Page 20 of The Bride's Billionaire

Tyler wokeup with his arm around Kayla. Somehow, he had joined her, lying prone on the sofa. Her back curled up into him, and she was cradled in his arms. Her hair smelled of lemons and something from last night, something uniquely her. The crack in the hotel curtains told him the sun had lowered in the sky. The room was quiet, and Kayla’s breathing was regular. Her mouth pushed forward in a cute, pouty expression, her forehead was smooth. His gaze followed the line of her pert nose as it turned up at the end. She was classically beautiful. Her features were stunning, and he had loved spending time with her. That went without saying. They were both highly compatible, and it made for fantastic dates, but what more did he know about this intoxicating woman? He was unexplainably attracted to her, certainly. He closed his eyes. No, he couldn’t talk himself out of it. They had something special, a connection he’d never felt with anyone else. He sighed. Next to him, she stirred.

In her first moments, before clarity broke through her sleep haze, she smiled. And he wanted mothing more than to press his lips to that beautiful smile. Then her eyes fluttered open, and he waited for her to notice him. She ran her hand along the arm that was draped across her front, then she turned to face him. “Hello.” Her bright eyes twinkled at him, and her smile widened.

“Hello, yourself.”

She snuggled closer into his chest and closed her eyes again. He tightened his hold and ran his fingers up and down her back. What was he going to do? He trailed his fingers through her hair, lightly moving aside strands, running one finger along the base of her neck and then up her scalp, massaging in gentle circles. “What am I going to do with you?”

“Exactly what you’re doing right now.” She smiled, her eyes still closed at first, and then she opened them and looked up at him.

Tyler ran a finger along her forehead. “Your eyes are brilliant. Every time I see them, they’re shining pools of light.”

“You stopped.”

He laughed and then ran fingers up and down her back. “Should we go get some food?”

Now she sighed. “But then we have to talk, and if we’re gonna talk, we have to figure out how we want to go about competing for the same bottler franchise, and if we have to do that, then you might not like me any more and you’ll stop rubbing my back.” Her smile turned impish.

“Oh, so you’re using me for my mad back-rubbing skills?”

“You know it. You’ve got some serious talent.”

“Mmm. So you like this.”

She snuggled closer. “Very much. Too much.”

“Well, we could linger and do these kinds of things… Or we could go get some food and come back to doing these kinds of things.”

She eyed him, skeptical.

“I don’t imagine my interest in you is going to change after a conversation.” He lifted her hand, playing with her fingers. They were soft, her nails neatly trimmed. He admitted to being all the more intrigued now that he knew she was head of a growing, successful bottler. So much potential there, for business and in their relationship, if he could somehow salvage a relationship after everything.

She turned to face him, her eyes suddenly sad, and the unhappiness he saw there tore into him. “What is this?” He ran a finger across her forehead again, now wrinkled with concern

“There’s so much at stake.” She looked away. “You’re right, let’s go eat. And if you still want to, we can go be tourists again after.”

“That’s the spirit.” His stomach grumbled. “I don’t understand how women seem to survive without food. I’m so hungry I can’t think straight.”

She laughed and then stood. “So, I’ll see you in an hour?”

“What! No way. Let’s go down right now.”

“I feel disgusting.”

“You look stunning.”

She turned pink but eyed him. “Okay, at least let me brush my teeth.”

“Now that I won’t complain about.”

She swatted him and then entered the bathroom.

His gaze travelled over her room, but everything was put away, so there wasn’t really anything to see. Then he opened up the curtains. She had the gorgeous bay sideview. From here he could see Sugarloaf, the starkly beautiful peak that rose up out of the water, where they would go tomorrow. He could also see the beautiful Cristo Redentor. The dark-blue water reflected the setting sun, and he drank it all in. Iowa had nothing on this view. The way Kayla talked about Brazil made him wish he appreciated it more. Mostly he came for business, ate at his favorite restaurants, and then left. But she made it seem like a real place, made him want to know the people.

She came to stand beside him. “It’s incredible.”

He wrapped an arm over her shoulder and kissed the top of her head. No matter what they had to do over this next week, he wanted her to know he cared about her.

They made their way down to the hotel restaurant. Next door to the nicer restaurant was a bar, blaring samba music. The sign read, “Samba Sensation tonight. Nine P.M. to Midnight.”

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