“That . . . that was incredible,” he said.
She turned around and grinned at him. She couldn’t help it.
“What was incredible?” she asked. Yes, fine, she wanted to hear him praise her. So sue her.
He leaned against the doorframe, a grin on his face.
“The way you dealt with that guy. He was a nightmare, and you managed to put him in his place completely. I only wish Taylor could have been there to see that, she would have loved it.”
Margot laughed. She had felt pretty triumphant about that, actually.
“I have to admit, it felt pretty great. Maybe that’s petty— shouldn’t I have taken the high road, and, like, made him fall in love with our wines? What a terrible example to set in front of my new, young, impressionable employee. And yet, it felt so good.”
Luke had a huge grin on his face.
“First of all, your new, young, impressionable employee thought that was a very instructive life lesson on how to get rid of an annoying customer. And second, I think you more than made up for any wine that guy would have bought—which, we both know he wouldn’t have—by the impression you made on those women. They told me on the way to the car they were ready to join your army. And the three of them joined the wine club—even the pregnant one, who wasn’t drinking today. That was all due to you.”
Margot sat down on the edge of her desk and laughed.
“Not all due to me—they were already in excellent hands by the time I walked into the tasting room, and you get all of the credit for that. You did well on your own.”
He brushed that aside.
“Thanks, but I was very glad when you walked in. I could have handled two, maybe three, of the fun tables like those women, but once I get the actual wine people like that guy, my eyes start to glaze over and I forget everything I’ve ever known about wine—the vast majority of which, by the way, I’ve learned in the past few weeks.”
He grinned at her, and she grinned back. Why was it so fucking easy with him, so natural to talk to him and laugh with him? It wasn’t fair.
She glanced around her desk, and then jumped up.
“Oh no, I think I left my phone behind the bar. Let me grab it now, before everything gets busy again.”
Luke straightened up as she walked toward her office door. Then, in one quick move, he closed the door.
“What are you—” Her voice died out as she looked up at him.
He put a hand against the wall next to her head, trapping her against the wall with his body. Like he’d done that night. She knew she could get around him, open the door, and leave. But she didn’t want to. The proximity to him was intoxicating.
He wasn’t touching her, but he looked at her with such heat in his eyes that it felt like his hands were all over her.
She looked back at him. This was a bad idea. She had to leave.
She didn’t move.
“Margot.” He said her name in a low voice, a voice she hadn’t heard since that night. “Please tell me you think about that night, like I do. Am I alone in this? Because, my God, I think about it all the time. I think about you all the time. I can’t be the only one who feels this, can I? Sometimes—most of the time—I think I am. And then, every so often, you look at me in a way that makes me think I’m not. Tell me I’m not. Tell me you want me.”
He held her gaze. She wanted to look away, to deny it all, but she couldn’t.
“I can’t tell you that,” she said.
“Can’t, or won’t? Can you not tell me that because it’s not true, because you don’t want me? Or do you just not want to say it?”
If only it weren’t true.
“I can’t tell you that because I’m your boss,” she said in a low voice. “I can’t tell you that because that night never should have happened.”
She wished she weren’t breathing so fast.
He shook his head, but his eyes never left hers.
“You know that’s not true,” he said.
God, he was so close to her. She wanted to reach for him so badly. She let her eyelids flutter shut. Maybe it would be easier to move away from him if she couldn’t see him. But no, this was worse. Now she could feel the warmth coming from his body, so close to hers. She could feel his breath on her face. She could smell him, that smell she remembered from that night, that fresh soap smell, combined with his own body scent. She breathed it in and smiled. Now he smelled a little bit like wine, too.
She could hear him, breathing as fast as she was.
She opened her eyes. He was still looking straight at her.