“But…it’s still cheating.” She quickly wipes the corner of her eye.
“Currently, Stella has three sets of married couples with memberships. They often go with their spouse and while it might not be for everyone, they enjoy the idea of picking out someone for each other. There’s another married member whose spouse is terminally ill and knows about their membership. Encouraged it even.”
I place my hand on her leg. “You’re still raw from what your ex did to you and rightfully so, but I need you to know I don’t condone cheating.”
She inhales a deep breath while the fire in her eyes dim. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
She climbs out of her seat and into my lap, wrapping her hands around my neck. “For being honest.”
In the back of my mind, I can hear a clock ticking away the time I have with her, because when she discovers my web of deception, I’ll be nothing more than another bad memory she tries to escape.
Chapter Fourteen
Delanie
His attempt to get to know me throughout the week felt easy, relaxed even, and then I go and ask something a little deeper, putting a damper on our weekend. The ride from the airport to Star Creek Winery and Resort was made in suppressed silence.
When we arrive, he hands the valet the keys to the rental while another man gushes about all the arrangements he made to Kase’s room.
“What would you like to check out first, the resort, the winery, or our room?”
“Our room?” I say hoping we’ll have a moment to ourselves.
“This way.” He places his hand on my lower back and moves us to a stretched six passenger golf cart, where we’re swept up a hill and around the back of the resort.
“Oh, my,” I whisper in awe.
Kase wraps his arm over my shoulder. “Star Creek has just shy of eighty-thousand acres and the best view of the field is directly behind the main building.”
“I’ve never seen so much open land before.”
“This place definitely delivers a sense of peace you won’t find anywhere else.”
The driver stops in front of a little wooden cabin with a rustic appeal. “This is where we’re staying?”
“I figured a little privacy would nice.”
My face lights up as I follow Kase through a set of French doors. The cabin has a little sitting area with a couch and TV, steps leading upstairs, a small kitchen, and dining room table for two.
“The resort offers a little of everything. Tours, tastings, even massages, if you’re interested.”
Our driver sits our bags inside the door, nods at Kase then shuts the door and races off.
“I could easily spend the entire weekend in this cabin but I think it’s impossible to pass up a wine tasting.”
“I had a feeling you’d say that. Luckily for you, I already scheduled a private tasting for tomorrow afternoon.”
“You know me well.”
His eyes thin, but instead of replying, he grabs our bags and heads upstairs. I can’t help but wonder if he’s still upset from our conversation earlier. Unsure of what to say or do, I open the back door and step outside. To one side of the wooden deck that wraps around the cabin is a table and chairs and to the other is a hot-tub with stream rolling off the water.
I slip my shoes off before sticking my feet into the water, my mind playing on earlier. I spent the last ten years with a man who made it abundantly clear I was never to question him. He expected—demanded—I take him at his word. Being a kid when we started dating and adding in the fact that my mother acts like her husband’s word is worth its weight in gold, regardless of the fact the entire town of Lincoln knows he’s not faithful, I never learned to stand up for myself.
I remember the first time I wondered if Carter was cheating on me. A girl he supposedly attended college with posted a message on his Facebook wall.
Thanks for the hot and wild ride last night. You sure know how to offer a good time.
By the time I worked up the courage to ask him about it, the post was gone and the girl was no longer on his friend’s list. When I finally asked, he gave me some lame excuse about some girl with a flat tire needing a ride. I didn’t need proof to know he was lying… Yet I didn’t leave him. Dealing with my mother’s wrath wasn’t high on my list, and deep down, I was hoping Carter would find someone else, possibly fall in love, and I’d be free to live my life without the fallout.
“If you want to get in, I can grab your bathing suit, or better yet, you can strip down and climb in with nothing on.” Kase steps outside wearing a sly smile. “I’ll enjoy either option but I’m favoring the second.”
He takes a seat in the chair, crosses his ankles, and stares at me with a look I can’t seem to read.
“I’m sorry.”
Lines stretch across his forehead. “What are you sorry for?”
“For earlier. I was hoping to get to know you better but I shouldn’t have brought up the club or questioned you about it.”
“Don’t be sorry for speaking your mind.” He leans forward, resting his arms on his knees. “The conversation was tense but only because we view the situation very differently. I’ve only recently come to terms with the fact that who I was isn’t who I am and I felt like I was treading on very thin water. I don’t want to lie to you but I don’t want you to confuse the new me with the old me.”
The connection I’ve felt since the moment I saw him strengthens. “I’ll take honesty over lies every time.”
His jaw ticks before he blows out a long frustrated breath. “I don’t deserve you but that doesn’t mean I’m not willing to do everything in my power for the chance to keep you.”
I pull my feet from the water and walk to where he’s sitting. With his eyes locked on mine, I crawl into his lap. “I don’t want to fuss over the past.” I grind my hips into his pelvis. “Right now, the only thing that matters is this.” My mouth meets his in a desperate need to forget the last hour and focus on what we’re great at.
