“And that’s not important to you anymore?”
“Not as important as you.”
“Wow,” she whispered, breathless. “Hard to fault any of these answers.”
That fist came out of his pocket, and he shook it out, flexed his fingers and stepped forward to cup her cheek, his thumb tracing the cupid’s bow of her upper lip. “I want to learn you, Hallie.” His voice was low, imploring. “Let me learn.”
Oh my.
A tremor coursed from her belly down to her knees, almost causing her to lose her balance. She might have, if the magnetism of his gaze wasn’t holding her steady. Of course, when this man decided to be romantic, decided to try and woo a woman, the results were deadly. She’d just underestimated how potent his full effort and attention would be.
Also, if this was an inappropriate time to be turned on, someone needed to tell her vagina, because while standing with Julian in the swirling mist of the moonlit night, his breath bathing her mouth, belt buckle grazing her stomach, it took serious effort not to lick him. Just lick him anywhere she could reach. Maybe those cords in his neck or the forearms he was hiding underneath the sleeves of his suit—
“Everything you’re thinking is right there on your face,” he said, battling a smile.
Hallie took a step backward, losing the warmth of his hand, his breath. “I’m thinking about the wine I’m going to drink.”
“Liar.” He tossed a glance toward the barn. “And don’t get your hopes up. It’s terrible. If my sister wasn’t in there, I’d suggest we make a run for it.”
“Terrible wine?” She grimaced. “How badly does anyone need a sister?”
He laughed. A rich, rumbling sound that made the air feel lighter. “Come on.” He held out his hand to her. “We’ll spill it out under the table while his back is turned.”
“That sounds like the kind of plan I would come up with.”
His eyes flickered with determination. Affection. “I’m learning you already.”
Lord help her, she couldn’t do anything but twine her fingers through his after that. She watched with a grapefruit in her throat as he kissed her knuckles gratefully, pulling her at his side toward the barn. Then . . . she was walking into a wine tasting holding Julian’s hand. Like a couple. He led her through a light-strung barn, through a gathering of about two dozen people, the scent of fermented grapes and straw heavy in the air. Guests stood in groups around candlelit high-top tables, their glasses of wine remaining noticeably full.
The waiter who’d obviously been hired to refill glasses and prod attendees to buy bottles to go looked stressed, unsure of what to do with himself. And his boss, the Navy SEAL turned Napa vintner, was too busy staring deep into Natalie’s eyes to advise him.
“Oh boy,” Hallie muttered.
“Uh-huh. Ask me how glad I was when your Uber pulled up.”
“Maybe we should help.” Julian slid a full glass of red wine in front of her, looked at it pointedly. She picked it up and took a sip, bitterness oozing down her throat. “Dear God,” she croaked. “There’s no way to salvage this.”
“None,” Julian agreed.
Someone a few tables over called Hallie’s name—a recurring client—and she waved, smiling and exchanging some predictions about what would be blooming soon. When she turned back to Julian, he was watching her closely, that deep groove taking up real estate between his brows. All she could do was stare in return, sighing shakily when he rested a big hand on her hip, tugging her closer. Closer. Until she was in the circle of his heat, head tilted back. “You’re dangerous like this,” she murmured.
That thumb dug into her hip bone, ever so slightly. “Like what?”
Tingles ran all the way down to her toes, hair follicles prickling on the crown of her head. “Are you going to pretend like you’re not trying to seduce me?”
His focus fell to her mouth. “Oh, I am one hundred percent trying to seduce you.”
A long, hot clenching took place between her thighs, tummy muscles coiling, skin temperature skyrocketing. With a trembling laugh, she glanced over her shoulder and quickly scanned the room. “At least three of my regular clients are here. It wouldn’t be very professional to be seduced where they can see me.”
Was he looking at the pulse in her neck? It started beating faster, as if preening under the attention. “Then I suggest we go for a walk.”
She pursed her lips at him and hummed. “I don’t know about that. The last time we went for a walk in a vineyard, I only came back disappointed.”
The corner of his mouth jumped with humor, but his eyes were serious. “Not this time, Hallie.”
A promise. A confident one.
“What does that mean, exactly?” Hallie asked softly, haltingly.
He hesitated a moment, tongue tucked into his cheek. Then he dropped his mouth to her ear and said, “It means, this time I’m not finishing on your thighs.”