Patience wasn’t my strongest suit, but waiting for the week to pass was testing me in ways I hadn’t experienced before. For the first time since I started Maxwell Wineries, I couldn’t wait for the week to be over.
At lunch on Friday, my brothers strode inside my office. Declan came first, followed by Tyler and Luke.
‘So, since you’re off the hook this weekend, are we going out on the town?’ Tyler asked. That was usually what we did when Paisley was with Gran or my parents. ‘It’s off-season,’ Tyler went on, ‘so I’ve got a lot of time, and I’m still in a celebratory mood. Man, winning the Stanley Cup never gets old.”
I hadn’t told my brothers my plan to go away with Lexi, but this was the right time to do it. I couldn’t wait to see their reactions. ‘I’m going away for the weekend.’
Declan cocked a brow. Tyler jerked his head back. Luke frowned as if he wasn’t understanding.
‘You mean for a break?’ Luke asked.
‘Yes. With Lexi.’
‘Where are you going?’
‘The vineyard,’ I replied smoothly. Mom and Dad lived in the city, and we all used the vineyard as a vacation home.
My brothers weren’t just stunned now. They were downright shocked. Declan opened his mouth and closed it again. I’d never seen him speechless, and that was saying something. As a lawyer, he always had a reply for everything.
Tyler narrowed his eyes. ‘Wait, so he took off one afternoon,’ he said slowly, counting on one finger.
Declan turned to him. ‘After blowing Luke and me off, I want to point out.’
So, he’d found his voice again.
Luke was glancing around with a grin. ‘No one’s jumping to conclusions? No? Just me?’
Tyler grinned. “Oh, I’m not just jumping to conclusions. I’m diving headfirst. Anyone want to hear my theories?”
I groaned, standing up. ‘I don’t have time for this. I have to pick up Lexi.’
Declan whistled. ‘Yeah, you do have time. You don’t want to hear us.’
I shook my head, announcing, ‘I’m leaving now. I’ll see you all on Monday.’
As I drove to Lexi’s, I mulled over everything. Nothing else had changed, yet I was in a better mood than ever before.
I pulled the car in front of her building and headed straight up to her apartment. I’d only been here twice before, but I’d been so focused on Lexi that I didn’t properly inspect it. This time, I looked around with a critical eye. I liked that the building had a doorman, even though there were always strangers going in and out as they pleased. Did she have a security system?
I took the elevator up to her floor and knocked on the door. She immediately opened it, eyes wide.
‘I’m almost done,’ she said before I even had the chance to say hello. “I need to find my toiletries bag, which I packed with great care, and I have no idea where I put it.’ She dashed away from the door.
‘Hey, I don’t even deserve a kiss?’ I called after her.
‘After I find my toiletry bag,’ she called from inside the apartment. ‘Come in. Make yourself comfortable.’
I was preparing myself to wait for a while. Whenever Paisley said she needed a bit of time, it took forever. So I went to the living room, sat down, and looked around. It was a comfortable apartment but on the small side. Remembering my security question, I glanced at the front door. It didn’t look like she had an alarm.
‘I’m done,’ she said, coming in a few minutes later holding the toiletry bag in front of her like it was a prized possession before stuffing it in the luggage next to the front door. She grinned, looking up at me and making a come-here motion with her finger. ‘I’ll give you that kiss now if you’re still up for it.’
I strode straight to her, pinning her against the wall. I needed to kiss her just as much as I needed my next breath. I couldn’t explain it, but my need for her was buried deep inside me. As soon as I kissed her, I knew it wouldn’t be enough. This wasn’t going to satisfy me, not even close. I pressed my hips against her, deepening the kiss. My cock stirred, hardening by the second.
Lexi moaned, rolling her hips before pulling her head back, laughing. ‘Wow. That’s what I call a kiss. But I meant what I said, mister. I want us to get to the vineyard while it’s still sunny outside so you can give me a tour.’
I took a step back, rocking from my heels to my toes, legs wide apart, hands in my pockets. ‘Okay, then. Let’s go.’
She looked at me suspiciously.
‘If I come any closer, Lexi, I’ll kiss you again, and this time, I won’t stop at that. I need to make you mine. It’s a need I don’t understand, but I feel it every single time we’re together.’
Her breath caught. She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, taking two steps back. ‘Okay, then we’d better go before I tempt you too much.’
