With Ashley by his side, as she was now, Sebastian thought. Their arms often brushed as they walked along the path, sending a sexual jolt through his system. Despite his frustration with Romano himself, Sebastian had enjoyed his time touring the winery with Ashley as they viewed the place where the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon was created, along with their 2017 barrel-fermented Sauvignon Blanc. Corinne had obviously put the moment when they’d met behind her and so had Sebastian. Ashley didn’t seem fazed, and they were all engaged in the tour.
Sebastian had even been impressed with the beautiful greenery lining the paths and the processes they saw. But every time he questioned when he’d meet with Romano, he felt as if he was being stonewalled.
Finally, Corinne took a phone call, listened, and said, “I understand. I’ll let him know.” She disconnected and turned to Sebastian. “Mr. Romano looks forward to having dinner with you tonight.”
He nodded, relieved. “Good. Thank you.”
Because as nice as this tour had been, the trip was about saving the contract and ultimately the reputation and financial stability of Knight Time Technology.
“I hate to leave you, but Mr. Romano needs me back at the office. It’s a short walk back to your cabin,” she said, gesturing in the direction Sebastian had already memorized.
“Thank you,” Ashley said. “This was wonderful.”
“Thank you,” Sebastian said, as well.
Corinne smiled and excused herself, leaving them alone on the path, surrounded by trees and the smell of fermenting grapes.
Ashley turned her face toward him, her cheeks pink from their time in the sun. “I know you want to get to the meeting, but I hope you enjoyed the tour.”
“I did. I especially enjoyed the fact that you had such a good time.” It had been a pleasure watching her take in the sights, sounds, and smells they’d experienced.
“The process was fascinating. And the wine was delicious.” They’d sipped some during a brief tasting, not enough for either of them to get drunk.
He tapped her nose with his finger. “Freckles,” he said, amused at how quickly her fair skin reacted to the sunlight.
Her irises darkened at his touch, and her pink tongue slicked over her bottom lip, a move that had his cock responding in kind.
Fuck.
He wanted her.
He didn’t think he could spend another night in the room next to hers, imagining her naked between the sheets of her bed.
Their eyes met, gazes locked, awareness shifting between them. Her hair fell to one side, and he brushed the long strand back, using the excuse to touch her, his fingers gliding over the bare skin on her shoulder.
She trembled at the feather-light brush of sensation, her nipples tight buds beneath the stretch of her tank top. He ached to touch her, to taste her, certain one lick would exceed the richness of the wine he’d sipped here today.
“Sebastian.” Her sexy tone told him she could read his mind, was in full agreement.
And when she rose onto her tiptoes, he met her halfway, his mouth coming down hard on hers. He swept inside and was lost in her sweet taste and the eager greeting of her tongue tangling with his.
He braced his hands around her waist and lifted her until she wrapped her legs around him, holding on tight. Her sex pressed willingly against his aching cock, desire ratcheting up inside him. She ran her fingers through his hair, pulling at the strands while holding him in place as he kissed her for all she was worth.
They’d been explosive as teens and were even more combustible now. He’d been with his fair share of women, and none had ever elicited this kind of desire in him. And dammit, it wasn’t just the physical passion that burned so hot, it was the knowledge that she calmed something inside him when nothing and no one else ever could, that worked him into a frenzy for her, as well.
He slid a hand beneath her shirt, his palm gliding over her back as she began to rub her breasts into his chest, her nipples hard points pressing against him and arousing him even more. The need to take things further hammered at him from the inside, his cock a hard brand in his pants.
He began to pull her shirt up higher, intending to take it over her head, when the sound of a bird screeching in the distance startled him, reminding him of where they were and the fact that someone could come upon them at any time.
“Shit,” he muttered, lowering her to her feet and keeping her tucked against his chest. “Wrong place, wrong time.”
She glanced up at him, a definite naughty gleam in her eye. “But there will definitely be a right place, right time later?”
He threaded his hand through her hair and met her gaze. “Count on it,” he said in a gruff voice he barely recognized.
* * *
DINNERTIME FINALLY ARRIVED. Sebastian and Ashley had headed back to the cottage to shower – separately – an excruciating endeavor where his cock didn’t want to understand why she wasn’t in the steamy bathroom along with him. But once they’d returned to their cottage, they’d agreed on not having anything that might distract him from business before dinner with the company’s biggest client.
That didn’t mean, when Ashley stepped out of the room, wearing a fitted black dress and heels, he wasn’t hard as stone and completely focused on how gorgeous she looked. Her hair was pulled back in a sexy updo with pieces falling around her face, which had gotten sunburned today. And her high heels drew his attention to her long legs and toned calves, making his mouth grow dry at the sight. She was his wet dream, had been since he was a kid.
And tonight he was going to find out what being inside her felt like. But the next few hours were all about business. “Ready to go, beautiful?”
Her cheeks flushed pink. “I am. You look pretty damned sexy yourself.”
It took all his willpower not to drag her off to one of the bedrooms awaiting them.
