And then I hear the sound of someone running fast, to me. For me. And I slump with relief, which makes Brecken laugh, because he’s thinks I’ve given in. He stops laughing when Enzo’s fist slams into his jaw.
It’s almost like a cartoon. A terrible cartoon. Brecken’s head flips back and he does this slow half-turn before he slumps down against the wall. The whiskey bottle tips and leaves him sitting in a puddle of the liquor. He whimpers quietly.
I still have my hands up in front of me, as if Brecken never let go. Enzo turns to me, his expression wild. “I didn’t see you. I checked the bar, I thought maybe you used the restroom. I was gone for five seconds, I swear I was—”
“Enzo!” I wail, throwing myself at him. I grab on to the front of his shirt and hold tight, burying my face in his chest and sobbing without giving a single crap who might see. “He was really drunk.”
“He’s lucky he was drunk,” Enzo growls, running a hand over my hair again and again. “If he didn’t go down, I’m not sure I would have been able to stop. Are you okay?”
He takes me by the shoulders and runs his hands over me, checking me with gentle panic. When he gets to my wrists, he runs his fingers over them gingerly, inspecting the red marks that will likely purple by tomorrow.
He turns a murderous gaze to Brecken, who’s moving his jaw back and forth and moaning. Enzo’s hands close into fists at his side, but I grab them and shake my head. “No. He’s not worth it. He’s just an asshole.”
“He hurt you,” Enzo says, his voice coming from some strangled place low in his throat. “I swear to God, I’ve never wanted to kill someone the way I want to kill him.”
“I think…I need to sit down.”
Enzo turns his attention back to me. He scoops me into his arms, holding me tight as I squirm.
“Enzo, I need to sit, not get carried like a baby! Put me down,” I hiss-yell.
He ignores me. He strides to the doors, stopping a hotel employee when we pass. “There’s a drunk idiot harassing women down the hall. I think someone punched him in the jaw.” The man hurries away and Enzo kicks the door open and brings me to the car.
He only puts me down when he realizes it’s going to be impossible to open the car door with me in his arms. We stand in the moonlight, my back pressed to the car, his eyes on me like he can’t look away.
“That was weird, that he was there. I swear, I haven’t so much as gotten a phone call from him in months. I didn’t even realize he was in San Francisco, but that makes sense, since his fiancée’s family’s factory is here and—”
Enzo leans in and kisses me. His hands reach up to cup my face, then slide back into my hair. He moans into my mouth, and his tongue licks my lips until I open my mouth to him. I wind my arms around his wide back, grabbing on with all the strength I have.
“Enzo, what if you hadn’t been—” I murmur between kisses.
He tears his mouth away. “I was. I will be. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
I want to argue that he can’t know that. He can’t promise, even if he does stay by my side, that nothing will happen to me. But now isn’t the time.
We’re getting close to where we ended up in the elevator when he pulls away, gently, and says, “You needed to sit.”
“I’d rather do this,” I plead.
He shakes his head and smiles tightly. “We do too much more of that here, and we’ll get arrested.” He opens my door and helps me in, then gets in the driver’s side. “Plus that, I need to focus on something else. Driving will be a good diversion.”
He pulls out and we head back to the highway. I lean my head against the seatback, all of a suddenly so exhausted, I can barely keep my eyes open.
“Good diversion from what?” I ask, losing the last word on a long yawn.
He flips the heat on and adjusts my vent so warm air billows around me. My eyes slide shut. I’m not sure if I’m dreaming or awake, but I think I hear Enzo say, “Diversion from peeling your clothes off and making you moan all night long.”
I wake up later, not sure how much time has passed and am completely shocked to find I’m in my own bed, my heels lined neatly on the side, the covers tucked under my chin. I raise up on one elbow and see the light from Enzo’s bedroom is still shining. I lay back down, hugging my pillow close, not sure if I can wait however long Enzo wants to before I climb in that bed with him.
“Stop slacking on the job, Caletti,” I joke as I swipe a wet rag over the wooden bar of the tasting room.
