Page 2 of Backroom Boy
She shrugged and even that looked cute on her. “Suit yourself.” She gave me the once-over and I could feel her gaze linger across my chest. “You don’t happen to have a spare pair of shoes under that jacket, do you?”
The question was so absurd I couldn’t hold back the bark of laugher. “No, definitely not.” I came to my senses and shrugged out of the leather jacket, finally approaching her. “But here, why don’t you wear that so you don’t get cold.”
It may have been the moonlight playing tricks on me, but I could have sworn she blushed. She let me get close enough to drape it across her shoulders, the scent of something sweet and fruity drifting up to my nose. I leaned in closer when I should have backed away.
“Wow, a real live fucking gentleman, huh? Daddy would love you. Too bad all he got was a worthless daughter.”
Her words hit me and I jolted back, giving her space while we started to walk. I kept my pace slow in deference to her ridiculous choice of footwear. The girl was sweet to the eyes and nose, but she had a mouth on her. Color me intrigued.
“Nothing gentlemanly to want to make sure a girl gets home safe. I don’t want to be a suspect in a murder case having been the last one to see you alive.”
She chuckled and then tripped on a rock. I grabbed her elbow and pulled her back up, her soft skin registering even as I wanted to roll my eyes at her. She adjusted my jacket on her shoulders and kept going.
“I don’t know about that…” She paused and then squinted up at me. “I don’t know your name.”
I looked straight ahead, guessing we had another half a mile to the Bishops’ house. Who knew how long we had to walk to this girl’s place?
“It’s Lukas. You?”
“Delta. Not princess.”
I smirked. Ah, she had a sense of humor. “And how far are we walking tonight?”
She pointed ahead, her arm ramrod straight. “To the castle!”
“Um, and for people new in town, where would that be?”
She dropped her arm and wrapped it around mine, snuggling in close. I certainly didn’t mind, though taking advantage of a girl who’d been drinking was on my list of things never to do. I’d had right and wrong engrained in my head for too many years to cross that line.
“The Bishop estate. The one with all the stone.”
Warning bells clanged in my head, and suddenly I didn’t want her wrapped around me like that, as nice as it felt.
“Are you Mr. Bishop’s daughter?” I asked quietly, glad there was no one around to hear this conversation or report back to my new boss that I was walking around in the dark with his only daughter. My research into his winery had revealed that while the winery had been passed down to the Bishop sons for several generations, there was only one daughter in the current generation, raising speculation on if she’d eventually sell it all or take over the business herself.
“Yep! The one and only daughter to the great Black Bishop Winery empire.”
I sensed dark sarcasm and a whole truckload of daddy issues. I was also highly aware of each part of her soft body that pressed against mine as we walked. That fruity scent—was it mango?—floated all around me, driving me crazy. Why did girls have to smell so good?
We came up on top of a hill, the lights on in the Bishop house illuminating the rest of our walk. I couldn’t think of a single thing to say back to her. Part of me wanted to stop time and turn her toward me. Maybe take her face in my hands and memorize everything about her right before I kissed her. Find out if she tasted as sweet as she smelled.
The other part of me wanted to run away as fast as I could. I wasn’t here to get messed up with a girl. Especially not this girl. I was here to learn everything I could so I could eventually open my own place. Be my own boss. Start my own empire.
A kiss with a drunk girl under the moonlight wasn’t worth tossing away this opportunity.
I came to a halt beneath an old oak tree, the branches blocking out some of the light streaming out of the Bishop house. Tugging gently, I pulled my arm away from her and stepped back. My hands went into my pockets where they wouldn’t make the mistake of reaching out and touching that soft skin.
“This is the end of the line for me. I can watch from here to make sure you get in okay.”
Delta tilted her head again, her eyes unfocused. “Okay, handsome.”
She lifted up on her toes, her hand bracing herself on my chest. Her lips puckered and my whole body froze. Shit. She was going to kiss me.
I turned my head at the last second, her kiss glancing off my cheek before she rocked back on her heels, unsteady as usual on her feet. She frowned at me and then winked, a combination that probably made sense in her alcohol-fuzzy brain.
She spun and walked off down the path. I watched her go, my gaze unable to focus on anything but the way the ends of her blonde hair swung right above her gorgeous ass with each step. I scrubbed a hand over my face and glanced around, making sure no one saw me. Halfway home, she turned back around, my leather jacket still on her shoulders.
“Too bad you’re a gentleman, handsome!”
