That couldn’t have made me happier—our plan had worked. The vineyard was primed for success where it wouldn’t have been without my gram’s money. I stared out blindly at the vines of fruit, chewing on my lip. This morning, I was troubled. There was something very worrisome about the accounting files Walter had given me. I didn’t want to admit even to myself what I thought I’d figured out, but the more I went over them, the more certain I was becoming. And I didn’t know what to do.
“You look deep in thought.”
I whirled around, bringing my hand to my mouth and laughing as Grayson swooped me into his arms. “How’d you find me here?” I asked as he pressed his lips to my throat. “I thought I was properly hidden from you.”
“You can never hide from me. I’ll always sniff you out.” Then he placed his nose to my throat and started sniffing around like an overeager dog. Or dragon. I squealed, laughing at the feeling of his breath tickling my skin and then pushed him away as he laughed too.
“And here I went to so much trouble to plot and scheme so I might get you alone somewhere hidden and do all sorts of dirty, dragonish things to your body.”
I laughed. “Haven’t you done enough of that already?”
“Never.” He turned and it was then I spotted the basket, which he picked up and brought over to where I was standing. He glanced around, setting his sights on a small grassy area in a warm spot of direct sunlight. Then he opened the basket and removed a large quilt and spread it out. Grayson turned to Sugar Pie, who was sniffing something nearby. “Give us some privacy, Sugar Pie. Go chase a mouse or something.” Sugar Pie chuffed, moving on to a grapevine farther down the row, avoiding the fruit as she’d been trained.
“You have been plotting,” I noted. “What is this about?”
“This,” he said, sitting down and tapping a spot next to him, “is about teaching you to recognize the different grapes. Come here.”
I joined him, sitting next to him on the quilt.
“If you’re going to be the proper wife of a winemaker, you need to know about the variety of grapes we grow so when people ask, you can answer them with knowledge and confidence.”
“Ah.” I attempted to open the basket, but he snapped it closed, making me laugh.
“Patience, little witch. First, I’ll need you to undress.”
I raised a brow. “This lesson requires nudity?”
“As all good lessons do. Obviously,” he said, the glint of dragonish devilry in his dark eyes. My heart flipped, and my feminine muscles clenched at his blatant masculine beauty. And God, I loved when his dragonish side came out.
“It’s a little chilly for nudity, don’t you think?”
“I’ll keep you warm. Promise.”
I laughed softly but obeyed, removing my long-sleeved T-shirt, kicking off my shoes, and unbuttoning the top button on my jeans. I lay back and Grayson held the bottoms and tugged them off. No one had ever studied me quite so intently, and under the bright light of the sun and I was tempted to feel insecure, but by the pure appreciation on his face, I let that go.
“You’re so beautiful it hurts,” he murmured. He leaned in, feathering his lips down my throat and then whispering in my ear. “I once thought to myself that when I made love to you, I’d always want to do it in the light so I could see every vibrant part of you—this beautiful, richly colored hair.” He picked up a strand and let it fall through his fingers. “Emerald eyes…”
“Grayson,” I murmured, dragging my fingers through his dark hair as my body relaxed, heated under the blanket of his warmth. He went up on his knees momentarily and removed his T-shirt and then leaned forward to unsnap my bra. It fell to the side, and he brought the straps down my arms, his eyes lingering on my nipples, hardening immediately in the crisp air.
“Just like rose petals,” he whispered. And then he came back over me, his tongue slipping into my mouth. I shivered, sparks igniting between my legs. Why couldn’t I ever get enough of him? And why did I love that so much?
My hands skated down his spine, his skin like warm velvet. He was so broad, so hard everywhere, so perfectly male. I loved the feel of his weight on top of me, the feel of his shifting muscles beneath my palms causing a delicious stir in my belly. He was so much stronger than me, and yet he treated me so gently. The slow movement of his pelvis on mine set my blood on fire, and I moaned into his mouth. We had made love countless times already, but somehow each time felt new and different. Each time I made delicious discoveries not only about him but about myself as well.
I brought my hand between us and ran my fingers over his stomach muscles, feeling them tense under my touch as he sucked in a breath. He smiled against my mouth, drawing away from me as I let out a small whimper of loss. Ah, so he’s the one in control today. He leaned back and removed a bunch of grapes from the basket and placed it on the blanket next to us. “This,” he said, his voice husky, “is a chardonnay grape.” He plucked one from the bunch, sucking it between his lips and biting it in half. I watched, spellbound as he took it between his fingers and brought it to my nipple. I moaned softly, leaning my head back as my eyes fell closed. The feel of the wet fruit, warmed by his mouth, felt delicious against my tender skin. He leaned down and licked the juice left by the grape, kissing each nipple before bringing the piece of grape to my lips.
“The flavor of a chardonnay grape is usually neutral, the flavors brought out by the oak,” he said, rubbing it on my mouth. I licked my lips as he watched my tongue, his eyes growing dark and lazy with desire. I saw the pulse in his neck beating rapidly. I took the grape between my teeth and bit down, closing my eyes as the sweetness burst across my tongue. Grayson leaned in again and kissed me, swirling his tongue in my mouth.
“Hmm,” he murmured against my ear as he pulled away.
I liked these lessons very much. “How am I doing so far?” I asked.
“Very good. I like the way you pay attention,” he teased.
I laughed softly. “You’re kind of hard to ignore.”
His lips tilted up in a small, satisfied smile and he leaned back and pulled another bunch of bluish-purple grapes from the basket. “Cabernet sauvignon,” he said, his voice low. He again took one to his lips and bit it in half, before trailing it down my belly. Then he leaned in to lick the juice, the feel of his hot tongue on the sensitive skin of my stomach causing my pulse to jump frantically. I clutched his head in my hands, gasping out a breath. He lifted his head and for one brief second, our eyes met and held, something unspoken flowing between us.
I love you, I thought. My heart is yours. I let my head fall back, too afraid to say the words for fear he wouldn’t say them back.
“These grapes make a full-bodied wine,” he said, his voice sounding as if he was fighting for control. Either I will never remember this lesson, or I will remember every word. Every sensation.
Before I even realized it, Grayson had stood and apparently taken off his shoes because he was now stripping off his jeans. He was back down beside me in only seconds, plucking another grape from a different bunch of deep-purple fruit. He held it in his teeth and hooked his thumbs in my underwear. As I lifted my hips, he pulled them off, tossing them aside. He knelt beside me and ran his index finger between my legs and I moaned, parting for him. He slid the grape over my most sensitive skin as I fought to control my hips from thrusting toward him, wanting more. “Merlot,” he purred. “Yields wine with rich berrylike flavors.”