From the Moment We Met

by Adair, Marina

  She glared at him some, then crossed her arms. “One that isn’t happening again. We’re all square.”

  “Your toes say differently.” A dramatic roll of the eyes was all he got out of her before she leveled him with what he’d come to know as her get down to business look.

  She glanced around the secluded patio. It was Tanner’s favorite place in the house for its lack of people, party fanfare, and, more importantly, lack of flash. It was private, comfortable, and the only place in all of the eight thousand square feet of mansion that Tanner had built for himself—without the thought of resale value.

  A small frown creased her brow. A frown he found incredibly adorable. Man, Abby managed to be stubborn and adorable all at the same time.

  Tanner had a real weakness for adorable. The stubborn part just turned him on.

  “Why are you out here?” she asked.

  “Because everyone else is in there.” And he needed space that wasn’t filled with people wanting a piece of him. Already today he’d been asked to introduce some guy he’d never met to his old coach, play in a celebrity golf tournament, and MC the upcoming Vintner’s Association conference. Even Colin, who had promised him a small get-together, which wound up being the exact kind of situation Tanner had moved back to St. Helena to avoid, had been in his face to talk up Ferris.

  So he had the ability to run really fast while holding a ball, big deal. Which was why it always felt weird when people clamored, and it felt even worse when all they seemed to need was his name, money, or face on a box of jock itch cream.

  “Oh,” Abby said gently, then looked at the door as though considering bolting.

  “And why are you here?” he asked.

  “To tell you that I got the job with Babs.”

  “Well done, DeLuca.” He smiled because she looked so happy and he was so damn proud of her. “You deserve it.”

  Her cheeks turned the cutest shade of pink. “Thanks. It’s going to be a challenge.” Understatement of the year, and they both knew it. “In fact, my first assignment is to hire a new GC.”

  “Do you need a list of guys?” he asked cautiously, since Colin’s words were beating around in his head. “I think Dave over in Yountville just finished up a job and might be free.”

  “I already called Dave.” She shook her head and all of those pretty curls spilled over her shoulders. “Nope, what I need is . . .” She looked up at the sky as though asking for a divine intervention—or maybe courage—then back down at his beer. “A drink. You got another one of those?”

  Offering up his beer, he scooted over and patted the seat next to him, surprised when she plopped down on the lounge chair and took a long pull. With a heavy sigh, she kicked up her feet and, resting the beer on her flat belly, let her head fall back to rest against the towel he’d folded up like a pillow.

  The chair was narrow, or maybe it was that he was a giant. Either way, she was close. Temptingly close. He could feel the warmth from her small body and, when the warm breeze kicked up, he caught a whiff of her perfume. Or maybe it was whatever she washed her hair with. Either way, it was sweet and spicy and reminded him of—

  “Do I smell wine cake?”

  Abby took a whiff of her jersey. “Yup. Delivered as promised. Although you might have to fight your dad for it.”

  “Oh well, you can just make me another one.”

  “The deal was for one.” She took a sip of the beer and he could see her throat working.

  “I guess I’ll just have to smell my fill.” He leaned in closer, sure to nuzzle her neck a little with the tip of his nose, and accidently brushed her throat with his lips and—God, she had the softest skin. She also had on a jersey with an extremely low V in the front, which when he shifted closer gave him a great view of creamy cleavage disappearing into bright yellow lace.

  “You’re tickling me,” she whispered.

  “You’re not moving,” he pointed out and flashed her a grin—one she returned before handing him the half-empty beer and going back to watching the clouds glide by. It was a telltale sign Abby was deciding if she was going to step up and explain why she was here or pretend her world was peachy and go home.

  Tanner thought it could still go either way.

  He didn’t know how long they lay there, and didn’t care. All he knew was they were side by side, silently staring at the sky, passing the same beer back and forth. Something they’d spent an entire summer doing when they were teenagers. The only thing missing was his arm around her and her fingers gently stroking his chest.

  God, he’d missed this. He’d missed her.

  “I’m going to nominate the bottlery for the Memory Lane Manor Walk,” she finally said. “It’s the only way to guarantee the Pungent Barrel can open before next year. All nominees have to get the Historical Preservation Council to sign off on their designs.”

  “And if you nominate it, you skip the waitlist.” Smart and beautiful. “But I didn’t know the bottlery was a residence.”

  “I didn’t either, but . . .” She rolled on her side to face him. He could see the little flecks of green in her big brown eyes and the little smattering of freckles that were normally hidden by her olive skin. He could also see that with a slight tilt of the head, he’d be kissing her. But her face was so serious he held back.

  “But?”

  “Babs said when her husband bought the bottlery, he received a packet of papers on its history. And you know the little building off the back of the loading dock? The storage room? Well, before Prohibition it was a carriage house.”

  “And during Prohibition?” Drawn to her like a magnet, he rolled on his side too. And man, was it worth it, because she let loose a smile that made breathing hard. Hell, it made him hard, period.

  “Back then, Randal Jackson’s oldest son was in love with Susette, the daughter of a migrant picker who came through every year for the olive harvest. His parents were adamantly against the match, so Randal Jackson Jr. converted the carriage house into an apartment under the guise he was supervising the building of the bottlery. When in reality he had a secret summer-long affair with Susette.”

