So glad. Be safe and have fun. You deserve it.
“Probably your husband wondering what you’re doing talking to some dude instead of taking a romantic stroll through the vineyards with him.” His eyes narrowed a hair, but that easy smile remained on his lips.
Emily met his gaze. “That would be a feat, considering I’m not married.” Not that she wouldn’t like to be. Recently, she’d watched four of her brothers fall head over heels in love. They hadn’t even been looking for love, and there she was, waiting to love and be loved and trying to keep the green-eyed monster inside her at bay. She was happy for them. She really was. But she couldn’t deny her desire to find that special someone who would cherish her for more than the Braden wealth. She’d come to accept that she wouldn’t find that in her small hometown. She’d buried herself in building a successful business to fill those lonely hours.
“Well, in that case, would you care to join me for a glass of wine?”
Before Emily could answer, another text came through from Wes.
Not TOO much fun! I’d hate to have to come all the way to Tuscany to pound some guy for taking advantage of my little sister.
Emily laughed, taking comfort in Wes’s overprotective nature. Somehow, it put her at ease. She slid her phone into her jeans pocket and smiled up at the gorgeous man beside her. She was thousands of miles from home in the most romantic place on earth. Why shouldn’t she have too much fun? She wondered what Wes considered too much fun and decided that, knowing her brother, holding hands with a guy was too much fun for his little sister. Maybe, just maybe, it was her turn to have fun.
Feeling emboldened, and a little rebellious, she lifted her chin and gave her best narrow-eyed gaze, which she hoped looked seductive, but she was sure it fell short. She didn’t have much practice at being a temptress. But a girl could try, couldn’t she?
“Sure. That sounds great.”
Dae pushed from the rail and reached for her hand. “Shall we?”
“Um…” Was that too familiar of a gesture? Had she given him too good of a look?
“I’m harmless. Just ask my sisters. But I’m also affectionate, so it’s a hand or an arm. Take your pick.”
“You have sisters?” Why did that make him seem safer? He reached for her hand, and damn if their palms didn’t fit together perfectly. His hand was warm and big, a little rough and calloused.
“Two. And two brothers. You?” He led her through the villa toward the kitchen. She was glad he didn’t release her hand when they reached the high-ceilinged kitchen, which smelled of fresh-baked bread. He surveyed the bottles in the built-in wine rack that was artfully nestled into the wall, pulling out one bottle after another and scrutinizing the labels until he found one he approved of.
“Five brothers. Um…Are we allowed to just take a bottle of wine?” Emily looked around the pristine kitchen. Colorful bricks formed an arch over recessed ovens and cooktops. A copper kettle sat atop one burner, and on either side of the ovens were built-in pantries in deep mahogany.
“They said to make myself at home.” Dae handed her a bottle, then led her past the large table that seated eight and an island equally as large. He reached into a glass cabinet on the far wall and retrieved two wineglasses.
He smiled a mischievous smile. “So…You’re a rule follower?” He narrowed his eyes as he opened the bottle of wine.
A rule follower? Am I? She had no idea if she was or wasn’t. She liked to joke and tease. Did that make her a rule breaker? Were there rules for thirtysomethings? A fleeting worry rose in her chest. What if he was a major rule breaker? What if he wanted her to do things she shouldn’t? She was a Braden, and her family was very well respected, and no matter where she was, she had a reputation to uphold, which somehow made the whole situation a little more tempting.
“Emily?”
Oh no. What if—
His hands on her upper arms pulled her from her thoughts, which were quickly spiraling out of control.
“Emily. Relax.” His hair curtained his eyes, but she caught a glimpse of his smile. “I was kidding.”
Now I look like a boring Goody-Two shoes. She rolled her eyes—more at herself than at him. Wes’s text must have subconsciously made her worry. Or maybe I really am a Goody-Two shoes who can take banter but not rule breaking. Boring with a capital B.
“Adelina told me to help myself to anything in the kitchen, including the wine. Day or night.”
He snatched her hand again and led her out a heavy wooden door and across the lawn.
