It was only about eleven in the morning—too early for lunch, but not too early for other fun. “I have an idea.”
“Please tell me it involves sleeping or eating.”
“How about drinking?” he asked.
“That’ll work.”
“Great. Because my wine reserves are running low,” he said.
“Wine tasting?”
“Yeah.”
“On a beautiful Sunday afternoon, life doesn’t get much better,” she said.
It does when that afternoon includes Harper.
~~
Scenic view-gasm!
“Where in the world did you find this spot?” Harper asked, unable to believe that they had the entire view of the vineyard to themselves.
“A friend of mine used to work here and told me about it. But I come whenever I make the trip up this way.”
“It’s spectacular.” They’d only had to hike a short distance to where the grapevines stopped and the pine trees began, but it felt like they were overlooking the entire Napa Valley: miles and miles of rows of grapevines, soft rolling green hills off in the distance, and a crisp blue sky above. Austin had brought along a small blanket from the trunk of his car and a bottle of red wine from a case he’d purchased at the cutest winery she’d ever seen—metal sculptures in the shape of bouquets of flowers, fountains, an infinity pool pond, and rustic wine-barrel tables.
“I’m glad you like it. I’ve never taken anyone to this spot before, mainly because I come here to get away from everyone else.” Wearing a slightly snug blue tee that accentuated his upper body and manly goodness, he leaned back on his elbows, his solid body stretched across the blanket, long muscular legs encased in jeans extended out in front.
Harper had to admit that just looking at him did things to her. Like cause her to sweat just a little more than usual and make the space between her legs perk up.
“You mean your eight girlfriends?” Harper teased, sipping her delicious wine from one of the paper cups they’d snagged at a small deli on the road, where they’d also bought a couple of heavenly sandwiches made with a one-inch-pile of Italian cold cuts. God, she loved to eat.
Austin flashed a frown her way. “Harper, you and I both know I don’t have eight girlfriends; that was a joke.”
“Then how many?”
“None. I told you; I was engaged for a while, but it didn’t work out. I’m not seeing anyone.”
“You don’t even have a special friend to call on those late nights when you have needs.” She wiggled her brows.
Austin laughed.
“What? It’s perfectly normal for grown single men to have a—” What did Ixtzel call it? “—booty harem.” Of course, she thought it was sort of sleazy, but that didn’t matter. Reality was what it was. Men did that sort of stuff. Some women, too.
“No, Harper. I don’t have a booty harem.” He sipped his wine. “Not anymore.”
“Ha! She pointed at him. I knew it! Play-ya!” She laughed.
“I admit, I was pretty bad when I was younger, but I’m not interested in that anymore.”
“So what happened with your fiancée?” she asked.
He shrugged and gazed out over the vineyard. “She was a fake. She lied about everything—her birthday, where she grew up, wanting kids…We wanted completely different lives. When I confronted her, the excuse was that she loved me so she felt she had to lie to keep me. That’s not love.”
Jeez. Now it made so much sense. Austin had been furious after he’d found out about Harper lying. This was why. “Did she cheat on you, too?”
“I really don’t know, but it wouldn’t surprise me.”
She nodded. “Well, I’d like to say I’m sorry, but I’m not. I’m glad you found out before you married her or knocked her up. You deserve to have the right woman, one that will rock your world and make you happy.”
Which wasn’t her. Because she didn’t believe in love. At least, not the same way he did.
“I agree. Of course, she’d have to be at my beck and call for sex anytime I need it, and have the ability to drink like a fish and eat like a horse.”
Harper’s toes began to tingle. “I might know someone like that, but she hates you and thinks you’re completely self-centered.” And sexy as hell.
“You’re only saying that because I’m competing with you on this story.”
“Yep.”
“But tell me this, Harper: Would you really respect a guy who throws in the towel just to get into your pants?” He flashed a goofy smile.
She gasped and then laughed. “Maybe. Why don’t you try and find out.” Of course, she wasn’t serious, and she knew he was just joking around, too, but she did kind of hope he might take her innocent flirting as a sign to kiss her. Why? She didn’t know. He was just too damned sexy—those full, sensual lips, those sultry hazel eyes, that towering, masculine frame stacked with muscles…on a scale of one to ten, Austin was a twelve. Point five, five, five. And she couldn’t help but wonder what it would have been like if they hadn’t stopped going the other night.
“Are you hitting on me, Harper?”
She placed her cup on the ground beside the blanket and leaned back a bit, propping herself up by the arms. “Maybe…” She wiggled her toes and glanced at him. “But I have to warn you, I’m a slut. A big one. I’ll hump anything with three legs.”
Austin burst out laughing.
This was nice. The two of them flirting, joking, not fighting.
Or throwing pig doodies at each other.
You’re the one who threw the poop. He just pinched you and made you fall.
Whatever.
But the fact was, she couldn’t remember the last time she felt so damned…well, she didn’t know. Happy, she guessed.
She cleared her throat and looked away from him. “So, Mr. Royce, tell me how you ended up being a reporter.”
“It is pretty strange that we turned out to have the same profession.”
“Even stranger we never crossed paths before.”
