Ava stroked her hand in a circle on his pecs. “Is he pressing charges?”
“Headed straight to the sheriff’s office. Called to tell me he’d followed a deputy to her place. Discovered she’d packed up all her shit and vanished. He’ll never recover his funds.” Neither will I.
At least he was in better shape to take the financial hit than his dad.
“I’m so sorry.” She pressed her forehead to his, and touched her lips to his mouth. “What about the missing bottles? What are we going to do about that?”
“Can’t get the damn manufacturer to work with me.” Bastards. Their schedule didn’t allow for the turnaround he needed to fulfill the mammoth order. Frustration mounted, stealing the peace and contentment from the moment. “I called Jules Capelli. Had to leave a message.”
Tipping her head back, Ava looked confused. “Why call the owner of a team building operation? You going to ask for pointers on how to get the bottle people to play nice with you?”
His lips curved up. “I kinda dig this new you. Laid back, sweet, funny.” He skimmed his hand up her waist and over her ribs. “Sexy.”
“Focus, Will. We have a problem to solve.”
“Bossy.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “I called Jules because even though her main operation is the team building camp and her venture capital firm, she also runs a working vineyard and winery. You should see her cask room. Cut into a hillside and absolutely cavernous. I have cask envy.”
“Still not sure why you’d call her.”
“She fills the same bottles as I do. I want to see if I can buy her extra stock.” Jules was a team player and would probably sell to him at her cost. He’d owe her, but she wasn’t the kind of business person who’d take advantage.
“Got it.” Ava settled next to him and shimmied her knee higher between his legs. “I’m impressed. You addressed a problem and wrestled it to the ground. I’m thinking some of me might be rubbing off on you.”
“Yeah? Some of me just wants to rub on you.” He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulled her in close, and bent his head to hers. He whispered against her lips as he cupped her breast, the soft firm mound fitting perfectly in his hand. “It will be like rubbing Aladdin’s lamp, hoping my crazy Ava comes back out to play.”
Chapter 23
Ava woke in Will’s bed and lay quietly for a time, savoring the flow of emotions through her. Emotions she’d never allowed out before. Freeing and wild. She rolled to her side, intent on waking Will with the abandon she was feeling, and starting his day off as another ‘ten.’
His side of the bed was empty. Sheets cool to the touch told her he’d been gone a while.
Tightly controlled Avalon reared in her head, bringing doubts and recriminations, making it impossible to catch her breath. Ava squeezed her eyes tight and beat back the sensation. Not while she was in his bed, or had him in hers. That was the deal they’d made.
It was a deal she was happy to take. He liked her brand of chaos. And she liked Will. So she’d give him her crazy and do it with a smile on her face and lightness in her heart. Because when she did, he gave her something more. He gave her a world of sensation and feeling.
The very things lacking in her tightly controlled life. She’d keep Ava going as long as she could.
A quick glance at the clock confirmed what Ava already knew from the way the sun painted the rug. She’d slept later than she had ever allowed.
She rolled again, swung her feet off the bed, and stood. A warm, flower-scented breeze wafted through the opened window, caressing her bare skin. Arms reaching over her head, she stretched out the kinks left by their nighttime activities. Tingles took up residence between her legs as she cataloged all the places Will’s lips had been. And his fingers. And his . . .
Heat blasted up her chest into her neck and throat. She snatched up the cami and shorts that had melted off her body last night, and scurried toward the bathroom. Allowing herself seven minutes in the shower, she cleaned away the traces of Will’s loving, her washcloth lingering over the finger-shaped marks on her hips.
Hustling to her room after drying off, she picked her clothes carefully, treading a thin line between what Avalon would wear, and the tank tops and shorts Ava truly wanted to don. Splitting the difference, she paired tailored black trousers with a scoop-necked tee she typically used as a sleep shirt. She actually felt herself frown as she strapped the chunky watch to her wrist. Pocketing her phone, she snagged a sunny yellow cardigan from the closet, and made her way out the door.
The aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafted up the stairwell as Ava descended. The raunchy lyrics of a rap song rang down the uncarpeted hall leading to the kitchen, Guin’s go-to music when she was in a good mood. Ava had heard enough Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, and Nelly to recognize Guin was up to something. While she walked, she fastened all but the top button on her cardigan. Avalon Reese was back and in control.
Stepping into Will’s fabulous kitchen, she caught her mom shimmying, twisting and waving a spatula to the strains of “Gold Digger.”
Oh, good Lord. My mom is twerking! “Guin?” she called as her mother got low, low, low.
“Oh! You startled me.” She popped up and aimed the remote in her other hand at the sound dock on the shelf, silencing Kanye West. “You slept late.”
Suspicious of ‘Happy Guin,’ Ava narrowed her eyes. “What are you doing?”
“Making breakfast, silly.” She waggled the spatula over the pan of bubbling eggs. “Coffee’s done if you want some. Will made it strong today. Like he needed the caffeine. You must have kept him up late.”
Perhaps they hadn’t been as discreet as she thought. “Why would you say that?”
“Because he came down an hour ago and told me to let you sleep in. When I went to check in on you, your door was open, but you weren’t in the room. Will’s door was closed. Two and two, sweetie.” Mom’s lips quirked in an approving smile.
