Falling Into You (Bachelors & Bridesmaids Book 5)

by Barbara Freethy

  "Why not? You're single. I'm single." He dropped his voice down a notch as he leaned in. "We could have some fun together."

  He was so close she could feel his breath on her face. They could definitely have some fun together, but then what? She drew in a breath and let it out, trying to rein in the desire that had so quickly escalated. "We might have fun today, but tomorrow or the next day or the next week would not be fun at all. I don't do bad boys anymore."

  "Anymore?" he queried with an arch of his eyebrow.

  She hesitated. "I ran a little wild in college. After my mom died, I was pissed off, not just because of her death, but because my father had pushed me to go away to school when I didn't feel ready. But he was ready to go back to work, so I had to be ready, too."

  "So you were angry with him."

  "With the world. I spent the first two years of college partying with long-haired, tattooed boys with sexy smiles and hot bodies and not much else going on."

  "Now you've surprised me," Cole said.

  "I'm not proud of who I was then. Thankfully, I had good girlfriends who stopped me from doing anything too stupid. Eventually, I came to my senses and started focusing on school and not ruining the rest of my life. Now I date men who at least have the potential of sticking around for a while."

  "Not every date has to lead to something more. Not every kiss has to mean something."

  "I know that. I just told you that I didn't let anything have meaning for a long time."

  "Look who just threw out the baby with the bathwater," he said, echoing her earlier words. "Sometimes a kiss is just a kiss—a moment in time. A really good moment." His mouth covered hers, and this kiss was nothing like the lighthearted caress of the day before. This was a full-on sensuous, demanding kiss, and she opened her mouth to his, welcoming his tongue inside her mouth as his arms tightened around her body.

  He tasted like maple syrup, and the sugar on his lips mixed with the hardness of his chest against hers was impossible to resist. Her breasts tingled, her blood pounded through her veins, and everything else in the world faded away. It was just Cole and his mouth, his touch, his desire—and hers.

  Cole finally ended the kiss.

  She sat back, breathless and a little dizzy.

  Cole looked shell-shocked.

  "What the hell was that?" he murmured.

  "It was nothing. Like you said, sometimes a kiss is just a kiss." She jumped to her feet, adrenaline making her want to move and walking away would be better than grabbing Cole and throwing herself back into his arms. "We should walk back. I have some errands to run before I go to work later."

  Cole caught up to her with a few long strides. She was both happy and a little unsettled that he didn’t speak to her on their way back to the house, but since she had no idea what to say to him, she needed to be grateful for the silence.

  "I'll say good-bye here," she said, pausing next to his bike still parked in the middle of her yard. "Thanks for breakfast."

  "Maggie, wait."

  "I don't want to talk about it," she said abruptly.

  "I feel like I should apologize."

  "Please don't. We both know you're not sorry. And neither am I."

  "No?" he asked doubtfully.

  "No. It was an amazing kiss, but it's not going to happen again. You're just passing through town, and I have a plan to execute. I can't be distracted. So let's say good-bye."

  "Not good-bye. You already promised you would go wine tasting with me tomorrow."

  Damn! She'd forgotten about that. "I'm going to back out."

  "No, you're not."

  "It's not a good idea."

  "Look, I can promise you that I will not kiss you again. Okay?"

  She blew out a breath. Maybe he could promise that, but she wasn't so sure she could make the same promise, because it wasn't just him she was fighting; it was herself.

  "Please, Maggie?" he asked, with a persuasive smile. "My aunt is busy, and it's no fun tasting wine alone."

  She shook her head, knowing she'd backed herself into a corner. "I would be crazy to say yes."

  "Well, we both know you're a little crazy," he said with a laugh. "You do talk to your vegetables."

  "Only to Henry," she said, his words bringing a reluctant smile to her lips. "Fine, I'll go with you. We'll taste some wine, but that's it."

  "Good. I'll come by here in the morning. If I don't see you at the hotel later today, I'll see you then." He swung his leg over his bike, started the engine and sped out of her yard and down the street.