  “Smart man,” Tanner said, seeing the parallels to Abby’s family. They hadn’t even gone on a date yet and already her brothers were all up in his shit, making things difficult.

  “Babs said they only lived there a little while, but long enough to fall in love and get pregnant. He even went against his parents’ wishes and married her.”

  “He knew what he wanted and went for it.” Something Tanner admired. He wasn’t sure he was ready for marriage and kids right now, but someday he wanted a full house of mini linebackers. And maybe a cheerleader or two who had curly brown hair and whisky-colored eyes.

  “And Tanner,” she said so quietly his eyes went to her lips.

  “Yeah?”

  “About earlier, what I said.” She moved even closer, her breath brushing his lips, her gaze boring into his with that intense DeLuca determination, and he felt something in his chest catch, then shift.

  He didn’t know what “earlier” she was referring to. He was too busy thinking about later when he found a carriage house of his own to bring Abby to.

  “What I need is you.”

  What a statement. One he’d waited his entire adult life to hear. Scratch that. It was almost the statement he’d been waiting to hear. With one simple word, Abby suddenly became just like everyone in his life—needing something from him. For a minute he could almost give in and pretend it was enough, but not this time.

  Not now. Not here. Not with this girl. And not anymore.

  “There is a strict timeline on things I must have in order to get the nomination heard by the council, one of which is having a new general contractor by Monday.”

  “I know a bunch of guys who might be able to do it.”

  She shook her head and everyth
ing inside of him stilled.

  “I doubt there is anyone on your list who would be willing.”

  Yeah, well, he would have been willing, had even convinced himself last night that if she actually asked him to help, it would be a hell yes. That was when he thought she considered him first string. Now, he wasn’t so sure.

  “Sorry, I don’t do small remodels or retail renovations.”

  “I know. I wouldn’t even be here except that . . .” She faded off and so did her gaze, which was now focused on anywhere but at him. That’s when Tanner really got it. When his chest stopped working and head actually began to throb with disappointment.

  “I’m it, right? You called everyone else on your little list, a list I guarantee didn’t include my name, which makes me your”—how did she put it last week?—“last hope?”

  She gave a small, tired nod. “If I don’t have you signed on as the GC by Monday, there is no way we will be ready for the electrical and plumbing inspection, and we’ll have to wait to submit our plans until after Founder’s Day, and by then the waitlist could be months long.”

  Even her candid honesty didn’t lessen the tightening in his gut. He’d had a feeling that was why she was here, but he’d been stupid enough to hope he was wrong.

  “What’s in it for me?” he said.

  Her eyes went wide with disbelief.

  Welcome to it, darling. Two could play at this.

  “A job.”

  “Already got one. It pays a lot more than what you’re offering and it doesn’t come with the headache of dealing with Babs, the HPC”—he looked her in the eye—“or you.”

  “Oh.”

  Yeah, oh. For a woman who claimed to hate being trampled over, she sure knew how to lay a few footprints of her own. And with him they always managed to plant themselves in the same spot in his chest.

  “Fine,” he said, suddenly tired. Tired of favors and always being the one to give while getting zilch. Tired of waiting for the woman who he was pretty sure he was half in love with to pull her head out of her ass and admit there was something between them. To give him a chance. “You want something from me? Well, darling, I want something from you. And I’m not talking about a cake or small talk while fixing your pipes. I want the real deal.”

  “I already told you, I’m not having sex with you.”

  “Wow.” He raised a brow. “I like that your mind went there, but that’s not what I’m talking about.” He leaned up on his elbow, moving in closer, until her lids went heavy and her breath caught. “Though I am more convinced now than ever it will happen, Abs,” he whispered, running his thumb over her lips. “But I’ll leave the time and place up to you.”

  “It’s not going to happen, Jack.”

  Oh, it was going to happen. That was a fact. That she sounded so offended while struggling to keep her gaze off his mouth only solidified his belief. Yup, he and Abby were going to spend an entire night blowing off some of the pent-up steam between them. And, hot damn, it was going to happen sooner than he’d originally thought.

  “You sure about that?” he said. “Because I know how much you hate being wrong.”

  She opened her mouth to argue, so he took the opportunity to stop her before she made some other ridiculous vow she’d never keep.

  Tanner felt his mouth brush hers and, oh baby, just like that, one touch and there it was. That sweet blast of fire followed by pure, staggering heat.

  Abby held back at first, trying to prove her point, but he knew the moment she gave in. Her hand raised, hovering in the air for a moment, then both were fisted in his hair and she was pressing herself up against him, holding him to her, taking over. It was the most arousing sensation. The rush of triumph actually had his heart going instantly soft and everything else instantly hard.

  He let her lead, because why the hell not? This was Abby, the girl of his dreams, kissing him like she’d been starved for it—and something about that thought should have had him slowing down, taking a step back, and acknowledging she most likely hadn’t been with anyone since Richard.

