by Amy Gamet
“He’s very handsome.” She stood up and walked to the stove. “I’ll finish making your breakfast while you get dressed for work.”
“In a minute.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“No.”
“Greg has been gone a long time.”
“Mom, I said I don’t want to talk about it.”
A car horn honked in the distance. “That’s Loretta. She’s driving me. Sorry I won’t have time to finish your breakfast.”
Melanie scowled. “I wish you’d tell me where you’re going.”
“Not just yet, dear, but soon. I still need to iron out the details.”
Chapter 7
Rafael took off his tie and undid the top button of his dress shirt before climbing out of his truck. He’d been a jangle of nerves on the way to the bank, his jaw tight with worry, but the meeting had gone better than he could have anticipated—beginning with the familiar face at the head of the boardroom table.
The vice president of the bank was one of the people he met at the Grill, and the meeting just got better from there. They liked his proposal and said they’d get back to him with a definitive answer by the middle of the week.
Cross your fingers.
He took the steps to the tasting room two at a time, eager to see Melanie. Just the thought of her made his body react and memories of their kisses roll through his head.
His need for her was getting out of control.
He walked into the tasting room, finding Doris taking care of one group of customers and Melanie stocking a display. “Melanie, can I see you in my office, please?” he asked, heading upstairs without slowing down, hearing her on his heels the whole way.
She walked in his office and he rounded on her. “I can’t stop thinking about you.”
She giggled. “Oh, my gosh. I thought I was in trouble.”
He took a step closer. “You are in trouble. Now get over here.” He pulled her against his body and took her mouth in a passionate kiss, but it was her immediate response that was his undoing.
She was all over him.
Her hands were in his hair, at his neck, pulling him closer. She fitted herself against him and moaned hungrily.
“I have to see you tonight,” he whispered against her neck, his lips trailing kisses down to her collarbone.
“What time?”
“Whatever time we get out of here.”
“Sounds good to me.”
“By the way, I’m closing the winery early today. Let’s go now.”
She laughed and pulled back. “Get back to work, mister.”
He sighed heavily and threaded his fingers through her hair. “I have to. It’s true.”
“How was your meeting at the bank?”
“Looks like they’re going to back me so I can buy the vineyard.”
“That’s wonderful!”
He stared into her eyes. “You’re wonderful.” He pulled her in close again, unable to keep himself from touching her body, kissing her soft, willing lips.
A gasp at the door and he lifted his head with a start. Annie was standing there, frozen with her mouth hanging open. “I…I’m sorry,” she said, then turned on her heel and raced down the stairs.
Melanie cursed under her breath. “What makes me think that’s not good?”
Rafael wouldn’t have chosen to announce their relationship to the winery staff, but there was no reason it should matter to anyone but him. “It’s okay. They’re all bound to find out sooner or later.”
Melanie ran a hand through her hair. “Doris already knows.”
He chuckled. “I think Doris knew before I did.” He kissed her forehead. “I’ll see you at five.”
“Deal.”
* * *
As luck would have it, Rafael was finished with his work on time. His mind and body were restless from a day spent sitting at a desk, so he grabbed his jacket and headed for the winery.
He’d been waiting to cross paths with Peter all day, if only to get a feel for whether or not Annie had told him what she saw. He suspected the other man would be none to pleased about his new relationship with Melanie, though he couldn’t put his finger on exactly why he thought so.
“Stay here, Lobo.”
Rafael opened the door, and met with the familiar earthy scent of the building itself, a combination of fermenting wine and the oak barrels used for aging. The lights were out already, which seemed strange for this time of day.
He flipped the light switch.
Nothing happened.
Rafael trained his ears to the silence, searching for the familiar sound of the refrigeration units, and heard nothing. Cursing under his breath, he went back to his truck and grabbed a flashlight. He snapped his fingers and Lobo jumped out of the truck.
Where were Peter and Annie? He shook his head as he headed inside the building, the dog on his heels, and made his way to the storage room. A large fusebox was mounted on the wall, and he opened it as Lobo began to bark from the hallway.
Rafael found a tripped fuse and righted it, and the hum of the refrigeration units coming back online. At this stage of the fermentation, letting the wine get even a little too warm could be disastrous, resulting in a runaway fermentation. Good thing he happened to stop by here today.
He poured himself a small amount of wine from the tank and took a sip. It was the tiniest bit warmer than it should be.
How hot would it have gotten by morning?
He shook his head as he dialed Peter’s cell phone. A faint ringing could be heard in the distance, and Rafael went in search of the source. Had Peter managed to leave his cell phone behind when he went home?
The door to Peter’s office was closed, no light visible beneath it, but clearly the phone was inside. Rafael opened the door and turned on the light.
Peter was on the couch, asleep.
Rafael hung up his phone and cursed under his breath. Peter’s drinking was getting out of control, and now it looked to be affecting his work at Crescent Moon. Before he got too far down the what-do-I-do-now train of thought, he kicked the couch with one foot. “Wake up, Peter.”
Peter didn’t move.
