Fast Lane

by Margot Radcliffe

  Nate looked skeptical, and she imagined that since they resembled each other with the same russet hair and eyes, that it was very similar to her own expression as she stared at him right back. “Just take care of yourself this time, B. I don’t want to see you hurt again and guys like Cole are just as bad as the ex who we are not allowed to name. He might be open about the fact that he screws around, but he still, in fact, screws around.”

  “And how do you know him again?”

  “I’m trying to tell you. His reputation with women is legendary. So much so that I know about it from all the guys over at the raceway. On the Formula One off-season, he’d work as a color correspondent for the American races and made quite an impression on a group of guys known for partying, Blair. I’m just trying to look out for you.”

  Blair had a flashback to him tying her to her bedpost and warmth flooded her face. Legendary, indeed. But he’d also been so sweetly vulnerable that Blair knew his brother’s death had changed him. Maybe now that he’d broken his self-imposed celibacy he’d return to his former rock star lifestyle, but either way it certainly wasn’t any of her business.

  “So thankful for your concern, big brother, but I’m not going to date Cole Taggart,” she assured. “I highly doubt I’ll ever see him again.”

  The sound of throat being cleared sounded from the doorway and both her and Nate’s heads swiveled to her office door where Cole Taggart was standing, looking the same as he had when she’d first met him. In a pair of charcoal pants, a pale lemon polo shirt with familiar aviators tucked into the open V-neck, he looked fresh if not a little worn around the eyes.

  “Well, now, you know I don’t like to be contrary, Ms. Sandoval, but I’d say your doubt is misplaced.”

  Blair’s insides twisted and about a million questions were on the tip of her tongue. And yet the only words that left her lips were, “You’re here.”

  A corner of his wide mouth kicked up. “I, uh,” he said, nodding a greeting Nate, “well, turns out I needed to be in the area for some other business and thought I’d come by to thank you again for your hospitality and illuminating education about winemaking.”

  Nate stood and held out his hand to Cole, pulling him in for one of those guy things where they patted each other on the back. Blair gave a side-eye to essentially no one but couldn’t hold it in.

  “Glad to have you back,” Nate told him, then looked at Blair. “It’s good to know my sister, despite her general displeasure in giving tours, was able to provide you with such excellent service.”

  Cole’s eyes strayed to hers for just a millisecond before he smiled at Nate. “I’d say it was unequivocally the best service I’ve ever received.”

  Nate’s eyebrows rose and Blair felt her face heat to volcanic levels of embarrassment.

  Her brother cleared his throat. “Well, I can’t tell you how happy I am that she exceeded your expectations.” Then he pinned Blair with a look. “Glad to know she’s finally putting some effort in with the customers.”

  “A whole lot of effort,” Cole agreed. “She probably needs a raise.”

  Nate snorted at that and Blair knew why. She was the driving force behind Sandoval Wines’ explosion into the upper echelon of wines. If she wanted a raise, she could get one, but the truth was that she didn’t even bother drawing a viticulturist salary because the company profits were so large. That wasn’t even taking into consideration her booking fee to go speak or teach people about wine was only going up as her reputation grew.

  “I’ll let our parents know of your regard,” Nate said, giving Blair another look, only this one had her rising from the chair in alarm.

  “I don’t think that’s necessary, Nate,” she warned. “They’re far too busy with the upcoming harvest. I’ll just put Mr. Taggart’s compliment in my file for my next review.” She neither had an employee file nor a yearly performance review but it was the only thing she could think of. What she wanted to do was grab her brother by the collar and shake him until he promised not to mention anything to her parents, particularly her mother, who had already called her twice today to “check up on her,” aka make sure Blair had made it to work and wasn’t lying in bed overdosing on liquor-filled truffles and gory horror flicks like she had when she’d first found out she inhabited the lowest rung of humanity.

  Nate scratched the back of his head. “I don’t know, sis, you know how they like to be informed about the winery’s performance.”

  Cole, whose gaze had been bouncing between them both, finally spoke. “I can see my compliment has caused a bit of commotion here, but I just wanted Ms. Sandoval to know that she made a lasting impression on me.”

  Nate gave Blair a withering look, then did an about-face and spoke to Cole with an easy smile. “Don’t you worry about us—we’re just playing around. I’m always happy to have a return customer.” Then with another shake and pat on the back, Nate promised he’d see Cole after his meeting, and left the room, closing the door behind him.

  “Well, I guess your brother knows we slept together.”

  Blair snorted. “He only suspects.”

  “And he has a problem with it?”

  “I don’t know or care,” Blair told him, meeting his eyes and trying to stop the butterflies from beating her insides to shreds. Her palms were suddenly sweaty and was her mouth drier than normal? Did she need to see her dentist or doctor about this sudden new ailment where it felt difficult to open her mouth and speak words? As if her tongue was glued to the roof of her mouth?

  “What are you doing here?” she finally managed.

  Cole’s head tilted and his gaze lingered over her torn and wine-stained jeans and then the faded California Redwood National Park T-shirt before landing on her face. “I had some time off and I had a lot of fun with you,” he said, shoving his hands into his pockets, looking almost irritated with himself.

