Page 148 of South Beach Bodyguards

I was being dragged under by the current and even while I knew I could drown, I didn’t even try to escape. I wanted Alejandro to pull me under and make me forget everything that ever was and ever would be. I wanted to let go of the past and embrace the here and now.

His eyes were dark as night and his expression was fierce, yet sweet. That was Alejandro. Sweet but fierce. Which to me, was the perfect man.

My back arched as I gave in and let him milk the deepest shattering pleasure from me.

His hand slid under my ass and he raised me up so that he could take me deeper, until I wasn’t sure where he ended and I began. Until I was on the verge of losing myself entirely in his overwhelming passion.

Until I felt a tear slide down my cheek. I don’t know why. Or where it came from. I only knew that an earthquake had shifted the ground beneath my feet.

“Oh my God, don’t cry,” he murmured, bending down to kiss the droplet away. “Should I stop?”

“No. Never.” I shook my head and gripped him tighter, wanting to keep him inside me.

“Never,” he agreed.

He exploded inside me, and then he stared down at me, breathing hard.

We fell asleep in each other’s arms, bodies still connected in the most primal way possible.

The next night I hummed in the kitchen of my rental as I unpacked, making serious headway on the boxes. Because I wanted to start cooking, exploring new recipes, and working on my knife skills before school started, it was important to me to get this room together first. Alejandro was installing a security system and I paused when I saw him move past my sight line. It brought a smile to my face.

He was very sweet and very, very sexy. He noticed me watching him and he gave me a wink. Damn it, I blushed. Like a teen girl. But I couldn’t prevent the heat from blooming across my cheeks. The night before had been so damn hot. The things he had done to me… I had the sore body to prove it. But I was sore in the best, most satisfied way possible.

The house felt hopeful again to me in daylight. I felt like maybe I had been paranoid the night before, too quick to be concerned. Max the cat was lying on an unopened box, grooming himself with supreme nonchalance.

Maybe the man next door was just weird. There were plenty of odd characters in Miami. It didn’t mean he was malicious in any way. And plenty of cats were named Max. That was just pure coincidence.

Once I was done unpacking my kitchen I was going to run to Publix and stock up on food. I was feeling the very instinctive and feminine need to feed Alejandro. I also needed to get cat food.

Alejandro had some sort of electronic equipment in his hand but he took the few steps toward me and gave me a soft kiss. “Hi.”

“Hi.” I had a saucepan in my hand so I couldn’t wrap my arms around his neck the way I wanted to. “Everything going okay?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Max jumped from the box to the counter and meowed, rubbing against my arm. “I think he’s jealous of you.”

“He should be.” Even as he said it though Alejandro reached out and scratched the cat’s head and ears. “Shouldn’t you try to figure out who this guy belongs to? We can’t just keep him.”

The use of the term “we” both terrified and thrilled me. I didn’t think he had even realized he’d used it, or that he actually meant anything by it. But all I knew that eighteen hours ago I hadn’t known what I knew now—that there could be a we if I allowed it. I knew the second my eyes had opened that morning, Alejandro warm and rock solid and sexy beside me, that thirty days was his way of making his case. That he wanted to be with me. And that it was my decision. One word and this could be real life.

Me and Alejandro, a home, a cat, a baby.

It made me feel almost faint.

I wasn’t even sure why it scared me so much.

Maybe it was because I had unfinished business with his brother and I didn’t know how to fix that.

I also had secrets Alejandro wouldn’t like.

So I had to stay strong. I couldn’t tumble into a relationship. In to love.

“We did try to find his owner. We called the number on his collar. What else are we supposed to do?”

“Call the APL or something.”

I shrugged. “I guess, but I mean, it’s not my fault the information on his tag is wrong.”

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