“Peter.” He kicked the couch again. “Wake up.”
Peter rolled his head to the side and immediately started snoring. Rafael bent down and shook his shoulder. “Peter!”
Peter’s eyes opened with a start, all red and bloodshot.
Rafael put his hands on his hips. “What do you think you’re doing?”
Rubbing his eyes, Peter sat upright, then moved to massage his temples. “Is that a trick question?”
“You’re supposed to be working.”
Peter glanced at the clock. “It’s after five.”
“And who knows how long you’ve been sleeping? The refrigeration units were offline.”
“What?” Peter stood up quickly and immediately froze, groaning.
“You can’t even function, you’re so wasted.”
“I am not. I only had a couple of glasses.”
“Couple too many, is more like it. What would have happened if I hadn’t come in here? They would have been off for a dozen hours, maybe more.”
“What happened?”
“A tripped fuse.”
Peter frowned. “That’s never happened before.”
“Well, it happened today.”
“I should taste the wine and make sure it’s okay.”
“Peter, the last think you need to be doing is tasting wine.” Rafael pulled out his phone and dialed Annie, who didn’t answer.
“Maybe I should have had lunch,” said Peter. “Or breakfast.”
“Come on.” Rafael pickup up his friend’s coat, wondering how long Peter could go on working here. “I’ll give you a ride home.”
* * *
Melanie was fidgeting, twisting her fingers in her lap, but she couldn’t seem to stop. Ever since Rafael kissed her in his office, she’d had this sense of impending doom.
&nb
sp; Impending sex is more like it.
All he had to do was touch her and she was on fire, and more than a little terrified of where that might lead.
Greg was the only man she’d ever slept with, the only man to see her naked, the only man to kiss her deeply—that was, until Rafael had done it today. And Greg’s kisses had never made her feel like Rafael’s kisses. Rafael’s made heat ripple through her body and a deep, resonating need awaken in her belly.
The car bumped over the gravel road as Rafael drove them toward the lake and his house, and she swallowed against the knot in her throat. He was making her dinner, but the way she felt, he may as well have been eating her alive.
“Are you okay?” Rafael asked.
“Yeah,” she answered too quickly. “Absolutely.”
“Because you seem kind of tense.”
“What? No.” She turned and stared out her window. Her cheeks were burning.
You don’t have to sleep with him.
But that was the problem, wasn’t it? She wanted to sleep with him. More than anything she wanted to give in to her desire and forget the consequences.
And that was more than mildly terrifying.
The tree-lined road opened up to a wide lake view, cottages dotting the shore. Rafael pulled in behind a small white one.
“This is your house?” she asked, a smile spreading across her face.
“Yep.”
“This is my favorite cottage on the lake.”
“My house? You’re kidding.”
She shook her head, climbing out of the car. “I always loved the way the willow tree touches the water. And it’s so tall, like it’s protecting this place somehow. And the big yard right next to the water. It’s just beautiful.”
She followed him toward the house.
“It’s a double lot,” he said. “When I first bought the house, I was afraid I’d have to sell the second one. A mortgage is a little terrifying when you’ve never owned property.”
“But you didn’t have to sell it.”
“Oh, no. I can afford it. I just didn’t think I could afford it at the time.” He unlocked the door and walked inside.
“Well, I live with my mother, if it makes you feel any better.”
“A lot of people live with their mothers. Do you like it?”
“I do. She has some health problems and it’s getting hard for her to take care of herself.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Me, too.” She sighed, her eyes wandering around the kitchen. “Your home is beautiful. Right on the water, and I could listen to that tree blowing in the breeze all night long.” She closed her eyes tight. “I mean, if I lived here, or if I was sleeping over, which of course, I’m not.”
Rafael laughed, his eyes sparkling. “Come here.”
Another wave of nervous energy had her squeezing her hands together. She moved to stand in front of him, her heart racing.
He ran his fingers down her arm. “Relax.”
She shook her head. “I can’t.”
“You know what I can’t do? I can’t stop thinking about how much I want to kiss you.”
She licked her lips. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” He brought his lips to hers and she felt their softness molding perfectly to her own. She brought her hands up tentatively to his chest, opening her mouth and deepening their kiss.
Rafael let out a sound that was half sigh and half growl as he raised his head. “All I have to do is get near you, and I’m overwhelmed by you.”
Melanie was lost in his eyes, his words, the touch of his lips on hers. “Me, too.”
He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it. “I made dinner. Why don’t you sit outside and I’ll bring it out to the deck.”
“Okay.” Her feet didn’t seem to touch the floor as she glided out through sliding glass doors onto a large wooden deck.
I wonder if this is what it feels like to be easy.
The thought made her think of her sister. Lisa had always been the easy one, the one with more boyfriends than she knew what to do with, the one who went around the bases enough times to be considered a major leaguer.
Maybe Lisa just ran into a lot of great kissers.
She giggled to herself as she braced herself on the deck railing, her thoughts wandering back to Rafael. She wondered if he brought a lot of women here. She’d never seen him with a woman in town, but surely a man as strikingly handsome as he must have been seeing someone from time to time.
