Page 39 of A Fortunes of Texas Christmas (Fortunes of Texas)

He was nervous. Watching Robin walking around the luxurious hotel suite, her fingertips caressing the back of the sofa, the table, the balustrade leading out to the patio—it turned his usual confidence to mush.

He ordered dinner, agreeing with her suggestion that they eat in his suite. He wanted to have as much alone time with her as he could. He opened a bottle of wine, a pinot noir from his own vineyard that he’d brought with him, and he watched as she took a sip, mesmerized by the way she savored the taste. She did everything with such intense passion—she tended the gardens at the Fortune ranch with a zeal and commitment that was riveting. She rode a horse as though she’d been born in the saddle; she ate a doughnut as though it were a delicate pastry; she spoke about Christmas with animated delight. And she kissed with a hunger that undid him.

Knowing they were going to make love, knowing he would be touching her, kissing her, making her his own in the most intimate way possible, filled the air between them with a kind of blistering-hot awareness.

“This is nice,” she said and gestured to the glass in her hand.

“It is from my vineyard,” he explained, so aroused by the mere sight of her that he could barely stand being in his own skin.

She smiled. “Tell me about it.”

“It is on a hill in the Loire Valley. It has a house on it that I am planning to renovate. There is much to do, as the home has not been lived in for many years, but it has the most spectacular view of the vines. In the evenings, the sun sets and the colors mix with the scents of lavender and rosemary that are embedded deep within the earth.”

Her gaze was locked with his. “It sounds magical.”

“It is,” he said softly. “One day, I think I would very much like to live there.”

She had a tiny smile on her lips. “So, maybe you’re not such a nightlife-loving playboy after all.”

He couldn’t help shrugging. “Maybe. I don’t know...I think perhaps I just live the life I have and don’t let myself believe I have time for anything else. But the vineyard...” His voice trailed off for a moment. “It is away from the city, away from the world. I can imagine what it might be like to simply sit out on the balcony with a glass of wine as the sun sets.” He met her gaze straight on. “I would like it very much if you would visit sometime.”

“I’d like that, too.”

His heart surged, and for the first time in his life Amersen wondered if what he was feeling was more than simply physical desire. Because the idea of having her beside him at his home on the hill didn’t make him want to run a mile. He’d never sought commitment in a relationship; he’d never dated anyone long enough to recognize any woman as his petite amie...a girlfriend. Lover, certainly...but a girlfriend was different. But Robin made him think about it. Being with her was easy. It felt...right. As though they’d known each other forever and not a matter of mere days.

There was a knock on the door, and his thoughts were quickly diverted. “Our dinner.”

Within minutes they had their meal on the table by the balcony, their wineglasses were refilled and the waiter who had brought the food discreetly disappeared. Amersen pulled out a chair and beckoned Robin to sit. Once she was in the chair, he lingered behind her for a moment, noticing her beautiful neck and how her long hair hung down her back. Never in his life had he met a woman with such beautiful hair.

“I have something for you,” he said as he sat and passed her a small box that was on the table. “I meant to give this to you tomorrow, before I left.”

She took the box and met his gaze levelly. “Another gift?”

He shrugged, faintly embarrassed. “It is just a—”

“As much as I appreciate the gesture,” she said softly and laid her hand over his, “I don’t need gifts. That’s not why I’m here with you, Amersen. I know you’re wealthy, and maybe in the past you’ve known women who want something from you that comes in a box...but I don’t. I don’t care about your money or your fame. I don’t care that you have countless followers on your social media accounts and that every move you make is probably watched with interest by the paparazzi. That person,” she said with a kind of raspy emphasis, “that man, the one who owns a nightclub and knows celebrities by their first names and writes a blog that’s read by millions of people around the world...that’s not the man I want to be with tonight.” She rubbed her thumb gently across his knuckles. “The man I want to be with is the one who makes me laugh, the one who looks at me and makes me feel like I’m the only woman in the room. You,” she said softly. “Just you.”

His chest inexplicably tightened. “I can take the gift back to the store if you—”

“Just be yourself

,” she said warmly and patted his hand. “That’s all I want.”

“I guess I am not good at this...thing?”

Her mouth curled at the edges. “What thing?”

He searched for the right word. “I don’t know...this dating thing.”

She smiled broadly. “Is that what we’re doing?”

He shrugged. “I have no real idea. I did not come to Austin expecting to meet someone like you. And the gift...” He paused, taking a breath, feeling the heat of her stare through to his soul. “The gift is merely a clumsy way of saying what I cannot say with words.”

She gasped slightly and pulled her hand away. Her eyes were never bluer and glittered brilliantly. He watched as she unwrapped the box and held the trinket in her hand. He’d found the jeweled unicorn, attached to a gold linked chain, days earlier and had instantly thought of Robin.

“It’s beautiful,” she said and met his gaze. “Thank you.”

He nodded slightly. “My pleasure.”

---