‘You’re a walking temptation for me, Lexi, no matter what you do.’ She grinned, moving to grab her bag, but I was there first, clapping my fingers around the handle. ‘I’ll take this.’
‘Oh, such a gentleman. Thank you. Let me lock up. Now, where is my key? Oh, here it is.’
‘Do you have a security system?’ I asked as we went out of the apartment and she locked the door.
‘I think I do.’
‘What do you mean, you think you do?’
‘I’ve never used it. I have this fancy box next to the door, but I don’t know what functions it has.’
I groaned. ‘Lexi, you’re killing me. Open the door so I can look at it.’
She laughed, and instead of opening the door, she finished locking it before turning around. ‘You, sir, said it’s my job to make sure we get out the door on time. So let’s go. You can look at my alarm system another time.’
‘Lexi, I want you to be safe.’
Her eyes softened. ‘Fine. I promise I will let you look at it at some point, but now we should go. Come on. I’m eager to start the weekend.’
I agreed reluctantly, and we took the elevator down. Once we were in the car, she buckled her seat belt and started chattering. ‘How is Paisley?’
I loved that she thought of my daughter so often. It proved how right she was for me.
‘She’s over the moon. She loves spending the weekend at Gran’s since she’s going to be spoiled from early morning until late in the evening.’
Lexi laughed softly. ‘Yes, she will. I’m glad you’re aware of that. So, tell me a bit about the house.’
‘Well, it’s been in my family since I was a kid. I grew up there. We rebuilt it a few years ago, so it doesn’t look anything like the original house.”
“And it’s on a vineyard, right?”
“Yes, but that’s a small one, one acre. I bought other vineyards in the area that are much bigger.”
“And you also have quite a few in California.”
I grinned. “You’ve done your research.”
She shrugged. “My favorite wines come from there. So, does anyone live at the house?”
“No, but every once in a while, we go there for a weekend escape too. I have to admit I haven’t been in some time.’
‘What made you decide to, now?’
I reached for her hand, and she put it in mine. ‘I want to spend time with you, and I want to share with you where I grew up. That house means a lot to me. It inspired me to go into the wine business.”
“So, what is the plan for the weekend?” she asked.
“I didn’t make one. We can do what you want. I just want to be with you.”
She flexed her fingers against mine as she looked out the window, but I caught her smile.
“You certainly know how to turn on the charm and make me feel special,” she murmured.
“You are special,” I assured her.
She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye before turning around to face me. She didn’t say anything.
“What?” I asked.
“I was thinking about things that I’m not gonna share with you.”
“Why?”
“To give you a taste of your own medicine.”
I burst out laughing. “I’m not doing it to tease you, you know.”
“But I am. You have this sexy edge when I challenge you. Makes me want to jump your bones.”
“Lexi!” My voice was almost a growl.
“Ooops. Not what I intended to say. Ignore me.” Dropping her voice to a whisper, she added, “Just until we get out of the car.”
This woman. She was sexy and seductive even when she was trying to be playful.
She was going to be the death of me.
***
We arrived an hour later, and I brought her straight inside the house to give her a tour. The house was dead center in the middle of the vineyards. It had three bedrooms and panoramic views everywhere.
‘This is beautiful,’ she said, looking around the living room.
‘The original house was actually up the hill, close to the edge of the property, but I wanted the new one to be in the middle of it all.’
‘I can see that. It looks beautiful. So serene,’ she murmured. ‘Thank you for bringing me here.’ Turning around, she said, ‘I saw food in the fridge. I’d love to cook something.’
That caught me off guard. I’d expected that she’d want to go to a restaurant. There were several expensive ones around us. ‘We can go out,’ I suggested.
‘But I want to cook something for you and make a cozy evening for us. Take care of you a bit and hear lots and lots of stories about this place.’
Her words tugged at my chest. I liked being here with Lexi, talking to her about the things that were important to me and that meant something. They were all part of who I was. And she seemed to want to hear about it all.
I wrapped my arms around her, kissing her neck. “Funny, I was thinking to do the same: take care of you.”
She melted into my embrace. “I love the energy of this space. It’s so calm. Is that why you like it here?”
“Partly. It also reminds me of where my love for winemaking began. I have very fond memories of this place.”
“Oooh, do tell.”