They met Stephan Romano in a private dining room. He was an older man with a big personality who liked to talk about the old days, and he meandered in his storytelling. As much as Sebastian tried, Romano couldn’t be pushed, swayed, or moved on in conversation until he was good and ready.
While they made small talk, they consumed the vineyard’s Cabernet Sauvignon and a delicious rib-eye steak and potatoes au gratin and green beans. The man was alone, as his wife had passed away a few years ago, as he’d informed them, and he felt like he’d had the best. He wasn’t about to go looking for someone who could never live up to replacing her.
A pang had settled in Sebastian’s gut as the man had uttered those words, his body, mind, and soul aware of and consumed by the woman sitting at his side. For someone who’d never thought about a future, it was strange, the gnawing pain in his stomach as he considered Stephan’s words. And how they might change his future if he let them. Then again, he was dealing with a woman who had a life – even another man – waiting for her in London, and who didn’t believe in giving up her emotions to the opposite sex.
Whoa. He was getting ahead of himself, he thought. They hadn’t even slept together yet. Just because she made him feel things … new things, didn’t mean he was ready to want more, either.
With that, his stomach settled, just in time for dessert, as a hefty piece of homemade Italian cheesecake had just been served.
As he refocused on Romano’s ramblings, Sebastian realized the man had moved from discussing how his father had started the winery to how the American consumer’s buying habits had changed and all businesses had to adapt along with them.
Somehow, despite his preoccupation with Ashley, Sebastian still felt his frustration grow because he desperately wanted to talk to Stephan about Knight Time Technology’s contract with Keystone.
“Love the stories about your great-great-granddaddy helping Billy the Kid escape from jail,” Stephan said. “Now there was a man who had his locks down pat.”
His words captured both Sebastian and Ashley’s attention.
She sat up in her seat, leaning in closer. Sebastian was completely re
ady to promise the man whatever he had to in order to appease him while they figured out their next steps.
“Now you know I’ve known your family for a long time, which is why I wanted to meet in person,” Stephan said.
“And I appreciate that, Mr. Romano.” Sebastian met the older man’s brown-eyed stare.
“I told you, call me Stephan,” he said in his booming voice. “I hate to say this, but we can’t afford any more delays on the project.”
“I know and I’m here to reassure you.”
Stephan clasped his hands on the table in front of him, his gaze still on Sebastian. “This is our biggest headquarters ever, and we plan to open other facilities. Now, I wanted Knight Time Technology in on things, but when the most basic piece of security, the locks, aren’t working properly…” He shook his head but didn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t need to. “I’m sorry, Sebastian. But I have to kill our contract due to nonperformance and bring in someone else to take over.”
A wash of panic assaulted Sebastian at the man’s words and definitive tone. This was his chance, his big opportunity to help his family, and goddammit, he was going to do it.
“Stephan, give me a week to find out what’s going on and fix it.” He managed to speak in a confident tone, understanding how badly they needed this extension.
“Now, son, I’ve given your company months, and we’re no closer to solving the issue. What’s so different now?” Stephan asked.
“Me. I’m the difference.” Sebastian swallowed hard and did his best to exude complete faith in himself. “I’m out here now. I have a fresh, new perspective on things. Ethan’s going over the prototypes again with our people–”
“Forgive me but hasn’t Ethan been distracted because he lost his wife? I mean no disrespect–”
“None taken,” Sebastian said. “We received your flowers and he appreciated the gesture. But I promise you, he’s on top of things on his end, and I’m here in person to handle mine.”
He felt Ashley’s gaze on him, watching him, felt the pressure to succeed. “One week,” he said, hearing the slight edge to his voice and wishing he could make it disappear.
Beneath the table, Ashley’s hand slipped onto his leg, her palm wrapping around his thigh. She meant it as another sign of reassurance, he knew, but his body reacted immediately, his cock swelling thanks to the nearness of her hand. But he gritted his teeth, and as she loosened her grip but kept her hand on him, he found himself calming down. Her touch grounded him.
Stephan drummed his fingers thoughtfully on the table. “Well–”
“As you said, our families go way back,” Sebastian said, willing to grab on to anything to gain an edge. “So for the sake of family…”
Because the man frowned, his next words took Sebastian by surprise. “One week,” he agreed.
“Thank you. You won’t be sorry,” he assured the older man.
Now he just had to fulfill his promise.
They headed back to the cottage a short while later in silence, Ashley obviously sensing his need to think. Once back, Ashley excused herself to change, and he poured himself a glass of red wine, leaving one for her as he settled on the front porch in a comfortable outdoor chair.
He sat, drinking a delicious glass of red wine, his cell phone on the table in front of him. Ethan had called a few times during the day and again this evening, and Sebastian had ignored him, not wanting to tell his brother he had no news. He certainly didn’t want to let Ethan in on the fact that Stephan Romano wanted to cancel their contract and bring in another company to take over.
