Page 37 of Love Among Vines

She was talking fast. Had their half-naked encounter in the hallway rattled her? His eyes drifted down to the hem of her shorts again, then snapped back. He wasn’t getting involved.

“Yes. Come with me.” He stepped into the hallway and opened the basement door.

She followed him. Was she nervous? Scared? They were barely more than strangers. Maybe a joke would help.

“Before you ask, I’m not bringing you down here to murder you.”

“No? It’s such a perfect setup. I bet no one could hear me scream.”

His dick hardened at the idea of her screaming his name, but he dismissed it immediately. Not the right time, not the right girl. He glanced at her. Well, notnotthe right girl.

They passed the family room and arrived at a bookcase. It was one of the only updates he had made to the house since moving in. With a half smile and an arch of his eyebrow, he pulled on one of the books.

The bookcase swung toward them, and lights flickered on in the room that lay beyond. Penny barked at it and hid behind Jade.

Jade gasped, and his smile grew.

“It’s…beautiful.” She stepped barefoot onto the brick floor.

He followed her. Her head swiveled as she took in the dozens of bottles in wooden racks. A bar stood at the back, decanter and glassware waiting. A small circular table with four chairs was positioned underneath a rustic-looking chandelier. Bricks arched above them in a curved ceiling.

“It’s one of my favorite rooms in the house. Sometimes I come down here just to read and have a glass.”

“You read?” She shot a glance over her shoulder.

“When I can.”

“Me too. I thought it would help my artist constipation, but instead I just got addicted to Nora Roberts. What’s this?” She paused at a bottle in a glass case.

“That’s a bottle from the first batch of wine my grandparents ever made.”

“Wow,” she uttered breathlessly.

“Pick something. We’ll have some with dessert.”

She straightened and looked at him. “You’ve done enough for me. You don’t need to ply me with wine to convince me to come back for the party.”

He shook his head. “That has nothing to do with it. I love to share my love of wine. It’s the lifeblood of my family. If you were staying, I’d do a personal tasting for you.”

She seemed to deliberate for a moment before pulling a bottle from the wine fridge. A five-year-old Gewurtzraminer. She held it out to him.

“Nice choice.” He took it from her and swept his arm toward the exit.

“Was that a test? It felt like a test.”

He chuckled. “Not a test. I don’t get to entertain very often. Indulge me.”

Her gaze moved around the room. “Why not? Are you waiting for a sixteen-person hot tub to be installed?”

“I work a lot.”

She made a noise of disapproval as they climbed the stairs. “It seems like a waste to have this amazing house and not have it filled with laughter and good food. And honestly probably a minimum of three dogs.”

He frowned.

“Sorry,” she said hurriedly, “it’s not my place.”

“It’s not that. That’s exactly what my mom says every time she visits. Except she normally mentions half a dozen grandchildren.”

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