Jordan is leaned back against the counter, rolling her neck in tired circles. She fakes a long, exaggerated yawn and stretches her arms over her head so the tight white t-shirt she wears strains against the curves of her body. Every neuron in my brain short circuits as I watch her. It’s so much worse to see her at work and act professionally now that I know exactly how she tastes and feels.
Now that I realize just how incredible it feels to be close to her, keeping my distance is impossible.
“Sorry boss, I just didn’t get a whole lot of sleep last night.” She gives me a slow, sexy smile that has me looking for some dark corner to lead her to. Damn, it’s hard to go from touching her as much as I wanted—well, as much as my conscience would let me, anyway—to the hands-off policy we both agreed to stick to back at Golden Leaf.
But hands-off doesn’t mean I can’t flirt with her. And maybe, if I flirt well enough, I’ll persuade her to meet me behind the casks and bend the rules a little.
Because, surprisingly, Jordan Caletti, resident good girl, gets a pretty big thrill from being a little naughty and breaking the rules.
“Oh yeah? What kept you up?” I ask, coming up behind her. I press against her, running one hand down her arm. She closes her eyes and pulls her lip in, biting it softly.
I think my evil plan might be working, but she shakes her head and laughs.
“Here, stock this.” Jordan turns in my arms and pushes me back, using a few bottles of Pinot Noir as a buffer. She points to the highest shelf, and I make quick work of putting them all away. “If you must know, I had a date.”
“Really?” I step down off of the stool and whirl around to grab her by the waist before she can get away from me. She giggles as I pull her close to me, running my hand down her spine and letting it rest just above the curve of her perfect ass. “Anyone special?”
She leans in and nips at my bottom lip. “I haven’t decided yet. But I’ll let you know,” she whispers.
The hot, crazy things I want to do with this girl. On the counter. On the floor. Anywhere she’ll have me.
My phone vibrates in my pocket, freezing us both.
I clear my throat and Jordan steps back, both of us suddenly very aware we’re at work and the staff will be coming in any second—not that it’d be the first time we flirted on the edge of getting caught—especially after last night.
Actually we could probably pick up a few tips on how to sneak around and get away with it from our staffers. My phone buzzes again, jerking me out of my dirty thoughts.
“I’d better get that,” I say, my voice a little ragged.
“Good idea.” She wipes her hands on her apron and gets busy putting clean glasses away.
I reach into my shirt pocket and pull out my iPhone without breaking eye contact with this goddess of a woman in front of me. This woman who is mine. Finally. The line we tiptoed around for so long feels like it’s not only been crossed, but scrubbed with an eraser. Gone.
I watch her chest rise and fall as he puts the glasses on the shelf. She fumbles one, nearly dropping it. I shoot one hand out and catch it just as she dives in to do the same. We’re so close, I can see the way her pulse jumps under the smooth skin of her neck, so warm and sweet, it practically begs me to kiss it.
“Hello?” I say into the phone, standing and running a hand through my hair. I need to calm down or I’m not going to make it through this excruciatingly long day working by her side.
The voice on the other end is familiar b
ut not in a way I can place.
“Enzo Rodriguez?” a clipped, authoritative voice asks.
“Yeah, who’s asking?” I do a quick mental tabulation of all of the bills I have set to auto-pay and whether I might have missed something. This guy sounds serious. And my experience with serious is that it usually means I owe someone money. Or tried to steal someone’s wife.
I bite back a groan. I really don’t want to deal with either of those things right now.
“This is Bill Angelino, we spoke the other day at Golden Leaf. I gave you my card, and I was hoping to hear from you. I’m sorry that hasn’t happened. Can’t say I’m not disappointed. Anyhow, it took a lot of persuading to get your cell number from someone there, but I’ve got you on the phone now.” He waits on my reply.
Jordan raises her light eyebrows, and I finally tear my eyes away from her.
Fuck.
