“It could mean a number of things. Hell, anything from fraud to identity theft. None of it is good.”
~
While Mia was showering, I quickly talked things over with Rhett. We agreed that Rhett would take Mia to the police station so we can get it all on record, while I talk to the PI we hired. He was making way on finding Mia. We were just lucky enough to run into her tonight. Now he’ll have to help us track down whoever’s doing this to Mia.
I wait for Mia to come out of the guest room, hoping I’ll get a few minutes alone with her.
I pick up all the glasses and take them to the kitchen. When I walk back into the living room, the door to the guest room opens.
When she comes out and notices that it’s just the two of us, she freezes. Damn, that stings. Mia always looked happy to see me. Hell, sometimes it felt like I was closer to her, than I was with Rhett. Now she’s withdrawn.
I’ll just have to win her trust again. I did it once, I can do it again.
“Rhett’s showering,” I say, then point to the couch. “Can we talk?”
“Yeah. Sure.” She bites her bottom lip nervously. I can’t stop myself from smiling. Seeing her nibble on her lip, always made me want to kiss her, just so I could soothe that same lip with my tongue. The urge is much stronger than I remember, as my eyes zero in on her mouth.
She doesn’t sit down, but instead, stands in the open space between the couch and the window.
I used to be the one who was always nervous around her, but not anymore. Wanting to hold her more than anything, I just go for it. I step into her space and wrap my arms around her. At first, she stiffens, but when I don’t let go, she brings her arms slowly up and wraps them around me. When she presses her cheek to my chest, I close my eyes at the intense feelings flooding me. She’s shorter than I remember. She used to be able to rest her chin on my shoulder, but now she fits perfectly under my chin.
She still smells the same, something flowery mixed with a hint of her. I take a deep breath, filling my lungs with her unique scent.
When it feels like she’s going to pull back, I tighten my hold on her. I’m not ready to let go of her yet.
“I’m sorry for what happened when you came to New York. If I had known you were coming things would’ve turned out differently.”
I press a kiss on the top of her head just as Rhett opens the door to his room. His eyes meet mine for a second before I let go of Mia.
Years ago, he sat us all down and told us Mia was off limits. I need to talk to him about it though. We’re not in school anymore, and he should know by now I’d never do anything to hurt her. I want to date her. I want to find out if she still likes the same things. But until I’ve got his blessing I can’t act on my feelings.
“I’m going to head home. I’ll see you at the office,” I say to Rhett.
“Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow,” Rhett says as he walks to the kitchen.
I turn my back to Rhett and let my arm slip around Mia’s waist. I pull her closer, and placing a finger under her chin, I nudge her face up. When our eyes meet, a blush creeps over her cheeks. That’s new. I take it as a good sign, and leaning down, I press a kiss to her forehead. I keep my lips to her skin, as I hug her to me again. Damn, I missed her.
She stands on her toes so she can bury her face in the crook of my neck. Her arms wrap tightly around me as I hear her take a deep breath.
“I missed you,” she whispers.
That’s all it takes. Three words to break down the barrier of the last three years.
I pull back, letting my eyes feast on her gorgeous face, one last time.
“Smile for me,” I whisper so Rhett won’t hear.
Her lips curve, lighting her face like a million stars.
“Still the most beautiful smile in the world.” The blush on her cheeks deepens at my words. I love knowing that I have an effect on her.
“I’ll be in touch.” I press one last kiss to her forehead, and walk to the front door before I lose all control and kiss her the way I really want to.
~
It’s been four days since we found Mia. Between all the new business ideas Carter has in play, and setting up a new will for him that now includes Danny, Della, and Jamie, I’ve only gotten the new forms for Mia to sign in order today.
I was surprised when I saw that Rhett is still the beneficiary should something happen to Mia. Part of me was hoping that whoever’s been fucking with her had changed the beneficiary to themselves, but I suppose it would make things too easy.