The scent of freshly brewing coffee weighed on the air, and he lifted onto his elbows and stared across the open space at Carmen. She wore her short hair in a loose knot on the crown of her head and moved around the kitchen in his bedroom slippers and the sleeveless white undershirt from the night before. The shoes were way too large for her small feet, but made sense on the cool tile floor. The shirt swamped her body and looked more like a dress on her petite frame, and when she turned slightly, the sides of her breasts were on display.
Humming softly as she worked, Carmen poured coffee into two mugs on the counter while Sofia rubbed against the back of her calves in an attempt to get her attention.
Warmth unfolded in his chest. She behaved as if she’d been there many times before and making coffee Saturday morning after a long night of sex was part of their regular routine.
It could have been, a nagging voice whispered.
Carlos brushed aside the thought. No negativity. He preferred to dwell on the here and now.
He fell back against the pillows and stared up at the wood beam ceiling. They didn’t have much more time together before she left for Toronto, and he didn’t think he’d ever hated anything as much as the thought of her leaving to go home.
“Good morning,” Carmen sang as she came toward him, face beaming and a steaming cup in each hand. “I see you’re up, and I made coffee.”
“How long have you been awake?” Carlos sat up and took one of the mugs. “Thank you.”
“Not long. Long enough to make coffee and that’s it.” She sat cross-legged beside him and took a sip.
They both looked at each other.
“So…” she said.
“So,” Carlos said, a smile lifting the corners of his mouth.
Carmen bit her lip. “About last night…”
“I’m glad you came. I’m glad you stayed.” Carlos looked into her eyes.
“Good, because I’m glad, too, and I don’t care about what happened in the past. I’m just happy we’re here together again. I’m right where I want to be. With you.”
He didn’t deserve her. She was too damn good for him. “Perfect. We see eye to eye.”
The smile she sent him, right before she took another sip of coffee, was soft and sweet and radiated joy. He was the reason for her good spirits, and if he could, he’d always keep her smiling.
Carmen rested her back against the pillows, stretching out her legs on top of the sheet. “What do you want for breakfast?”
“Most of the time, I have fruit or cereal—something simple. But, there’s a place not too far from here where we can eat. Want to try it?”
She nodded. “I’m starving. We should clean up and get dressed then, huh?”
“Yeah, but before we do, we need to talk.”
Carlos raked his fingers through his messy hair. Carmen used to always be the one who wanted to have the serious conversations, while he used to always run from them because he wanted to pretend there was nothing wrong. He didn’t do that anymore.
“You leave in four days,” he announced, as if she didn’t know that already.
Immediately glum, Carmen nodded. “I wish we had more time.”
He swallowed back the sense of loss that hit him hard. “I want us to make the most of the time you have while you’re here. Instead of staying with Natalie, stay the rest of the trip with me.”
Her eyes widened. “Are you sure?”
“It’s only four more days.”
“Oh, so you can tolerate me for four days, but beyond that—”
“No.” He cut her off on purpose, because he didn’t want her to make a joke about them. This was real and hard. “If I could have you stay forever, I would, but I know that’s not realistic. We can’t just pick up where we left off, because you have to go back home, and you have responsibilities.”
“Yeah.” She sounded less than enthusiastic, dropping her gaze to the white sheet. Almost as soon as she did, her gaze quickly lifted to his, eyes sparkling with excitement. “I could come back more often. I could make up a reason—to check on the gyms, to visit Nat—I’ll think of something.”
“You can’t do that.”
“Yes, I can. Think about it. I have two perfectly valid reasons for coming back to Atlanta. I can’t come back right away, but maybe in another month or so. In the meantime, we could keep in touch.”
Carlos pondered her words for a moment, turning them around in his head. Toronto and Atlanta were very far away from each other, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t make a long-distance relationship work.
“And I could see you whenever I visit my family,” he said.
“Yes!” She couldn’t hide her excitement and looked like she was about to bounce off the bed.
Carlos lifted a hand. “Wait a minute. What about your father, Carmen?”
“What about him?”
“Do you plan to tell him about us?” Worry tightened his shoulders.
The light in her eyes dimmed. “I…I might have to keep our relationship from my father for a bit. You understand, don’t you? Just for a little bit, to avoid the drama, you know?”
“I think that’s a good idea.”
He didn’t want the drama either, because there was no way her father would welcome Carlos back into her life. He didn’t want to look into Alfred Reeves’s eyes and see the same condescension and derision he’d witnessed during the period they dated. Carlos had never been good enough for the millionaire’s daughter, and he was pretty sure nothing had changed.
“So you understand? Really?” Carmen asked softly.
“Yes.”
He took her mug and set both cups on the table beside the bed. When he pulled her to him, she came willingly, snuggling in his arms and resting her head on his shoulder.
He kissed her temple. “It’s best, for now.”
“I agree. But we will tell him, eventually.”
“Eventually,” Carlos agreed dully and without feeling.
His hand trailed up and down her spine in a slow loop. This time, he would be ready for Alfred Reeves’s contempt. He was no longer a twenty-two-year-old aspiring artist. Though he didn’t have the Reeves’ wealth, he made an honest, comfortable living. And more than anything, Carmen loved him. She still loved him, after all this time.
He’d messed up three years ago—letting his insecurities and her father chase him away. He would not make the same mistake again.
Carmen stifled a yawn. “I’m hungry. Pretty soon my stomach will start growling.” She pulled away and stretched her arms above her head, arching her back.
Carlos’s palm smoothed down the line of her spine, his mind shifting to more pleasurable thoughts and making his bottom head lift a little in attention. “I was thinking we could have a quickie before we left for breakfast.” He smoothed his hand up to the base of her neck and rubbed his thumb across her smooth skin.
She sent a coquettish look at him from beneath her lashes. “A quickie? No, sir. I need a shower, and then you’re going to take me to breakfast.”
She slipped from the bed, and Carlos groaned his disappointment.
“You go first. Extra towels are in the closet beside the bathroom door. I’ll catch another nap while you’re in there, and you can wake me up when you’re done.”