“Right. Well, as flattered as I am that you made the effort to semi-stalk me,” I joke, “I’m afraid you wasted your time.” As soon as the words come out, I wonder if they were too disrespectful, but they’re met with a chuckle from Mr. Angelino, so I continue. “Like I explained the other day, I’m very happy at my current place of employment.”
I won’t look at Jordan but I can feel her eyes on me, burning holes into me, silently demanding explanations. I curse under my breath. I should have told her about this guy. I should have told her even if I knew nothing would come of it. I should have told her before last night.
I smile at her without making direct eye contact, shake my head and mouth, “It’s nothing.”
“Enzo, you’re the talk of the Sonoma Valley. You’ve single-handedly turned around a vineyard that all the experts have been projecting would file for Chapter 11 sooner than later. Hell, we’d even considered making an offer on Golden Leaf, bringing it under our umbrella of corporations. I was all for innovation, maybe cranking out two-dollar bottles of wine like that Chuck Shaw fella. But the board tends to be very conservative, and I couldn’t get them to approve it. I’m rambling here, Enzo. The point is, Angelino Vineyards would be an excellent fit for you, I’m sure of it. Not to mention it’s a stable business and a place with unlimited growth potential.”
“The revitalization of Golden Leaf has not been a single-handed venture, sir.” I clear my throat. “It’s the result of a lot of hard work from a lot of dedicated people who believe in this place.”
It’s like I can see Bill doing over the phone that thing he did when he was in front of me. He’s only half-listening to me, already jumping ahead based on what he wants to hear.
“We like a team player, son. That’s a great asset to us. I sure wish you’d at least give us the chance to show you firsthand what we have to offer. Come down south, take a tour, meet with our VP. I promise you I can make the trip worth your while.”
“Thank you again, Mr. Angelino, but honestly, I couldn’t get the time off here to make a trip like that even if I were interested.” I look up at Jordan who is now the one avoiding eye contact. I make sure to say the next lines as firmly as I possibly can. “But I’m not interested anyway. I love it here at Golden Leaf. I do appreciate your consideration, though.”
I think this is it. He’ll drop it. We’ll hang up. I can go back to staring at this gorgeous girl. Maybe convince her to come by my apartment before the place officially opens. We won’t have long, but I’m starting to learn exactly the kind of things that make Jordan go wild, and I’m pretty sure she’ll be very satisfied.
“You’re loyal, Enzo. Another excellent trait. But you need to think with your head instead of your heart. The truth is, this business is cut throat. You’ve got an opportunity at your feet that isn’t tossed around lightly, especially to someone so new to the game.”
His voice is still friendly, but there’s the pressurized edge of warning behind it too. The kind of tone that comes from someone wanting you to realize you’re turning your nose up at a free pass around the hurdles most people spend years struggling to jump.
I pinch the bridge of my nose and close my eyes. “You aren’t making this easy.” The words slip out.
I hear a noise that sounds like the creak of a chair on the other end, and Mr. Angelino laughs like he’s won. I imagine him pumping his fist.
“That’s what I like to hear. Now listen, we know your time is valuable so tell you what, you agree to come down for one day—”
“Sir, that’s an eight hour drive each way.” I like a good road trip, but only when it has sick waves at the other end. Driving all that way to meet with people who are going to try to strong-arm me into a job I don’t even want is not appealing.
“Let me finish. You give us one day, we’ll take care of the airfare for you and your girlfriend—and don’t tell me you don’t have a lady. Let us fly you both out and show you what life would be like down South. My buddy up there has a plane he’s always looking for an excuse to take out and show off. We’ll give you a tour, feed you both, then fly you back home, no strings attached. I don’t even need an answer from you until you take a week to think it over if you like. No pressure, no obligations. And a great way to spend your day off. What do you say?”
My resolve is weakening more and more every second.
I think about Jordan telling me how she never leaves Golden Leaf. I think about how she got to go to her father’s wedding and basically get her heart broken. I think about how we went on a date and she ran into her douchebag ex. How great would it be to take her on this jaunt, tell her we’re scouting the competition, and allow her to kick back and be pampered?
