Page 13 of Crashing Into Me
“This is just a gift. My apologies for ruining your vacation.”
He set the bottle on the counter, and she eyed the bottle’s label. It was a 2007 Tenuta dell’Ornellaia. She knew her wines, and this one was about nineteen hundred dollars a bottle.
“You can open it or not, it’s your choice.”
“How do you even know I like wine?”
“I called my sister and asked,” he said with that grin.
Damn it, Paula.I forgot to call her and kill her.Arms crossed, Lana walked over to the living room and sat on the couch next to the fireplace. It was so grand you could almost walk into it. It was also beautifully designed in a light stack stone that spanned the entire ceiling. It was really spectacular even when not lit. Kayden came in now, holding the bottle in one hand and an opener and a single wine glass in the other. He set them on the coffee table in front of her and winked at her.
What is his deal? Is that just something he does, or does he think it’s charming enough to get me in bed?She fought the urge to roll her eyes; sure, they’d fall out of her head. She was so annoyed. The uncertainty of a person’s intentions bothered her more now as an adult than it ever had in the past.
He moved to the other side of the table and sat on the cream colored love seat, across from her. After a minute, he spoke.
“You’re not sure whether you like me or not,” he stated, as he leaned back on the couch and folded his arms behind his head.
Now she was getting pissed off.If he thinks this whole “look at me, I’m sexy” routine is getting him anywhere, he has another thing coming.Yes, she was attracted to him; she already admitted it to herself, but the more he acted that way, the less she liked him.
“Whatever gave you that impression?” she asked sarcastically and rolled her eyes.
He smiled.
“I can also tell you’re intimidated by me.”
He knew exactly what he was doing if he had thought that this whole time.
“I just don’t know you. You don’t intimidate me one bit,” she lied.
“Well, we’re both here, and we’ve established that neither of us is leaving, so get to know me. I promise I won’t bite.”
“Promises are a comfort to a fool,” she reached for the bottle and began to open it.
From the way things were starting, it was going to be a long night, and she could stomach it better if she were tipsy. As she struggled with the cork, he reached over the table, placed his hand over hers, and took it from her. His eyes glowed in the darkness, and the warmth of his huge, yet gentle, hand touching hers sent a bolt of electricity through her. She felt herself reelingreluctantly and quickly removed her hand before she forgot that she couldn’t stand him—again.
He took the bottle, keeping his eyes locked on hers, but she turned her focus to the blazing fireplace. A gentle tug on the cork from his muscular arm, and the cork popped out with no effort. He poured her a glass and pushed it across the table to her.
“You’re really beautiful, you know that?” he asked as she reached for it.
She paused, surprised as she wasn’t expecting that to come from his mouth. She picked up the glass and drank half of it in one sitting.
“Not sure what to say to that,” she forced out finally, the wine burning her stomach.
“You could start with thanks.”
Lana downed the remainder of the wine and refilled her glass. She took a small sip this time and looked him in the eyes.
“So you wanted to get to know one another? You start.”
The wine was making her brave already, and she didn’t feel half as intimidated anymore. She was a lightweight, and drinking alcohol fast wasn’t a brilliant idea, but she needed to numb her very raw feelings.
“What do you want to know?” he asked.
“Let’s start with, where do you live? Where did you go to school?”
This would be interesting. She twirled the crimson liquid around her glass, letting the wine aerate more. He crossed his arms over his chest and stared at her intently. A defensive position already.
“I live in Atlanta and before that, New York, where I went to Cornell and majored in Architecture.”
