by Jaci Burton
This teasing dance between them was making her hot and bothered and forgetful of her primary task, which was finding him someone to love. But she couldn’t seem to help herself. She raised her fingers and touched the button on his flannel shirt.
He grasped her hand and rubbed his thumb over the back of it, sending her mind whirling with thoughts of where else his hand could go.
Stop, Alice. Before this goes too far. Before you take what you want and regret it.
“I’m . . . I’m sorry. You need to leave.”
He nodded, immediately taking a step back. “Sure.”
He closed the door and she turned and leaned against the wall, feeling irritated, frustrated, angry with herself, with him, and with how this entire scenario had turned out.
She only had herself to blame. If she hadn’t tried so hard to turn Clay Henry into one of her clients, this never would have happened.
But he was perfect for matchmaking. If only he could see that.
She pushed off the wall and made her way into the bathroom, flipping on the light to stare at herself in the mirror. Her cheeks were a dark pink, and she raised her hands to her face to cool them down.
She was still so turned on by Clay that she throbbed with a need she could barely control. And she prided herself on her control. It was why she was so good at her job, at her ability to read people. Because she never let her emotions get in the way.
Until now.
She frowned at her reflection in the mirror.
That had been a stupid move on her part. She had allowed her desires to overcome her common sense. That had never happened before.
It wouldn’t happen again. And the only way to make sure it didn’t happen would be to convince Clay to become her client. Because once he was her client, this rampant sexual desire she felt for him would go away.
And then she’d get new business and would keep herself occupied during this snowstorm. A total win.
She gave her reflection a quick nod of approval, then pivoted and left the bathroom.
Chapter Five
Clay had fed Mickey as well as the other horses and shoveled the walkway, trying to burn off some sexual energy. Then he’d had dinner with the Bellinis, where he did his best to avoid eye contact with Alice. Easy enough to do at a crowded table, and he’d made sure to sit at the opposite end. Then he’d gone to bed.
Now he paced his room, unable to sleep. Of course it was hard to sleep being cooped up in this house knowing his tormentor slept in the room next to his.
Alice was probably sleeping soundly, unaware that his dick was stone hard and all he wanted was to continue the tease she started earlier until it ended with him stripping her naked and kissing every part of her until she screamed in ecstasy, then plunging his cock into her until they both came about twelve times.
And thinking about doing just that wasn’t going to make his hard-on go away any time soon.
Besides, she was just trying to get him to agree to her lame idea about finding him a match. He should agree to it, just to get her to realize how ridiculous it was. You couldn’t match someone on paper. Love didn’t work that way.
Realizing he wasn’t going to be able to sleep, he put on his clothes and went downstairs. The house was quiet and dark, so he went into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water, then made his way into the front room, surprised to find Alice down there, staring out the bay window at the snow that continued to fall.
“Surprised to see you up.”
She turned, looking startled to see him. “I . . . couldn’t sleep. Time zone issues or something. So I thought I’d come down and make myself a cup of tea.”
Unlike him, Alice hadn’t gotten dressed. She wore a set of pink-and-white button-down pajamas, along with some giant fuzzy slippers that looked like . . .
“Are those elephant slippers?”
She lifted her feet and grinned, wriggling her toes so that the elephant trunk rose up and down. “Yes. Aren’t they cute?”
He rolled his eyes. “I’m not sure ‘cute’ is what I’d call them.”
“Hey. I like elephants. Plus, they’re very warm.”
He couldn’t argue with her there. Though he had no idea how she walked in them without tripping over the curled elephant trunks.
“My dog would think they were toys.”
Her eyes widened. “You have a dog?”
He walked over and sat in the chair next to her. “Yeah. A Labrador named Homer.”
“Awww, I love labs. What color is he?”
“Yellow. And very spoiled. Like I said, he’d run off with your fuzzy elephants and cuddle them and make them his. He has a stash.”
She muffled a giggle. “A stash, huh? Some of your things?”
“Socks, mostly. A few washcloths, a bath towel and a blanket. Oh, and a pot holder.”
She laughed outright that time. He liked the sound of her laugh, the way she tilted her head back and how the sound sprang with genuine joy from her lips. He was also happy to see she wasn’t uptight about earlier, when he’d almost kissed her. And they’d almost . . . whatever.
“Oh, he’s a devil, isn’t he?”
“You have no idea. Do you have pets?”
“Unfortunately, no. My condo doesn’t allow it. But I had a dog growing up. A springer spaniel named Chewy.”
“Because he chewed everything?”
“No. Named after Chewbacca from Star Wars.”
He arched a brow. “You’re a Star Wars fan.”
“Of course. Isn’t everyone?”
“Not everyone.”
“Don’t tell me you hate Star Wars.”
He frowned. “I love it. But I was several months into dating a woman once, only to discover she hated anything science fiction.”
Alice put her hand over her chest. “Oh, no. So it ended badly.”
“Let’s just say it ended abruptly.”
“See, this is why you need a matchmaker. Someone to find a woman who loves the same things as you do.”
