Page 68 of So in Love
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Crystal pulledinto the West Arch Estate lot and parked near the door.She hopped out of the car and blinked against the brilliant sunshine, despite the fact that she was wearing her shades.It was a gorgeous winter day—cold, but the deep blue of the sky more than made up for it.
She’d been working on her proposal, her fingers flying over the keyboard, when Jamie had called to invite her up to the vineyard for lunch.She’d actually been loath to take a break, but in the end hadn’t been able to say no to him.
This was a recurring theme.She’d spent the night at his loft after surprising him with dinner.Then last night he’d shown up on her doorstep with dinner—albeit takeout.She didn’t mind since Slice of Pi had the best pizza west of the Mississippi.Actually, it was probably the best on the east side too.The owner was a retired math teacher and a good friend of Jamie’s family.In fact, he’d been Jamie’s favorite teacher and a bit of a mentor to him when he went to college.Crystal had felt a pang of envy when he talked about it.
School had never been her forte.It had been more like a nightmare.She couldn’t have gone to college even if she’d wanted to, not with her grades.Well, she supposed she could’ve gone to community college for a while, but doubted she would’ve fared any better there.That she’d managed to pull off a successful, lucrative career seemed like the heist of the century.
Except she hadn’t stolen it—it had been handed to her.
Geez, why was she standing here in the brilliance of a spectacular day, about to have lunch with her hot dude and letting her insecurity crap all over it?
Wait, “her hot dude”?Was that what he was?
He certainly wasn’t her boyfriend.Even if he sort of felt like one.
Stop it.We aren’t going there!
Scoffing at herself, she went into the winery.The main entry led into a great room where they had tastings.A long counter ran along the right side, and behind that wall was a spacious kitchen.Upstairs were the offices—Hayden’s and Cam’s on one end and Luke’s and Jamie’s on the other.Crystal hadn’t been here since she’d started seeing Jamie, but she’d had a tour on one of her visits to town last year.
SeeingJamie?
What the hell else would you call it?
Okay, she had to stop this internal dialogue.
Would it be better if we discussed it out loud?Plenty of people talk to themselves, you know.
Crystal stifled a laugh.Maybe she was losing it.Shehadbeen spending a lot of time in front of the computer screen.
Turning to the right, she went up the stairs to the top floor.A large conference room overlooked the vineyard; it was a stunning view.After pausing to appreciate it for a moment, she went on to Jamie’s office.The door was ajar, so she pushed it open.
He was on the phone but made eye contact with her, his gaze lighting up and his lips splitting into a sexy smile.Her heart skipped a beat, and she tried her damnedest to ignore it.
“Thanks, Bill.Bye.”He hung up the phone and jumped out of his chair.Circling the desk, he landed in front of her, sweeping her into his arms and kissing her soundly.“I missed you.”
She looked up at him, resting her hands on his chest.“Since this morning?”
“Always.”He kissed her again, his tongue finding hers, and for a moment, they surrendered to the ever-present electricity that zinged between them.“Plus, you’re leaving tomorrow for like two weeks or some ridiculous amount of time so I have to get all the Crystal I can.”
“Great, now you sound like a meth addict.”
He laughed.“Oh, I’m an addict all right.”He gave her a suggestive look and glanced toward the couch.
She arched a brow at him.“There are piles.”
“Of course.But I can move them.”
She rolled her eyes.“I came for lunch.”
“And I have that too.In the kitchen.But first I thought you might like to take a walk up to the excavation site now that they’re done.I’d suggest a picnic, but it’s too cold.”
“Too bad, that does sound fun.I’d love to see the site, thanks.”
He snagged his sunglasses from the desk and his coat from the back of the door, then they were on their way downstairs.He paused before they went outside and changed his shoes, putting on a pair of boots from the closet.“Good thing you wore boots today—and not those sexy ones with the killer heel.”
“Yeah, I’m glad I didn’t wear those.Still, rain boots would’ve been better.”
