by Jan Moran
If only he could get her to talk to him.
Chapter 8
Alessia still couldn’t believe she’d fallen into Luca’s trap.
Walking through the grape orchards, she frowned as she plucked a few of the small, round fruits to pop into her mouth. They weren’t quite ripe yet, but their tart bitterness reflected her mood.
How had she been so easily drawn in?
When Luca Ferrari had walked into the restaurant, she hadn’t known him from Adam, but she’d still taken it upon herself to saunter on over to him and make conversation. Alessia tried to defend herself: it was, after all, her job to interact with the winery’s guests. In the beginning, she’d made her move out of sheer friendliness.
Alessia’s frown only deepened at the untruth.
She knew better.
She, the wallflower, who’d never been comfortable around men in her life, had had a moment of inspired gutsiness. She’d been drawn to Luca the moment she saw him, and it was that attraction that had her gravitating to his side.
As a result, she now felt like a bonafide idiot.
This man now owned half the winery. That made him an owner equal to her father and, if you read the fine print, her boss. Alessia cringed at the prospect. It was already difficult enough, having her father meddle in her affairs. Now she also had a boss she couldn’t look at without imagining his hands all over her.
It simply wasn’t fair.
Of all the men she could have been attracted to, why Luca Ferrari? He was the one thing standing between her family and complete ownership of her beloved winery. Was she really supposed to play nice with him for the next month? What if he ultimately decided not to sell? Then she’d have to deal with him for the rest of her life.
Alessia wasn’t quite sure she could. It had only been two days since Luca had settled into the hotel, and though she’d been avoiding him like the plague, Alessia sensed his presence everywhere. The pickers who worked in the vineyards eyed the man and whispered to one another, while the hotel staff quietly speculated about what his presence could mean for their jobs.
Alessia speculated about what it could mean for her sanity. She didn’t know how long she could stand knowing that Luca was on the property somewhere and she could run into him at any moment. It was bad enough that her father expected her to be cordial, play nice. Alessia didn’t know what had come over him. Didn’t he want to have full ownership of the winery? He hadn’t seemed even a little upset over the prospect that Luca might not sell.
Glancing around to make sure there were no patrons in the vicinity, Alessia removed first one pump and then the other so she could wiggle her toes in the bare soil.
It was glorious. When she was little, she used to run around the vineyard in her bare feet, squealing as her mother and father chased her through the grapevines. Those years had been carefree and sweet, her father allowing her the tiniest sips of different blends so she could learn to differentiate, her mother educating her on what foods paired best with what wines. While her classmates and peers had been engaged in sneaking alcohol behind their parents’ backs, Alessia had been supplied with a controlled amount—just enough to sharpen her skills, her father had always said.
As Alessia shuffled her feet in the warm soil, she tried to calm herself. Even though running the winery was technically her job, it never felt like it. Being here brought her a sense of calm that was hard to find anywhere else. Here, she could truly be herself. Here, she had her sanctuary.
“Alessia. Fancy finding you here.”
She stiffened as a familiar low baritone thrummed through her, color flooding her cheeks. She’d been caught with her bare feet in the dirt by the man she was supposed to be intimidating. Slowly, Alessia turned to face him, her breath catching in her throat.
She’d only ever seen Luca in expensive suits and starched dress shirts. Today, he wore a black, V-neck t-shirt that exposed a tantalizing amount of toned chest, and dark wash jeans that hugged slim hips and muscular legs, showing off a pair of dusty trail boots and making her feel distinctly overdressed in her suit. He looked vastly more at home in the fields than she did, despite the fact that the opposite was true.
At the sight of him, Alessia felt her blood heating. She buried the attraction, her mouth twisting into a scowl. “Luca.” Her voice was chilly.
He shoved his hands into his pockets, sighing as he gazed up at the sun blazing overhead. “Nice day, huh?”
Clearly, he wasn’t used to California wine country weather. Every day was a nice one. When she didn’t answer, he lowered his head to meet her gaze, his expression apologetic. “Look, Alessia, I think I may have given you the wrong impression of myself when we first met, and for that, I apologize. I really didn’t know who you were, and now that I do, I swear to you that there won’t be any more of… that.”
Alessia’s eyes narrowed at the tone he used. That. What exactly did he mean by ‘that’? “Any more of what, exactly?”
Luca had the grace to look embarrassed. “This.” He gestured to the ten feet of space between them.
Alessia tried not to stare at the way the muscles in his arm contracted with the motion. She knew exactly what he was referring to, of course: the intoxicating blend of tension and sexual arousal that seemed to spark between them when they were in the same room, or in this case, the same vineyard.
However, she’d sooner see Luca keep his half of the vineyard than admit that to him. “I’m pretty sure I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Now it was Luca’s turn to scowl. He took several steps closer to her down the row of grapes.
Alessia’s heart leapt into her throat. Within seconds, he was only a foot from her, towering over her as he glared down at her challengingly. From this distance, Alessia could feel the heat of his body and smell the clean, intoxicating scent of him. It was completely unfair.
