Page 70 of The Maxwell Brothers
She melted into my embrace. “I love the energy of this space. It’s so calm. Is that why you like it here?”
“Partly. It also reminds me of where my love for winemaking began. I have very fond memories of this place.”
“Oooh, do tell.”
“Later.” I kissed the back of her neck, tilting her head so I had better access on one side. Her skin was inviting, her sweet floral scent intoxicating.
Her stomach rumbled, and she chuckled. "I think that's our cue to make dinner. How come there’s food here?"
“We have someone who takes care of the house. I asked him to stock the fridge.”
I let her go reluctantly. She opened the fridge, taking out chicken and potatoes.
"What if I make pan-fried chicken and baked potatoes?"
"Everything sounds good to me."
"Awesome. You can start by peeling the potatoes. It’ll be a team effort,” she said with a wink.
“And by pouring your wine."
"Oh, I love it when you talk dirty to me. What kind of wine do you have?"
I wiggled my eyebrows. "Chardonnay."
“Yes, please."
"Your wish is my command."
“You can’t keep your mind out of the gutter, can you?” she asked, shimmying her hips.
I instantly stepped right into her space, groping her ass.
“Not if you do that.”
"You, sir, are being shameless, and I'm only warning you once. I need food to have energy for any sexy stuff.”
“I can do all the work.”
She burst out laughing. My ego took a hit.
“Why are you laughing?”
She tilted her head, glancing at me out of the corner of her eye. "I'm going to tell you as soon as you let me finish dinner."
"Fine by me," I said. “I’ll grab a bottle of wine and then stay here, making sure your lovely ass doesn't get cold or anything. I love this dress, by the way.”
“Why?”
“It gives me access.” I fondled it with both hands, making her laugh again.
We had a cellar here too, of course, and I went down to grab a bottle of Chardonnay.
After pouring for both of us, I started peeling the potatoes. Next to me, Lexi kept fidgeting, and it took me a few minutes to realize she was dancing to a song she was humming while she was rinsing the chicken.
This moment was so simple and mundane, but it was so damn perfect. This was how life could be. Coming home to Lexi, cooking dinner with her, and drinking a glass of wine—enjoyingher.
I couldn’t even believe I was entertaining these thoughts. I’d tried the marital life once, and it was anything but bliss. It left me with scars, and worst of all, it left Paisley with them as well. I didn’t even have the luxury of dreaming about a life with Lexi, but damn, if that wasn’t all I wanted to do right now. For the first time, I could see how a relationshipcouldwork.