  But he was male, and she was abso-fucking-lutely female—soft and curvy and when he moved down her neck to the hollow of her throat, nibbling and sucking, she started making those breathy little moans he’d forgotten about, and there was no way he could bring himself to back off when—

  Wait, how the hell had he forgotten what she sounded like when she was turned on? They were the most erotic little gasps he’d ever heard, and yet somehow they managed to get lost behind all of the frustration and anger. Well, he wasn’t frustrated or angry anymore—he was in heaven, and this kiss was worth the wait.

  Her hand slid down, stopping on his chest, pressing to encourage him to lie back so she could climb on top. He always had worked well with encouragement, so he relaxed and let her take charge. Then her fingers were on the move, heading downfield, past his stomach, showing no signs of slowing down, and—bingo—she wasn’t going to stop at the line of scrimmage. Nope, she was bypassing the zipper and going straight for the end zone, encouraging him all the way to an ill-timed, but more than welcome, touchdown.

  Only there was a flag on the play in the form of a big, hairy face nudging its way between their bodies, weaseling them apart. Panting and grunting, Wreck was a dog on a mission, and Tanner was terrified this interference was going to be a game changer.

  “Wreck. Off.” He shoved the dog, but it didn’t deter the furry beast from jumping right back up on the lounger, his tail smacking Abby in the face and his wet nose going right for her—

  “Whoa, back off there, pal,” he said while Abby desperately tried to ward off all of the unwanted doggie high fives to the crotch.

  Tanner had to wrestle the dog off. With a final tug, the dog was on the ground, his big eyes blinking up at Abby, who was already standing and straightening her clothes, ready to bolt. He skewered Wreck with a look.

  The dog panted happily.

  “Sorry about that,” Tanner said, walking around the chair and brushing Abby’s wild curls out of her face and, man oh man, she was beautiful. Messy hair, swollen lips, do-me eyes. Yeah, she wanted him, and he absolutely knew if the mutt hadn’t interrupted, the DeLuca Darling would have had her hands down his pants in no time flat.

  He glared at Wreck. “Bad dog.”

  “Don’t blame him,” she laughed, and what a great laugh she had. That was one sound so imprinted in his brain he knew he’d never forget it. “It’s the cake. The smell drives him crazy.”

  “Me too.” It wasn’t the cake. It was the woman herself. In fact, he wanted to take another sniff, and maybe a lick, but Abby was already stepping back.

  She pressed a hand to her lips as though testing to see if the kiss was as mind-blowing as it felt. He wanted to tell her she could touch her lips all day long, but that zing wasn’t going away anytime soon. Neither was the Tanner-sized hickey on her neck.

  He had to smile because she was going to be pissed when she saw that. Pissy and irritated and huffing up a storm.

  “So about the job?” she said.

  Right. Back to that. “Let’s talk terms.”

  “The terms are I hire you, you say yes, we get it done on time, we both win.”

  “I saw it going a little differently. Want to hear how?”

  “No.” Gaze locked and loaded, she stood silently, trying to out-stare him. Running backs, though, had all the patience in the world if it meant catching the pass. So he crossed his arms and decided to wait her out.

  Three seconds in, she started fidgeting on her feet, toeing at the floor, dusting off imaginary fuzz from her pants. Then finally she broke.

  “Fine. Terms. What do you want?”

  “You.” Plain and simple. “You. Me. More of this.” He reached out and ran a hand down her arm until their fingers tangled, satisfied when he felt a small tremor run through her body. Or mayb
e it was his. Didn’t know, didn’t care. All that mattered was when he was with Abby, he could just be. No pretense, no posturing, nothing but being Jack Tanner. And that felt good.

  She eyed the lounger suspiciously. “You need to be more specific. This could mean a lot of different things.”

  All of which he was open to. Then she broke eye contact and looked out over the pool. He watched as a mix of uncertainty and confusion washed over her, and his heart did a double kick right to the gut. The only thing he was certain about was walking away from whatever this was would be the smart thing. The easy thing.

  But Tanner was tired of taking the easy way out of everything.

  “How about we start with hanging out, holding hands, sharing a meal or two, and watching football on the couch.”

  “I hate football,” she said, and he laughed.

  “Darling, we can watch competitive piano for all I care. I just want it to be real, no stress, and no BS.”

  Abby looked into his eyes as though trying to figure out his angle. And for the first time in a long time, Tanner didn’t have one.

  “I have to think about it.”

  “Well, then think fast. My offer expires at midnight tomorrow.”

  He didn’t mention it expired because he had already decided to take the job and they couldn’t waste any more time. And if she said no to his terms, there was no way he could pass up four weeks working side by side with Abby.

  Four weeks of doing whatever it took to get the DeLuca Darling to change need to want.

  CHAPTER 10

  At exactly seven minutes to eight on Monday morning, Abby turned onto Main Street. Narrowly missing a group of tourists meandering across the street to catch the Napa Valley Wine Train, she pulled into the cobblestone-and-brick driveway belonging to the community park.

  Wear a skirt and bring éclairs, had been Tanner’s advice. And don’t be late.

  Epic fail, she thought as she finished her third tour of the parking lot, which was also packed full of tourists, tourists, and more tourists. Clock ticking, she decided to jump the curb and snag a spot in front of Stan’s Soup and Service Station.