“This is what I’m talking about.” He muttered the words low so they reverberated through her all the way down to her bare toes. “This is what caused all the problems in the first place, right? Me not knowing who you were, you not knowing who I was, and feeling this.”
Alessia inhaled sharply at the heat that flared low in her abdomen, jerking backwards quickly to put space between her and Luca. “I… thought you said there wouldn’t be any more of it.”
Luca’s smile was thin as he fixed her with his gaze. “Any more of what?”
His innocent words made Alessia furious; she resisted the urge to stamp her foot in frustration. So that was the kind of game he was playing, was it? She still hadn’t decided whether or not she believed that he hadn’t known who she was the first time they met, and now he was trying to provoke her ire. It was enough to make her want to slap the smile from his smug face.
But she would resist. Alessia knew it would only upset her father. As she glared at Luca, she thought about how he had brought out her inner hothead. She’d never had a quick temper before meeting him. There was just something about him that made her defensive. “What do you want, Luca?” She stood with her head held high, trying to pretend he hadn’t found her with her shoes off, attempting to recapture some peace.
Luca’s expression softened somewhat at her question, the hunger that drew up his insides and made them clench fading. “We had an agreement. One month of your showing me around the winery before I decide whether to sell or not.”
Alessia sighed. That had been the agreement, true, but she hadn't been the one to make it. Even though she wanted nothing more than to keep avoiding him, she couldn’t evade him forever. The danger, however, in showing him her beloved vineyard was that she was afraid she'd have to slander it to keep Luca from clinging to what his father had willed him.
She found herself suddenly blaming the deceased co-owner of the property. While she had never been close to Bruno, she’d thought he respected her father, and their friendship, and what they’d created together enough to not do this without at least informing him. Now she was stuck dealing with an int
ruder who stirred her hormones far more than she was comfortable with.
Without a word, she turned on her heel, her pumps held in one hand as she plodded through the dirt, soil sifting between her manicured toes. “Come on then.” There was more fight in her, but she refused to entertain it. She would attempt to be cordial, and only give the facts she thought it necessary for him to know. If she was lucky, he’d decide the winery wasn’t worth his time. Even though he evidently loved wine.
Her eyes fixed on the processing plant ahead of them, Alessia bit her lips. She might have sabotaged herself already with that single night in Luca’s company. If so, then this whole month would be pointless, and he was only toying with her anyway. Her only way of knowing would be to make good on her father’s promise.
Chapter 9
“This is our storage facility,” Alessia said, putting her pumps back on before entering the building.
Luca followed and, while on the tour of the winery and vineyard, tried his best to train his expression into a neutral one. In the last few days, he’d tried to convince himself that without the draw of Alessia’s mysterious allure, he would soon abandon all interest in the winery, along with his search to understand why his father had bequeathed half the business to him. However, the more he saw of the establishment, the more he was drawn to its efficiency and the success it enjoyed.
It wasn’t about the money. Luca had made plenty from his own companies, all of which were doing very well. What fascinated him was the thought and precision put into every aspect of the winery, from the way the grapes were grown to the temperature at which the wine was stored while it fermented.
He walked along the endless rows of barrels in the warehouse, breathing in the musty, yeasty smell of the Costa and Ferrari wines in the making. It made him long for another glass of the Chardonnay he’d shared with Alessia his first night on the property, but Luca didn’t dare.
Those few glasses of wine had been enough to make him question how he felt about his father, enough to make him want to fall into bed with a woman who would ultimately have been trouble for him. The wine was good, almost too good. But drinking it had come to be associated in his mind with concessions, and since it was clear now that he and Alessia had gone from being potential lovers to being at odds, he had no room for compromise. This was a business proposition, he reminded himself, nothing more.
His eyes wide, he came to a stop before a stainless container that stood at least twelve feet high. It sat in the center of the dim storeroom, connected to a machine that shifted its contents a couple of times a day. The rushing of the liquid within the huge machine sounded like ocean waves, and he stared at the contraption, entranced.
“Oh, that.” Alessia stepped to his side, smiling with pride. “That’s the five-year specialty cabernet. It ferments in the container for a few weeks before we bottle and age it. Our reserve wine is aged five to eight years, and when it’s released, it sells out fast. I’ve heard of bottles selling out nationwide within a week. It’s our most popular label.”
He didn’t think he’d ever seen so many wine barrels: two rows that ran the length of the building. He found himself curious about the taste of their specialty wine. It was on the tip of his tongue to ask for a sample, but he shook his head slightly and frowned. No more wine. Not here. He couldn’t let himself be tempted. He’d gotten into enough trouble as it was.
Turning away, he followed Alessia towards the rear of the warehouse, where they passed from the dimly lit aging cellar to a room so brightly lit that he was momentarily blinded. When his vision cleared, he was treated to the sight of a number of men and women clad in lab coats, all taking samples of different species of grapes. Some typed information into computers while others mixed and stirred concoctions that they tasted before sharing them with their colleagues.