  She had to admit it was a pretty hot exit for a sexy bad boy. Cole was definitely a problem she didn't need. Still, she would probably score points with Ida by taking him wine tasting tomorrow. She could handle one more day in his company. What could go wrong?

  Chapter Five

  "You're a very bad woman," Cole told his aunt as they ate dinner together in her hotel apartment Saturday night. It was the first opportunity he'd had to speak to her since he'd left Maggie's house earlier in the day.

  Ida gave him an unrepentant smile. "What sin have I committed this time?"

  "You know perfectly well that you led me to believe Maggie was one of your friends."

  "She is a friend."

  "And an employee—a young, attractive, single employee."

  "She is a beautiful girl with her sparkling blue eyes and that gorgeous blonde hair with the fiery red highlights. I always feel like smiling when I'm with her. I thought you could use a smile, too."

  "I'm supposed to be here undercover. Maggie now knows I'm your nephew."

  "Did you tell her that you're looking into problems at the hotel?"

  "No. Right now she just thinks I'm your nephew, but if I start snooping around, she may get suspicious."

  "Oh, I'm sure you'll know how to handle that, and Maggie is really the least of my worries."

  He saw the worry in her eyes. "What are you concerned about? I get the feeling you wanted me to come here for more than just the basic hotel service checkup." Since he'd quit his job, his family had convinced him to freelance consult on their chain of hotel properties. Since that coincided well with his plan to travel and see the world, he'd agreed. A few weeks of work here and there helped fund his travel bank.

  "You're right," Ida said. "I recently discovered some anomalies in the books. I asked the accountant, and he very nervously said he must have made a mistake. He then gave me a corrected statement. But there have been other oddities that make me think someone might be stealing from the hotel."

  "Like what?"

  "I saw an order for a more expensive brand of sheets than we normally use. I asked Harry about it, and he said that was a mistake, that they'd canceled that order and gone back to the original brand."

  "So, lots of mistakes," he said slowly.

  "All explainable," she said, meeting his gaze. "But my gut tells me there's something going on. I would hate to think that any of my employees are dishonest, but I wasn't here for several months, and it's possible that someone started taking advantage of my inattention. I want you to check things out for me, Cole. I know I can trust you, and you're smart as a whip."

  "I'll need access to the books."

  "Of course."

  "And I'd like to look around the offices."

  "Monday would be the best opportunity for that. Mr. Stone is off that day."

  "Do you think your manager is involved?"

  "I really hope not. He's worked for me for almost six years. On the other hand, he runs the entire operation here, and he was completely in charge while I was traveling. It's difficult to believe anyone could get anything past him. So if something is happening, I have to assume he could be involved." She paused. "Maybe all the mistakes are explainable, and I'm just being paranoid."

  "I doubt that. You've always had good instincts."

  "I need to get this hotel back on track. Besides the anomalies, our bookings are down, and I don't know why. With the holidays coming, we're usually fully b
ooked months in advance, but now we're at sixty percent occupancy through Christmas. I hate to think we're losing our position as the premiere hotel destination in the Napa Valley, but it's possible."

  "We'll figure it out."

  "I like your confidence, Cole. I know you'll get to the bottom of things. And I'm hoping you can give me some advice on how to grow the business. My brother Bill didn't want me to take so much time off this past year. He wanted to put in his own manager while I was gone, and I refused. I don't like him looking over my shoulder, and I think of the Stratton as mine. But the family does own a percentage and I really don't want to prove him right. He has such an ego."

  Cole laughed. His uncle Bill was definitely arrogant. "I got it. I'll do everything I can to help you, but honestly Aunt Ida if you suspect there's something going on with your staff, you shouldn't have set me up with Maggie. She could be part of whatever is going on here. Hell, she could be the thief."