“Well,” he said, “I was actually writing for a paper down in San Diego. I met my ex while visiting my parents.”
“So you did the long-distance thing for a while?”
He grabbed the open bottle to his side and offered Harper more wine. “Yeah,” he said. “Then a job opened up here, and I took it.”
She picked up her cup and held it out while he poured. “That must’ve sucked, to leave your life there only to realize the woman was a lying cheating whore,” she said facetiously.
He laughed. “Nah. It turned out fine. I wanted to be back near my parents anyway. I’m happier living in the Bay Area. Lots of good memories.”
Silence fell over the conversation, and the two looked away from each other. It was as if they both had something to say, but couldn’t. She, for example, wanted to tell him that she’d thought about him a lot over the years. Yeah, sometimes they weren’t good thoughts, but usually they were. “You know, Austin. I wanted to tell you something, but it’s going to sound crazy.”
“Shoot.”
“I, uh…” She scratched her arm and stared down into her cup. “I didn’t remember that day at the park until yesterday.” She lifted her gaze to meet his vivid hazel eyes, but he didn’t say a word, not that she expected him to say anything.
“I saw that scar on your back,” she continued, “and then it kind of triggered something. After that, I called my mom. The moment she told me what happened that day, all of my own memories came back.”
“You really didn’t remember?”
She shook her head. “Uh-uh. How’s that for bizarre?”
“It explains why you never brought it up.”
“Well, now that I remember, I just want to thank you for saving my life that day.”
The expression in his eyes suddenly intensified. “You were my friend, Harper. I would have done anything for you.”
“That’s why I feel I owe you. A lot, actually.”
“Y
ou don’t owe me anything. Besides, your parents bought me this nice watch,” he said, with an adorable grin.
“They bought you a watch?” She’d have to have a talk with her parents about that. A kid saves your daughter’s life, you should at least get them a cool bike. One with flames and red streamers.
He shrugged. “Yeah. My mom said they’d felt kind of guilty and didn’t know what to get me, so they gave me this really expensive watch.” He lifted his left arm and flashed that antique-looking watch with the thick leather band.
“You still wear it,” she whispered. “Why?”
“It brings me good luck, and…” he paused, thinking it over, “it reminds me of some of the best moments of my life.” He looked away and grinned. “Maybe a few happen to have you in them.”
That made her feel pretty goddamned good. “I hate to admit it, but me too. I mean, don’t get me wrong. My life has been filled with my unfair share of happiness, but I’ve never been able to forget you.”
“Really now?” He seemed flattered.
“Yep. My favorite memory is racing bikes with you down the street. Could have something to do with you always letting me win, but whenever I meditate and go to my ‘happy place,’ I think of that.”
He looked at her with the most peculiar expression. “Seriously?”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“Nothing. But that’s my happy place, too.”
Harper felt her smile float away, and that sensation deep in her gut began to spread like a wildfire. What the hell is that?
Austin suddenly leaned over and kissed her. She froze for a moment, elated by his touch, shocked because the effect was so instantaneous. The feel of him on her lips sent raw, needy, sexual urges charging between her legs. Her body lit up with pulses and tingles. Her nipples throbbed.
Slowly, he began to move his mouth against hers, and he slid his tongue past her lips. It was a quiet, sensual kiss that felt more erotic and seductive than any sex she’d ever had. It felt like he was touching her entire body with his mouth.
She slowly began to move with him, her tongue briefly lingering over his full bottom lip.
Ohmygod. No one had ever kissed her like this. Ever.
The pit of her stomach began to glow as if stoking a warm little fire that radiated outward. It felt…good. Better than good. She wished it would never end. Kind of like when you get a really fantastic coffee buzz.
But better.
And much sexier.
Austin suddenly pulled back, and the two stared at each other for a moment. Harper had the urge to lean toward him and keep going. Then her chest began to tighten, and she suddenly felt panic overtake her. All these feelings came rushing in, including a horrific fear of getting hurt. Oh shit. I think I like him. Really like him.
Whoa…Harper. Get your head on straight. But she couldn’t. All she could think of in that moment was how euphoric she felt in his presence and how she needed to make it continue.
She jumped up from the blanket, knocking over the wine. “I think we should go.”
“Is everything okay?”
“Yep. Yep. Hunky dory. Oohlala. Time to go! We’ve got pig crap to shovel and slugs to relocate.”
He gave her a strange look. “Uhhh…I’m pretty sure the slug issue is handled, given the chickens went to town on the garden, and I cleaned out the pigpen yesterday—what’s gotten into you? Did I do something wrong?”
Yes! Yes, you did. You just ruined my lips for all other men.
He stood up and looked down at her, studying her face and waiting for an answer.
Oh no. There it is again. Flutters and nausea—the good kind—and…“Stop. Don’t look at me like that.”
“Like what?” He blinked those big hazel eyes at her and pursed his sexy, plump lips. Add that he hadn’t shaved in several days and was now scratching his whiskered chin, which made that sound that completely turned her on.
Oh God. Make him stop! She stepped back.
“Harper, what the hell is the matter?”
“I—uh…uh…” I think I’m falling in love with you.
But love isn’t real. It doesn’t last. It’s like being hungry, and once you eat, the feeling goes away.
