Damn, was she afraid of me now instead of angry? Shit. This wasn’t at all how I wanted things to go. “I’d never—” I didn’t get to finish what I was about to say because an announcement came through the intercom stating we could exit the plane. Our alone time was over.
Baggage claim and the taxi ride seemed to take forever. When we arrived at the Brunetti Resort, there wasn’t any privacy to be had there, either. We checked in for the convention and retrieved our room keys. Neither one of us said two words to each other, not even in the few minutes we had alone in the elevator. When we arrived at our floor, Mia scurried off to her suite, leaving me to wonder how things had gone from bad to worse.
I went to my own room, slid the keycard through the slot and pushed the door open. After tossing my suitcase on the bed, I looked around at my surroundings. It was a stunning room, with a foyer which led to a large living room. The furniture was light and modern, with cream-coloured carpet and luxurious ivory curtains. It was classy, as all Brunetti Resorts and Hotels were renowned for. There was a large plasma flat-screen and a wall-to-wall mirrored bar. Just what I needed, a drink.
I made my way into the bedroom and noticed more mirrors, walls of them. Winter had booked a great room. As I stared at the bed, I imagined making love to Mia on those luxurious linens and I groaned. I opened the door connected to the bathroom; the damn thing was fit for a king. The main feature of the bathroom was the Jacuzzi. God, all I could envision was Mia in that tub. My phone rang, interrupting the X-rated movie playing in my head. I checked the caller ID, hoping it was Mia. It was my mum.
Shit. Like I really needed to talk to her. She’d see right through me, realise something was wrong and want to help me. It rang again. For a moment, I thought of avoiding her, but that would only cause her more worry. It didn’t matter that I was almost thirty-five; I was her only child and she smothered me.
“Hi, Ma.”
“Hello, honey. Was your flight okay? How about Marco flying you to Adelaide? I’ve been scared about that, knowing it was his first time.”
I wanted to blurt out it was crap, seeing as I had alienated the one woman I was beginning to suspect I was falling for. “It was great and Marco did just fine.”
“And your shoulder, no problems with that during the flight?”
“No, it’s all good. How are you and Dad doing?”
“Oh, we’re just fine. Dad is out playing golf with your uncle; I won’t be expecting him back any time soon. I don’t want to talk about your stubborn father. I want to know how you are. I miss you. You sound a bit down; perhaps you need a pep talk from your mother. Is everything okay?” And there it was, mother’s intuition. I would never be able to escape it, not for trying anyway. “I think I may have ruined things with Mia, and we were getting quite close.” I walked back into the bedroom and collapsed onto the bed.
“Good God, Zane, what have you done to her? I adore that girl. You better not have botched up your chances of a future with her, or I’m going to tan your hide the next time I see you.” The only reason I had confessed all to my mother was because the last time I had spoken to her, she was badgering me about being single and how I needed a partner. I had confessed to her the intense attraction I felt for Mia. How beautiful she was when she smiled, how crazy she made me when she said something just to tease me. Of course my mother heard wedding bells, though, so I’d played it off.
“Yeah, I’m probably going to need that,” I mumbled
“Well...she still got on the plane with you and came to the convention, right?”
What is my mother up to now? “Yes, she did.”
“And if my memory serves me correctly, it’s for three days, right?”
I sat up. “Yes. What is with the twenty questions and interrogation?”
“Well, I want to know why the heck you are wasting time with me. Get off the phone and ask her to dinner. I won’t call you again, even though it’s going to kill me.”
“I don’t think the dinner invite is going to work; she pretty much hates my guts at the moment. I’m the last person she’d want to have a meal with, trust me.”
My mother made a frustrated sound. “Don’t be silly, honey. She doesn’t hate you. She’s just playing hard to get.”
I laughed. “Really? Most of the women I ever dated never did that.”
“Mia is different, not anything like that rude and brash fiancée you had. Ask her to dinner. If she refuses, ask her again. And remember to be a gentleman about it, Zane.”
I chuckled as I stood. “I always am, Ma, always.”