Page 32 of A Taste of Chardonnay

His shoulders tensed, and his head scanned the room before his muscles visibly relaxed. “Looks like a bottle rolled off the display.”

“I told Nero it was a stupid setup.” The stubborn bastard wouldn’t listen to me. He had a vision. Now we had a bottle in pieces on the floor and red wine splattered halfway across the tasting room.

“I’ll get the dustpan and a mop.”

I went to the maintenance closest and retrieved the items. By the time I made my way to the mess, Brady was already on one knee, garbage beside him, picking through big pieces of glass.

“Be careful. Just because I have a first aid kit doesn’t mean I want to use it.”

“The amount of callouses on my fingers, I doubt the glass could even penetrate my skin.”

He was probably right. Years of cutting wood, working in construction, hauling barrels, rock climbing, and all the other stuff Brady did would do that. Still, I didn’t need him slicing himself up.

I bypassed the garbage pail and angled the broom toward the mess. As soon as I extended the broom, Brady snatched it out of my hands.

“What are you doing?” I asked as I tried to get it back.

“I’ll do this. You go over there and read your porn.”

“It’s not porn!” I snatched the broom back. “Besides, I need this done right.”

“Oh, and I’m not capable of doing it right?”

“Does everything have to be an argument with you?”

“Do you have to be in control of every situation?”

I didn’thaveto be in control, but I knew no one else could do what I did better. It was nothing against them. I was just particular about the way things were done.

“Look, I saw you had ninety-four percent left in your book. I’m sure you’re dying to know how it ends. I’ll clean this up. Go cuddle up in your blanket and finish it.” He bent down and picked up another big chunk of glass, tossing it in the trash. “Besides, we have all night to fight. Why don’t we take five?”

I really did want to finish my book, and I would have if a certain somebody hadn’t interrupted me. “After you pick up the glass and wipe up the wine, spray down the floor with—”

“I know.”

“But you don’t want to—”

“Char, go read. I got this.”

I snapped my mouth shut and hesitated for only a second before pivoting on my heel. I headed to the bar and grabbed my Kindle, wrapping the blanket around my shoulders. I took a sip of my wine and glanced over at Brady.

He instantly spotted me and waved his finger in a circle, telling me to turn around and mind my own business. Fine. If he wanted to clean the mess up, I wasn’t going to argue. I could always reclean it later.

I powered up my Kindle and allowed myself to forget about lists and responsibilities, focusing on the sexy vampire on the page while trying to ignore the sexy man who just sprayed down the floor exactly how I would have.

It was going to be a very long night.

She felt his presence before she saw him. A silent tug that had her turn toward the shadows of the cellar. “You’re not supposed to be here.” Her voice was barely a whisper. “You told me last time—”

“I told you I’d stay away, that I’d let you live in peace.”

Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes met the glowing green of his. “Exactly.” His fingers brushed against her cheek, sending a rush of desire through her body. “Why are you here, then?”

“Because I’ve lived a hundred and fifty years and none of that matters now. The rest of my life is meaningless without you. I need you. I need to be inside you. I need to hear you screaming my name.”

I shifted, my thighs tingling. My eyes jumped to Brady as he walked toward the maintenance closet. He’d pushed his sleeves up over his forearms, revealing his tattoos. My tongue darted out, swiping across my bottom lip. He might not have been in his vampire costume, but flannel worked just as well.

“How’s it going?” he asked, and I fumbled my Kindle. I managed to catch it before it flew from my hands onto the Italian tile.

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