Page 35 of Love, Lies, and Celtic Knots

His twinkling gaze turns to me and his lips rearrange in a slow, breathtaking smile. "I knew it would be a transforming experience to work with you. Sophie, you're a damn genius."

My eyes widen as my heart swells with his compliment. "You really think it’s good?" I ask, pathetic as I fish for more compliments.

"No. It’s notgood; it’s fucking fantastic!" He takes another sip and swishes it around his mouth. "Mmm. This would gogreat with fruit and cheese, and probably seafood, too. Very drinkable. It's not a one and done kind of wine."

I bob my head in agreement. "That's what I was going for. It's the type you can drink on a Sunday afternoon out on the patio with food, or enjoy by itself, or even with a fancy dinner."

"Exactly." He stares into the empty glass forlornly. "Damn, Sophie. You’ve got a real winner here." He looks at me. "You say you're making another batch of this today?" His eyes are hopeful.

"Yes. Now that you've cleaned and prepped those old tanks, we can start today."

He leans a little closer. "And I can help, right? I'd love to get hands-on experience with this one."

I freeze, my core clenching at the steamy image his last words induce. I shake my head to clear it. For fuck's sake, this guy has me all twisted up.

Alex's face drops, reading my reaction wrong. "I can't? Why?"

“Huh?” I squint up at him, trying to focus on his words. "You can't what?"

"You shook your head at me when I asked if I could help make the wine."

"Oh!" A nervous laugh escapes before I can bite it back. "Oh, no. I mean, yes. Yes, of course, you can help. That is, if you want to. I mean…"

I wave my hand through the air, indicating the fermentation room and doing my best game show hostess impression. "Unless you'd like to work on something else. There's plenty for you to do." I bite my lower lip. "I'm sorry, but you were a big surprise for me yesterday, and I haven't really come up with a job description or task list for you."

His head tilts and his lips curl in a lopsided grin as he surveys me, his eyes briefly dropping to my mouth. "I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to help, Soph."

My heart rate jumps, feeling like a drumline in my chest, and warmth spreads through my core at the nickname.

"I'll get busy on cleaning up other stuff after we're done," he adds. "How's that?"

"That sounds great." I clap my hands and rub them together. "Okay, then. Let's get busy."

Several hours later, I straighten from the crouch I'd been in for a while and stretch my back. "Well, that's a solid start." I glance at my watch. "It's lunch time. I was planning to run across the street to the little cafe. Would you like to join me?"

"Ah, sorry, Soph." A grimace mars his handsome face. "I promised Isabella I'd have lunch with her today. She’s gonna explain the winery’s history and how everything works at Celtic Knot."

Disappointment floods my chest, and I nod as I stare at the ground. I've never asked a guy to have lunch with me before, so the rejection stings.

"Oh, okay." Maybe I misread last night after all.

"But I'd really love to have dinner with you,” Alex adds. “There's a little pizza joint just around the corner from my apartment. It's over by the beach. Would you like to join me?"

The lump in my throat dissolves instantly, and I smile in relief. "Yeah, actually, that sounds like fun. That place is really good, too, especially if you like New York style pizza."

Alex scoffs, and that easy smile flashes across his face. "I like all pizza. I don't care what style it is or where it comes from. If it has a solid crust and melted cheese, I'm good."

I laugh, feeling tons lighter. "We’ve made an excellent start, so now it's time to get the bottling ready. Want to help with that after lunch?"

His infectious grin pulls an answering one from me as he replies, "Hell yeah, I do!

Chapter 4

Alex

Ibite into the savory pizza and moan as the burst of flavors from the cheese, herbs, and tomato sauce hits my taste buds. "Damn, this is good."

Sophie nods as I watch her small, white teeth sink into the bubbled, cheesy crust. I'm hypnotized by anything to do with her mouth, and I've caught myself staring at her throughout the day.

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