“Later.” I kissed the back of her neck, tilting her head so I had better access on one side. Her skin was inviting, her sweet floral scent intoxicating.
Her stomach rumbled, and she chuckled. ‘I think that’s our cue to make dinner. How come there’s food here?’
“We have someone who takes care of the house. I asked him to stock the fridge.”
I let her go reluctantly. She opened the fridge, taking out chicken and potatoes.
‘What if I make pan-fried chicken and baked potatoes?’
‘Everything sounds good to me.’
‘Awesome. You can start by peeling the potatoes. It’ll be a team effort,” she said with a wink.
“And by pouring your wine.’
‘Oh, I love it when you talk dirty to me. What kind of wine do you have?’
I wiggled my eyebrows. ‘Chardonnay.’
“Yes, please.’
‘Your wish is my command.’
“You can’t keep your mind out of the gutter, can you?” she asked, shimmying her hips.
I instantly stepped right into her space, groping her ass.
“Not if you do that.”
‘You, sir, are being shameless, and I’m only warning you once. I need food to have energy for any sexy stuff.”
“I can do all the work.”
She burst out laughing. My ego took a hit.
“Why are you laughing?”
She tilted her head, glancing at me out of the corner of her eye. ‘I’m going to tell you as soon as you let me finish dinner.’
‘Fine by me,’ I said. “I’ll grab a bottle of wine and then stay here, making sure your lovely ass doesn’t get cold or anything. I love this dress, by the way.”
“Why?”
“It gives me access.” I fondled it with both hands, making her laugh again.
We had a cellar here too, of course, and I went down to grab a bottle of Chardonnay.
After pouring for both of us, I started peeling the potatoes. Next to me, Lexi kept fidgeting, and it took me a few minutes to realize she was dancing to a song she was humming while she was rinsing the chicken.
This moment was so simple and mundane, but it was so damn perfect. This was how life could be. Coming home to Lexi, cooking dinner with her, and drinking a glass of wine—enjoying her.
I couldn’t even believe I was entertaining these thoughts. I’d tried the marital life once, and it was anything but bliss. It left me with scars, and worst of all, it left Paisley with them as well. I didn’t even have the luxury of dreaming about a life with Lexi, but damn, if that wasn’t all I wanted to do right now. For the first time, I could see how a relationship could work.
***
Dinner was ready one hour later, and we ate at the small table in the kitchen. Lexi usually ate her breakfasts much slower than I did, but tonight, she was scarfing down food, and we were both done at the same time.
“You were hungry. I’ve never seen you eat so fast,” I commented.
“I want to take a walk through the vineyard. I want you to tell me all about its history and why you love it so much.”
I couldn’t believe she was so interested in my life and my past.
We cleaned up quickly and headed outside. We still had plenty of time for a walk; the sunset was at eight at this time of the year.
I kissed her shoulder, eliciting a giggle from her.
Fucking hell, I loved that sound. And I liked having her here in this place that had always grounded me.
Taking her hand, I led her through the vineyard. It wasn’t huge, but you could walk through it for about forty minutes.
“So this is where your love for wine started, huh?” she asked.
‘Yes. Dad always loved making wine. It’s how we bonded when I was a kid. He didn’t produce much. It wasn’t something he could do as more than a hobby. He didn’t have time.’
‘The bookstores kept him busy?’
‘Yes. He and my uncle ran the company my grandfather started, Maxwell Bookstores. He never loved it, but he felt it would be disrespectful if he gave it up. And it was probably the only thing keeping his brother alive.”
“But they sold the chain of bookstores a long time ago, right? And Beatrice kept The Happy Place.”
“Yes, exactly. They sold off the company ten years ago. I was in college. They got a good offer, and both of them decided it was time to let go.”
“Where is your uncle now?”
“He lives in Europe. Travels a lot.”
“How come he’s not running The Happy Place?”
“It wasn’t a challenge for him. He ran a whole chain before. Besides, the manager is doing a great job. And Reese is around now too.”
She looked around curiously. The desire to kiss her slammed into me. Turning her around, I captured her mouth, exploring her like a man possessed. Lexi belonged here, in this place that made me into the man I was today. The vineyard usually grounded me, but tonight, it was more than that.
I wasn’t just feeling balanced or grounded. I was whole in a way I’d never, ever been.
And that was all Lexi.