“Nothing,” she said. “Nothing at all. I’m just…we really should get back to the farm.” She turned and headed down the hill, back toward Austin’s car. Ohmygod. Ohmygod. What’s wrong with me?
She’d never felt this way about anyone. Ever.
But it couldn’t be. It just couldn’t.
CHAPTER NINE
The gorgeous drive back to St. Helena, filled with endless views of serene and picturesque vineyards, was marred by an awkward silence and more of Austin’s jaw clenching. She, on the other hand, was busy trying not to have a conniption fit. In fact, the two of them both seemed to be waging quiet internal battles of unanswered questions. He kept grumbling and grinding that jaw, while she gnawed at her thumbnail.
Honestly, she had no idea what to do. She had feelings completely foreign to her that she couldn’t explain. Maybe all this talk of cookies and true love was getting to her head. Maybe seeing Austin after all these years had dusted off those love-related emotions.
Whatever was happening, she needed to take a breath and sort it out. She didn’t want to tell Austin she felt something for him but then have it evaporate like a mirage the very next day. Because, yes, like it or not, her beliefs pertaining to romantic feelings were deeply engrained in her psyche. She simply didn’t believe that any of what she felt was real.
But seeing Austin so…so…pissed or irritated, or even possibly hurt because she wasn’t in a position to articulate what was going on inside her head was not okay. She owed him so, so much and couldn’t stand to see him suffer. In fact, that was the other nasty little predicament swirling about inside her thick head. They still hadn’t sorted out what to do about the story situation.
A gritty sour feeling washed over her when she pictured her story on the front page and him getting chewed out by his editor. Of course, the thought of losing her dream job felt just as bad. Getting Zel blacklisted was even worse!
Okay. Just think this through. There has to be a solution. In the meantime, while she figured out what that was, she needed to make sure Austin knew that he’d done nothing wrong. This was all her.
“So, um…” she fumbled through her thoughts as they hit the edge of town, “that was a nice drive.”
“Yeah. Great,” he said distractedly.
“I just wanted to say thank you for taking me to that spot. It was gorgeous. The best view in the whole valley.”
“Sure. Great.”
Not going so well.
Say something, Harper. Say something so he knows he didn’t do anything wrong. Tell him you want to see him again after you go home. Tell him you want to make him dinner.
Yes! Perfect. A dinner invitation would signal she wanted to continue the relationship they were building, but didn’t indicate which kind of relationship. After a few days, once things were sorted out in her head, she could easily decide to turn dinner into a friendly affair. Or a romantic one.
“Austin, I-I-I, would you like to—”
“Is that DJ Dirty Stuff?” he said, pointing to a thin-looking man in a white bucket hat, wife-beater, and orange leather pants, strolling down the street with a brunette who wore a barely there tank dress.
Huh? Harper did a double take. “It looks like him. But as I was saying—”
“And that’s Christina. What’s she doing here?”
Harper glanced over at the opposite sidewalk, and sure enough, it was Christina Bass-Andrews and her new husband.
“I guess a lot of celebrities are here for the last day of the music festival. But I wanted to ask you if—”
“Crap. It can’t be!” Austin pointed at a man who looked suspiciously like Mark Lion, the famous action movie star, and his crazy-famous wife, Lulissa, the singer of the hottest girl band on the planet.
“Uh
hh…yeah. That is a little strange. But I really—”
“Is that Congressman Ashbury?”
“Okay. Now you’re getting on my nerves, Austin. I get it. Famous people are descending upon St. Helena. But do you have to interrupt—”
“I wonder if this has something to do with Luci’s party. What other reason would there be?”
The music festival, maybe? Harper let out a breath. Okay, he’s not trying to be rude; he’s just a little excited, that’s all. I’ll try again later. At least he wasn’t sulking and brooding any longer.
“I think we need to pull over and find out why they’re here. Could be an interesting story,” he said.
“Okay. But if there is, which one of us gets it?”
“Fair point.” He scratched his jaw.
Oh, don’t do that! It so did naughty things to her.
“We can flip a coin,” he suggested.
“No. Wait. I have a better idea. If this story turns out to be something good, then I keep it, and you get to interview Luci if we win her bet.” Which they would, because nobody was falling in love by the end of the week. Okay, yes. She had some weird feelings going on, but it wasn’t love by his crazy-ass definitions. It was a strong attraction mixed with deep like, probably combined with all of the emotions that had accompanied the suppressed memory.
He thought over her proposal for a moment. “Deal.”
Harper felt a wave of relief wash over her. This could be that win-win she was hoping for. They’d both get a story, keep their bosses happy, and it would end their rivalry. Problem solved.
For now, anyway.
Austin parked the car down one of the residential streets not too far from the Muddy Duck. The benefit of their being in a small town was that there weren’t that many places for those celebrities to hide. Downtown was a mere five or so blocks long. But when Austin and Harper made the rounds, there wasn’t an A-list body to be found anywhere. They’d strolled past every boutique, restaurant, café, and “other,” but the people they saw were regular tourists.
Harper and Austin stood on the street corner, not too far from the restaurant where they’d had dinner the other evening.