He’s keeping a secret. Or at the very least, there’s something he’s not telling me—something he believes will change how I feel about him. But I can’t bring myself to care because I’m floating in a cloud of euphoria. After we made love on the deck, we showered, and then Kase took me on a full tour of the grounds. We ate a candle-light dinner on a private deck overlooking the vineyard.
The next morning, we ate a lazy breakfast outside before heading to our personal wine tasting. When we arrive to the main building, we’re greeted by an older man named Dan, our tour guide, who walks us throughout the grounds before taking us into a small tasting room. Dan’s standing on one side of the bar talking while setting miniature wine glasses in front of us.
“Our wines are made entirely from grapes grown here at Star Creek. Many vineyards have multiple locations and ship their grapes to a processing plant but we keep everything here.” He smiles at Kase then pours wine into our glasses. “The fermentation, aging, and bottling process have always happened here and always will.”
With a knowing smile, Kase nods in return.
“Wait. Am I missing something? What’s with the look?”
Kase picks up his glass, swirls the wine around then downs the liquid. When he looks at me, he shrugs. “My grandparents started this vineyard. It’s been in our family for over eighty years.”
Holy shit. “Your family owns this place?”
He looks at Dan then back to me. “My grandfather died about six years ago, and my grandmother a few years after.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry.”
He waves off my comment. “What I’m getting at is, technically, I…own Star Creek.”
This time it’s me who downs a shot of wine. I knew he was rich. He’s never tried to hide the fact he has money but owning a vineyard and resort in northern California… That’s rich on a whole other level.
“My mother was their only child. I was their only grandchild, hence the only heir.”
“It must be a lot of
work, keeping a place like this up.”
He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me into him. “I could never bring myself to sell this place. My grandparents sold practically everything they owned to buy this land and they spent years working it before they turned a profit. My mother grew up here. This was her home, and in turn, I spent a lot of time here as a kid.” He smiles. “I have an amazing crew of people who keep this place in tip-top shape. I haven’t been here in close to a year. Then I met this woman who happens to love wine, and bringing you felt surprisingly nice.”
“Why?”
“Because… Eventually, I want to share every piece of myself with you.”
“This place is amazing. I thought that before you mentioned you own it and I can’t thank you enough for bringing me here…”
“But?” he questions.
“But… When you say things like ‘I want to share every piece of myself with you,’ it feels like you know something I don’t. Like our relationship has an expiration date.”
His back goes straight, but he forces a smile. “No. Shit, no. I’m sorry. I’ve never…felt this strongly about anyone before. I haven’t known you for that long, but at the same time, it feels like I’ve known you forever and when I think of you slipping from my life…” he shakes his head. “It’s not something I want to think about.”
“Then don’t. Neither of us knows what tomorrow will hold. Instead of jumping in feet first, I think we should hold hands and climb in slowly.”
He nods, this time with a smile that I feel all the way down to my toes. “I think we’re done talking and ready for the rest of our tasting.”
Dan fights back a laugh. “Certainly, sir.”
“And it goes without saying that you’re not to gossip about the shit you overheard just now.”
“Yes, sir.”
I climb onto the bar stool next to Kase while Dan’s love for wine shines as he explains each wine before pouring us a glass. I keep stealing glances at Kase, forcing myself to forget the fact that he owns this place.
I happen to love wine, and the guy I’m seeing just happens to own a vineyard. That should be every girl’s dream, so why does it seem so unreal?
With the stars shining through the night sky, we climb into the hot tub with a glass of wine. After our wine tasting, he ordered several appetizers for us to snack on, which was a good idea because I was feeling slightly tipsy. Afterward, we had a couple’s massage followed by a nap. Now, it’s just after eight in the evening and instead of cleaning up for dinner, with our bathing suits on, I pulled my hair up on the top of my head and we climbed into the hot tub.
After Kase mentioned he owns Star Creek, his entire demeanor changed. He relaxed to the point that he appeared to enjoy himself, and the grim mood that started on the plane ride here finally disappeared. He smiled, laughed, and was always touching me with a soft knowing look—the kind every woman dreams of seeing aimed in her direction.
“Were you worried about telling me you owned this place?”
“No. I had planned on mentioning it on the way here, but it didn’t come up.”
“Oh.” That would be my fault.
“Coming here is usually bittersweet, but there was nothing bitter about today.”
“Why is it usually bitter?”
He runs his wet hands through his dark hair with a sigh. “My dad’s family wanted to buy this land from my grandparents, but they refused. I’ve never understood all the details, but somehow my parents were encouraged to get married, which they did. My dad didn’t give a damn about this place or my mother, so the two of us spent almost every summer up here.”
“And it doesn’t feel the same without your mother and grandparents?”
“About twelve years ago, an insect infestation destroyed more than half of their yearly supply. Star Creek was in danger of closing, so I pitched the idea of adding the resort. Being old-fashioned, they weren’t in favor at first but eventually, they came around. Now, as proud as I am of this place, it doesn’t feel like home anymore.”
