Love, Chocolate, and Beer

by Violet Duke

  “It’s juniper and hops,” he broke in, his voice rough with emotion. “It’s you and me.”

  She blinked past her surprise. “Yes.”

  “I love it,” he said softly.

  Embarrassed, she tried to put the cover back on the box. “It’s just a little trinket.”

  “Dani,” he rumbled tenderly, “I won’t let you keep insulting this amazing gift you’ve given me.” With no more warning than that, Luke brought his lips down on hers, swallowing her gasp as he tugged her into a long, hot kiss that left them both breathless.

  “But it is. It’s just a—“

  His eyes gleamed like hot coals before he raided her mouth again.

  “—Valentine,” she substituted weakly, trembling by the time he lifted his lips from hers.

  “One that speaks volumes,” he pointed out with rough male satisfaction.

  She raised an eyebrow at his possessive tone and swept an investigative glance down south to the now very snug fit of his jeans. A slow, enticing smile lit her face. “This is not that big a deal,” she argued, her eyes glittering in a silent dare. “It’s barely a gift.”

  Looking both amused and turned on, he lunged forward and caught her around the waist, lifting her onto her desk for another drugging kiss. Before he could go for an extra dose of word exorcising, however, he stopped and looked around. Cursing silently, he then pulled back.

  At least he tried to.

  It was clear the rocking of her hips against his was severely hampering his progress.

  “Jesus. Why are you forever arguing with me?”

  “It’s like foreplay,” she admitted, pressing her lips to his neck, trying to drive him wild with tongue and teeth, suction and heat. “Know what comes after foreplay?”

  Luke groaned and quickly backed away. “Honey, try to remember we’re in your office,” he reasoned, in a voice that said he was seconds away from forgetting it himself.

  Dani closed in on him, tracking him as she pulled her t-shirt over her head. “There are only a few people left here and they’re all up on the roof. The walls are plaster, the door solid oak,” she replied, her voice thick, eyes hooded. “Soundproof.”

  “You’re not thinking clearly, babe. It’s the adrenaline—don’t growl at me. I’m trying to be noble here, dammit. We can argue again later and have hot make-up sex. At home,” he negotiated, looking very much like a man barely holding onto his resolve.

  Slowly, she undid her jeans. “It wasn’t the arguing; it was watching you open the”—her eyebrows pitched up in playful defiance—“silly gift.” She grinned when he almost reacted. Then she grew serious. “That was the first time I felt...” Her voice went soft and she shrugged helplessly. “Honestly, I don’t know what I’m feeling. All I know is that I want you.” Stone-washed denim and a tiny scrap of lacy cotton puddled at her feet. “Right here, right now.”

  Pure, explosive desire flooded his face. He hauled her up against him, his hands and mouth roaming every square inch of her body. As if he couldn’t taste enough, touch enough.

  Eyes fixed on hers, he walked backward toward the couch, shedding his clothes as he did in that masculine tug-and-throw method that was so damn sexy to watch.

  Dani stalked him the entire way, starving eyes drinking in his every step.

  She all but pounced on him when she saw the condom.

  “So, right here, right now, huh?” he repeated her words back to her in a smoky growl, catching her hips to keep her standing before him even as he settled back against the cushions. “Because you feel the same way about me as I do about you?” Leaning forward, he trailed a path of soft kisses across the sensitive curves of her belly.

  He was trying to torture the answer out of her...and it was starting to work. “We covered that already,” she replied evasively when she could catch her breath. “I said I did, didn’t I?” She broke through his hold and began lowering herself atop him.

  “No you didn’t.” He halted her descent at the very last second. “You didn’t say it.”

  “It was implied,” she sliced out jaggedly.

  “Not good enough,” he grated through his teeth, his ill-timed stubbornness showing no quarter as he held her firmly in midair. “Even if you’re not ready to tell me you love me, at least admit you’re falling for me, Dani.”

