“What’s wrong?” Jackie asked. “You look sad.”
“I’m not sad. I’m subdued and in a café.”
Jackie wrinkled her nose, like she didn’t buy her excuse. “You left a lot behind, Alexa. Make it count.”
“I am,” she said, injecting some enthusiasm in her voice. “I’m doing good work to help save the world, I’m walking everywhere, and oh, I’m also going to museums. A lot of them.”
“By yourself?”
“Yes.” A couple of volunteers had taken her out once, but she hadn’t really wanted to open herself to new relationships. Not yet. Not when she was still healing from one. Healing from Brooks. A knot formed in her stomach. She hadn’t expected to get over him quickly, but their memories playing back in her mind every waking hour didn’t help.
“Sounds like you could use some company,” said a deep Texan accent she knew too well. She glanced from the phone to the man standing in front of her, and every part of her froze for a moment. Her stomach dropped, and when her heart beat again, it throbbed all her pulse points at once.
“I’ll talk to you later. Gotta go,” she managed to say to Jackie before turning off the call.
He pulled out a chair and sat in front of her. He wore a casual shirt with jeans, but what caught her attention was the gleam of resolution in his eyes. How is he here? Jackie. Jackie must have told him about the café she usually went to.
She squared her shoulders. “Maybe I’m on my own because I want to be.”
He tilted his head to the side, like he wanted a good look at her. His gaze heated her flesh, but she managed to stay still. “Then you’re stronger than me, Madam. Because the last month has been hell.”
She caught her bottom lip between her teeth. His words echoed in her ears a few times until they made sense. He’d missed her. Was it possible he’d come all this way for her? She shifted in her seat, heart drumming in her ears. “Has it?” she managed to say, afraid she’d make a fool of herself.
“I wouldn’t be here otherwise.”
She meant to swallow, but her tongue got stuck on the roof of her mouth. Ripples of excitement moved through her, and she leaned in, finding it difficult not to move. “How’s your mother?”
“Alive and well. Asked me about you a couple of times.”
“What did you say?”
“I called her on my way here—after I talked to Jackie and found out your address—to say I’d be going out of the country to be with you.”
Be with me. Sweat slicked her palms. For so long she’d been afraid of experiencing happiness and having it taken away—and now, the man who could show her a slice of heaven was here in front of her. For her. With her. “What did she say?”
“She gave me her blessing and said she was proud of me for going after what I wanted.” He dragged his chair close to her until he was within a breath of her.
“I know, but you have other family members and friends who might not share her enthusiasm,” she said, teetering between hope and caution.
He stroked her cheek, and she sighed. Her stomach sank, and she focused on the intensity of his gaze to keep from jumping into his arms. “Anyone who thinks our relationship is wrong isn’t worth my time. I doubt anyone who sees us together will have those thoughts, but if they’re petty and old-fashioned, then fuck them.”
Her mouth dropped a notch. “Brooks—”
“I love you, Madam. I’m sorry I wasn’t one hundred percent upfront. I love the woman you are, and your past made you that woman. I promise I’ll never take you for granted. If Spain is your home, I’ll move here to be with you. I’ll leave everything behind if that means building a life with you. I also—”
She didn’t let him finish.
She pulled him to her, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him with all she had. Fire ignited in her blood. She caught his manly smell, and touched his hair, reveling in having him so close again. Her tongue meshed with his, caressing his and challenging at the same time.
When she wrenched her mouth from his, she could feel the eyes from other patrons of the café, but she didn’t care. “When you asked me if I loved you, I didn’t answer. I wasn’t ready.”
She cast her eyes downward, then cleared her throat. When she faced him again, tears pricked behind her lids. “I came to Spain because I wanted to start a new life, but as the days turned into weeks, I realized that a new life without you in it isn’t worth living.”
“What are you saying?” he asked.
A couple of tears spilled from her eyes, falling down her cheeks. “I love you, Brooks, with all my heart. I want to be Alexa with you, if you’ll have me. I’ll move to Texas. You already have a home there and I’d like to be part of it.”
He gently wiped the tears from her cheeks with his fingers. “Are you sure? What about living in Spain and—”
“I’ll find other ways and places to help and can travel more often to check on how my donations are helping. But I know I’m asking a lot. If I stop running, if you’ll have me—”
He caressed her cheek, and she trembled under his touch. “You’ll be my Alexa. Former Madam of House of Alexa. The most magnificent woman who’s ever walked the earth.”
“Will you be okay with that?” she breathed. “With everything?”
“Yes,” he answered quickly, staring deep into her eyes.
She nipped his chin. A warm sensation spread through her. From now on, the sense of belonging that Brooks provided would no longer be a fantasy. It would be real. It is real. “Remember when I struck the deal for the male virgin auction with you? I told you I’d keep you around until I got what I needed
