Much to Beth’s surprise, the machine offered more than standard coffee, and she had her choice of coffee, cappuccino, mocha, Americano, espresso, hot chocolate, tea, apple cider, and yes, even a latte. However, it was just a straight latte, not a flavored one, and she was quite sure it was made with a flavor packet and hot water, not milk of any kind.
“Donny’s going to be so disappointed,” she murmured with amusement, digging in her pocket for change.
“Who is Donny?”
Beth glanced around with a start to see a tall, good-looking and slender dark-haired man crossing the waiting area toward her. He’d obviously just come out of the men’s room. The door was still closing behind him. She stared at him blankly for a minute, surprise battling with recognition, and then whirled around squealing, “Oh my God, Matias!”
Before she’d fully turned, he had crossed the room. Grabbing her by the waist, he whirled her around, laughing.
“Is good to see you, Beth. You are beautiful as ever,” he said warmly, pulling her into a bear hug as he stopped turning.
“You too,” Beth said with a smile, and then pulled back to look at him. “How long has it been? Two years?”
“Sí, so long,” he groaned, hugging her tightly again and this time lifting her off the ground. “I think about you all the time. And I miss you every day.”
Beth chuckled at his words, then wrapped her legs around his waist and used the position to force her upper body back so she could look him in the eyes. She did hate dangling in the air like a child. “I think about you often too, Matias,” she assured him solemnly. “Spain just wasn’t the same after you left.”
“And so you followed me here to Canada, sí?” he teased with a grin.
“Actually, I followed Drina,” she said almost apologetically.
“Ah, sí, I heard she found her life mate here,” he said seriously. “I am very happy for her. But for me,” he added, the solemnity falling away to be replaced by a wide grin, “I am happy because you are here.”
“And I’d be happy if someone’d explain just who in the bloody blazes ye are.”
Beth blinked in surprise at those words in a deep growl, and turned her head to see Scotty standing just inside the door to the terminal, scowling at her like she was a misbehaving child. Her eyes widened slightly, but she merely smiled and said politely, “Scotty, this is Matias Argenis. My cousin.”
“Your cousin,” he echoed dubiously.
“Sí, she was adopted by the Argenises as a sister to Drina, and family to all,” Matias said with a wide smile. “And we are the kissing cousins.”
Beth grinned when he kissed her nose, and then leaned forward to kiss his nose back. “Now you’d best put me down ere Scotty has a conniption fit on the spot. I think he believes our behavior is inappropriate.”
“Hmm.” Matias eyed Scotty’s furious face briefly and then turned back to her and raised one eyebrow. “He is English, no?”
“Scottish,” she corrected him.
Matias shrugged, the action jostling her up and down slightly. “Is the same thing. English, Scottish, they are all the cold fish.”
Beth grinned in response, but she also unhooked her legs from around his waist, and pushed at his chest until he set her back on the ground. Straightening her clothes, she asked, “Did Mortimer send you to collect us?”
“Sí. Mortimer, he is a slave driver. Do this, do that. Collect the beautiful Beth from the airport, take her back to the house, massage her feet, make the mad love to her.”
“Idiot! He didn’t say that,” she protested with a laugh.
“No, but he would have did he know of my great passion for you,” he assured her.
Shaking her head, Beth moved around him, muttering, “I need a coffee.”
“Coffee is good,” Matias said, turning to watch her drag change out of her pocket and pop it in the machine.
“Coffee is bad,” Scotty countered. “It affects certain immortals like speed.”
“Fortunately, I’m not affected by it,” she assured him, and then added honestly, “much.”
“Neither am I,” Matias announced.
“Hey! Hey! Beth! Scotty!” Donny cried excitedly, rushing into the building with his phone in hand. “Mortimer says he did get a hold of the guy from the satellite house out here. His name is Matias and he should be here somewhere, but I—This is the guy, isn’t it?” Donny interrupted himself to say, his gaze sliding between Matias, Beth and Scotty.
“Yes,” Beth said with a smile. “Donny, meet Matias Argenis. Our ride, my cousin, and apparently our host here.” She watched the men nod to each other in greeting and then turned back to select Americano coffee as she asked, “How did you end up working for the hunters here, Matias? I thought you left Spain to go to college.”
“I did,” Matias assured her. “I am in school here, but I am a poor student, and needed somewhere to live, so Papa called Lucian, and he said I could stay at the Enforcer house. All I have to do is the odd chore once in a while like collect beautiful ladies from the airport, supply them with a bed, feed them amazing takeout pizza and ply them with Sweet Ecstasy.”
“You’re not getting me to drink Sweet Ecstasy,” she assured him dryly, and then raised her eyebrows and asked, “Takeout pizza?”
“You know I cannot cook,” he said with a shrug. “But the pizza is amazing. It is nothing like I have ever tasted. You will love it.”
“And the reason Mortimer had trouble getting a hold of you?” she asked with a grin as she waited for the machine to make her coffee. “Her name would be?”
“Ah, Justine,” he said, clutching his heart and rolling his eyes. “She is the most beautiful girl, but not as beautiful as you,” he assured her. “And she is so greedy. She hid my phone and pants and would not let me leave. Naughty girl!”
“Oh, Matias, you’re incorrigible,” Beth reprimanded him with a shake of the head as she retrieved the steaming cup.
“I merely live up to my name, my beautiful cousin,” Matias protested. “I cannot disappoint the ladies.”
Turning to Donny, Beth noted his curious expression and explained, “Matias means God’s gift. But,” she pointed out, turning back to Matias, “nowhere in the description does it include to women.”
“It doesn’t need to be said,” Matias said with a shrug. “Who else would a man such as I be a gift to?”
“Your mother?” she suggested.
“Sí, her too. I am the best son.”
“I think your brothers would argue that point,” Beth said on a laugh.
“My brothers would be wrong then,” he assured her.
“Of course they would,” she said dryly and then glanced to Scotty to note that he was frowning over the exchange.
Turning abruptly to Donny, he asked, “Where’s the luggage? Ye were supposed to be watching it.”
“I stacked it on a cart thingy and rolled it to the building. It’s just there,” Donny said, pointing toward the windows, where a luggage cart stacked with their bags could clearly be seen just outside the door. “I thought we’d be picked up out there so didn’t want to bring it inside.”
“I am in the parking area in front of the building,” Matias announced. “They do not like vehicles on the airfield. I will go fetch the SUV and pull up to the door now, though,” he said and turned to hurry away.
“Is that for me?”
Beth turned from watching Matias go and followed Donny’s gaze to the drink in her hand. “Oh, no. Sorry, they don’t have hazelnut lattes, so I wasn’t sure what to get you.”
Nodding, Donny turned to the machine, his eyes lighting up as he saw the selections. “Oh, hot chocolate, and mocha and—”
“I’ll fetch the baggage cart then, shall I?” Scotty said dryly.
Beth raised her eyebrows at his sarcastic tone, and then smiled and said, “Good idea.”
“Right,” Scotty spun on his heel.