  Her eyes widened. Completely without defenses, she looked at him, straight into his heart, his soul. The same way he was looking at her. When he shifted, kissing hot flesh to even hotter flesh, she snapped. “Fine! I admit it. Happy?! I’m falling so hard for you that—”

  Air hissed through her teeth when his hands clenched and drove her down onto him.

  Swiftly, he flipped her onto her back and gripped the back of the couch, knuckles strained white. “I’m falling hard for you too,” he rasped roughly before surging into her with a force that stole her breath. Eyes locked on hers, he moved with arduously bridled thrusts. Achingly slow.

  Somehow that made it hotter, better than ever.

  Soon, she was clutching his shoulders as shivers of electricity shot down her core and blinding pleasure built to a crest. Her body arched as the unexpected release charged through her, whipping all around, throwing her into a vortex of twisting pleasure she’d never before felt. It swept through her, scattering her, jolting her again and again. She was mindless, boneless by the time every last bit of pleasure pulsed through her and bliss pulled her under.

  Never had she come that hard in her life.

  “God, I’ll never get tired of seeing that,” whispered Luke against her skin.

  Draped against him, languid and boneless, Dani belatedly realized that he had let her rip through her orgasm without seeking his own. The aftershocks that were ebbing through her were undoubtedly torturing his still savagely rigid arousal, yet he simply held her, letting her body settle into a luscious slumber. She raised her eyes to his in question.

  He bent to collect an untamed kiss. “Remember what we were arguing about the other day? How I think pro sports officials using video replay more and more is changing the game?” he asked, his voice stormy as he hungrily explored her ear with his tongue.

  She could barely remember her own name, let alone whatever he was talking about. “Hmmm?” she managed. Pretty good effort on her part, considering.

  “I decided you’re right, sweetheart; it can be a good thing.” He slid behind her and placed slow, deliberate kisses up her spine.

  “It?” she managed to stutter out, the incredible sensations stealing the oxygen required for anything beyond monosyllabic answers.

  “Instant replay,” he replied with a wolfish grin as he plunged back into her soft heat.

  Hours later, back at her apartment, snuggled in bed next to Luke, it vaguely occurred to her she was supposed to tell him something. But as her eyelids grew heavy and her brain fuzzy, she couldn’t reach the niggling reminder. Even the muffled ringing coming from the living room seemed miles away. Her cordless phone, perhaps? It was probably wedged in her sofa cushions.

  The message being left on her all-too-neglected answering machine was so faint, she couldn’t even make out the words…

  * * * * *

  “Hey, sis! Man, this is the longest we’ve ever gone without talking. I miss you! The honeymoon is going great. Vienna was amazing. So was Verona and Naples—hence our lack of calls all this time. It’s been an unbelievable few weeks. I swear, I should have planned for more time in that part of Europe; we’d spend a month just in Italy if we could.”

  “Anyway, enough about us. Jonathan and I have been hearing all the titillating gossip from Xoey, which I’m assuming is the reason for the lack of calls on your part. We’re dying to hear more about you and this Luke fella so you better get ahold of us soon, sister-dear. Although Jonathan says he’ll settle for an email if you send a photo of Luke with it. The one Xoey took on her phone is way too blurry. It’s like the man didn’t know a camera was on him...”

  *A car horn blares*

 
; “Okay, okay, our ride is here. We’ve been in Greece all week; we’re in Santorini now wrapping up our trip. Remember, we’re flying back in on Valentine’s Day so don’t forget to pick us up from the airport. We have a bet going on whether you’ll actually remember to get us this time. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that you’ll actually check your voicemail this week.”

  *Indistinct laughter in the background*

  “Oh, by the way, oddest thing, I got a voicemail from Noah the other day. Something about a winery? I have no idea what he was talking about, and since I promised Jon I’d stop checking my phone for the rest of the trip do you think you could swing by Harold’s to see if he knows what’s up? Who knows, maybe it’ll fit in with my new grand plans in life—I’ll tell you more about that work epiphany when I’m home. See you soon. Love you.”

  *click*

  CHAPTER TEN

  “SHOOT, WHAT’S WITH all this beer? Where can I get some chocolate in this town?” boomed an obnoxiously loud man at the bar.