“I’m sorry, Dae. I didn’t mean to seem like a buzzkill.”
“It’s okay. If you were my sister, I’d have hoped for that same careful reaction. You had the am-I-with-a-serial-killer look in your eyes.” He glanced at her and smiled.
“Yikes. That’s not very nice, is it?” She walked quickly in her heeled boots to keep up. Her eyes remained trained on the thick grass to keep from ogling Dae.
“I’m guessing that it has less to do with nice than to do with safety. Safety’s always a good thing.” He stopped short, and Emily bumped right into his side.
Their hips collided. Her hand instinctively rose to brace herself from falling, and the bottle of wine smacked against his chest, splashing wine on his T-shirt. He wrapped an arm around her back, bracing her against him.
“Oh my gosh. I’m so sorry.” Crap, crap, crap. She swiped at the wine on his shirt as she tried to ignore how good his impressive muscles felt.
“I’ve been impaled by worse.” He flashed that easy smile again, but his eyes darkened and filled with heat, and just like that, her knees weakened.
Damned knees. He tightened his grip on her. Damned smart knees.
Just when Emily was sure she’d stop breathing, he dropped his eyes to her boots. “Heels and grass don’t mix.”
She was still stuck on the feel of his arm around her and the quickening of her pulse.
“You okay?” he asked.
I don’t know. “Yes. Fine. Yes.”
He ran his thumb along her cheek, then licked a dash of wine that he’d wiped off with his thumb. “Mm. Good year.”
Holy crap.
His eyes went smoky and dark. She liked smoky and dark. A lot.
“Let’s sit. It’s safer.” He nodded toward his right.
Emily blinked away the crazy unfamiliar desire that had butterflies nesting in her belly and followed his eyes to an intimate stone patio built at the edge of the hill. Her eyes danced over the wisteria-laced trellis. Purple tendrils of flowers hung over the edges, and leaf-laden vines snaked up the columns.
“This is incredible.” Tree branches reached like long, arthritic fingers from the far side of a path at the top of the hill to the wisteria, creating a natural archway. Rustic planters spilled over with lush flowers, lining a low stone wall that bordered the patio.
Holding the wine and the glasses, Dae crooked out his elbow. “Hold on tight. Wouldn’t want you to stumble.”
She had the strange desire to press her body against his and let him wrap his safe, strong arm around her. Instead, she slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow and wrapped it around his muscular forearm, wondering how a man could make her hot all over after only a few minutes.
DAE COULD PRACTICALLY see the gears turning in Emily’s head, and even in her befuddled state, she was sexier than any woman he’d ever met. She was slender, with gentle curves accentuated by her designer jeans and the tight white V-neck she wore under an open black cardigan. He stole a glance at her profile as she took in the patio. She had a cute upturned nose, high cheekbones, and long hair the same dark color as his, which he’d like to feel brushing his bare chest. She wore nearly no makeup, and as his eyes lingered on the sweet bow of her lips, the word stunning sailed into his mind. He had a feeling that when Emily Braden wasn’t caught off guard by an aggressive demolition expert who rarely gave people time to think things through, she was probably feisty as hell.
He’d felt her body tense when
she’d run into him, and unstoppable heat had flared between them. She’d melted a little right there in his arms. Melted. That was the only way to describe the way the tension drained from her shoulders and back and brought all her soft curves against him. If he were the type of guy who was into casual sex, she’d be ripe for the taking. But Dae had left casual sex behind and had grown a conscience a few years back.
As he poured them each a glass of wine, he wondered who had texted her earlier and caused her to laugh.
Dae handed her a glass of wine and held it up in a toast. “To Tuscany.”
Emily smiled as they clinked glasses, then took a sip of her wine. “Oh, that’s really good. It’s just what I needed.”
Dae watched her as she forwent the long wooden bench and sat atop the wide table.
“I can see better from here,” she explained. “I don’t want to miss a second of this incredible view.”
