Page 37 of A Taste of Chardonnay

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Sunlight filtered in through the windows, and I squinted toward the blinding combination of light and snow. At some point last night, between another few rounds and sampling some wine and snacks, I went upstairs and found more blankets, creating a cozy spot in front of the fireplace.

Chardonnay cuddled into my side, and I held her close, bending to kiss her forehead. She moaned before her eyes popped open. “Morning,” she said, almost looking startled, but then quickly slipped on a sexy smile.

“Morning,” I said. “We should get moving before someone shows up.”

Her eyes widened, and she jumped out of my arms. I immediately wanted to pull her back. The blanket fell free, giving me a nice view of her naked body.

I stared, of course. She snatched the blanket from me, leaving me bare as she wrapped the fleece around her body. With a laugh, I grabbed my pants and yanked them on. She scanned the floor, trying to find articles of clothing that were scattered around the tasting room.

She managed to gather all the pieces and as she was heading to most likely get dressed, I grabbed her waist and pulled her to me.

“What are you doing? I have a million things to do. I have to make sure the plow is scheduled to come. I have to check in with all my siblings to make sure they’re good. Then I have to make sure Chris is able to get here, so he can clear the walking—”

I kissed her, cutting her off. She resisted for only a second before melting into me.

When we broke apart, her forehead rested against mine, her breath warm and unsteady. “You make it impossible to think straight,” she whispered, her voice a combination of frustration and desire. Maybe we could get one more round in before getting back to reality.

Reality. Did that mean this was a one-time thing, or did last night start something? I needed to know, because if last night was supposed to get Char out of my system, it did a shit poor job of it. And if this wasn’t the last time, did we keep this to ourselves?

The front doors flung open, and both our attention whipped in the direction. A loud gasp escaped Wyatt, and he pointed a finger toward us. Char darted behind the bar, trying her best to hide behind the counter and bottles.

That answered my question. Nothing in the Grasso world was private.

Nero laughed, coming in behind Wyatt. “Unbelievable. You just gave me shit for having too much sex, and here you are, boinking your enemy.”

“Boinking? Are you twelve?” she retorted, her arms over her chest before she quickly ducked behind the bar.

Wyatt gasped again and pointed harder, as if we didn’t hear or see him the first time.

“Can you two give us a minute?” I asked. If they didn’t, I’d be more than happy to strong arm them out the fucking door. Both would put up a fight. Nero would laugh, making him lose his upper hand. Wyatt, though, he was a slippery son of a bitch.

“That’s all you need?” Wyatt asked, his eyebrows raised as he looked me up and down, as if sizing me up. “I expected you to last much longer than that.”

“Out!” Both Char and I snapped. She stepped from behind the bar, arms crossed over her now covered chest. Though the slightly skewed button-down didn’t stop the memories of her pert rosy nipples. Her hair was a beautiful mess of disheveled strands. Her lips were swollen from all the kissing. Her cheeks were flushed. She’d never looked more gorgeous.

“Well, now everyone knows.”

“It’s just Wyatt and Nero. I can ask them not to say anything.”

Chardonnay laughed. “Wyatt’s already calling Rose, and Nero is already calling Lainey. Lainey will tell Sherry. Rose will tell Rhone. Rhone will tell Franc who will tell Laurent, who will tell Phoebe. There’s no way we’re keeping this under wraps.”

“Then let them talk. Who cares?”

“My sex life has never been an open discussion amongst my family before.”

“First time for everything.”

“Like having sex on the tasting room floor. The amount of code violations.”

“Shh.” I pressed my finger to her lips. “You worry too much.”

“And you don’t worry enough.”

“I’ve learned that worrying about shit isn’t going to change a damn thing.”

“So what happens now?” Her dark brown eyes blinked up at me. Her lips glistened, begging me to capture them one last time. But our bubble had burst. Whatever we shared last night was over now.

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