The Vintner's Vixen (River Hill Book 1) Read online

  Despite her twinkling eyes, Noah could hear the doubt in her voice.

  Wanting to reassure her, he skated his fingertips along the slope of her shoulder and down her arm, until he reached her hand. Threading their fingers together he said, “I planned on bringing you out here for lunch. That’s all. We’ve got two bags of oysters waiting for us and the grill is ready to light. I was going to feed you, and then I was going to take you home, praying the entire drive back that you feel even half of what I feel for you.”

  Noah swallowed deep. He hadn’t meant to reveal so much so soon, but if he wanted this woman in his bed, he knew he needed to be real with her. They’d talked about a friends-with-benefits arrangement, but right now, his heart was telling him there was more to their connection than that. He could have that with just about anyone. Suddenly, he knew he wanted more with Angelica.

  “From the moment I laid eyes on you, I wanted you,” he continued. “You take my breath away.” He took Angelica’s other hand and wrapped them both around his neck. When he dropped his arms, hers remained locked tight around him. “And right now, I want—more than anything in the world—to return the favor.”

  Angelica licked her lips and her gaze grew cloudy with desire. “You already do.”

  “Not like this, I haven’t,” Noah promised as he slowly lowered them to their knees. And then he kissed her until he couldn’t remember his name and he was completely and utterly lost in the taste and feel of her, this maddening, exasperating, sexy, wonderful, delightful woman that he never saw coming.

  Easing Angelica onto her back, the tall blades of swaying grass wrapping them in a feathery cocoon, Noah took his time removing her clothes, unwrapping her like the precious gift that she was. And then they took turns exploring one another—his hands learning every curve and valley of her body, while she mapped out every sharp dip and plane of his.

  “I need you,” Angelica breathed, reaching for him after he’d coaxed a climax from her with fingers, lips, and tongue. “Please, Noah.”

  Noah kissed the inside of her thigh and sat back on his haunches. Reaching into his wallet, he pulled out a condom and rolled it over his throbbing cock.

  Angelica bit her lip and slid her thighs wider, giving Noah enough room to settle himself between them.

  “Say it again,” he demanded.

  The words themselves weren’t what mattered. They were simple things, uttered all the damn time in the heat of passion. But when Angelica said them, they called to something wild and primitive inside of Noah. When she begged, he lost all sense of himself so that the only thing that mattered was her pleasure. And that he was the one delivering it.

  “I need you,” she repeated. “Please Noah, fuck me.”

  With that entreaty, he thrust forward, burying himself deep inside of her.

  Angelica’s back arched off the ground and she wrapped her legs around his waist. “Oh my god! Oh shit. Oh god!”

  With each driving thrust, Noah thought she had the right of it. Because if this wasn’t heaven, he didn’t know what was. And when they came together, her nails raking down his back and his name on her lips, Noah thought he could die a happy man.

  Chapter Ten

  The oysters were good, but they were nothing compared to the sex. Angelica licked her fingers lazily, enjoying the warm juices from the grilled oyster she’d just tipped into her mouth almost as much as she enjoyed the way Noah’s eyes were following her every move. A repeat of their earlier activities seemed inevitable, and she wasn’t complaining. It had been the best sex she’d had in years. Maybe ever. In the middle of a meadow. Who knew?

  “That was the last one,” Noah said, his eyes not leaving her lips.

  “Sorry,” she said. “Did you want it?”

  “I want something,” he said.

  “Mm. Such as?”

  He smiled lazily. “You. Again.”

  Her hands rose to the collar of her shirt almost without her realizing it. She suspected his hot stare could get her naked without him saying a word.

  “Wait,” he said, breaking into her thoughts.

  “What?” Her hands froze.

  “Let’s go back to my place,” he said. When she hesitated, he must have thought the worst, because he hurried on. “I just meant there’s a bed. A big one? And, uh, a shower. You said that the plumbing—”

  “Yes.”

  “Yes?”