“I like seeing you at my house,” he said from behind her.
That voice.
She turned around.
“The view is even better with you in it,” he said. He put down the tray of food he was carrying and crossed to her.
Butterflies came to life in her stomach. “I was just wondering if you brought a lot of women here.”
“You are the first.”
She rolled her eyes. “Why do I find that hard to believe?”
He touched her shoulder, his fingers sliding down her sensitive skin. “That’s a good question. Why do you find it hard to believe?”
She felt her skin getting hotter, and shrugged one shoulder. “A good looking guy like you, sitting home alone. It’s hard to imagine.”
He brushed a stray hair behind her ear. “I haven’t always been alone, but I haven’t brought anyone here. Except you.”
She wanted to be touched, even as she focused on those words.
I haven’t always been alone.
They brought with them images of Rafael in bed with a shadowed woman, doing all manner of things. Melanie longed to be the woman in that picture, to know what that woman knew, to feel what that woman felt.
She’d just gotten here, and already she thirsted for him in the most intimate of ways. Maybe her mother wasn’t the only one who wanted Melanie to get lucky.
I am not having sex with him today, so I need to just calm myself down right now.
She sidestepped his wide shoulders and headed for the table, where a wide plate of loaded tortilla chips awaited. “Mmm, that looks delicious.”
“Nachos with lobster cheese sauce and seafood.”
“You made this?”
He pulled out a chair for her. “I did. I like to cook.” He picked up a bottle of wine. “Today we’re drinking Blanc de Blancs, Crescent Moon’s champagne, made only from chardonnay grapes.”
“Is this a special occasion?”
“I suppose it is. But champagne isn’t just for New Year’s Eve. It pairs exceptionally well with a wide range of foods.” He filled her glass. “Try a sip.”
She smelled the bouquet, as she’d seen others do in the tasting room, then tried it.
“What do you think?”
She shrugged. “It’s pretty good. Light, bubbly. I taste herbs.”
“Try the nachos.”
Melanie picked a chip loaded with cheese, shrimp and crabmeat, humming her praises as soon as she put the nacho in her mouth. It was unlike anything she’d ever tasted. “Those are amazing.”
“Now try the wine.”
She lifted her glass to her lips and drank. The flavors of the champagne mingled with the seafood, the salty chip and the cheese. “Oh, wow.”
“In a good combination of food and wine, one brings the other to life. Just like a good couple, a woman and a man.”
Melanie met his eyes. There was a challenge there, and she longed to accept it. “That sounds exciting.”
“It is. I’ll show you.”
No way we’re talking about lobster sauce.
She dragged another chip through the nachos, her nerves once again rattling her insides.
“Am I making you uncomfortable?” he asked.
“Um, kind of.”
“Why?”
She sighed and met his eyes. “I haven’t…”
He was staring at her so intently, the words just wouldn’t come. She shook her head and tried again. “I mean, it’s just that I…”
Her cheeks were so hot, she k
new they must be stained with bright red patches. She looked at the lake and forced herself to say the words. “I haven’t been with anyone since Greg.”
“That’s okay.”
“Or before Greg. There was pretty much just Greg.”
Rafael leaned back in his chair. “You were in a long-term relationship. I wouldn’t have expected you to sleep with a lot of people.”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I mean, yes. I only slept with Greg.” She swallowed. “But he was also the only man to kiss me, or hold me, or…do anything.”
“Oh,” said Rafael, his eyes betraying his surprise.
“Yeah.” She rubbed her hands together under the table. “Now I feel stupid. I don’t know why I told you that.”
He was quiet, the air between them seeming to hum with tension, and she wished she could take back her confession. Now that it was out there, there didn’t seem to be any reason to have said it.
“Then we’ll take things one step at a time. But I can’t change my reaction to you, Melanie.”
She shook her head. “I don’t want you to.”
“And I can’t stop kissing you.”
“I don’t want you to do that, either.”
He stared at her mouth, then took a swig of his wine. “Eat. Before I change my mind and take all the steps at once.”
Melanie picked up a tortilla chip and dragged it through the cheese sauce with a shaking hand. She was aware of his eyes on her as she brought it to her mouth. “You are definitely making me uncomfortable now,” she said.
Rafael raised his glass. “To enjoying the journey.”
She clinked her glass on his. “And looking forward to the destination.”
Chapter 8
Melanie opened the door to her house, a small smile on her lips. Rafael had dropped her off after the most beautiful day spent together on his deck, the food and the wine pleasantly interrupted by kisses that awakened her senses and stirred her desire.
This was really happening.
She was dating Rafael, and she could imagine they had a future together. She did a little hop as she walked down the hallway.
Peering into the living room, she saw her mother asleep in front of the television. It was late, and though Melanie had texted Loretta to make sure she could stay, she felt rather guilty for imposing on the other woman. She walked into the kitchen. Loretta sat at the table reading a book with a half-naked couple tangled together on the cover.
