“I don’t think I can take much more,” Becca said, her voice weak and breathless. She sounded so different. It was hot. “God.”
Joey straightened and took in the gorgeous view that had nothing to do with the windows. Becca with her shirt around her elbows and her breasts on display was an image she wouldn’t forget. Ever. She placed a final kiss and helped Becca back into her shirt, which was a total shame.
“Shall we continue that tour?” Becca asked in a still shaky voice. There was a beat before they both broke into laughter.
“Sure. Why not? I can regroup. Can you?”
“What are you talking about?” Becca asked, regaining her poise in spite of her flushed cheeks. “I’m a professional.” She then blinked pointedly and shook her head to communicate comically that it was all bravado.
“Great. Then let’s give it a shot.”
They tried the tour—they did—but the second half definitely took on a different tone than the first. Small touches as they moved through the space evolved into stolen kisses when they were confident they were alone, long looks in the elevator and small head shakes when they both seemed to remember what they’d done in the penthouse. Joey did take away from the tour that the hotel offered something new that was lacking in Whisper Wall, and it would certainly attract a very specific type of visitor—those with funds to afford the stay. If she was keeping an open mind and thinking more like a businessperson than someone fiercely protecting the culture in the area, she could see that there might be something to gain from the ritzy Jade opening its doors.
“Want to talk business for a few minutes?” Becca asked.
That had Joey’s interest piqued. “Of course.”
“Follow me into my office,” Becca said, leading the way back through the impressive lobby. Joey took a seat in one of two leather armchairs across from Becca’s neatly organized desk.
“I’m feeling fancy. You get that I’m a girl who grew up on a farm, right?”
“I do. I also get that you’re no shrinking violet when it comes to Tangle Valley’s interests.”
“True.”
“So I submitted a proposal to my corporate VP. It describes an effort to go out of our way to highlight the local wines in the area. Give them a platform but at the same time enrich the guests’ experience.”
Joey sat up a little straighter, pleased with where this seemed to be heading, but also surprised. “Obviously, I really like that idea. I think it brings the local flavor to your guests, both literally and figuratively. They can have the big-box commercial wine at home.”
“My thinking exactly.” She adjusted her dress shirt, which made Joey hold back a grin, as she’d been the reason it was out of place. “I suggested a reciprocal relationship with the vineyard down the road, however. I told them about the wine, the pinot specifically, and that I’d like to feature it in our restaurant. Maybe in return, you give our guests a discount when they visit or maybe a two-for-one tasting.”
Joey took in the information. With a resort the size of The Jade, that could mean quite the bump in sales. Not only that, but the discount would probably up their daily visitor count, which would influence their future mail orders and monthly memberships. This would minimize the risk of any new venture. She could move forward with the restaurant! She remained calm. “I think we’d be agreeable to a reciprocal relationship.”
Becca smiled. “I’m so glad to hear that. Beyond that, I’d like to recommend we carry Tangle Valley as our house wine. Not only is it fantastic, but you’re our literal next door neighbor. That part I need corporate’s approval on.”
Joey’s eyes went wide without her permission. So much for that poker face. “That’s…even better.” She leaned forward, still in disbelief, already doing the math in her head. “How many rooms did you say this place had again?”
“Four hundred twenty-two.”
“That’s a lot of rooms.”
Becca laughed at what had to be a dazed expression on Joey’s face. “And they house multiple guests and turn over frequently.”
“That’s a large number of humans and a lot of wine. I need to say thank you in a businessy manner.”
“Well, don’t yet,” Becca said. “Not until the ink is dry, but everything is looking favorable for a fortunate partnership.”
Joey pointed at her. “Yes, that’s how you do it.” She took on her most serious expression. “I look forward to our most fortunate partnership.” Inside she was celebrating, dancing, cartwheeling like a maniac.
Becca’s eyes sparkled. “You’re really cute right now. I don’t even have the words.”
“No, no. You have to stay businessy.”
“Sorry,” Becca said, adjusting. She stood and extended her hand. “I look forward to our partnership, as well.”
“I’ll see myself out,” Joey said, like the buttoned-up corporate types surely did. She turned back to Becca, who still stood behind the desk. Joey nodded once, properly. “Ms. Crawford.”
Becca nodded back. “Ms. Wilder.”
She grinned as she exited the office, thrilled with so many of the things that had happened in the last sixty minutes. Because she couldn’t help it, she peeked her head around the corner and grinned at Becca, this time as herself. “The penthouse?” She closed her eyes. “Yeah. To be continued?”
“God, yes,” Becca said and blew her a kiss.
As Joey returned to Dusty for her very short drive up the road, she allowed herself to marinate in the happiness that came with today, which was not something she did too often. Happiness was fleeting, and when it inevitably receded, the loss was too great. She’d been young when her mother died, but it had affected her greatly. She’d learned that lesson again the hard way on her wedding day and never quite returned to herself. The loss of her father was also a blow she had not seen coming. So while she reveled in the day’s happiness, she also remained realistic. She wasn’t naive, nor was she a glutton for further punishment.
