“I got spoiled at the hotel. The change to my sleep schedule’s just thrown me off. I’ll be fine tomorrow.”
He hummed in thought, and I had the sense that he wanted to apologize again for the lateness of the hour, but refrained. “I’ll let you get some sleep then. It’s a three-hour drive. That should give you time to get a good nap in.”
His thoughtfulness touched me. “Thanks. See you soon.”
We hung up, and my phone dinged with a text as I slung my purse onto the bar in front of me and grabbed a bottle of water
A message from a number I was unfamiliar with said:
Mesmer:It’s nice to meet you, Mia. Drinks are in the fridge. On-demand movies are available on the TV. We should arrive at our destination in 3 hours.
Mia:Thanks, Mesmer. It’s nice to meet you too.
Mesmer:You’re welcome.
Mesmer must have handed me his company phone inside the airport, and was now using his personal one to text me with. I put it safely in my purse, took a sip of water, let my body melt into the decadent, cushy seats, and had no more thoughts for the rest of the drive.
* * *
Next I was aware,big, gentle hands were persistently shaking my shoulders. I pushed them away, still mostly asleep, and heard a quiet chuckle, and then the gigantic hands were back, nudging my shoulders a little harder.
I suddenly remembered where I was, and I bolted upright, probably looking like an owl with large, startled eyes and my hair flying all over the place. My glance darted around until I looked up into Mesmer’s face.
I slumped in relief.
“Oh, hello again. I must have fallen asleep. Thank you for waking me.”
His smile was warm and soft as he patted my hand and went to grab the bags out of the trunk.
I rubbed my face, trying to wake up, digging deep grooves into the sockets of my eyes before I got out of the car to look around. My eyes widened as I took in my surroundings. Had I accidentally flown to Italy?
“That’s an Italian villa.”
Mesmer nodded, not at all bothered or surprised by my astonishment, and motioned for me to follow. I looked around in befuddled interest. “Well, I always wanted to visit Italy.”
Rounded, double entryway steps led to a mahogany door with a huge copper knocker in the shape of a lion. As I stumbled up the steps, my legs refusing to work properly because of weariness, I looked around at the surrounding area. A forest surrounded us, and beyond the villa, white, sandy beach and glistening, deep-blue water shone in the full moonlight.
“Holy shmoley.”
Mesmer chuckled.
The door opened and a thin man in an honest-to-goodness tuxedo answered the door. He had thick, gray eyebrows and hair, pale skin, and a hawkish nose. But it was his eyes that were the most arresting. They were aqua blue.
My jaw wanted to sag open at the impossible color, but I refused to let it. I would not gawk at everyone and everything. From the corner of my eye, though, I tried to take in as much as I could. Mesmer took off in a different direction after giving me a pat on my shoulder. And for someone so big, he moved like a panther, silently and gracefully. I wondered if he studied martial arts.
“This way, miss,” Aiwin said, trying to wrest my attention from the lemon trees in big pots that sat at either end of the entry hall. They made it smell so bright and yummy right when you walked in, and I wanted to take a picture of the beautiful, glazed pots they were housed in.
Aiwin moved swiftly, and I tried to take in as much of my surroundings as I could as we passed through an entry hall, a formal dining room, a parlor, a living room, and a billiard room, until finally the servant knocked and let me into an office of mammoth proportions.
“Mia Durran for you, Master Leto.”
“Thank you, Aiwin.”
Aiwin bowed me in, and I stiffened my spine for courage before I walked in.
The room was enormous, but felt cozy. There was a fire blazing merrily in the rock fireplace, various overstuffed couches and chairs had been interspersed throughout the room, and on the far end stood an enormous mahogany desk. Murals covered the walls. Nature scenes mostly. One wall had green vines and leaves stenciled all over a creamy background with a pale sun and a robin’s egg blue sky. Another had a wall of tinted windows that looked out over the ocean.
I fell in love on the spot.
