“Now that I don’t believe.” I snorted to keep from laughing as I pulled her into a hug.
I wrapped my arms around her lush body, reveling in the way she felt pressed against me. When she folded her arms around my shoulders, I let out a sigh. Everything about that moment felt right—more right than even returning Cole Townsend to his parents.
“Are you okay?” Mia asked, pressing a hand to my chest.
“I am now.”
“You don’t have to tell me the details, but the child …” She didn’t finish the question. The concern in her eyes called to me. I rarely, if ever, spoke about my job or the family I worked for with anyone. Especially not with the women I dated. But Mia wasn’t any ordinary woman.
She was my wife.
Sometime between our time in Mexico and that very moment, I determined that she would be my wife. My life partner, the one I would have children with, go to sleep next to me at night and wake up the next morning. And as much as I was known for keeping secrets, not speaking, I had to force myself to bite down on the urge to claim her out loud.
She’d literally just returned home a few hours earlier. I would have to wait some time before I sprung the inevitable on her.
“He’s fine. Home safe,” I answered.
She let out a breath as if she’d been worried about it since I left hours ago. “Well …” her eyes drifted to something over my shoulder, “it’s late and you’re probably tired. If you want me to call an Uber …” Her voice trailed off when she caught the incredulous expression on my face.
“An Uber for what?” My voice came out eerily calm.
“To take me home.”
Why did that feel like a spear to the heart? At least, what I imagined a spear to the heart to feel like.
This is your home.
I clamped down on my tongue for a beat to prevent that comment from slipping out. “Stay with me tonight,” I told her instead.
Her eyes ballooned for a split second.
“It’s too late to disturb your sister’s family at this hour.” Obviously, I wasn’t beyond using guilt to convince her to stay with me. Her home wasn’t available, and she’d told me about her plan to stay at her sister’s until her tenant’s lease ended.
Her lips parted, and I could see the spark of refusal in her eyes.
“And don’t even think of trying to find a hotel to stay at,” I insisted.
“You’re tired.” Her hand smoothed against my chest.
My entire body warmed, and I wondered if she even knew the effect her slight touches had on me.
“And?”
“You need to get some rest. If I’m here—”
“I’ll sleep better with you next to me,” I said before dipping low and hauling her in my arms.
The gasp of surprise she let out had my cock stirring in my pants.
“Let’s take a shower,” I said as I carried her up the stairs.
* * *
Mia
In a million years I would never get used to Brutus picking me up like I weighed the amount of a loaf of bread. But damn, it felt good, too.
The voice at the back of my mind continued to whisper words of doubt and fear. I wondered if we could really make this work. Brutus’ job was obviously very important to him and took priority over everything. As someone who once lived like that, I didn’t know if I could commit to playing second fiddle in someone’s life.