  “Yes, let’s go back to your place. You had me at shower.” She grinned at him. “I mean, sex too, but you really sold me with the shower.”

  His warm chuckle followed her as she swept discarded oyster shells and their lunch plates and napkins into a bag as quickly as possible. “You’re easily bribed, Angelica.”

  “You live without plumbing for a weekend and see how cheap you go,” she shot back.

  With Molly following them, tail sweeping a zig-zag through the waving grass, they made their way back to the truck. Once there, he backed her up against the passenger door and kissed her so thoroughly she was ready to climb him then and there.

  “Noah,” she gasped.

  He pulled back, breathing hard and shaking his head. “No, let’s go. I hate to admit it, but I might be getting too old for hot and heavy up against the seat of the truck.”

  When he put a hand on his back and winced dramatically, she gulped back a laugh. “Let’s go, then,” she said, reaching to open the door, but finding his hand already on the handle. “Oh. Thanks.”

  She put one foot on the truck’s running board, then gasped as his hand cupped her ass with a squeeze that veered in intimate directions. Her body tilted invitingly as she leaned into the caress, and she heard him gulp behind her. Then she was unceremoniously boosted into the truck with a firm push, and the door slammed shut behind her.

  “You started it,” she reminded him as he practically leapt into his own seat. “Don’t try to dish it out if you can’t take it, Blackstone.”

  “Oh, we’ll be dishing, all right.” The truck came to life with a rumble, and his hand came to rest between her thighs as she finished buckling her seat belt.

  The ride back to his house was excruciating, exhilarating, and over both far too soon and not nearly soon enough. His fingers worked their magic between her legs, slipping down beneath her pants to touch skin—and more—until she was gasping and sobbing in the seat, writhing in thwarted ecstasy.

  Noah pulled the truck to a stop and they tumbled out together. Molly followed them into the house, and somehow, he remembered to free the dog from her leash before he and Angelica fell into his bedroom, shutting the door firmly in front of Molly’s curious snout.

  Two hours later, Angelica traced lazy circles around the outlines of muscles on Noah’s chest. He yawned and trapped her hand underneath his, pressing down to flatten her palm against his body.

  “I like your room,” she said.

  “Hmm?”

  “It’s very you.”

  “Messy?” Their clothes strewn in a path to the bed weren’t the only things tossed around the room.

  She chuckled, feeling her body bounce gently against his. “No, it’s just…” she waved a hand. “Clean lines, good bones, interesting treasures, rustic overlay.”

  “That sounds like you’re describing a mess.”

  “Rustic doesn’t always mean messy.”

  “But it does right now.”

  “It’s a good mess.” She freed her hand and sat up. “Speaking of messes, you promised me a shower.”

  “I did? I think I like you dirty.” He tried to pull her back down.

  She could practically feel her hair squeaking. Between a hike, the salty breeze coming off the bay where they’d eaten lunch, incredibly hot sex—twice!—and the lack of a shower this morning, she was filthy. “Please.”

  “Can I impose conditions?”

  “You can shower with me.”

  “Can I impose more conditions?”

  “Like what?”

  “Dinner?”

  “Um,�
� she breathed out, pretending to think as she rolled out of bed. “How about you shower with me, and if you’re really nice, you can have dinner with me, too.”

  He grinned lazily. “How nice?”

  She smirked back. “What’s for dinner?”

  He tugged her back down for a kiss, then gave her a little push toward the bathroom. “Frankie’s?” he suggested.

  “You did lunch, so I’m buying.”

  “But—”

  She turned back around and poked him in the chest. “Don’t argue with me.”

  She suspected her impulse to insist on paying might need some self-analysis later. Then again, the fact that she was sleeping with a man she’d sworn not to might require some serious analysis, too. Not to mention a few vivid fantasies. Not that they’d ever compare to the real thing, she thought, as Noah flung mussed sheets aside to follow her to the shower.

