Page 31 of Wine & Whiskey
Rising up on his elbow, he kisses her lips. “I could go for a nap too, but you have to promise me you’ll be here when I wake up.”
“I promise.”
With her curled next to him, he closes his eyes and lets himself go, allowing the thought of her always being with him to float into his mind. She fits perfectly in his arms and in his life, sealing his fate from the moment he watched the first graceful curve of her hands across her body.
An hour later, the buzzing of his phone interrupts their slumber. Fishing it out of his pocket, his stomach tightens at the number scrolling across the screen before he puts it to his ear. “Give me two minutes.”
He hits ‘end’ as she stretches her arm across his chest and points her toes before looking up at him and smiling. “Hi.”
Even with messy hair and sleep-heavy eyes she’s beautiful. And, thankfully honest. No sneaking off, at least not this time. “Hi.” He smiles and cups her cheek. “I’m sorry, sweetness, but I need to make a call. Can you give me a few minutes?”
“Sure. I’ll see you inside.”
Waiting until the door clicks shut behind her, he climbs out of the hammock and dials the number. “Make it quick. Is it done?” Silence answers him back. “God damn it, I’m tired of your constant fuck-ups. Fucking take care of it and call me back.”
He slams the cell against the railing and takes a deep breath, trying to calm his irritation before returning to her. This stupid fucker won’t ruin his time with her. Not after she’s given him a little more of herself as well as her entire day.
Inside the kitchen, she stands at the counter slicing strawberries. Oranges, peaches, and cherries line the edge of the cutting board. He wraps his arms around her torso and nuzzles her neck. “What are you making?”
She leans back against him, but continues working. “Sangria. Nathan usually has to work weekends, but he’s off today so Carrie and I are making enchiladas for dinner. I thought it would be fun to have a festive cocktail to go with them.”
“Can I help?”
“Of course.”
He releases her waist and heads to the sink to wash his hands. Returning to the work area she has set up, he slowly slides his fingers down her arms, covering her hands with his own. Rubbing the top of her left ring finger, he takes a deep breath. His plans will have to wait until she’s ready. After what happened last night, it’s going to be a while.
“Is everything okay? You sounded upset when you were on the phone.”
He stills. The last thing he wants is for her to be thinking about his job. Releasing her hand, he places his finger on her lips. “Shhh. No talking about work.”
Her kiss on his fingertip makes his pulse quicken. He must return the favor. “Do you ever wear your hair up?”
“Sometimes. Why?”
Sweeping the long strands to the side, he places kisses along her shoulders and neck. “It makes it easier to do this.”
Her body shivers in response, and she drops the paring knife. “I thought you were supposed to be helping.”
“What? This isn’t helpful?” One last nip before he lifts his head. “Okay, I’ll be good.”
She begins slicing again as he rests his chin on her shoulder, his left hand splayed on her belly, his right resting on hers as it moves up and down. She lays down the knife again and picks up a strawberry, bringing it to his mouth. “Do you want to taste to see if it’s ripe?”
He glides the tip of his tongue over her thumb and each fingertip before biting into the fragrant fruit. “It’s good. What do you think?” He picks up another berry and rubs it across her bottom lip. She arches against him before fully opening her mouth. The graze of her tongue against his finger explodes like a grenade to his groin. He steps backward and makes a T with his hands. “Time out, sweetness. We’ve got to stop, or I won’t be able to help myself.”
Leaning against the countertop behind him, he blows out a long breath. She turns to him, feigning innocence with wide eyes but a sly smile. Pressing her hands against his chest, she leans forward, her lips only a few inches from his mouth. “Don’t you want to taste any more of my fruit?”
“Shae…” He issues a warning. He’s willing to wait, but his resolve is no match for this kind of temptation.
“Nick?” She extends an invitation, as well as her hand.
His pulse screams through his skin as she leads him down the hallway and into a yellow bedroom with a white, four-poster bed covered by a colorful quilt. Dropping his hand, she closes and locks the door behind her.
Fighting the desire to scoop her up and carry her to the bed, he sits on the side and lets her take the lead. Every ounce of his willpower tested, not to slide those delicate straps off her creamy, soft shoulders and follow the path down to everything good she wants to give him.
“Do you know what I do with the fruit after it soaks in the alcohol?”
Mesmerized by this playful sexy side he’s never seen before, he can only shake his head, fearful the wrong word will break the spell she weaves around them.