Production was still working on the existing issue, and Sebastian was trying to find out where the money had gone that should have been available to buy new materials. Although he should feel relieved about the extension, and he did, he was also on edge, knowing how much of the family’s future sat on his shoulders. A week wasn’t much time given what they needed to do. He wanted to buy himself another day before he filled Ethan in.
He took a sip of wine and stared up at the night sky, stars dotting the inky blackness above. He’d wanted the chance to prove himself to Ashley and to his brothers, and now he had it. A definite case of be careful what you wish for, he thought, swirling the liquid around in the glass.
“Hi.” Ashley’s voice broke into his thoughts.
He glanced up to find her walking toward him wearing a short light blue robe, belted loosely around her waist, giving him a luscious view of her cleavage and her long legs as she drew closer.
He placed his glass down on the table beside him and extended a hand. She slid her palm against his, and he pulled her onto his lap, the scent and the heat of her arousing his already stimulated senses.
He’d been waiting for her for what felt like longer than just the past half hour, and she was finally going to be his.
Chapter Seven
“I STILL CAN’T believe what happened with Stephan,” Sebastian said to Ashley, finding that her presence took away the edge of anxiety that had been riding him since dinner. “He really intended to pull the contract from Knight Time Technology and he’d have had every right.”
She met his gaze, hers steady and sure. “But you handled it really well. You were self-assured and confident. You gave him what he needed to see, and he has no idea how fragile the situation really is.” She placed her arms on his shoulders. “You’ve got this,” she said in a reassuring tone.
Her faith in him after everything they’d been through was humbling and much needed.
He grasped her hand. “We’ve got this. Starting tomorrow, we need to dig deeper.”
She nodded. “But tonight–”
“Tonight is for us.” He needed her and he intended to have her.
She tipped her head and started in for a kiss, but before she could press her lips against his, he stood with her in his arms and headed inside. He kicked the door shut behind him and made his way to his bedroom, lowering her to her feet, her body gliding along the hard length of his cock that was thick with desire.
“Sebastian.” She reached down and cupped him through his slacks, her palm pressing against his erection, and he groaned.
He grasped her wrist and brought it up over her head. “You don’t want things to end too soon.”
A seductive smile pulled at her lips. “Of course I don’t, but you wouldn’t deny me a feel would you?”
He leaned in and slid his lips over her neck, grazing her with his teeth.
“Trying to distract me?” she asked, her body trembling. “Because it’s working.” She hooked a foot around his ankle and used the anchor to rock her pelvis against his, her softness in all the right places brushing along his hardness.
“Dammit,” he muttered. This woman was sugar and spice, tempting him with all the facets of her personality, and now she was teasing him. Testing his restraint.
It was time he took over this seduction. He grasped her shoulders, turned her around, and reached for the tie on the robe, undoing the silk and slowly lowering the garment down her shoulders, revealing creamy white skin.
Leaning in, he pressed his lips to her bared flesh, feeling the way her body trembled at the feather-light touch. He slid the sides over her arms and let it fall to the floor, leaving her clad in a sexy pair of black lace panties and a matching bra that he could only see from behind. The indentation of her waist enticed him; the soft curve of her ass had his palms itching to cup, his mouth watering to taste.
He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her against him, letting his cock wedge into her rear. He trailed his lips over her shoulder, letting his palm splay against her stomach, his fingertips dipping low into the elastic of her panties.
She sucked in a breath, trembling against him while he rocked himself against her and slipped his fingers lower, trailing over her sex. “Do you have any idea how hot you make me?” he asked.
“I can feel how hard you are,” she said, wriggling her hips so his cock ground against her ass.
S
he was damp against his fingers, wet for him as he played with her lips. “I want to feel you, hot and wet around my cock,” he told her.
“I want that, too.” She turned in his arms and faced him.
Reaching behind her, she released the bra clasp and let it drop. Looking at her gorgeous round breasts, dusky nipples, hard and peaked, had him holding on by a bare thread.
As she reached for her underwear, hooking her thumbs into the sides and pulling the pair down over her hips, he was done. Ready.
He unbuttoned his shirt in record time, and her hands shook as she helped him unbutton his slacks. He pulled off his pants and underwear at the same time, finally naked along with her.
She splayed her hands over him and he let her explore, gritting his teeth as she kissed his neck, petted his chest, and paused to just breathe him in. “You smell so good,” she whispered against his skin.
He dipped his head and inhaled deeply. “You smell better.” A heady mix of vanilla and feminine arousal, he thought, wondering if he’d ever taken his time to savor any woman before.
He could breathe her in forever.
He was hard as stone, but they’d waited a long time for this moment and he wasn’t going to rush it. But apparently she had other plans, because before he could decide whether to lay her down on the bed and devour her or kiss her senseless right here, she took him off guard, dropping to her knees before him.
She slid her hands up his thighs, teasing him, until she grasped the hard length of him in her hand and slid her mouth over the head of his cock. He groaned, his hand coming to rest on the top of her head.
Take Me Again (The Knight Brothers Book 1) Page 8
