Page 47 of Trouble Me
Chapter 17
Perfectly Fucked Up
“We’ll be landing inabout ten minutes, Mr. Kavanaugh,” the blonde flight attendant informed him, her voice low in the darkened cabin.
“Thanks.” He adjusted the reclining seat and lifted the shade over the small oval window next to him. The North Georgia Mountains and the small towns that dotted them spread out under the descending plane like an inky-black blanket with golden sparkles shot through.
Equal parts joy and guilt ran through him. Joy because these mountains held the key to happiness for him. Emma. But it was followed up quickly by guilt. The conversation with his father in regards to her land didn’t go as he’d planned.
Of course, Shane had left out the fact that the woman he’d just hired to run his winery was the same woman whose land they were trying to purchase. Oh, and that he had slept with her as well. Without that little juicy tidbit, it made it hard for Shane to explain to his father why he didn’t want to move forward on that particular parcel of land, as perfect as it was. All that acreage, a house already set up for guests, and the fact that the back side of the land backed up to the road that ran in front of the winery. It was fucking perfect.
And perfectly fucked up.
Shane ran his hands down his face. The fact that leaving Madison Ridge was getting harder to do each time was another kick in the ass. And he couldn’t honestly say it was just because the grand opening loomed closer every day. April might seem like an eternity away, but those couple of months would pass in a flash.
No, it wasn’t just work that had his gut in a knot when he’d boarded the private KVN plane. It was Emma. In a short period of time, she’d burrowed her way under his skin, whether he liked it or not. And he wasn’t entirely sure he did. After Marlene had died, he’d sworn that he would never let another woman screw with his head and his life the way she had.
It wasn’t something he looked for anymore, the love thing. Home and hearth. He wouldn’t be able to handle another roller coaster ride like Marlene. So for now, traveling and working on projects all over the country had been his lot in life. Maybe someday he’d have that ridiculously traditional picture of family and home he wanted. But now wasn’t the time.
Or was it?
The woman with the whiskey-colored eyes made him feel a fissure of hope that he could find love again. With her. He still had the whole house issue to figure out, but maybe if he approached her the right way, he could make her understand. Emma wanted the same thing he wanted for her childhood home, and that was to open it to guests again. Shane nodded to himself. Yeah, maybe it could work after all...
Wait. What the hell was he thinking? There was no way it was going to work. He didn’t even live in Madison Ridge. Even though California was littered with bad memories for him, it was still home. His father was ill and needed him to step up for the business. Especially now that Colin was making a play to sell off the family company if he became CEO. Shane had already allowed love to derail him from his duty to the family dynasty once. It wasn’t something he would let happen again.
His tired, jet-lagged brain was losing it. Best to let go of all that love mumbo-jumbo he’d almost let himself get caught up in again. He could continue to see Emma—they’d just keep it casual, easy.
The wheels of the plane touched the ground in a near-flawless landing and the airliner taxied down the runway to an open area near a large hangar. After gathering his bag and saying his goodbyes to the crew, Shane stepped off the plane and walked down the stairs, his pace slow, weary. Only two more weeks and the treatments for his father would be over. At least, for the time being. Then they would have to go through the testing to see if the treatments had worked. But for a little while, Shane would be in Madison Ridge for more than just a few days.
Being around Emma for any length of time besides the hours in the office sent a flash of heat straight to his groin and a smile to his face.
“Need a ride?”
As if she’d materialized out of his musings, Emma leaned against his Range Rover. His body tightened at the sight of her in jeans that hugged her curves in all the right places, a red ski jacket, and knee-high boots. A smile that gave the bright stars overhead a run for their money curved those perfect pink lips of hers. A knit hat was pulled low over her ears, her hair spilling over her shoulders.
She looked so fucking good, he literally ached.
His long legs ate up the ground between them. Just before he got to her, he dropped his bag to the ground and took her face in his hands. He needed to taste her, and taste her he did. Shane crushed his mouth to hers and she responded in kind, her arms coming up to wrap around his waist. He plundered, reveling in the taste that was uniquely Emma. She tasted like secrets and warmth and sunshine, all wrapped into one.
