“Oh my god, your face,”I said, trying to cover it up. No sooner had the thought popped into my head than I actually said it out loud. “I’m kidding, of course.”
He wasn’t taking it as a joke. Though he sat casually with one ankle resting on his knee, his wine glass sitting atop his leg, nothing else about him was casual anymore.
It was like I’d just unleashed a feral wildcat. Maybe a panther. His dark hair reminded me of one, though I knew nothing about panthers, really. But they were cats, and therefore pounced. Which made it a good enough analogy for me. Because Marco one hundred percent looked as if he would pounce at any minute.
“Careful, Rae. I might just think you were serious.”
Damage control.
“Obviously not. We will be in business together, so to speak, if we really can pull off the horizontal tasting wine tour. And I’ve already talked to Min about a bunch of things too. I’ve got meetings all next week with neighboring vineyards.”
“I’d rather talk about the spanking you mentioned.”
The visual that popped into my head was probably enough to get me pregnant. Not that I wanted to be pregnant. Eventually, yes. But not as I tried to find my way at Sunset and figured out where I’d be settling first.
“My point exactly. I shouldn’t have said that. Worst idea ever.”
“I disagree.”
Leveling him the sternest look I could manage and trying to figure out how to navigate this new Marco, the less hostile one, I decided that with him, bluntness was probably best.
“As colleagues—”
“Rivals, you mean?” He smiled.
“If you want.”
He took a sip of wine, the sun falling behind the lake as soft music played from the boat.
“I don’t,” I admitted. “Not any more than is necessary given the situation. As I was saying...”Out with it Rae.“I’m all for starting over. But this,” I waved a hand between us. “Can’t be.”
“Says the girl who wants to spank me. Or maybe me to spank her? Not sure yet.”
Oh dear. I’d be paying the price for that one for a long time. “It was a joke. In bad taste, given the circumstances.”
As if no one but the two of us, including his ex’s brother, was on the boat but us, Marco uncrossed his leg, twisted toward me and leaned forward, balancing his wine beside him as if he’d held a wine glass since he was in the cradle.
“We can agree to disagree.”
“I’m serious Marco. Let’s do this ‘meeting each other’ thing right.”
“And that includes no flirting? Is that what you’re saying?”
He had no difficulty being blunt. And usually, neither did I. Maybe if he wasn’t so freaking hot. “Precisely.”
“Because we’re...colleagues.”
“Among other reasons, yes.”
“Evening folks, this is your captain speaking once again. Although your tasting includes a full glass of your choice of wine, feel free to order another, or even a full bottle at a fifteen percent discount, before we reach the shore. We’ve got about twenty minutes until we dock for the night.”
Twenty minutes should be more than enough, being that I wanted nothing to do with a romantic cruise around the lake with Marco Grado. Except, I didn’t want it to end. I swallowed.
“Seems like we’ve got twenty minutes. Let’s hear those other reasons.”
He sat back once again, the panther, retreating for now.
“Marco,” I shook my head.