  Dani gasped and dropped everything she was holding, almost taking out a waiter around the corner in her mad dash to the front. “Nice entrance,” she called out, laughing as she hurled herself into the awaiting arms of her one and only big brother. “Sheesh, you look like hell.”

  Derek planted a big kiss on her forehead. “Aw, and I missed you too, sweets.”

  She grinned, looking around. “Where’s Jonathan?”

  “Exhausted from the flight. We got in really early. No worries, he’ll be here later.” He grabbed a seat with her at the nearest table. “So? What’s been going on the last two months?”

  “You first. How was the honeymoon? And leave out the TMI parts please.”

  “The honeymoon was incredible. I’m glad we held out for a longer trip; experiencing Europe like that made it tough to leave.” Sighing wistfully, his eyes danced as he looked over at her. “Though I admit it is nice to return to the same old, same old.” Tsking, he shook his head with a smile. “You made me lose twenty bucks to Jonathan at the airport today, sister-dear.”

  Confusion knitted her brow.

  He pitched his voice high, in what was presumably an insulting imitation of her. “I swear I won’t forget to pick you guys up this time...” He rolled his eyes teasingly. “I left a reminder on your home answering machine and everything. Your cellphone inbox is full by the way.”

  Her mouth fell open. “Dang it!” She cringed, smiling sheepishly. “That’s right. I was your ride home today. I’m so sorry, Derek. Things have just been nuts around here lately.”

  He ruffled her hair affectionately. “We figured. From what I hear, plotting to take down a neighboring business and then falling madly in love with its owner can be very exhausting.”

  Dani’s eyes narrowed into slits. “You know, ever since you became Xoey’s gay BFF, all you two do is gossip about me,” she huffed, looking around for the perpetrator in question.

  “Oh, that’s not true at all. Until you met this Luke guy, your life was way too boring.”

  She punched him in the arm. “I am not boring. Keep up this abuse and the bottles of wine I keep for you in the back are going to go right down the drain.” Her eyes widened in mock dismay. “Then you’ll have to drink beer with your meals here!”

  “You are a cruel, merciless woman,” laughed Derek, approvingly. “I’ve trained you well. Okay, I take it all back. Xoey and I did nothing but talk about you while you were dull as a doorknob but as soon as you got interesting, we didn’t gossip about you at all!”

  “Actually, that’s the closest you’ve ever come to apologizing to me. Good doing business with you.” Chuckling, she called over a waiter and ordered the plate of fancy tapas that Javier always made especially for Derek whenever he came in along with the secret bottle of Spanish wine she’d picked up recently and stashed in the kitchen in honor of his return.

  Derek sighed. “I still say it’s a crying shame you don’t serve wine here.”

  Dani swallowed back the lump in her throat, startled by her visceral reaction to even the thought of wine in conjunction to Ocotillos now. But she held her guilty conscience in check. Valentine’s Day was hardly the right time to tell Derek the sad little tale of a brewpub-winery merger that was not to be. Finding out they'd been closer than ever to achieving his long held dreams but still not nearly close enough would be a hard blow to take...and deliver.

  Next week, she promised herself.

  Shining a bright smile at him, she laughed as she always did at his wine remark and gave him the response he’d come to expect. “You know where I stand. Beer is far superior for the stronger Latin American and Mediterranean flavors on our menu.”

  “Spare me. You’ve given me the same beer speech with delicate Asian dishes too.”

  Very true. She grinned and lifted her palms unapologetically. “That’s why I’m a brewmaster and not a sommelier. Honestly, I still can’t understand how the beer bug totally skipped over you. It left you completely unvaccinated for that nasty wine virus.”

  “Oh please, you beer elitist. Don’t forget who you’re talking to. Remember, I have firsthand knowledge that all Dobsons know their way around a wine cellar too. You may not like it, but your palate rivals that of a seasoned wine connoisseur.”

  “Shhh! Keep that dirty little secret to yourself!”

