Page 51 of Entwined (Monarch)

“What if I had been sleeping in?”

“You weren’t though.”

“But what if I had?” She tucked the water between her knees and pulled her hair back into a ponytail.

I started walking. I knew she’d follow out of a sheer desire not to be one-upped by me. “Ms. Moretti, part of my job is to be able to read people. In your case, you’re a creature of habit. You wake up before eight every day. Probably before seven on most days. You like to get an early start to your day. And you don’t like being rushed. Therefore, you wake up early, so you have time to relax and enjoy a morning cup of coffee at your leisure. You might read, but you’re probably more of a sit and enjoy the silence type of girl. Here, it’s the sounds of nature. In San Francisco, you probably sat and looked out the window and watched the world below . . .” I trailed off, stopping, letting my gaze move to the rows of vines.

She was right behind me. I could feel her, a kind of magnetic pull.

I turned, tilted my head. “Tell me I’m wrong?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Okay. That’s creepy.” I laughed at her shocked expression. “Did you run a background check? Hire a private investigator to spy on me or something?”

I laughed again. “No, Siena. I didn’t spy on you. Although I do have a really good PI. You know”—I bopped her nose—“just in case.” I winked.

“Seriously spooky,” she said as she pulled her heel up to her ass.

I copied her movements as she went through her series of stretches. “Yeah, well. Creepy, or not, it’s what I do. I read people for a living in order to run the business. Something I’ve honed over the years. Psych one-oh-one, babe.”

“Yeah. In addition to constructing massive hotels. That’s got nothing to do with psychology,babe.”

She bent over, giving me a wicked view of her backside. Tight. Plump. Glorious.Fuck me sideways. She had a spectacular ass.

She shot upright so quickly I thought I might get whiplash.Did I say that out loud?She turned back with a mischievous smile. She reminded me of a cat. A glorious specimen, a tigress with hazel eyes. Greens, golds, and browns all swirling together in a perfect sphere. Her sphinxlike grin, almost wicked, held a hint of delight and a promise of pleasure. She licked her lips, and in that moment, I felt more like the prey than the hunter. “Ready?” Her eyes gleamed as she smiled seductively, I hoped, at me.

Words would not form. I couldn’t even think of anything clever to say. A simple yes would’ve sufficed. But the tiny word eluded me. And for the life of me, all I could do was nod like some lovestruck dumbass.

She shot off like a horse out of the gate. My vision cleared, and I was determined to make her the prey again. I sprinted after her, swearing not only would Inotlet her beat me, but I would alsonotlet her get away. She was my quarry, and she had started me on what felt like the race of my life. And, while we were both stubborn and headstrong—both unyielding and unwilling to give up what we believed in, both certain we were right—only one of us would emerge victorious.

My feet kissed the earth. I loved running. Feeling the cool morning air, the wind kissing my cheeks, running so fast, it felt as if I might be able to travel at the speed of light. I watched Siena, keeping her in my sights, allowing her to lead the chase, and relished the view before me as her feet, the paws of a tigress, propelled her forward.

She led me up a hill, past the same path we had run the other morning. I followed willingly, not knowing where exactly she was leading me. I didn’t care. This creature could lead me straight to the gates of hell, and I would happily follow.

I caught up, her breathing steady. This girl was born to run. She was born to lead the chase. And I was born to pursue her.

We were standing at the top of a hill overlooking the valley. I hadn’t realized we’d climbed as high as we did. But it was truly a sight to behold.

In the distance, surrounding the farm fields, orange groves, and rolling hills of grapes were majestic ranges of mountains, shades of purple in the morning haze, their peaks rising into the sun-kissed sky. Other wineries, orchards, and ranches could be seen on several adjacent hills and down other roads. Patches of trees dotted the hills, much like the ones on the hill where we were witnessing the glory of Monarch.Wow. Why hadn’t I noticed all this before?

“I thought you said you were hungover,” I said, trying to catch my breath.

She unzipped her jacket and dropped it at her feet. “I am. Or was, a little.”

I peeked at her through the hair hanging over my eyes. “Could have fooled me.” I blew out a breath and stood up, swiping my hair back.

“It’s beautiful up here, isn’t it?” She stood on her tiptoes and held her hands as high as she could in a full-body stretch. Her shirt lifted just enough for me to see the skin underneath. She turned around and caught me looking at her.

“You talking about the view ortheview?” I looked her up and down.

She shrugged, turning back. “Maybe both.”

I walked to where she stood, at the precipice of the hill, and looked out. We stood in companionable silence. It really was magnificent. We could see everything from up here, high enough for this view to have a profound impact.

I took a pull from my water and passed it to her. She smiled up at me, took a sip, and passed it back. She leaned slightly into me, and I hugged her close to my body. It felt good, just standing there with her, enjoying the view.

“You’ve probably seen this a thousand times, but it is really awesome.”

She let out a long breath. “It’s one of my favorite places. We don’t get the seasons like you do in New York, but we still have some great scenery.”

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