  Ida dismissed that idea with a wave of her hand. "Don't be silly. You only have to know Maggie for a short while to realize she is completely honest—too honest, probably. The only flaw she seems to have is a soft spot that tends to make her a little less than efficient at times. She gets caught up in conversations, and sometimes the check-in lines get too long."

  "Is that what Stone says about her?"

  "Among other things. She's not his favorite employee, which I don't really understand, because she's very popular with the guests."

  "She was certainly nicer to me when I checked in than your manager was."

  "Well, that's because you kissed Maggie and caused a scene."

  "Even so, he handled the situation poorly. One of the reasons I come in undercover is to see how all guests are treated, not just the ones wearing suits and carrying high-limit credit cards. Mr. Stone failed the first test."

  "I should have him move your room."

  He shook his head. "It's fine. And I don't want anyone else to know I'm your nephew, although it's possible Maggie may tell someone. I should talk to her about that tomorrow."

  "Tomorrow?" Ida quizzed, a curious gleam appearing in her eyes. "You're seeing Maggie tomorrow?"

  "We're going wine tasting," he admitted.

  "Well, isn't that interesting?"

  "I want to see the wineries since they attract tourists to the hotel, and Maggie knows which ones are the best. Plus, you said you were busy all weekend."

  "Sure, of course."

  He shook his head at her. "Seriously, you have to stop trying to matchmake, Aunt Ida. I'm not interested in a relationship. And even if I were, Maggie would be the last person in the world I would choose."

  "But why? She's beautiful and smart. You could do a lot worse."

  "I have done worse."

  "Carole and you were too young to get married. You grew up and grew apart. You would make a different choice now."

  "If I wanted to make a choice, but I don't. I like being single. I like being free to go where I want. Maggie is a small-town girl with small-town dreams. She's growing pumpkins and baking pies and putting away money to buy a house."

  "None of those are bad things," Ida pointed out.

  "Not at all, if that's what she wants. But it's not what I want."

  Ida sighed. "I'm not sure you know what you want, but suit yourself. I'm not go­ing to do another thing to interfere. I wanted you two to meet. The rest is up to you. I just want you to be happy, Cole."

  "I am happy." He set down his napkin and pushed back his chair. "I'll see you tomorrow night."

  "Perfect. Have fun tomorrow, Cole."

  "I will," he said, trying to ignore the amusement in her eyes. He doubted there was anything he could say that would convince her there was nothing between him and Maggie—maybe because there was something…something hot and heady and irresistible. But he could resist, couldn't he?

  * * *

  Maggie waited for Cole in front of her house just after eleven on Sunday morning. She had to admit to feeling a bit more excited and anxious than she wanted to feel. She hadn't seen Cole at the hotel the night before, and it bothered her to even secretly admit that she'd spent a lot of time scanning the lobby for any sign of him, but he hadn't come near the front desk.

  She'd told herself that was a good thing. Cole was a troublemaker, and Mr. Stone was definitely not a fan of his. The last thing she needed was to get caught up in any battle between the two of them.

  She shifted her weight as she pulled out her phone to check for texts. Cole wasn't exactly late, but she was eager to get on with the day.

  A moment later, he turned in to her driveway and stopped his bike in the driveway, a good distance away from her pumpkins.

  Cole took off his helmet as he got off the bike, giving her a smile as he ran his hand through his dark hair. Damn, he looked good in his worn jeans and light blue button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows. And his aviator sunglasses gave him an even sexier look.

  "Thanks for moving the wheelbarrow," he said, as he moved toward her.

  "I couldn't risk Henry's life again."

  He grinned. "Nor could I. Are you ready to go?"

  "Yes. I've picked out five wineries we should check out," she said, handing him a list. "I think we should start at the farthest one first, which is the DeLucca Winery."

  "Sounds good to me."

  "Why don't I drive us in my car?" she suggested as he put the list in his pocket.

  "No way. We'll take my bike. It's a beautiful day."

  She frowned. "I'm not big on motorcycles, and I've seen the way you drive."

  "I promise I will not let anything happen to you, Maggie."

