His eyebrows lifted. “Colombia?”
I nodded excitedly. “Yeah. They have the best coffee, and if all goes well, I plan to connect with some growers to be the suppliers for my shop. I have a list of contacts.”
His lips pinched. “So, you’re actually working. I thought this was time off for you.”
“It is …” I sat up on my elbows. “I mean, yeah, it will be slightly work related, but it’s something that I want. For myself. I’m not working for a huge, multi-billion-dollar company, only to be looked over when it’s time for my promotion.” I tried to keep the bitterness out of my voice, but it still made its way into my tone. “Anyway,” I said before plopping my head against the pillow, “this is for me.”
His expression became unreadable. He stared down at me, studying me for some reason that I couldn’t discern.
“Have you checked out these coffee plantations? What are their safety measures? Do you personally know anyone who’s been there? What are their references?”
I wanted to burst out into laughter from so many questions. But his face held stern. A wrinkle between his brows indicated that he wasn’t joking.
A sly grin played at my lips, and I sat up, cupping his chiseled jaw, before kissing his cheek.
“That’s so sweet.”
His frown deepened. “What?”
“That you care.” After all, this was simply a vacation fling. He didn’t have to pretend he cared what I did after we parted ways. But there was a sincerity in his voice and expression that made me believe he was genuinely concerned about my safety beyond sleeping with me while on vacation.
“Of course, I c—” His comment broke off when his phone rang on his side from somewhere on the floor. He glanced over his shoulder, his frown deepening. “That’s work.” There was an apologetic note in his words.
A rigidness in his body set in. He still hadn’t opened up to me about his career, and I hadn’t asked. I assumed it was something related to security because he just gave off that aura.
“It’s okay,” I assured. Not that he needed my assurance to answer his own phone. However, once I’d said those two words, he nodded and then rolled over to pick it up. He stood from the bed, his naked backside to me.
My legs squeezed together, and the memories of what his body against mine felt like flooded my consciousness. I watched as the muscles in his ass tightened and relaxed with each step he took out of the room.
“Yeah,” he finally said, by way of answer just as he stepped over the threshold and out into the hallway. His heavy footfalls trailed down the stairs.
Sighing, I leaned against the pillows, staring up at the ceiling. I didn’t want to admit how after just one night together, my bed felt a little bereft now that he was no longer taking up space in it.
“Don’t get too attached,” I mumbled to myself. Good sex—no, phenomenal sex, absolutely should not be enough to make me fall hard for a man. Not at thirty-five years of age. I’d had plenty of relationships. And while none of them ended in marriage, I knew what it was like to be in love.
I also knew the sting of heartbreak, just like any other woman in her mid-thirties did. I wasn’t opposed to getting into a relationship. Truth be told, I’d even found myself yearning for one more and more during the past year. Many of my relationships had fizzled out over the years because my career often took priority. And too many men I’d come across couldn’t stand to see their wife or girlfriend making more money or exceeding in their careers beyond them.
I shook my head, shaking loose those thoughts. None of that applied to Brutus and me. This was a holiday thing. He was only around for another week and a half, anyway. I needed to just enjoy it for what it was.
Right when I’d gotten that settled in my mind and my heart, my phone rang. Assuming it was either my sister or Carlene, I picked it up. A number I didn’t recognize flashed on the screen. I had half a mind not to answer, but Carlene had been known to call from unknown numbers since she made a habit out of leaving her phone in random places and often had to use strangers’ phones to track hers down.
“Hello?” I answered.
