Page 48 of Say You Hate Me
You’re so fucking wet, Natalia. Your pants are soaked.
“Yeah, um…” I’ve never been this discombobulated in my life. I’m flustered and hot, like I might faint at any moment. “I took a really hot shower,” I add, smiling. “Anyway, let me grab my purse.”
When we exit my room, I glance over at Anderson’s door as he’s locking up. I can’t look him in the eye—can’t let him see the way he affected me just now. And it wasjustnow—like less than a minute ago. I sneak a quick glance, and he’s not even sweaty. He’s wearing a white shirt that he must’ve thrown on, and his hair is neat. No sign on his face that a minute ago, he was in the middle of an intense orgasm.
Our eyes meet for a second too long, and I swear I see a hint of a smirk on his face before I look down again. My cheeks are red, and for some reason it’s as if he can see right through me, so I keep them pasted to the floor as we take the stairs to the lobby. Once there, I manage to steal one more look at Anderson. When I do, his eyes bore into mine, fiery and hot.
Fuck.
“The car should be here,” Luca mutters, checking his watch. He glances outside. “One sec. I need to ask the front desk.”
He’s gone in a flash, leaving Anderson and me alone. I pretend to be immersed in my phone, but I can feel his eyes on me.
“Everything okay, Natalia?” he asks, sauntering over with his hands in his pockets.
Arrogant prick.
“Yeah, why?” I look up, faking my indifference.
He tilts his head and reaches out, caressing my neck so briefly that I barely have time to register his touch.
“You’re all flushed,” he murmurs, eyes twinkling as they wander up to my face.
“I’m fine,” I bite, grinding my teeth and taking a step back.
Anderson chuckles, and the sound enrages me. “You sure? Your breathing is all… funny.”
Something snaps inside of me. “I saw you,” I hiss, my cheeks flushing. “In your room.” I look around for Luca, but he’s still talking to the concierge. “You did it on purpose, didn’t you?”
“Which time?”
My mouth drops open. “There was more than onetime?”
He laughs, low and husky. “There were two times. Once wasn’t enough to get the feel of your wet cunt out of my mind.” White-hot heat pools between my legs, and mywet cuntthrobs. He takes a step forward, but not close enough to elicit suspicion from anyone. “Liked what you saw?” he hums, giving me a smug look.
I don’t answer him. Instead, I stalk over to Luca, who is nodding.
“Car ready?” I chirp a little too loudly.
“Yep, there was a mix-up,” Luca explains, ushering us out of the bed-and-breakfast.
I manage to keep my eyes off of Anderson the whole drive, claiming the passenger seat. But I can feel his eyes on me. It’s like my body is now in tune with his, and every glance he sends my way causes that part of me to tingle with awareness. Instead of focusing on how I’m sweaty and annoyed, I focus on my book—the hero who is half vampire, half human. It’s actually a very interesting book, and just the type I love to sink my teeth into. But my mind continues to wander all the way to the winery.
I follow Luca and Anderson into the front door of the winery, which is set back from the rows of vineyards. The restaurant is outside, and the weather is perfect—crisp yet sunny. The sky is a bright blue, and the clouds are fluffy and white. I smile as I sit, and before I can ask, the server brings us all glasses of chilled wine with shaky hands, nearly spilling one of the glasses. She gives both Luca and Anderson a nervous look, and then she walks away quickly.
“Who are we waiting for?” I ask, taking a large sip of crisp Sauvignon Blanc.
“The owner,” Anderson responds. “His father built this winery from the ground up.”
No wonder the server was nervous. As I look around, I realize all the staff are staring at us, and they’ve seated us at the nicest table in the entire outdoor dining area. The vineyards extend for what seems like miles beyond the structure of the winery and restaurant, and in Napa, a place like this can’t possibly come cheap.
“It’s a big winery, and it would be a lot of work,” Luca murmurs. “The owners are in financial trouble. The place has been open for over a hundred years. I am here to entertain the idea, but no contracts will be signed today.”
I look between them. “Will the staff retain their jobs if we buy it?” It’s the first question I want an answer to, seeing as they’re all clustered around the cash register, watching us. We could potentially be determining their fate.
“I’m not sure,” Anderson murmurs.
“We’ll try,” Luca responds, giving Anderson a hard look.