  Blair bit the inside of her lip. “Well, it’s nice to see you.” She nearly rolled her eyes at herself. Brilliant, Blair, nice to see you? Like he was an acquaintance in a grocery store instead of the man she’d reimagined having sex with every night since he’d left.

  He smiled, that roguish dimple appearing in just the one cheek. “It’s nice to see you too, Ms. Sandoval.”

  “Did you want some more wine?”

  “I’d love some more wine,” he said. “But I can see that I’ve interrupted you so I’m happy to come back after you’re finished with work for the day.”

  Blair glanced at the clock. She lived to work, but maybe after months of burying herself in it she’d quit at a normal time.

  “I just brought up our newest year of wines that will hit shelves soon and need to try them. Would you have a problem doing another tasting?”

  Cole’s eyes gleamed. “I’d have absolutely no problem with that at all, in fact.” He then obediently followed her to the tasting building and into the private room where she’d already set everything up for the tasting she’d intended to do with her brother this afternoon before Cole showed up.

  She pointed to one of the cafe chairs for him to sit in and set herself up behind the bar again, much like the first time they’d met only now they were in a small enclosed room instead of the larger public hall.

  Handing him a glass, their fingers touched as he took it and she couldn’t hide her shiver. “So how long are you in town?” she asked, trying to be super casual but undoubtedly not succeeding considering her palms were now full-on swimming pools after just a paltry brush of his hand.

  “Two days,” he told her.

  “Where do you go after that?”

  “Hungary.”

  She met his eyes, surprised. “So you were in Spain and decided to fly back here for only two days before flying back to Hungary?”

  Cole nodded, his eyes opaque and unreadable.

  “And why did you do that?”

  His ga
ze locked on hers, the meaning in his clear as the answer hit her in the chest. He’d come to see her. He’d flown halfway across the world to see her for two days. Breathing was now an issue.

  “What’s your other business in the area?” she asked, just making sure she had the right of it considering just how often she’d had it wrong with guys before.

  “I don’t have other business in the area, Blair,” he said. “I came to see you.”

  Her mind completely blown, Blair found herself nodding repeatedly and way too much. “Okay,” she finally said, the real master of words that she was. “Well, I’m touched that you would do all that to see me.”

  “Yeah, well, I told myself that I’d done far stupider things for a woman, that just hopping on a flight to see one was actually a normal thing to do.” He sighed. “Though I can tell by your expression that it’s not, so we can just call this what it is—damn Looney Tunes, Blair.”

  She laughed then, happy that someone said what she was thinking. “Maybe a little,” she agreed, her eyes drifting away from his for a moment.

  He threw his head back, shoulders shaking in laughter, eyes dancing when they met hers again. “Yeah, I’d say that’s the understatement of the century.” He shook his head, blowing out a breath as he got himself together. “I guess the thing I also need to ask is if you’re okay with me being here? I know it’s fucked up that I am. I’m jet-lagged as all hell—I honestly couldn’t tell you what day it is—but I’ve been thinking about you since I left your house and I just couldn’t stay away. But I’ll go if that’s not how you feel too.”

  It probably shouldn’t be okay that he was here. Having a long-distance affair with a man who led a completely separate life was exactly the thing she’d sworn not to do. It was how her ex had sold her on the lie, after all. He’d come into town for a few weeks at a time, wine and dine her, and then leave for his home and she thought that was the whole story. But it hadn’t been. He’d had an entirely separate life in a different part of California. She was just some side candy he was keeping because he was awful and had made her awful, too, with his perfidy. The only reason he’d been caught was because his wife had found texts from her on a phone she didn’t recognize as his and she’d told Blair immediately. And ever since, Blair had wondered how she could have missed the signs? But she sure as hell wouldn’t again.

  Which was why she’d all but taken out an FBI report on Cole so she knew he was fair game. And this was just sex anyway so it was fine. She’d allow herself this as part of the healing process and then look into the nunnery again to obtain her future penitence and salvation.

  She poured them the first of the wines, the newest sauvignon blanc, before assuring him, “Yes, it’s okay that you’re here.”

  Cole blew out a long, relieved breath. “Thank god, because it’s a hell of a long way to travel to get a no, thank you, sir.”

  A corner of Blair’s mouth kicked up. “A text probably would have saved you the trouble.”

  “Yeah, but you know me, I like a little drama. Shakes life up a little in a good way.”

  Blair shook her head but realized that was a fact she knew about him already. It was a new experience for her to feel so tuned in to someone so fast. Normally it took at least five dates for her to really get a true read on a person’s personality and even then she obviously wasn’t great at it, and she couldn’t let his easy personality fool her into thinking something real could be between them. Just because they got along didn’t mean she could trust him. Or herself. But that he didn’t know about the affair and wasn’t concerned about her was the biggest gift. When she was with him, she was just Blair again. Not other woman Blair, not the pitiful daughter who couldn’t find an unmarried man to be with Blair, and not the dummy sister whose older brother had to watch out for her because she was so inept with men Blair.