  He made her scream twice with his fingers before lifting her against the tiled wall, water streaming over both of them as their bodies rocked together, hard and fast. As she shuddered around him, she felt the entire world go dim for a moment.

  Noah Blackstone was a hell of a drug.

  She entered Frankie’s behind Noah with a hint of something that felt suspiciously like nervousness. This restaurant was practically his home away from home. Was she intruding? She wondered as he greeted Max and the ever-present Sean. Then she straightened her shoulders and pushed those thoughts away. The hell with that. River Hill was her home, now, too. She owned the inn, and she intended to stay here. No matter what came of this… whatever it was she and Noah were doing. She had as much right to be here as he did.

  Still, it wasn’t hard to see the looks of surprise on Noah’s friends’ faces when he stepped aside to reveal her smaller form, nor did she miss the smirks they exchanged when he escorted her to a table instead of joining them at the bar.

  “Looks like he’s got the tacos again.” Noah’s voice was rich with anticipation. “I know what I’m getting.” A platter of said tacos passed them on its way to an eager recipient, and Angelica laughed as Noah’s entire body leaned towards it without conscious thought.

  “You look like one of those cartoon dogs who float away on a smell,” she teased.

  “If I ever learn to levitate, it will definitely be because of food.”

  “Let me know when that happens.” She picked up her menu and scanned it quickly. She’d been living in River Hill long enough to have grown familiar with it, but she hadn’t worked her way through the entire menu yet. Frankie’s wasn’t the only restaurant in town, just the best one. “Ooh, falafel.”

  “They’re good, too.”

  “Have you eaten everything here?”

  “Of course not.” She raised an eyebrow at him, and he spread his hands defensively. “He changes the menu seasonally! I couldn’t have.”

  She snorted, and he leaned across the table. “I can think of a few other things I’d like to—”

  “What a charming couple,” a familiar voice interrupted. “Are we celebrating anything special tonight?” Angelica glanced up from Noah’s enticing stare to find Max grinning down at them, holding a notepad ostentatiously.

  “You’re not our waitress,” Noah said dryly.

  “I am now. What’ll you have?”

  Noah rolled his eyes, and Angelica smiled. She could have told him they weren’t going to get through their meal without some heckling from his friends. Hopefully it would be mild. She wasn’t remotely in the mood for laughter and guffaws at her expense.

  Thankfully, Max ceased his ribbing and they ordered without further comment. When Max left, she returned her attention to Noah, who was watching her again, his expression speculative. “What?”

  “When is your plumbing going to be fixed?”

  “Tomorrow morning.”

  His eyebrow went up. “You got the plumber to agree to come out on a Sunday?”

  “I didn’t give him much choice,” she admitted. “Not my finest hour, but it’s his fault the water’s not running. It was supposed to be back up yesterday.” She was actually a little proud of herself for standing her ground on the matter. The plumber’s screw-ups didn’t need to impact her schedule, and she’d told him so. Loudly.

  “Well, you can shower at my place anytime.”

  “Thanks. If he fails to show up, you’ll be hearing from me.” She tossed him a grin, ignoring the tightness in her belly that tempted her to say she’d be over first thing in the morning.

  Step back, girl. This was casual, she reminded herself. Incredible, mind-blowing, orgasm record-setting, but definitely casual. No matter how much she enjoyed talking to him, and watching the expressions on his face, she wasn’t going to mistake it for anything else.

  This wasn’t L.A., where you could disappear into the city without anyone seeing your walk of shame. She wanted to stay in River Hill, become a part of the town. Here, everyone knew everyone else, and her business might depend on good relationships with other businesses. Like Noah’s, and Max’s, and others who were watching the happenings in their little booth with interest.

  Time to change the subject. “Are you still working on adjusting the vines on the driveway?”

  He gave her a glance she couldn’t interpret, but he didn’t push anymore about his shower offer. “Yeah. It looks like they’ve rooted really well. We won’t see any grapes until next year, so we’ll take the time this fall to give them a really solid structure to grow on, and adjust the soil if we need to.”

