Page 15 of Before the Storm
“Thank you.” She raised the glass to her lips and took a tiny sip. Her taste buds went wild. It wasn’t too sweet. Had a dry, rich flavor to it. And it went down smoothly. She took a larger sip, enjoying the way it hit her belly. “This is really good.”
“My brothers and I went to this little town in New Jersey called Candlewood Falls. There’s a winery there that we fell in love with. The River Winery. They have some great blends. We’ve gotten to know the owners because we served with one of their sons, Corbin River. Anyway, we buy it by the case now.”
“That’s nice you can support your friend’s family,” she said. “Can I help with anything?”
“Nope.” He smiled that wicked grin of his. It made his blue eyes twinkle. “The potatoes will take about forty minutes and the steaks need to rest. It will be a good twenty minutes or so before I can start grilling, so why don’t we go sit outside on the deck and enjoy this awesome evening. The temperatures have really turned. I think we’ll have an early start to summer, which will mean a busy season for Blue Moon.”
“I’ve noticed that you have a lot of regulars.”
He placed his hand on the small of her back.
Every muscle in her body tensed. She blinked, wishing she could control that knee-jerk response.
He removed his hand, pulling back the sliders, but said nothing of her reaction.
“You’re so lucky to live here,” she whispered. “I have to pinch myself that I stumbled upon this rental.”
“My mom is constantly telling us boys that everything happens for a reason, which is funny because Mom can be such a cynic.”
“Really? I’ve met your mom. She’s so positive and upbeat.” She took a seat in one of the big Adirondack chairs.
“That she is.” He laughed. “But she’s also retired CIA and has seen some shit in her day. My dad was a general in the Army and he’s pretty hardened too. So the fact that they are both so warm and fuzzy these days cracks the three of us up.”
Her heart skipped a beat. FBI, CIA, and DEA were all three letters she’d learned to loathe and mistrust. They were the organizations that wanted to separate women from their children and put men in jail.
The last part she knew needed to be done.
But the former she still didn’t agree with. They were innocents in a world that predators had created.
Quickly, she pushed those thoughts out of her mind. No one here wanted to hurt her or take her away. She’d done nothing wrong.
Except not speak up.
But as Jason had explained, she needed to save herself.
She watched how Phoenix held his wineglass by the stem, swirling the liquid before taking a sip. He was everything she wasn’t.
Sophisticated and worldly.
“Your parents had interesting jobs,” she said, trying to carry on with the conversation. “What did you do before Blue Moon?”
“My brothers and I were in the Army. Special Forces.”
Shit. She knew that. “That’s a dangerous job,” she managed.
“I can’t deny that,” he said, leaning against the railing. “I was injured on a mission that took me off active duty. I was headed for a desk job when my brothers left the military. We had always said when I hit twenty years, since I’m the youngest, we’d allopen a business together. That just happened a few years before we planned.”
Fascinated by this man and his family’s history, she leaned forward. “Why did your brothers leave?”
“Nelson left because of a mission that had gone sideways, basically ruining his career. Maverick had left before him for a woman. But she turned out to be a mistake. We all came up here where Nelson found Brandi and Maverick found Hensley.” Phoenix smiled. “My parents joined us, which is nice that the whole family is now in one place.”
“What about you? Anyone special in your life?” Holy crap. Did she ask him that question? It was too personal and that was something she didn’t want to get into, but she found herself wanting to know everything about this man. It was an unwelcome sensation that she had no control over.
He chuckled. “Nope.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
“Believe it.” He took a long sip of his beverage. “I’ve never been the settling down type of guy like my brothers who have wanted marriage and kids.”
