I tilted my head. “I don’t think that’s good for your bladder.”
A deep chuckle broke free. “My bladder’s good and trained.” He grabbed my suitcase along with his. “C’mon.”
Why did it feel like we were suddenly on a trip together?
We made our way to the rental car service, and he let me get ahead of him. I was almost relieved to get up to the clerk at the desk. With the keys in my hand to my rental, I would be able to get in my car and be on my way. Some time apart from Brutus would probably do me some good.
That’s what I was thinking all the way up until the time the clerk apologetically informed me that somehow the car rental I’d set up weeks ago was no longer in their system.
* * *
Brutus
“That can’t be right,” I heard Mia say as she stood about five feet to my left, speaking with one of the car rental employees.
I squashed down on the satisfied feeling that passed through me. No, I didn’t appreciate hearing the distress in her voice. What did titillate me was the awareness that the contact I’d reached out to while Mia was in the restroom held up his end of our arrangement.
He was able to get Mia’s rental wiped out of their system.
“Mr. Prince,” the employee handling my reservation called, “we have the smoke-colored Lexus SUV that you requested. She has just been washed and is all ready for your arrival.”
“Perfect.” I nodded before quickly looking over at Mia.
“What do you mean I will have to come back?” she questioned, impatience making a hint of an appearance in her tone. She wasn’t loud or shrieking. It sounded like she fought hard to keep her voice even and professional, but I had excellent hearing.
I bit back a smile. And while I should’ve felt some guilt at causing this minor inconvenience, not an ounce of that emotion made its way into my body. Quite the opposite. Satisfaction coursed through me knowing that I was one step closer to spending even more time with Mia.
I thanked the employee after he handed me the keys to the SUV and a map of how to get to Tulum. Not that I would need it.
“Is there a problem?” I casually asked Mia, approaching her from the side.
She turned, a displeased expression on her face. “My reservation somehow got canceled.” She gestured toward the counter. “Or lost or something. And they don’t have any more rentals available for the next week. How is that possible?” She turned to the employee behind the counter to ask.
Before he could answer, I interjected, “You’re going to Tulum, right?”
“Yes, it’s over two hours away.” She frowned. “There is a bus. A pretty nice bus from what I’m told. I could always—”
“Ride with me,” I finished for her.
Her eyebrows lifted, lips parted.
I almost forgot all of my training that told me to remain calm, cool, and collected when I’m on the verge of hitting my target.
In my thirty-seven years of life, I couldn’t recall a time when I wanted something so much. Not for myself, anyway. I’d wanted a lot—to keep my clients safe, to fulfill my obligations to my teammates in the military, to take care of my mother when she needed me, but never a woman.
“I couldn’t …” Mia trailed off.
“I’m going to the same place,” I reminded her.
“Same city, but not the same place,” she came back with.
“Close enough. I wouldn’t mind dropping you off.”
Her mouth parted again, and a lesser man would’ve folded, I swear. She shook her head. Clearing her throat, she said, “I mean, us talking and stuff on the plane was great. But we’re strangers. And it wouldn’t be smart for me to get into a car with …” she notably scanned the length of my body with her gaze, “someone I don’t know.”
I wanted to brush off her comment, tell her she was being ridiculous, but I was a security professional. I knew better than most the dangers that existed in this world. In all honesty, if she were someone related to me or one of the Townsend women, I would’ve run down all of the ways in which she’d already failed at keeping herself safe.
She’d already shared with me where she was going, the name of the rental car company she would be using, and her first and last name. Had I been someone with more nefarious intentions, she’d be up shit’s creek without needing to get into my vehicle.