“Why are you grinning like a cartoon character who got hit by a two-by-four?” Madison asked through the open barn doors. She had her curly brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, which showed off her blond streaks. She was currently on a ladder doing some sort of tinkering with their destemming hopper. The thing had been giving them trouble on and off throughout the harvest.
“I seem to be in my own world. Is that thing salvageable?”
“Bobby seems to think so. I think it’s a parts issue, so we’re going to call the guy.” She winced. “I’m sorry about this, but it’s probably going to be a chunk of change. This model isn’t exactly new, so the parts are going to be harder to come by.”
It seemed like the financial obligations never ended. But that was vineyard life for you. If the hopper wasn’t broken, the cooling systems were. If they weren’t on the fritz, the wind machines were dying, or the industrial dishwasher in the tasting room needed replacing. It all amounted to dollar signs that she’d been aware of in the past, but nothing like she was now that the decisions were hers. The burden was almost suffocating. Joey now had other people’s incomes to worry about, the wine to market, and the family’s reputation to protect.
Needing her father’s guidance in some way, she headed straight for the metal box she’d stored away in a locked closet in the barrel room and fished out a scrap of paper.
Merlot and behold, when it rains, it pours. What can you do? Break out the s’mores. J.W.
Joey laughed and shook her head. Really? Just like the others, it was so awful that it was wonderful, and just what she needed to hear. Her dad never let her down. “I’ll work on that,” she murmured to the universe.
“You’re on fire today,” Loretta told her an hour later during a lull between guests. “Sales are up nearly twenty percent. Just did a quick tally.”
“Well, the hopper needs an expensive part, which means we have to hustle, and I have to sparkle.” She showed off her most winsome smile.
Loretta placed her back against the marble coun
tertop. “You doing okay, sweet Jo? You have a lot on your plate now.”
Joey paused, mid counter wipe. With anyone else, she could scoff and say she was fine. Loretta was different. Loretta knew her inside and out. She’d helped raise Joey right alongside her own daughter, Carly. She was the mom Joey never had, and when Loretta smiled at her, it all came out. “I am. But I miss Dad so very much,” she said, as her lip trembled. She tried to smile through it, but the traitorous tears overwhelmed.
“Oh, my girl. Come here,” Loretta said and pulled her into a tight hug. “We all do. I keep waiting for him to walk through the tasting room in his muddy boots and make me fuss at him.”
Joey laughed. “He never knew how dirty he got out there. Loved it too much to care.”
“We hold him here, you know,” Loretta said, touching her heart.
Joey nodded. “I just want to make sure I don’t screw up everything he worked so hard for, you know? And it just feels like I’m falling short.”
Loretta touched her chin. “I don’t think that’s possible. You’re Josephine Wilder, and you were born to take this place to great heights. I’ve always known that. He did, too. Told me so, in fact.”
“Really?”
Loretta nodded. “One night, he said that he loved Tangle Valley more than words could describe and that the place was in his blood. But that you had your eye on the bigger picture in a way he never did. He knew the future was right here.” She pushed a finger into Joey’s shoulder. “With you.”
Joey shook her head and pointed at her now wet face. “Well, now you’ve done it.”
Loretta waved her off. “Nah. Those are tears of love. The best kind.”
Joey paused and circled back to something Loretta had said. “One night?”
Loretta polished a wineglass. “What’s that?”
“You said one night.” Surely it wasn’t possible. “Did you and Dad have something I didn’t know about?”
Loretta smiled and continued polishing that glass. Not a word escaped her lips.
“Damn,” Joey said, shocked she’d somehow missed this but happy for her father. “Maybe one day we can talk about that?”
“Maybe so,” Loretta said. There was a heaviness in the way she said it that told Joey Loretta was struggling with the loss, just as much as she was. “I’d like that.”
Joey left it there, marveling at the revelation for hours to come. Her day was a busy one, but as it progressed, she found her footing, her groove even. She waited until the tasting room closed down for the night, helped Loretta get everything turned around for the next day, met with Gabriella about the initial design plans for the restaurant, and said good night to the darkened vineyard as she hopped inside Dusty.
She pulled to a stop in front of the one-story house she knew to be Becca’s and killed the engine. Rain began to pelt her windshield. She squeezed the steering wheel. Now or never. It wasn’t like Joey to take such a large leap without a guaranteed net, but someone once told her to make s’mores when times got tough, and she couldn’t deny that insightful wisdom.
She exited the truck and made her way up the walk as the rain picked up, catching her as she hurried. Damp and a little nervous, she raised her fist to knock.
Chapter Ten
Becca had been home from the resort for an hour and still wore her work clothes because there were more important things to focus on first. She always devoted that initial chunk of time home to Skywalker, for kisses, pats, and of course ball throwing in the backyard. She was lucky enough to have a medium-sized yard with enough room for Sky to run. She’d brought him inside once the ominous rain clouds rolled in, and after a few dozen more throws indoors, he’d retired to his oversized dog bed in the corner of her dining area.