Ava battled the warmth seeping into her cheeks. She was an adult. She always had been in her relationship with Guin. And being an adult, she shifted the spotlight off her behavior by focusing on her mother’s. “Why are you in such a great mood?”
“No reason.” But Guin’s rapid glance at the iPad on the table made unease crawl up Ava’s spine.
“What have you done, Mom?”
Guin shifted a hip and propped her fist on its curve, still clutching the spatula. “Just a little window shopping.”
“Where’d you get the money?”
“It was just window shopping. Besides, I’m working now. Will’s paying me to run his office.”
Ava plopped on the chair, pressing a clenched hand to her sternum. “Remember what I said about flying under the radar? Don’t do anything stupid, Mom.” The possibility of Bad-Ass locating them blared like a foghorn in her mind.
Mom spun toward the stove and ignored her, shuffling eggs around the pan. She banged a plate on the granite counter, then scooped up the remote. Kanye West’s voice, cautioning he wasn’t saying she was a gold digger, got louder.
Realizing any conversation between them was at an end, Ava pushed back her chair and headed for the coffeepot. She sat back down with a full cup just as Guin dropped a plate of eggs and toast in front of her.
The front door swung open, changing the lighting in the hallway. Will marched toward them. The grim look he wore dissolved as he neared, replaced by a smile aimed straight at Ava. He came right to her side, slid his hand through her hair, and eased her head back until her lips were in reach.
“Morning,” he murmured, aiming for her mouth.
While Guin cooed by the stove, cold reason washed through Ava. At the last second, she twisted her head, and Will’s lips skimmed her cheek. With a grunt, Guin turned her attention back to the skillet.
Will’s eyes were unread
able. For the most part. But she did catch a flicker in the brown depths. And that flicker looked like hurt. His hand squeezed her arm.
She laid hers over his and whispered low, for his ears only. “This is hard enough for me. Remember our deal.”
They were definitely not in the bedroom. Will blinked, nodded with a slight tightening of his lips, and straightened. He crossed to the coffee maker and grabbed a clean mug, filling it while Guin scraped the sticky remnants in the pan, shaking her head. Probably silently chastising me.
Lowering her eyes to her plate, Ava moved the eggs around. Will commandeered the chair next to hers and shoved his feet under the table, nudging a boot against her foot.
She flicked a glance toward him. “Have you been in the office already?”
“Yep.” He brought his cup to his lips, hiding a smirk.
“Wow. Maybe I am rubbing off.”
Heat filled his eyes, wavering in the steam coming from his coffee. Ava melted, a soft feeling that settled throughout her body. It must have shown in her face because his smirk shifted into a shit-eating grin.
“Yeah, maybe.” Will took a sip. “I heard back from Jules this morning already. She’s bringing over all the bottles she can spare. With her supply, we’ll be able to fill at least fifty percent of the order.”
“What about the other fifty?” Ava nibbled a corner of her toast.
The happy look vacated his face, replaced by a frown. “Got some in stock here. Maybe half of what I need. Been thinking on the rest.” He dropped his chin and ran his finger around the rim of his cup. “Going to have to ask my dad for his stock. He doesn’t need it. I hate opening that door, but I have no choice. Only two days until I have to ship.”
Sympathy pangs kicked in her chest. She didn’t know the situation with Will’s dad, but it clearly wasn’t something he was eager to ask. “You think he’ll help?”
“Yeah, and it’ll cost me.” Will didn’t qualify his cryptic remark. Then he brightened. “But I’ll ask and we’ll get the order filled and shipped on time. I’ll deal with the fallout later.”
Ava leaned forward, laying her hand on the table, next to his. “I’ll help.”
He curled his pinky finger around hers. “Appreciate it. Got some calls out to my bottling staff to warn them we’ll have several busy days. Jules will arrive later today with her stock. Called Drake and Penny too. You’ll have to work in bottling as well. We’re in an ‘all hands on deck’ situation here.”
“Of course.” She feathered her fingers over his knuckles, then dropped her hand to her lap. She whispered, “I’m proud of you for organizing this on such short notice.”
“Thanks, baby.” Will’s gaze locked on her lips. When she licked them, the action brought a smile back to his face. “Better hurry and eat. We’re wasting precious time. I know an organizational whiz who’d be unhappy we aren’t taking full advantage of office hours.”
Chapter 24
After Ava excused herself to go check in with her office, Will left Guin cleaning up breakfast with a promise to meet her in the office in fifteen minutes. They had to review the day’s schedule and he wanted Guin to confirm the trucking company they used for shipments. Despite the hiccups of a thieving employee who’d nearly fucked up an important supply order, everything was falling nicely into place.
Birds sang in the bushes as Will strolled to the edge of the patio. Maybe being organized wasn’t the worst thing in the world. He’d moved through his life like an easygoing farmer, working hard, but stopping to shoot the shit whenever he felt like it. Looking back now, the changes Ava had insisted on had erased the small rumblings of anxiety that claimed him occasionally. Worry he’d never get everything done.