“And you don’t want to sell it?”
He takes a large sip of wine before answering, “I get offers almost daily but I refuse to sell. This place is one of the last pieces I have of my mother.”
I want to know more about him but with yesterday playing on my mind, I’m nervous. “Tell me about your mom.”
“She was a beautiful, vibrant woman who loved me but hated my dad.”
“That’s… I’m sorry. My mom doesn’t care for my dad, but they divorced when I was very little.”
“My dad was a bastard but he had a few redeemable moments. I never understood why their parents forced them to get married but I understand why they never divorced.”
“Why do you say that?”
“They put each other through hell. Neither of them planned to walk away without doing their best to destroy the other. I promised myself I’d never live like that yet…” He shakes his head in disgust. “Ultimately, Dad had the last word.” His voice takes on a flat-distant tone, one I don’t particularly care for.
His eyes flare when I glide through the water and into his lap. “The world is filled with two types of people--givers and takers. It didn’t take me long to realize which one you were.” My hands over the stubble on his cheeks, cupping his face. “I wish I didn’t live the last ten years under someone else’s control but I’ve never been more thankful that my past lead me to you than I am right now.”
His dark eyes turn smoldering as he wraps his arms around my waist. He stands up, taking me with him, and his mouth crashes to mine as he steps out of the water and heads toward the house.
My lips move from his mouth, trailing down his neck while he fumbles with the door somehow getting it open. He grips my ass when I moan, “I want you.”
When we reach the bedroom, he tosses me on the bed. “You look good enough to eat.”
He pulls on the tie of my swimsuit bottoms until it falls open. With water dripping down his chest, he drops to his knees and nuzzles his nose through my folds.
“I’ll never get enough of you,” he whispers against my core before he buries his tongue inside me. “Holy…shit.”
My hands move to his hair while he spends his sweet time ravishing me. His tongue moves up and down, in and out, fast then slow until he adds two fingers. My legs are trembling, and my heart feels like it’s going to beat out of my chest.
When his mouth finds my clit, he moans. The vibration rattles through me until my orgasm takes root and I explode around him.
“Oh…my…God.”
“You taste so fucking good.” He stands up, pushing his swimming trunk to the floor with a hunger burning in his expression.
My hand moves to his erection, gliding up and down. “I need you to fuck me.”
He grabs a condom and is between my legs in seconds. “I love hearing my good girl talk dirty.”
He enters me fast and hard, and the bed slams into the wall. My legs wrap around his waist while my hands move to my breasts. “Oh, damn. Keep touching yourself.”
He bites and sucks his way down my neck until he pulls his face away from mine. His eyes shine with desire as his movements increase.
“I’m close. Oh…” I say through a gasp. My body tightens, and another release rocks through me.
“Yes,” he moans. “I can feel you coming.” He moves a hand to my ass, his fingers digging into my skin. His body shudders as he groans through his own release.
I don’t have a crystal ball and I can’t predict the future. But that doesn’t mean I’m not wishing for one with this man.
Chapter Fifteen
Kase
“All you have to do is sign your name and this place is officially yours.”
Travis looks at the papers I tossed on the table then picks up his beer, downing almost half the bottle in one gulp.
Travis McMullen is an enormous ginger with an even shoddier view on relationships than I have—at least ones with the opposite s
ex. We attended the same high school and floated through the same social circles most of our lives, but it wasn’t until after Travis graduated Stanford and returned home that our friendship flourished into a business arrangement. One that turned out to be extremely profitable. “Why now? I’ve asked you to sell me this place before, and you wouldn’t even entertain the idea. What’s changed?”
I watch him, toying with what to say. Travis knows about my parents and Anna. He watched my life spin out of control, and it’s because of that I’m not expecting him to be elated by my news.
“I’ve met someone.”
He crosses his colossal arms over his chest slowly shaking his head. “Did you slip and fall? Maybe hit your head so hard you magically forgot the mess you’re mixed up in?”
“Look, I know what you’re thinking—.”
“That you’re out of your Goddamn mind?” He reaches for his beer again and downs the rest.
“She’s different, or maybe I’m different when I’m around her. Fuck, I don’t know.”
My phone resting in the pocket of my pants buzzes with a message.
“Holy shit. You’re already starting to sound like a damn greeting card.” He waves his hand to the bartender, holding up two fingers. “Does she know about Anna and the fucking mess you’re in?”
“No. She doesn’t know anything.”
“Jeez, man. I can’t tell if you’re too stupid or too crazy for your own good. Either way, this is a recipe for disaster.”
“You’re probably right.” I pause when a waitress sets two more beers on the table. Once she’s stepped away, I add, “But I’m incapable of walking away. Believe me, I’ve tried.”
I dig my phone out, smiling when I read my missed messages.
Delanie: I passed! Thornton gave me a list of my own clients.
Delanie: In case you couldn’t tell… I’m freaking excited!!!
“Is this woman responsible for the look on your face?”
Kase Of Deception Page 11
