Page 20 of Cru's Crush
She put her hand over her mouth, not that it helped. “We wouldn’t want that, now,wouldwe?”
“You’re hysterical. Make your coffee.”
“I can’t reach the cups.”
I raised a brow. They were almost right in front of her face. In order for me to get them, I’d have to reach across her, and when I did, my body would press against hers.
“I’m gonna take a shower. Probably a cold one. If you can’t figure out how to get a cup, I guess you’ll have to wait.”
“Hang on.”
I turned to face her. “What?”
She wiggled her finger at my midsection. “Can you leave that here?”
I chuckled, shook my head, and went in the direction of the bathroom. “I haven’t figured out how to get back at you yet, but know it’s coming,” I said behind me. Which, of course, was met with more giggles.
When I heard a knock on the door, then it opening, I wished there was a lock on it. I was hidden behind a shower curtain but still.
“Daphne? What are you up to now?”
“Coffee delivery. Would you like me to hand it to you or leave it on the counter?”
“Counter, please, and just remember, payback is a bitch.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
I could just imagine the smirk that came along with her challenge. This playfulness, her teasing, was just one of the reasons I loved her so much it hurt.
If only she weren’t yanking my chain, I would’ve returned to the kitchen, picked her up, set her naked butt on the counter, dropped my sweatpants, and fucked her senseless.
Instead, I was alone in the shower, taking care of my mad desire for her the way I always did.
“Are your parents staying at Norman?”I asked on the drive to the airport.
“I’m not certain, but it’s where they usually stay.”
There was a guesthouse on a vineyard owned by friends of Daphne’s parents—George and
Lana Norman—that I knew had two bedrooms. I just hoped she’d opt to sleep at Brix’s with me tonight instead of there with them.
It dawned on me that, as of today, it was no longer my brother’s house. He’d quit claimed the deed tome earlier, before we left. Maybe once I moved out of the cottage where Daphne and I had spent last night, I’d start referring to the bigger house as my place. Although I’d much prefer it to be Daphne’s and mine.
I hadn’t offered her one of the ranch vehicles to drive yet, since none of them would’ve been suitable to pick up her parents. The other reason I hadn’t was because I wanted to be with her if they chose not to wait to question her about what had happened in New York City. It wouldn’t be my business to defend her, but at least I’d be there to lend my support if it was needed.
Saying goodbye to Brix and Addy was harder than I’d expected it to be. Both made me promise to visit and to bring Daphne with me. Given I’d already thought about showing her Tryst’s ranch, I said I would.
I hung back when Daph approached her parents, but she quickly led them over to me. I’d known Noah and Beatrice Cullen all my life. The man was still as fit as me. Only the wrinkled lines of his face gave away his age. It was the same with Daphne’s mother. She was just as gorgeous as her daughter, with the same wide smile and warm eyes.
Daph’s dad had been a good friend of my father’s as well as a member of a secret society at the same time he was, like I was now.
The organization—known as Los Caballeros—was a brotherhood dating back several hundred years. My ancestors established the branch in the US when they came to the country in the seventeen hundreds; at the same time, they gave the name to our family’s winery.
Like me, my brothers, and my dad, Noah’s father and grandfather had been members. It was rare for someone who didn’t already have a family connection to be asked to join, but if they were, they had to meet certain criteria.
First, they had to be presented for consideration by an active member. Next, their family had to have been in the wine industry for at least two generations. Third, the prospective member had to be worth a billion dollars or more in their own right. And lastly, they had to agree not to divulge the existence of Los Caballeros and the work we did to anyone outside of our tight-knit circle.
While not a mandate, having a good seat in the saddle was necessary, given the annual one-hundred-mileride out we did in the spring—a Spanish tradition stemming back to the fourteen hundreds. It was then that the Knights Templar defeated the Moors and took control of a town, Jerez, in southwestern Spain. They renamed it Jerez de los Caballeros—direct translation: Jerez of the Knights.