“Because you’d know that I wanted someone who enjoyed Star Wars.”
“Exactly. My clients have to answer an extensive questionnaire and do an in-depth interview. By the time we’re finished, I know exactly what they’re looking for in a partner.”
“Fine. We’ll give it a try.”
She blinked, looking astonished. “What? Really? You’ll let me find someone for you?”
“I don’t know about that, but I’ll let you ask me questions and we’ll consider a test run.”
She smiled, and it was like her laugh: genuine and made his heart pump double time.
“Awesome. I won’t charge you for this initial test run. You see if you’re interested before we move forward.”
“Works for me.”
“Good. We’ll get started tomorrow. It’ll give us something fun to do to pass the time while we’re snowed in.”
He could think of a lot of fun things he’d like to do with Alice to pass the time while snowed in. Filling out a questionnaire was way at the bottom of that list. Hell, it wasn’t even on the list.
But he’d agreed, and she was right about one thing. As he looked out the window, all he could see were snowdrifts piling higher and higher.
It looked like she wasn’t going anywhere, and neither was he.
So they were stuck together. And since he liked her, he could answer a few questions for her. She was beautiful, and she smelled amazing, so hanging out with her wasn’t going to be a hardship.
Tomorrow should be interesting.
Chapter Six
Alice was pumped about introducing Clay to her matchmaking process today.
This was going to be so much fun.
She had gotten up early and taken a shower, then dressed and gone downstairs, only to discover the house was a b
ustle of activity even though the sun hadn’t even come up yet.
Clearly, the Bellini family were all go-getters and extremely productive. After Louise had poured her a cup of coffee, she made her way into the dining room to find the three Bellini sisters in deep discussion over a laptop.
“I’m sorry to interrupt.”
Erin looked up at her and smiled. “You’re not interrupting at all. We were just going over some of the plans for your friend Lainie’s wedding, and discussing some adjustments we might need to make should the weather not cooperate.”
Concerned about that as well, Alice slid into the chair across from them. “What kinds of adjustments might have to be made?”
“Hopefully, the snow will stop sometime today,” Honor said. “I’ve been monitoring the weather forecast for the next week. We’re due for a warm-up, so the snow should melt quickly. But if the grounds end up in a muddy mess, which does happen sometimes after a melt, we’ll use the barn.”
That didn’t sound very appealing. “The barn?”
“Oh, don’t worry,” Honor said. “The barn is lovely. We had the floors cemented, and there are amazing wood beams that we hang lights on. Plus, there are chandeliers and amazing décor. Once the snow stops, we’ll take a walk over and I’ll show it to you. There’s more than enough space to house all of Lainie and Jeff’s guests.”
“Everyone loves the barn,” Erin said, smiling. “Plus, it houses up to three hundred people, so we can accommodate quite a crowd if the weather turns bad.”
“Which it often does here,” Brenna said. “Even in the summer, it could be sunny one minute . . .”
“And a downpour the next,” Honor said, shrugging.
“Which means we always have to offer our guests options for their wedding and reception.”
It sounded to Alice like the Bellinis had all bases covered. Lainie would be relieved to know that. She’d called Lainie last night and relayed the weather info to her, which had only made her friend even more nervous than she already was. Alice had assured her the Bellinis had it under control. She’d be sure to communicate with her about the barn.
“I e-mailed Lainie this morning,” Honor said. “I don’t want her to worry, so I let her know we’ll have the barn prepared in case the weather doesn’t clear up in time for the outside ceremony. It’ll already be decorated for the reception, so it’s a minor adjustment to do the ceremony itself in there as well.”
Alice exhaled in relief, happy to know that they had thought of everything in advance. “Thank you.” She was glad Honor was on top of things. Though why Lainie and Jeff wanted to get married outside in late December was beyond her. At least she didn’t have her bridesmaids wearing sleeveless, short dresses. Alice’s long red velvet maid-of-honor dress had short sleeves, and also had a beautiful white faux-fur caplet, so while it might be cold outside, she wouldn’t die of exposure. And Lainie had promised her the ceremony would be short.
She knew Lainie would be monitoring the weather, and was likely worried, so it was good that Honor had e-mailed her to let her know the backup plan. With Lainie busy with work, it was on Alice to make sure everything would be set up and run smoothly in time for the wedding.
Alice just hadn’t planned on being snowed in here at Red Moss Vineyards.
Still, she had a project to work on now to help her pass the time—finding a match for Clay.
Speaking of Clay, she wondered where he was. It was still very early, so maybe he hadn’t gotten up yet.
She got her answer when she saw him walking by the dining room, his coat and hat covered in snow. He tipped his fingers to the brim of his hat and nodded at all of them.
“Mornin’,” he said.
“Morning, Clay,” Erin said. “How’s the weather looking out there?”
He paused. “Still coming down.”
Brenna blew out a frustrated breath. “I thought maybe it would start letting up.”
“Doesn’t appear to be.”
