Page 16 of Taken With You
He did as she asked, but his imagination went elsewhere.
She said, “Well?”
“Honey,” he said, before he could think better of it.
She smirked. “Off by a mile, partner. I take it your brother got the nose for wine in your family.”
“Dominic made it look easy.”
“If you can’t pick out the aromas, go for the emotion. To me,” she said, raising the glass, “this wine smells like the peaceful end of a good day. How about you?”
“I’m no poet.” It wasn’t the wine but the woman arousing feelings…and he had to get a hold on that right now. “You’ll be doing most of the talking tomorrow. Best for both of us.”
“I’m okay with that.” She twisted the stem of her glass between two fingers. “Did I tell you my family used to make wine?”
“Why didn’t you put that on your résumé?”
“It was a long time ago. And we didn’t do it commercially. We just mucked it up in the barn and made enough to last through Christmas.” A smile slipped across her lips. “When my sisters and I were young, we asked how the grape juice turned into wine. My father told us that wine fairies came down from the Berkshires in the autumn, drank the grape juice, and then spit wine back into the bottles.” Her smile turned wistful. “My family lost the farm a long time ago, but I got to keep the stories, at least.”
She kept swirling the glass, swirling the glass, looking as vulnerable as he’d ever seen anyone. She looked like the woman he’d first seen in the yard on the day he’d met her.Alice in Wonderlandwishing on a star.
He held out his glass. “Shall we drink to Berkshire fairies, Amanda?”
“To Berkshire fairies,” she said, clearing her voice, “and to Northern California ones, too. May they bring us a fine harvest.”
A breeze, cooled by the fog of the distant Pacific, passed between them, rustling the eucalyptus leaves like soft music. The sun beat warm on the earth. The sip of wine coursed through his veins as he sliced bread and cheese. She took a piece from his hand and ate it, enjoying the moment, lost in the pleasure. He liked that sleepy, languid expression. In his mind, he leaned over, set his mouth on those lips, and tasted the tang of the brie and the honey of the wine. In his mind, he pressed her beneath his body and coaxed her with a magic that had nothing to do with wine.
He straightened his spine before gravity aided his intent.
Fuck.
This thing couldn’t happen. Mixing business with pleasure was always an explosive idea.
Starting right now, he had to shake Amanda out of his fantasies for good.
CHAPTER SIX
Garrick stood on the cabin’s veranda, observing Amanda in the driveway as she continued to win over the reporter and his crew. The photographer stowed gear in the trunk as the reporter continued to chatter, though the guy had long shoved his phone into his pocket, a sure sign that the interview was over. Garrick didn’t like the way the reporter beamed at Amanda, not even bothering to mask his interest.
Garrick gripped his hands behind his back, working hard to keep his expression neutral, until the phone in his inside suit pocket rang. The ringtone of theDoctor Whotheme song gave the caller away.
“Logan,” he said, greeting his old college friend as he kept an eye on Amanda. “Is your basement still flooded?”
“Of course it is. I live in Seattle,” Logan grunted, “and the house sits at the bottom of a slope. So, yeah.”
Garrick grinned. “For a guy who once lived under a tin roof in the Amazon, you should feel right at home knee-deep in rain.”
“Yeah, but Jenny’s research lab is in the basement, so we’re putting in a French drain next week.”
“New York City condos, Logan. That’s the way to go. How is your lovely Jenny?”
“Jenny is…absolutely amazing.”
Even through the phone, Garrick heard the thrumming undercurrent of adoration in his friend’s voice. Logan had met Jenny only a few months ago during a rental cabin mix-up in Washington State. It was the luckiest thing that had ever happened to the guy, as Logan like to boast.
“I’m glad the fires are still burning.” Garrick’s gaze slid to Amanda, who looked like a cool cherry Popsicle in her red suit. “You’re a lucky guy.”
“I wish I’d met her years ago. Listen, I hardly had a chance to talk to you at our housewarming party last month. Now Dylan tells me you’re living on the West Coast.”