  With Cole, she was back to her outspoken and seminerdy self. It was such a damn relief to know she still existed somewhere.

  “Well, flying across the world just to see me and have wine and maybe not have sex again certainly is dramatic,” she said, swirling her wine and nodding for him to do the same. “Are you hungry? I’ve got the snacks back here as well.”

  “You know I am, sweetheart, plus I should probably tell you that watching you eat cheese is one of the most erotic things I’ve ever seen. It got me so hot last time now I get hard just glancing at a wheel of brie.”

  A responding thrill that he’d thought of her assaulted her against her will. “You did grocery shopping in Spain?” she asked skeptically.

  “Nah, but there were cheese plates at all the race events. Trays and trays,” he lamented. “I nearly went out of my mind.”

  “You’re nuts,” Blair laughed, leaning down to grab the plates she’d had the tasting room staff prepare for her and Nate. “But I’m happy to feed you. Just don’t be disappointed if I don’t eat much, I like to do these new year tastings with a fresh palate.”

  “But you’ll have some afterward?”

  She nodded as he scooped up some of the goat cheese with a cracker. “You remembered that goat goes with sauvignon blanc.” She grinned. “What a good student you are.”

  Cole’s eyes flared. “I do remember and took diligent notes, if you’ll recall. But mostly I remember that you had a little piece of cheese on your thumb and licked it off. It was a close one there for me. I’m only a man—I barely survived it.”

  Blair didn’t further indulge him in his melodrama but met his eyes. “Thank you for coming back to see me. I might have thought about you a time or two as well.”

  Cole reached over and took her hand in his, the contact, the feel of the rough, cracked skin of his palm reigniting all the memories of his hands sliding over her skin, of them inside her giving no mercy as he’d played her like a world-class pianist, had her breath catching in her throat. His eyes drifted shut for a moment as well, the touch clearly affecting him too, which made her feel better. She wasn’t alone in this madness.

  Desire was burning in his eyes when they opened and riveted to hers, pinning her in stillness, every part of her body on pause for what he was about to say and do. Ideally, it would be her vision of him sweeping all the wine and cheese plates off the bar that separated them and throwing her down on it.

  “I can’t tell you how relieved I am to hear that, Blair,” he said, swallowing. “Because in the interest of full disclosure, I sure as hell have left a lot of bedrooms in the morning, but I’ve never wanted to be back in one as badly as I want to be back in yours.”

  The words rang warning bells again in Blair, especially considering the conversation she’d just had with her brother, but she knew the racing schedule, knew that he traveled more than half the year for his job and that the season wouldn’t end for months. It meant that there was no way they could ever have an actual relationship. Whatever happened between them had an expiration date and it settled her nerves. The idea that maybe she, Blair Sandoval, who on most days found dirt and crusted wine beneath her fingernails as well as sticks and leaves from the vineyard in her hair, that this same person could inspire a man into a torrid and passionate international affair, well, sorry good sense, she simply was not going to pass it up. The fact that for once she wouldn’t be “the other woman” for someone, that just her was enough for him to fly to California for two days was far too much of an enticement.

  And if he was offering another guilt-free weekend where she didn’t have to think about her personal humiliation and ex, a part of her desperately needed it.

  “Well, it makes sense to me,” she said, feeling her lips curve up in a sly smile. “I did splurge on a top-of-the-line mattress. You won’t find better comfort anywhere—the salesman guaranteed it.”

  Cole smiled too, and they just stayed like that for a moment, grinning stupidly at each other before finally he broke the moment by popping a grape into his mouth. “Yeah, I’d say you
hit the nail on the head there. I had the best night’s sleep of my life on that thing.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  COLE SHOULD HAVE been in Spain. But then besides the death of his brother, he wasn’t really a man who particularly dealt in recriminations. He’d left Blair the morning after they’d spent an incredible night in bed and literally thought of nothing since. But the sex hadn’t been all he’d thought about—it had been this too—the easy way they’d found together so quickly. That’s what had truly drawn him back to Sonoma, and that for the first time since the accident he’d felt like his old self.

  He’d never considered himself a particularly deep or thoughtful person, but something had happened to him after that night with Blair. In the morning, he’d followed the routine he’d used for years and left before she got up and was gone before having to say an awkward goodbye.

  And yet, he’d flown across the globe for another night with her.

  It was fucking nuts, but just looking at her made some of the pain go away. He didn’t know why or how, but being here around her family, around Blair, who was carrying around pain herself—they’d formed a kinship of sorts. And being with her...he’d had a lot of sex, but it’d never felt as unbelievable as it had with Blair.

  And when he thought about how long it would be until he had a significant portion of time off to come see her, realizing that it would be months and she could be with some other loser by then—he’d made the decision. Seeing her smile at him told him it had been the right one. But he knew, too, that this had to be the last time. He couldn’t lead her on into thinking this could ever be something. Because it couldn’t. For a lot of simple logistical reasons, but mostly because he didn’t deserve to be happy with a woman. Not when his brother was cold in the ground and would never know the joy of a wife and family and home. The very thing he’d wanted to quit racing to find, and that first Cole had taken away and then racing had irrevocably.