She could have no way of knowing that Dae almost always preferred to sit atop tables rather than on benches or chairs. Always had.
“A woman after my own heart. I always prefer tabletops to chairs.” He sat beside her and rested his elbows on his knees. “So, Emily Braden, what brings you to Tuscany?”
“My brother gave me this trip as a gift for helping him arrange a special night for his girlfriend.” She smiled as she spoke of her brother, and he liked that she seemed to like her family. Family was important to Dae. He’d found that he could tell a lot about the generosity and loyalty of a person by how they spoke of and treated their family.
“That’s a hell of a gift.” Her thigh brushed his, and when their eyes met and she didn’t move hers away, he realized she’d done it on purpose, causing a stirring in his groin. Down, boy. Emily was just beginning to relax, and the last thing he wanted to do was to scare her off.
“Yes. It was. He knew I’ve been dying to see Tuscany, and this villa in particular. Gabriela Bocelli is one of my favorite architects. But if it had been left up to me, I’d never have made it here. Between work and my family, well, I’m not really good about taking time for myself.” She finished her wine, and Dae refilled their glasses.
“Life’s too short to miss out on the things you really want to do. I’m glad your brothers are looking out for you.” Dae was a self-made man with enough money that he could buy all of his siblings trips to Tuscany, but while he and his sisters were close, buying them a trip to Tuscany was so far out of the realm of their relationships that he could barely comprehend the gesture. Leanna never planned a damn thing in her life, and Bailey, his youngest sister, was a musician with a concert schedule that rivaled the busiest of them. Even coordinating dinner with her was a massive undertaking. If he ever purchased a trip for them, Leanna would miss the flight and Bailey would probably have to cancel it. Their gifts to one another were typically as simple as making time to get together and enjoy one another’s company.
“My brothers are good at taking care of me. Maybe a little too good.” She sighed.
“Overprotective?” Why did he enjoy knowing that?
“Oh, you could say that. They’re great, really. I adore them, but…yeah. They’re overprotective.” She met his gaze, and the air around them sizzled again. She looked away, pink-cheeked, and pressed her hands to her thighs. “To be honest, I don’t hate the way they are. I mean, it probably sounds childish, but I feel the same way about them.”
“Overprotective?” She couldn’t weigh more than a buck twenty. What could she possibly do to protect a man?
She smiled, and it lit up her beautiful, dark eyes. Her voice softened, and she sat up a little straighter. “Yeah. I know it’s weird, but like, when they started dating their girlfriends, I watched out for them. Made sure the girls weren’t going to treat them badly, or…well…My brothers are the catch of our town, and girls can be fickle. I didn’t want them to get hurt. But now the ones who live in town are all in relationships, so…” She shrugged.
Loyal. He liked that. He wondered if she was the catch of their town, too. “Do you live in the town where you grew up?”
“Yeah, in Trusty, Colorado. It’s about as big as your fist. All of us live there except Pierce, my oldest brother, and Jake, my youngest brother. Pierce is in Reno, and Jake is in LA. But they visit a lot. We’re all really close. I can’t imagine living anywhere else—or living far away from my family. Being away for college was enough. I’m glad to be back in my hometown.” She finished her wine and set the glass beside her.
Dae held up the bottle. “More?”
“In a few minutes. I’m a lightweight. I wouldn’t want you to have to carry me back up to my room.”
Now, there’s an idea. “Fair enough.” He paused, pushing the thought of Emily in his arms to the back of his mind. “So, what do you do for a living?”
“I’m an architect. I specialize in passive houses, green building.” She gazed out over the hillside, and her features softened again.
“Really? The passive-house movement is a good one, but it seems like builders don’t understand it well enough to make headway.”
Her eyes widened, and he felt the press of her leg against his. “You know about passive houses? Usually when I bring it up, people look all deer in the headlights at me.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. Most people don’t understand heating by passive solar gain and energy gains from people and appliances. It’s a concept they just aren’t familiar with, so it sounds space-agey to them.” Passive houses were the wave of the future, as far as Dae was concerned, and not just houses, but schools and office buildings, too. The technology may seem space-agey, but then again, so had electric cars and cell phones twenty years ago.