He still fretted, but he owned a vineyard. His name on the door brought a lot of responsibility. He should be anxious. Rather than add to the strain, as he’d been sure Ava’s presence would, her insistence he embrace new technology had helped reduce his stress.
And, oh, God, the woman. She kept her chaos mostly to herself, but when she’d let loose last night . . .
They’d been getting somewhere while at the pond. A somewhere Will seriously wanted to go with her. The last thing he’d expected was for her to knock on his door in the night. But rule-following Avalon came roaring back during breakfast, and the whole deal with the bottles.
Memories made heat course along his nerves, settling low in his gut, tightening his groin. He was going to suggest she move her things to his room for the duration of her assignment here. And if she balked, he’d move into her room. It didn’t matter where they lay down at night. The deal was that behind closed doors, she could be the wild woman she’d shown him last night. And he wanted to fall asleep with crazy, wicked Ava every single night.
Dropping into one of the chairs, Will fiddled with his new phone. His gut churned and he counted slowly to ten, psyching himself up to place a call to his dad. His head hit the back of the chair and, squeezing his eyes shut, he extended his count. God, he didn’t want to make this call.
But he had a business to run. Procrastinating wasn’t going to change the fact that the call had to be made.
With a monumental heave of his breath, Will tapped his dad’s number on the keypad.
Dad answered on the third ring. “What do you want, Will?”
“Hi honey!” Mom’s excited voice floated from the phone. Typical Dad; everyone ended up on speaker. Sounded like his mother was across the room. Probably in the kitchen.
“What the hell do you want?” Anger frosted Dad’s tone.
“Jared!” Mom scolded in the background.
His dad’s gruff question set Will’s teeth on edge. Struggling to get the words past the clog in his throat, he gritted out, “I need your help, Dad.”
He got silence for a two-count, then a burst of raucous laughter beat against his ear.
“That’s rich.” Dad’s voice came breathless and scoffing down the phone line. “And it’s a little cruel, Will. Never believed you had it in you to be mean.”
“Dad, I’m serious.” The arm of the chair cut into Will’s fingers. He wasn’t going to lose his temper. “Meg fucked up my supply order. I don’t have what I need to make a huge shipment.”
A sharply indrawn breath scratched Will’s eardrum. “You are, aren’t you? Why the hell should I help you?”
Because I’m your son and you’d kill to see me more successful than you are? Because you want to prove to me you aren’t a dick with ears and chip the size of Lake Tahoe sitting on your shoulder? Because you’re my fucking dad and that’s what you do for family? “Because I hired Meg as a favor to you, and now she’s screwed both of us.”
Silence. As it went on, Will imagined Dad chewing his lips, something he did when he was lost in thought, or fighting against making a decision he really didn’t want to make.
Finally, a grunt zipped out from his dad’s end of the phone. “What do you need?”
Will dug his thumb and index finger into his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I want to buy whatever green glass you have left. Last time I was out there, it looked like you had at least half a pallet in the barn.”
“What if I need those? I have a merlot that’s nearly ready.” His vines might have been destroyed, but last year’s grapes had been quietly fermenting. Just like Will’s crop.
“Were you planning to fill them in the next two weeks?”
“Well, no. The sugar isn’t quite right yet.”
“I’m not asking you to give me the damn bottles, Dad. I’ll pay for them. Or I’ll order you new ones to replace them.” Just as soon as he shipped the order and either squared things with his old supplier, or found a new source for bottles.
“Ow!” Dad shushed Will’s mother. “Fine. I’m only saying yes because your mother has now punched me in the arm at lea
st fifteen times.”
“She’s a woman who knows how to get what she wants.” And Will knew his mom saw this as an opportunity to mend the breach between father and son.
“Suppose you want me to load up the truck and bring them to you?”
“Be obliged if you did.” Will sucked in a breath. “If you bring them tomorrow, you could stay to help out on the line. If you wanted.” There, it was out between them. The offer was as close as Will could come to an olive branch, because he sure as shit wasn’t apologizing for the chasm between them. It wasn’t his fault.
“We’ll see.” The oof following his words lit a smile on Will’s face. Mom had probably dug her knuckles into Dad’s shoulder on that one.
Will rubbed his shoulder in sympathy. He’d been on the receiving end of Mom’s jabs enough to know how much they hurt.
“He’ll stay, Will.” She must have wrestled the phone away from Dad. “Your father would love to help you out.” Good old Mom.
“Thanks, Mom. So I’ll see you tomorrow, Dad?”
Another grunt and a gruff, “Yeah,” and the call ended.
It was a small consolation, but maybe Meg’s theft had in fact given Will something back.
He stood and stretched, turning a slow circle until he faced the house. His gaze was drawn to movement in a window on the second story. Ava’s room.
She was studying him. From this distance, he couldn’t see her eyes, but judging by the smile on her lips, he’d bet the icy blue had warmed to more of a cornflower tint. Or the color of a summer sky. She raised her hand and waved at him.
Without any conscious effort, Will found himself racing toward the villa. His only thought was getting to Ava as quickly as possible. Losing himself in her smile, in her mouth.
Chaos Among the Vines (Romancing the Vine Book 2) Page 19