  “Speaking of dirty little secrets.” Derek’s mouth tugged up at the corners. “What’s this I hear about you having kinky loud sex in the office?”

  Dani’s hands clapped over her mouth in horror, her cheeks burning. “Xoey is DEAD!”

  He laughed and hugged her to him. “Oh, don’t go killing Xoey for news I would’ve pried out of one of the other workers anyway.”

  Keeping her face buried in his shoulder for a few seconds longer, she asked worriedly, “Did she say she literally ‘heard’ me and Luke in the office?”

  “Actually, she only speculated; you just confirmed it for me.”

  “Older brothers are evil,” she muttered, lightly jabbing an elbow into his gut.

  He chuckled unrepentantly. “Okay, so now that I know you and this Luke guy are at least semi-serious, tell me more about him.”

  “I’ve told you plenty.”

  “Boring facts I could find about him online. I want to know the deep, juicy stuff. Major flaws, skeletons in the closet, plans for world domination. And it would be nice to know if I’m going to need a tux and speech ready soon. Details, baby sis. I need details.”

  Dani conveniently chose to ignore the question she knew her brother most wanted the answer to. “Other than the fact that he’s a hopeless romantic? No other flaws that I can see.”

  “Hey, I’m a romantic, and so is Jonathan. Being a romantic man is not a flaw.”

  “If you say so. How’d you get like that anyway? Dad wasn’t romantic at all, and neither am I. How come you’re the only one with romantic genes in the family?” After thanking the waiter for bringing the food and wine, Dani slid the plate over to Derek and poured him a glass.

  Derek looked at her like she’d already had a few. “Are you kidding me? Dad was the worst offender in the romance division.”

  “No he wasn’t,” she scoffed. “I remember mom used to complain about that very fact about dad, that he wasn’t romantic enough.”

  “Dad was plenty romantic, I assure you,” defended Derek with an underlying current in his voice. “Mom had just passed the point of being able to see it.”

  Dani gave him a sidelong glance. “Sounds like you know some things I don’t.”

  His look became hooded, entrenched in secrets. “Comes with being the older brother.” He broke eye contact and switched their focus to the plate of food in front of him as he quickly took a bite and groaned at the savory flavors. “I swear, I would give Javier my shares in the brewpub if he could teach Jonathan to cook like this.”

  At the abrupt, not so subtly dismissed discussion about their mother and father, Dani’s head clouded with more thoughts than she�
�d had about her parents’ relationship in a while.

  “You okay, sis?”

  Turning her troubled eyes up to his, she attempted to get the words out. “I feel like I can’t...” She bit her lip, suddenly feeling very much like the baby sister she knew Derek still saw her as. Finally she blurted out, “Do you think I’m abnormal? When it comes to love?”

  A weary sigh trickled out of him. “I knew this would come up some day.” His expression told her he’d much rather have the birds and the bees talk with her over this one.

  She continued to gaze at him until he put down his fork and started talking. “When mom left, it was tough on all of us, but I think it was hardest on you in a lot of ways.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, growing up, you weren’t ever really close to mom. You were always more like dad. And right about the time when you should’ve gotten to bond more with her, she left. At the time when a girl really needs her mom, you know? Dad and I did all we could, but neither of us could replace that motherly insight into love and relationships you missed out on.”

  She nodded faintly. “So that’s a yes to my being irrevocably messed up?”

  “No. Let me finish. You need to hear the whole thing.” He gripped her hand. “Do you...do you remember that mom met someone else while she was still with dad?”

  Shock paled Dani’s face.

  “Yeah, I thought you’d made yourself forget that part. You were young, but I know you understood when you and I heard her talking on the phone with that other man one day in the kitchen. I saw the realization in your eyes when you heard mom sounding so happy—it had been awhile. Hearing her so much in love...I don’t think I ever heard her talk like that with dad.” Pain darkened his eyes at the memory. “I remember looking over at you and seeing you so lost and upset that I just grabbed your arm and ran us both out of the house.”

  “So that’s why she left?” she whispered. “She was cheating on dad?”