  "Easy to make that promise—harder to keep it. I don't like the idea of there being nothing between me and the ground."

  "We'll take back roads. Give it a chance. I think you'll love it. There's nothing like the feeling of the wind against your face and the sun on your back. It's incredible. You won't regret it."

  He could definitely be persuasive when he wanted to be. "You won't speed?"

  "I promise I won't. Let's get you a helmet."

  They walked over to the bike and he took out a helmet for her to put on. Once she'd done that, he said, "Now, get on the bike, wrap your arms around my waist, and we'll ride like the wind."

  His enticing words made her suck in a quick breath. She had a feeling Cole was more dangerous than the bike.

  In recent years, she had played it safe, but Cole was now reminding her of the more rebellious and adventurous girl she'd once been. She didn't think that was a good thing. But she'd agreed to go wine tasting, and she had on a helmet, so there was only one thing left to do.

  Before she could change her mind, she hitched up her short floral skirt and swung her leg over the seat. She wished now she'd worn jeans for this adventure, but she'd dressed more for wine tasting than riding a motorcycle.

  Cole turned his head as she got comfortable and placed one hand on her bare thigh. "Slide in a little closer, honey. When we ride this bike, we ride as one."

  Maggie swallowed hard and moved closer until her thighs met his. The rough edge of his jeans ground against her bare skin, creating all sorts of unwelcome erotic thoughts in her mind. This was crazy. What on earth was she thinking?

  "Do you need directions?" she asked, trying to focus her mind on more practical matters.

  "I'll put the first address in my phone," he said, taking a minute to do just that. "But I have a good idea where it is. I looked at a map of wineries last night."

  "So you would be prepared?" she asked, a little impressed that he'd thought ahead.

  He laughed. "Actually, there wasn't much else to do in my room last night, and I was trying to stay away from the sexy redhead at the front desk."

  She wasn't going to touch that comment. "Well, at least you know where we're going."

  "I do. Hang on," Cole added, pulling her hands in front of his stomach, so tightly she could feel the clench of his abdominal mus­cles through his
shirt. "Let yourself go with the bike. Feel the power. You're going to love this. You'll never be the same. Once you get a taste, you're going to want more.''

  That was exactly what she was afraid of.

  As the powerful en­gine roared to life, Maggie tightened her arms around Cole. He started out slow, for which she was grateful, increasing his speed once they left her neighborhood.

  When they got to the back roads, and the traffic thinned out, she began to relax and actually enjoy the ride. Cole was right. She did like the sun on her face, the wind at her back, and the gorgeous man in front of her.

  Cole felt good, too good. She told herself not to get caught up in her attraction to him. He was not for her. She wanted roots, a place to call home and eventually marriage, kids, maybe a dog. Cole Hastings didn't fit the pic­ture of her future, so there was no point in getting involved with him.

  And after yesterday's spectacular kiss, she had to stay on her guard, because if she didn't keep her walls up, she might like him way too much, and that would only lead to heartbreak.

  But today was just about wine tasting, something she'd done a dozen times with friends. It would be a fun outing, and that would be it.

  Forcing the niggling worries out of her head, she concentrated on the view, the open road, the rolling hills, and vineyards, farms and fruit stands along the highway.

  It was a beautiful day. The sky had only occasional wisps of clouds to mar its royal blue hue, and Maggie felt a sense of belonging. This was her land, her home now, and she had picked a good part of the country to set down roots. Everything she wanted was right here.

  * * *

  Twenty minutes later, Cole took the turnoff for the DeLucca Winery.

  The winery had originally been a cattle ranch, but twenty years ago the DeLucca family had bought the property and turned the barn into a wine cellar and the outer buildings into wine tasting rooms. The Italian family still made their home in the large three-story house at the far end of the property.

  Cole pulled into the parking lot, cut the engine and pulled off his helmet. He started to get off, but Maggie's arms were still wrapped around his waist, a sensation she had gotten very used to.