“When was the last time you worked in your own vineyards? Talked to one of your employees? When was the last time you did anything but party like the pampered playboy you are?”
Every muscle in Adrian’s body tensed. He’d let his libido run the show for the past twenty-four hours, but no more.
“You, Miss Bradford,” he replied, with a thread of steel in his tone, “are one of the most arrogant, rude young women I’ve ever met.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Me? Arrogant?”
He leaned down until his lips were just a breath away from hers. “You crash my party, then close an elevator door in my face. When I make a very long and unplanned trip to sort out this mess with your father, you almost leave me stranded in a storm. And then you yell at me for wanting to ensure Fox Vineyards continues instead of collapsing in on itself. Lest you forget, your father reached out tome, not the other way around. Perhaps you should direct some of your anger toward him.”
He’d barely spoken the last words when the rain suddenly abated, becoming a soft patter. Quietness settled over the barn.
Everleigh blinked, and some of the fight dissolved from her eyes. “I just...”
She started to turn away, but Adrian put a hand on her arm. The heat of her skin warmed him once more. His breath caught in his throat at how quickly and fiercely his desire flared.
“You just what?”
“You’re right.”
The words were spoken so softly he almost didn’t hear them.
“I still don’t think you’re the right person to lead Fox.” A regretful laugh escaped her lips. “But it’s easier to be angry at you than at my father. You’re not at fault. I’m sorry.”
Her words of apology froze him in place. As a child he’d craved an apology from his mother, a reason as to why she’d rejected him. But even years later, when she’d made a few feeble attempts to connect with him again, she’d never once explained her actions or apologized. The couple of times he’d tried to initiate a conversation she’d just teared up and walked away.
Everleigh looked down at his hand on her arm and then up at Adrian, uncertainty in her eyes. His fingers curled around her elbow and he tugged her closer. She obliged, her lips parting as her gaze settled on his mouth.
“Mr. Cabrera...”
Never had his last name sounded so sexy. The harsh words hanging in the air dissolved under the heat of the unbridled lust swirling between them. He leaned down, the uncontrollable need to taste her overwhelming his good sense.
“Everleigh!”
A sudden shout from outside the barn broke the spell. Everleigh blinked and took a step back, just before the barn doors swung open and Richard Bradford rushed in.
CHAPTER FIVE
HERDADRUSHEDinto the barn and threw his arms around Everleigh. Her eyes sought out Adrian over her father’s shoulder. Whatever desire she’d seen there had gone, replaced by an impenetrable shield of aloofness.
Had she really been about to kiss Adrian Cabrera?
What must he think of her? Especially after she’d once again lost control of her temper and behaved in a manner most definitelynotbecoming in an aspiring winery owner.
She closed her eyes against the shame. Adrian’s accusation had hit home with painful accuracy. Shewasdisplacing her anger and focusing it on him. In moments like these, when she let her emotions control her tongue instead of common sense, she feared that perhaps her father had made the right choice after all.
Her dad released her and she opened her eyes as he held her at arm’s length, his gaze scanning her. “Are you all right? Are you hurt?”
“Dad, I’m fine. What’s wrong?”
He blew out a breath and released his grip on her shoulders. “I turned around when I saw how bad the storm was getting. I didn’t like how we left things this morning, and when I saw the abandoned car in the driveway and the house empty...” His voice trailed off as he focused on the man looming behind her. “Mr. Cabrera?”
Adrian stepped up next to Everleigh and executed a short bow of his head. “Sí.It’s good to see you again, Mr. Bradford.”
Her dad’s eyes narrowed. “What are you doing in here with my daughter?”
“Dad!” Embarrassment heated her face. “I was riding Paris when he pulled up in the driveway and got a flat tire, so I brought him home.”
Her dad had the grace to look abashed. “Of course. My apologies, Mr. Cabrera. I know you wouldn’t... That is to say...”