  She nodded like she had some idea of what he was talking about. “Makes sense.”

  “What about you?”

  “What about me?”

  “The plumber is fixing the upstairs bathrooms, right?”

  “Yeah, we switched out the fixtures in two of them, and just fixed the leak in the master.”

  “You didn’t replace anything in the master?”

  “I couldn’t give up the clawfoot tub,” she said with a blissful sigh. “It’s incredible.”

  “Is there a shower?”

  “You seem awfully interested in my shower situation,” she joked.

  He smiled, a dimple peeking through the rough hair on his jaw. “Can you blame me?”

  “There’s a shower,” she said. “Separate standing one. That’s what was leaking, actually. Apparently, it took longer to find the faulty pipe than he expected, and he had to leave his fix to cure before he could turn the water back on.”

  “I know literally nothing about plumbing, so I’ll have to take your word for it,” Noah said.

  “I don’t know much either,” she answered, “but I made him explain everything he was doing.” If she was going to renovate, she was going to do it right, and learn about all the things that could possibly go wrong in her new-old house.

  “On camera?”

  She made a face. “Apparently plumbing isn’t glamorous enough to bother filming. They did a few shots in the morning for the easy fixes, but they left us to do the hard stuff alone.”

  “Your tacos, worthy gentleman,” said a new voice.

  “You are definitely not our waitress,” Noah said to Sean, who was gleefully placing their plates in front of them.

  Angelica glanced to the side and saw Max grinning at them while the waitress who usually served this section was rolling her eyes and pocketing what looked like a twenty-dollar bill.

  “Did you bribe Jenny?” she asked.

  “Do I look like somebody who would bribe a waitress?”

  “Yes,” she and Noah answered in unison.

  “I’m offended.”

  “I’m offended that Max let you do it.” Noah spun his plate to angle his tacos in the right direction to line up with his mouth.

  “It was his idea.”

  “Of course it was.”

  Angelica took a bite of her dinner and let the two of them banter for a minute or two before she interrupted. “Did you want to get your joke out of the way before the tacos get cold?” She smiled sweetly
up at Sean, who looked startled, then pretended to be wounded.

  “Can’t a guy bring his best friend tacos once in awhile?”

  “Sure, if that guy learns that waiters usually leave after they’ve delivered the food,” Noah grumbled.

  “Good ones ask how you’re doing,” Sean said.

  “We’re fine. Go away.”

  “Sure you don’t need anything? Candlelight? Rose petals?”

  Angelica snickered as Noah aimed a fork at Sean’s wrist. “Go!”

  “Fine! Geez, the customer isn’t always right, you know.” Sean dodged the fork and gave Angelica a wave as he scurried back to the bar.

  “That was much better than I expected,” she said.

  “You expected it?”

  “You didn’t?” She looked at him, genuinely surprised. “You show up at your favorite restaurant with me in tow, and come to a table instead of the bar with your friends, and you don’t expect them to say anything?”

  His eyebrows drew down, and he looked chagrined. “When you put it that way…”

  She shrugged. “They were perfectly nice about it.”

  “I suppose. Sean should probably stick to his day job, though.”

  “Waiting tables probably isn’t his calling,” she agreed with a laugh.

  “I thought he was going to drop your plate in your lap.”

  “Half of your tacos are out of their shell,” she pointed out. “Balance apparently isn’t his strong suit.”

  He laughed and used his fork to scoop the filling back into his tortilla. “Max will never let him do it again, even for a prank. His plating is too important.”

  “Max’s food is amazing,” she said. He nodded agreement, mouth already full.

  After a few more bites, she sat back and took a deep breath. “So, are we going to talk about this?”

  He swallowed. “The food?”

  “Not the food.” She shook her head slowly.

  “Oh.”

  “Yeah.”

  Noah eyed her, and she felt a riot of conflicting emotions ripple through her body.

  “You first,” he said finally.

  She rolled her eyes. “Fine. It’s still Friendship Day, right?”