She deserves a break, and this is the perfect way to trick her into a work trip that I’ll make sure is stripped free of any work.
I blow out a long breath and drop my voice.
“In and out in one day?”
I hear another chair creak, imagine another fist pump.
“Absolutely, you have my word.”
I look at Jordan, restocking the chocolate bowls with her lips pressed in a flat line. What would I do to be able to give her one worry free day, one stress free break? A hell of a lot more than fly to some swank vineyard to be wined and dined.
“One day…I think I can do that.”
“Hot damn!” Bill exclaims. I can’t help laughing at that. “We sure look forward to meeting with you, Enzo. I’ll have my secretary set it all up and get back with you.”
I hang up and then set my phone on the counter. The entire mood in the room has changed. Five minutes ago Jordan and I were flirting, on the way to undressing each other in the tasting room—something I’d fantasized about doing with Jordan since my first day here.
Now, the space is weighted with thick doubt and endless questions.
“Do I need to ask what that was about?” she asks in a clipped tone, not looking up from the papers in her hands.
I pull the clipboard out of her hands and set it aside. She starts to protest, but I take her hands and lead her to a stool nearby. I sit her down and lean in, smiling until I at least get her mouth to quirk up at one side.
“How would you like an all-expenses paid trip down to So Cal? When was the last time you were there?” I watch her mouth turn back down at the sides, like she’s suspicious.
“What are you talking about?” She shakes her head, her eyes dark and wary. “I don’t understand. Wasn’t that about a job?”
“It was.” Jordan snorts and slides off the stool. I grab her around the waist and pull her close. She turns her head to the side, refusing to look at me. I’m half-afraid she’s about to cry, which is the last thing I want. “I’m not taking it, doll. He just wouldn’t take no for an answer. He insisted me and my girl fly down for a day to scope the place out, eat dinner on their dime.”
I watch the way her eyes flicker for a split second when I call her ‘my girl.’ I’d be damn lucky if that’s what she wants to be.
“I can’t just take off, Enzo.” She pushes free of me, snapping her clipboard back off the bar, and shaking
her head as she waves me off. I notice the way her mouth quivers. “You feel free to go, of course. I’ll stay here and cover for you.”
“No, no, no,” I say, jumping in front of her. She tries to go to the left and I block her. She huffs and tries the right, but I’m faster than she is. She finally sighs and folds her arms, the clipboard tucked tight to her body like a shield. “The point is that it’s a free trip for you and me. You heard me tell him over and over I wasn’t interested, right? Right?”
She chews on her lip and shrugs. “Right. So why would you have said yes to this, Enzo?”
“Why not get away for a day on their dime? Just you and me,” I pull her in closer, knowing I might have a chance when she relaxes her hold on that damn clipboard. I brush a stray strand of hair back off her neck and lean close, talking low in her ear. “No prying eyes wondering why I look at you the way I do. No one to question where we’re both going after work together. No chance of running into your asshole ex. You and me, Jordan. Alone.”
“They’ll question why we’re leaving town together,” Jordan argues.
“Eh, we’ll tell them we’re meeting with a new vendor. Or, we’ll tell them nothing at all. We’re allowed to take a day off. Come on, say you’ll go with me. Besides, if you come, you can see firsthand how disinterested I am in the entire thing. And you can scout these idiots who actually think they’re Golden Leaf’s competition.”
I hate to admit she perks up more at the last part than she did at the prospect of spending alone time with me. Jordan puts her hand onto her hip and sizes me up silently. I slide my arm through the loop her arm makes and back around her waist. I walk her back into my arms. Where she belongs.
“I’m not taking the job,” I say firmly.
I finally feel her body relax. She presses closer to me. “Fine. But if you’re seriously interested in the job, you just need to tell me. I know it’d be closer to your family and friends and—”
“Jordan, I promise you, I am not going for any other reason than to hang out with you alone. I have less than zero intention of taking this as a serious offer.”
Almost Lover Page 17