“That’s what I was afraid of.” Honor pursed her lips. “I checked the weather radar and saw the line of the storm spreading our way from the west. We may be in for it for another day or two.”
Day or two? Not what Alice wanted to hear. “There’s already so much snow on the ground.”
“Which will actually make for some amazing wedding photos,” Honor said with a hopeful smile.
Alice looked out the window. She could imagine the wedding day: Lainie and Jeff standing on the platform, colorful flowers surrounding them and all that white snow in the background.
She turned to Honor and smiled. “It’s quite the picturesque backdrop.”
“See? Silver lining.”
“I bet it’s sixty degrees by next weekend,” Brenna said.
Erin laughed. “It wouldn’t surprise me in the least.”
“But then we’d have mud to contend with,” Honor said, sighing. She waved her hand. “Either way, we’ll make it work, Alice. Lainie doesn’t have to worry. Red Moss Vineyards always puts on successful weddings.”
Alice believed her.
Clay and Mr. and Mrs. Bellini joined them for breakfast. Clay sat next to Alice.
“You were up early,” she said.
“Had to feed and water my horse.”
“Oh, of course. How’s he holding up in the weather?”
His lips curved. “He’s doing fine. The barn is heated.”
“I’m glad he’s cozy.”
“Everything going well at the Henry homestead, Clay?” Maureen asked.
“Just fine. My mother sends her thanks for letting me bunk here to wait out the storm.”
“You’re always welcome here, Clay.”
“She also said she baked several rhubarb pies last night, and once the snow stops and the roads clear some, she’ll be sending some over with my dad.”
Maureen smiled. “Outstanding. It’s my favorite pie.”
After breakfast, everyone dispersed to their offices. Since it was still too early to call Lainie, Alice left her an e-mail message giving her an update on the weather, and told her she’d call her later. Alice moved into the drawing room. She opened her laptop and set up her questionnaire, waiting for Clay to appear. She sipped on her fresh cup of coffee and made some notes.
Clay finally walked in and closed the door behind him.
Alice couldn’t help but stare at him. He wore jeans and cowboy boots and a button-down flannel shirt different from the one he’d had on yesterday. So he really did have spare clothes, or maybe he’d borrowed the shirt from someone. Either way, he looked devastatingly handsome. He had a day’s growth of beard stubble across his jaw, making her fingers itch to run across his beard to see if it was scratchy or smooth, which then made her mind wander to how his beard would feel as he kissed her, and would it be scratchy or ticklish between her thighs?
She blinked, realizing how far south her mind hand wandered. Her sex quivered, and she swallowed and took a deep breath, banishing thoughts she had no right to think.
He wasn’t hers. He was never going to be hers. In fact, she was about to set him up with someone else entirely, and the whole point of this exercise was to figure out who.
So instead, she said, “Are you ready for this?”
“No. But let’s do it anyway.”
Not the first time she’d heard that from a client. It was her job to allay any fears. She planted on her professional smile. “That’s the spirit.”
She opened the questionnaire file. She’d tailored it so people could answer the questions easily, especially at the beginning, to ease them into it, like favorite foods and movies and books and activities.
“Favorite movie,” she asked.
He thought about it for a minute. “I have a lot of favorites. But I like The Last of the Mohicans the best.”
Classic movie. Historical. �
�Good choice.”
“What’s yours?”
“The Godfather.”
He leaned forward. “No shit. Why?”
“Because it has excellent filmmaking and incredible acting—an all-around fantastic movie.”
“Huh.”
“What? You expected some different answer from me?”
“No. I like that movie. Good choice.”
She resisted the urge to smile. Whatever he thought about her meant nothing. She needed to focus on the questions.
“Favorite pizza topping,” she asked.
“Do I only get one choice?”
“No.”
“Sausage, pepperoni, hamburger, onion, bacon, peppers, and extra cheese.”
She lifted her gaze from her laptop. “You like it all, don’t you?”
“I do. What do you like?”
“I like veggies on mine. Artichokes, mushrooms, red and yellow peppers, garlic, maybe some eggplant . . .”
She caught him grimacing and laughed. “What?”
“That’s not pizza. That’s a salad.”
“It is not. I like mozzarella cheese sprinkled on mine, too.”
He shrugged. “Still sounds like a salad.”
She shook her head. “Moving on. What’s your favorite thing to do on a Friday night?”
“Drink beer and play pool.”
She paused. “Really.”
“Yeah. What’s wrong with that?”
“Nothing at all.” She typed it in.
“I also write poetry and play the piano.”
Her head jerked up. “Really?”
He laughed. “Nah, I’m bullshitting you. You just looked really disappointed by the beer-and-pool answer.”
Irritated, she lifted her chin. “I was not disappointed, since I have no personal stake in your answer.”
“You sure? Maybe you want to do this whole questionnaire thing with not only because you’re trying to find out more about me, but . . . because you like me a little.”
What a ridiculous statement. “I do not like you. I mean, I like you just fine. You seem nice. But it’s not like you and I are a match in any way at all, Clay.”