Page 9 of Five Mistletoe Moments
“Okay.” As soon as the door closed, her phone vibrated. Mia blindly reached for her small crossbody and dug it out. There were four text messages from Alana, all with the same message:Still waiting on that pic of BigSexySanta37. Don’t make me get on a plane!She knew her friend wouldn’t hesitate. Sitting up, she grabbed the photo of Dwight and her with the dolphin, snapped a picture and attached it to a text. She typed:All is well…better than well because he really is sexy.She hit send.
Less than three minutes later, Alana replied:OMG!! Dwight is your mystery man? When you get home, I want EVERY detail. I’ll bring the wine.
Laughing, Mia flopped back on the bed. Best friends since kindergarten, she and Alana had supported each other through the craziness of life, shared secrets and were as close as sisters. But there were some details that she’d keep to herself. Her thoughts automatically shifted to Dwight. She could get used to being with him every day, and didn’t want to think about how hard it would be to go their separate ways in two days.
Once again, she questioned the sanity of indulging in a long-distance relationship, particularly since every one of herlocalliaisons had crashed and burned in a matter of months. The longest one had lasted nine months, and that had been about eight months too long. But none of those guys had affected her the way Dwight did. She’d never been anxious to hear a man’s voice, feel his touch or taste his kiss. Only with Dwight. Mia lay there a few minutes longer, then sat up. Instead of going swimming or lounging in the Jacuzzi, she decided she would relax and read one of the books from her ever increasing to-be-read pile on her e-reader. She took a quick peek at her watch. The shuttle left every fifteen minutes, and if she hurried, she could catch the next one.
When Mia arrived at the sports club, she spotted Dwight on the far side of the room doing bench presses. She stared, transfixed by the play of his muscles with each repetition. It took everything in her not to cross the space and straddle him right there. She knew for a fact how it felt to ride him. Shaking herself mentally, she strode in the other direction toward the exit and to a lounger beneath a palm thatch covering. She had the area to herself. Powering on her e-reader, she made herself comfortable and started reading. It didn’t take long for her to get lost in the thriller.
“I knew you were lying.”
Mia whipped her head around.Jermaine. I don’t believe this.Her shock quickly turned to fury. “What are you doing here?”
Jermaine folded his arms and glared down at her. “I followed you because I’m not letting you cheat me out of this trip. You know I won.”
This fool had actually followed her to another country. Had he been on her flight? She wanted to knock that smug smile right off his face. “You’re crazy. For the last time, you. Did. Not. Win! Now, get the hell away from me before I call security,” she said, pointing a finger at him for emphasis.
“It’s a free country.”
“It won’t be for you if you don’t do as the lady asked.”
She turned at the sound of Dwight’s voice. He stopped in front of Jermaine, towering over him and looking angry enough to rip the man’s head off. He hadn’t raised his voice, but the deadly power behind the words even made Mia tremble.
Jermaine snorted. “Who the hell do you think you are?”
“He’sthe man whose bid topped yours,” Mia answered, wanting to head off any confrontation that would undoubtably end with Jermaine needing medical attention. No way would he come out on top in a fight. Dwight topped Jermaine by a good four inches and, from what she’d seen in the weight room, he could probably bench press the idiot without breaking a sweat. Dwight took a step and Mia scrambled off the lounger to intercept him. She ran her hand up his chest. “It’s okay, baby. He’s going.” She sent a hostile stare Jermaine’s way. “For the last time, Jermaine,leave.”
Jermaine moved toward her. “You little—”
With lightning speed, Dwight placed Mia behind him and snatched Jermaine up by the collar, lifting him clear off the ground. “Apparently, I didn’t make myself clear. Mia is off-limits. Don’t ever come near her again.” He stalked over to the pool, tossed the man in, then came back to where Mia stood. His voice softened as he critically assessed her. “Are you okay, sweetheart? Did he hurt you?” He gathered her in his embrace and held her tightly.
She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her cheek against his rapidly beating heart. “I’m fine, and no he didn’t hurt me.” The concern in his eyes touched the deepest part of her soul. She’d never had anyone outside of the Black brothers champion her this way and she fell a little harder.
Chapter 4
Dwight didn’t say one word during the short ride back. He couldn’t. Even now his body vibrated with an anger that hadn’t surfaced in years. Admittedly, he’d always been more intense than his twin, and would strike with a quickness, thenmaybe, ask questions later. Especially when it came to family or someone he cared about, and Mia fell squarely in the latter category. Today, he’d come close and Jermaine had gotten off easy. Instead of tossing his punk ass in the pool, Dwight wanted to rearrange his face. He couldn’t believe the audacity of the man harassing Mia because he was convinced he’d had the winning bid, even though she’d refuted his claims several times. Anyone with a lick common sense would know if the organization didn’t send a message, you didn’t win. Simple.
After getting off the shuttle and going up to the room, Dwight placed his hands on Mia’s shoulders. “I’m going for a run.” He had to work off the anger somehow.
Mia stared up at him, seemingly looking for answers he couldn’t give just yet. “You just did an hour workout. Is anything wrong?”
“We’ll talk when I get back.” He placed a quick kiss on her lips and started for the door.
She followed and caught his arm. “Dwight, wait. If this is about what happened, I—”
“I promise we’ll talk. I need to go.” He slipped out the door and went straight to the beach. Instead of jogging, he started at a full sprint and kept going until the tension faded and his balance returned. Forty-five minutes later, he opened the door and saw Mia on the balcony with her arms braced on the railing and her head down. The sight made his heart clench and he realized he should have probably said something more to assure her his anger had been directed solely toward the man who’d been stalking her. But he’d been afraid of what might’ve come out of his mouth if he had.
Dwight slid the door open. “Mia?” If she’d heard him, she gave no indication. Fitting himself behind her, he pulled her close. “Are you okay?”
“I don’t think I can do this,” Mia whispered.
“Do what?”
“This…this thing with us. I don’t want to have to wonder whether you’re going to walk away or get angry with me about something I had no control over. I don’t want my heart to be broken again.”
His own heart started pounding. Turning her to face him, he tilted her chin. “Mia, baby, I was never angry with you, just him. I had to leave because I was close to losing control. The thought that he could’ve hurt you made me want to do more than toss his ass in a pool.” Dwight sincerely hoped the man heeded Dwight’s warning because if he ran into him again, Jermaine would be needing an ambulance instead of dry clothing. “And as far as having a broken heart, no one wants to feel that pain.” He endured it for the past several years and it was the worst thing he’d ever gone through.
“I can’t go through that again. It hurts too much.”