“Exactly.” She smacked his thigh, and both of their eyes dropped to her hand.
He lifted his eyes to hers, and she swallowed hard. In the short time they’d been talking, he’d seen a handful of looks pass through her eyes: embarrassment, arousal, worry. She had to feel the way the air zapped between them. Her eyes darkened, and her lips parted.
Oh yeah, she feels it.
She licked her lips, and it just about killed him.
“What about you?” she asked, visibly more relaxed now as she leaned back on one hand and turned her body toward him. “Where do you live? What do you do?”
Her question made him think a little deeper about the two of them. A sexy architect into green building. Figures. It had been his experience that tree huggers rarely held much respect for demolition experts. He sucked down his wine and went with an evasive answer in hopes of postponing any negative discussion.
“Depends on the week. I don’t like to be tied to one place for too long. I get itchy.” He’d always been that way. Spending too much time alone in any one of the houses he owned made him edgy. He’d never met anyone he’d liked enough to spend a few weeks with, much less settle down with.
Emily’s finely manicured brows furrowed. Clearly he wasn’t going to get off that easily.
“So…”
“I’m into construction. I go where the jobs take me.”
“Oh. I thought construction workers usually worked around where they lived.”
“Some do. I work with larger projects, which means that I travel a lot.” He didn’t want to talk about his job. Especially not the demolition job he was assessing here in Tuscany. He was enjoying spending time with Emily, and the last thing he wanted to do was talk about why he blew up buildings for a living.
“How long are you here?” His feeble attempt at changing the subject.
“Nine days, and I have every day planned so I don’t miss a thing.” She held up her empty glass.
“No longer worried about me carrying you to your bedroom?” Their eyes locked, and he couldn’t help but think, Or mine, as he filled her glass. Although he knew it was just his ego talking. He’d stopped having flings a few years ago—but they were still fun to think about.
“I can think of worse things.” Her voice was quiet, seductive. She mindlessly twirled h
er finger in her hair and lowered her eyes. When she raised them again, she said more confidently, “Besides, you have sisters. I think you’ll take care of me.”
“That’s a lot of trust in a guy you’ve known for only a little while.” He refilled their glasses.
“If you were a serial killer, you’d have stabbed me and hidden my body by now. And if you were going to make a move, I think you’d have done more than talk about family.” She moved her fingers over so they were touching his. “Like I said, you have sisters. I think the big brother in you will keep me safe.”
Damn. Talk about conflicting signals. The hand. The brother talk. A guy could get whiplash trying to keep up.
An hour and an empty bottle of wine later, they were standing in front of the door to Emily’s room. She was tucked beneath his arm, her cheeks flushed, her eyes glassy, and her head nestled against his chest.
Lightweight, indeed. Cute-as-hell lightweight. Dae took a step back, leaned his hip against the doorframe, and crossed his arms, debating. He wanted to kiss her, to feel the soft press of her lips against his and taste the sweet wine on that sassy tongue of hers. I think the big brother in you will keep me safe.
“These five overprotective brothers of yours, would they mind if we spent tomorrow together?”
She took a step back and raked her eyes down his body. “That depends. Do serial killers ask women on dates?”
He laughed. “I don’t have enough experience with serial killers to answer that.”
Emily’s phone vibrated in her pocket.
“Maybe that’s one of them. You can ask.”
Emily pulled her phone out of her pocket and read a text. She trapped her lower lip between her teeth and raised her eyes to his, then held up her index finger before responding.
“Christ, you’re not really asking your brother—are you?”
She shook her head, and her hair tumbled forward. “Soon-to-be sister-in-law. Daisy. She’s marrying my brother Luke the weekend after I go home.”
Dae scrubbed his hand down his face at the prospect of her asking her soon-to-be sister-in-law about going on a date with him. “Great.” He didn’t even try to mask his sarcasm.
Seaside Sunsets Page 28