“This is the development room. My father spends a lot of time here, personally overseeing the creation of new wines. The quality is very important to him.” She smiled and waved at the employees, exchanging a few words with each of them.
Luca was envious of them. Before she had known his identity, her smile had come just as easily for him.
They wove their way between the numerous white-topped tables and the people working over them until they came to yet another door, which let them back out into the warm sunlight. At the rear of the massive wine cellar was a greenhouse that spanned at least two acres.
Alessia pointed at it. “That’s where we grow the fruits and vegetables that we serve in our restaurants. Some thrive here in California, but others can only be grown in a greenhouse. We’re constantly experimenting to determine which ones it would benefit us to produce. We strive to serve only the freshest of foods.”
She rattled off the information with barely a pause, showing exactly how vast her knowledge of the business was. Luca had to admit that, when he’d first met her, he’d assumed that as the manager of the winery, she’d focus on that. He’d had no idea that her duties were so extensive.
He couldn’t help being impressed by the way she ran things. It was obvious in the way the staff greeted her that she was respected, and more than that, she was good at her job.
One only had to look at the way Alessia’s face lit up when she spoke of anything involving the vineyard to know that she adored her job. And here he was, saddled with half of a business Alessia would most probably give her life for, and he didn’t even know why his father had left it to him.
“Alessia.” They’d stopped before the hotel after she led him through the building’s extensive gardens. For a moment, it was if she’d forgotten that she was supposed to be wary of him, and when she looked over her shoulder, her eyes shone with rapt attention.
“Yes?”
“Did my father…” He hesitated, then forced himself to ask the question. “Did my father ever mention me… at all?”
Alessia raised her eyebrow at the inquiry, staring at him for a moment before she finally answered. “He never spoke of you specifically, but I always knew he had a wife and son. My father told me about the two of you. Bruno was a very secretive man. He liked to talk about business, but never anything personal.” She frowned, then continued, “And he didn’t say a word to my father about changing his will.”
Why would a man betray his business partner the way Bruno had Antonio? Did they have a falling out? A disagreement? If Bruno had, as Luca’s mother always railed, loved his business more than his own family, it made no sense to split it in two; by doing so, he’d ultimately screwed it over as effectively as he had Luca’s childhood.
“I never really knew him.” The words left Luca’s mouth before he thought to stop them. “If that isn’t obvious. To be truthful, I have no idea why he left me his half of the business. I never expressed an interest in it. I love wine, of course, but I’ve never needed or wanted my father’s money.”
Alessia’s stormy gaze grew skeptical for a moment as she gave him a slow once-over. “If not for the money, and not for the wine, then why won’t you sell?”
He sighed. The earnest pleading in her eyes was enough to wrap a tendril of guilt around his spine. He wasn’t withholding his shares to punish her or Antonio, but he needed certain answers before he could decide whether or not he wanted to give up any chance he might have to know the man who was his father. “I have my reasons.”
Alessia scowled, clearly dissatisfied with his answer, before stomping off towards the hotel in a huff. Luca was left to assume that his tour was over for the day. He’d never thought it possible to be so simultaneously exasperated and aroused by a woman.
If he knew what was good for him, he’d learn what he had to fast and get the hell out of Napa. The longer he lingered, the more he knew he’d be drawn to her and damn what he promised. He couldn’t pretend that he didn’t want Alessia in his bed. After all, she’d already stolen her way into his subconscious so thoroughly that a mere glimpse of her made him ache to kiss her again.
He’d make her forget how they were su
pposed to feel about one another in seconds. Then, for hours, he’d make sure the only thing she could think of was his hands, his tongue, and the heat of his mouth everywhere he could reach.
The prospect was enough to make him groan, and Luca had to rein in his desires. He was going to have to get along with Alessia for the next month; the last thing he needed was to be fantasizing about her whenever she was anywhere near him.
Luca’s lips curved upwards into a humorless smirk as he glanced skywards. “This isn’t funny, Dad,” he murmured softly. “Not funny at all.”
Chapter 10
Alessia threw open the door to her small cottage and stared in shock and mounting horror. This couldn’t be happening to her. Not now, of all times.
Two plumbers rushed to stem the flood of water that was gushing from beneath her sink. The leak had apparently sprung while she was at work and ruined half her belongings, spreading throughout the house and outside, where it ran over the patio.
Her furniture, appliances, carpet, and tile—all ruined. Fortunately, she had insurance, but she wasn’t going to be able to stay while contractors came in to repair the damage. Perched on a chair at the edge of her living room, Alessia tried to take in the scope of the devastation.
She hadn’t lost anything irreplaceable, but this accident had literally come at the worst possible time. Her home was her sanctuary, and she needed the comfort it provided when she was dealing with the inescapable face of Luca Ferrari, who haunted her thoughts. It seemed like he was everywhere she went on the grounds. While she knew she was supposed to be showing him around the property and helping him understand how the winery functioned, even when she wasn’t with him, she found herself running into him.