He shook his head and then moved to my side, placed a large hand at the small of my back, and pressed me forward. And yeah, I went willingly. My body moved under his silent command.
As we walked, I expected him to drop his hand from my back. But he didn’t. I thought about stepping out from his hold because, after all, this guy was a stranger. But I didn’t. I remained right where I was, walking alongside him, as we debated the merits of that damn book I loathed.
Despite my not knowing this man from a can of paint only a few hours earlier, it didn’t feel weird or awkward to be walking and laughing with him through the airport.
“Do you have bags to claim?” He peered down at me with those intensely blazing hazel eyes of his.
Why does one look from him make me feel like I’m the center of the universe?
I shook that thought loose. “Team carry-on,” I answered as I patted the handle of my carry-on suitcase. “After one too many instances of getting my bags lost or things stolen out of my suitcase, I refuse to travel with bags that I can’t carry on the plane,” I further explained.
He dipped his head. “Smart woman.”
I tamped down the butterflies dancing in my belly in delight from his compliment.
“Um.” I pointed ahead to the sign that directed passengers toward the rental car area. “I need to pick up my rental to drive the rest of my way to my destination.” I bit my tongue in the nick of time. To keep from telling him that my final stop was in Tulum, only to roll my eyes at myself internally. I’d already disclosed as much during our conversation on the flight.
“Same here.” His deep and smooth voice sent chills down my spine. “What rental company are you with?”
“Uh …” I paused to remember. I snapped my fingers and answered, “Expertise Rentals.”
His smile widened, and the slight crow’s feet around his eyes deepened. I swallowed the lump in my throat.
“What a coincidence,” he said, and damn that baritone distracted me.
I blinked, to again find myself the center of that stare. “You also have Expertise?”
He nodded and pulled out his phone. “I’ll walk with you over. Give me a second.” He waved his phone in his hand. “I just need to make contact to let a friend know I arrived.”
My heart sank with my shoulders, but I fought hard not to let him see it. When I caught his eyes again, I could see they were narrowed on me. A slight frown appeared on his lips, but he schooled his features.
“You know what,” I started, “I’m going to run to the bathroom. If you need to meet your friend or something, I can just head out from here.” I hoped my voice sounded normal because the idea of parting ways so soon had a tightness filling my chest.
He peered over my head and nodded in the direction of the ladies’ room behind me. “I’ll meet you right here,” he said firmly, as if telling me he wasn’t going anywhere.
Honestly, I didn’t know if I should’ve been elated or a little concerned.
“Okay,” I told him before heading to the restroom with my bags.
While out of his presence for a few minutes, I let my mind wonder about who the “friend” was that he mentioned. An image of a smiling woman, ready to wrap her arms around his broad shoulders, welcoming him to wherever he was going, came to mind.
Not that I was jealous or anything. I was on this sabbatical for myself, to relax. Not to meet a man. Besides, I was a talker by nature. He was far from the first person I’d chatted it up with during a flight. A few of my closest friends I’d met that way.
But there was something different—a hopefulness I had to suppress, not to let it override my good sense.
After washing my hands and gathering myself, I exited the restroom. Hordes of people moved about the airport. But Brutus stood out. Yes, in part, it was due to his size. It was more than that, however.
His presence commanded attention, even with his head looking down into the phone in his hands. The urge to peek at the phone screen to find out if it was a woman he was messaging overcame me.
Every few seconds, he glanced up and scanned his surroundings. It was almost an instinctive move. He appeared to be on the lookout for something or someone, perhaps?
On one of his sweeps, his gaze collided with mine. His smile was instantaneous, and it chased away the doubts that’d clawed their way into my mind in our short period of separation.
“All set?” he asked.
I nodded. “You don’t have to use the restroom?”
He shook his head. “I can go long periods without needing to go.”