It was a surprise to hear a knock at her front door, and Becca wondered if her neighbor Lana needed something. She ran her fingers through her hair to be sure she was presentable and opened the door with a friendly smile. Well, look at that. She didn’t have to put it on any longer when she saw Joey standing on her doorstep looking amazing. Becca’s smile easily slid into the genuine variety. Her stomach tightened pleasantly. She’d had trouble getting Joey off her mind all day.
“This has to be one of my favorite surprises ever.”
Joey’s eyes met hers, and the electricity between them danced like lightening in the sky. “I felt we left a few things…unfinished.” Becca swallowed, enjoying the emboldened side of Joey she’d experienced for the first time that day. “So I thought I’d see what kind of night you were having and—”
Becca silenced her with a searing kiss that came with zero buildup, walking Joey backward on the porch. Just beyond where they stood, the rain fell fast and hard, pelting the roof and raining sideways on them as they kissed. Joey had her by the face. Becca’s arms encircled the woman she’d been fantasizing about for far too long now. Thunder struck, low and melodious. Becca pulled back and enjoyed the grin that appeared on Joey’s lips, the answer she’d sought. The sideways rain had Becca’s shirt wet on one side. They needed more shelter.
She took Joey by the hand and pulled her inside. Once they closed the door, the storm outside seemed quieter. “Your hair got caught,” Joey said, reaching up and touching a strand of Becca’s wet hair.
“So did yours.”
“I don’t care.” Joey tugged slightly on her shirttail, and Becca wondered if Joey knew she was doing it, what she wanted, but that was as far as she got. Becca struggled to construct a thought, given the way her body reacted to Joey’s mouth, now on hers again. Her center ached, and her hands itched to touch Joey, take her places.
“Are we on the same page?” Becca asked, stepping back and placing both hands on her head because she didn’t know what else to do with them until she had clearance.
Joey settled a hand against Becca’s shoulder and backed her farther into the room. She nodded wordlessly. Yes. God. Joey eased Becca onto the couch, into a seated position. She killed the lamp next to them, the only light in the room with evening setting in outside. Thunder struck as Joey climbed into Becca’s lap, kissed her expertly, and then paused to pull her shirt over her head.
“Oh,” Becca said quietly. Her eyes moved across Joey’s skin, illuminated by the moon and then a flash of lightning. Her breasts were round and much fuller than she would have guessed. Joey didn’t accentuate them in the clothes she wore but should maybe rethink that because these were amazing. Her mouth watered, but she remained still, waiting, letting Joey set their pace. And she did. Joey slid one strap of her black bra down her shoulder. Becca throbbed with anticipation, enjoying the slow tease. The next strap came down, too. Finally, Joey reached behind her and unclasped the bra, freeing her breasts in gorgeous greeting. Becca’s hands moved to them immediately. She sucked a nipple into her mouth and listened to Joey gasp. The inspiration propelled her. Her hands moved to Joey’s warm back as her mouth bathed each breast in attention. She wanted to go slow, but that didn’t seem possible. It was only a few moments before Joey’s hips began to slowly rock in tantalizing rhythm. Becca smoothed her hands up Joey’s thighs, watching Joey’s breasts sway as she moved against her, and wishing away the rest of her clothes. Becca could help in that department and did, unbuttoning Joey’s jeans, sliding her zipper all the way down. Another flash of lightning hit and lit up Joey’s face, revealing the darkness in her blue eyes, full of longing and need. Becca ran a finger along the waistband of her panties. Black as well. Had Joey known what they would do tonight? Had she prepared? The thought had Becca even more turned on. She shifted uncomfortably. She was wet and her body on fire. She urged Joey up onto her knees, which allowed Becca to pull her jeans down just enough, over her thighs. She wasn’t patient enough for more. Holding Joey at the waist, Becca dipped her head and kissed her intimately through very damp fabric. Joey moaned and pressed her hips in, searching for purchase, rocking in earnest. Becca sat taller for better access, slid her hand down the front of Joey’s underwear, and closed her eyes at
the wetness she encountered.
“That’s what you do to me,” Joey managed, bracing herself with one arm against the back of the couch, and then the second. Becca sucked a nipple into her mouth and released it. She moved her fingers in a soft circle, teasing Joey intimately. “Sweet heaven,” Joey whispered. Her eyes were closed and she shook her head. With her hips, Joey followed the lazy motion of Becca’s fingers in the most erotic of dances. Becca drank in the sight. As their rhythm increased, so did Joey’s breathing. Becca slid inside, pulling a sharp gasp from Joey, who felt so good, Becca swore softly. Joey rocked against her hand, moving faster, riding it, giving Becca the best view of the most gorgeous breasts she’d ever seen. She kissed one as Joey climbed higher. She pulled a nipple into her mouth and swirled it. Joey rose and fell faster, bucking. Finally, Becca pressed her thumb upward, causing Joey to cry out. She clung to Becca’s shoulder’s as Becca moved in and out of her, hoping to prolong the pleasure. When Joey’s body finally went slack, her forehead pressed into Becca’s shoulder, Becca lowered her onto the couch, removed her jeans the rest of the way, and tossed them to the floor. Joey laughed. “Whoa.”
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