Romancing the Wine: A Boxed Set of 9 Newest Novellas from Award-Winning Authors

by Jan Moran

  “Except for this guy,” he said, stroking the pup she held in her arms.

  “He’s a foster dog. I’m taking care of him until we find his forever home. Based on how he’s recovering from starvation and neglect, I don’t imagine I’ll have him long.”

  The sadness in her voice was a direct stab to his heart. Just one more of her charms.

  “I promise not to fire you or make you feel awkward if things go south. Come on, let me take you to dinner. No work, no school, no humping dog. Just the two of us, getting to know each other and seeing if the spark still fires.” Aiden had no doubt it would and he wanted to see how hot it got. He didn’t care if he got burned, but he needed more of Courtney.

  “This is such a bad idea,” she said, but her tone was total surrender.

  “I’ll pick you up at seven, keep the shirt, but you’ll need jeans.”

  “Jeans and a ratty t-shirt? Typical.”

  He didn’t care if liking her worn out clothes was typical, all he wanted to do was a happy dance. It probably was a bad idea and based on his track record, whatever sparked between them wouldn’t burn for long, but he wanted to jump in the fire while he had the chance.

  Chapter 8

  Courtney didn’t keep the shirt because she squirted mustard all over it during lunch, but she put on an old concert shirt from her air force days. She missed going to concerts, but her budget was tight, so the concerts had to wait. She was ready to go by six, because she was anxious. This was a bad idea on so many levels, but his dirty talk earlier in the day spiked her curiosity, and the hormones. If she was horny last week, that didn’t even compare to the ache in her gut now.

  Kissing her boss, sleeping with him, which seemed inevitable at this point, went against everything she’d held true to since she was fifteen and crossed that line at full speed.

  Back then, her boss, Danny was only twenty-one, which didn’t seem that old at the time, but now she understood the issue with the age difference. She still didn’t believe Danny was trying to take advantage of her, but that could be her naiveté.

  The seedy bar in a questionable area of Chicago employed her mother. Courtney used a fake ID to get a job there, too, one that paid under the table. Mom and Dad were too drunk to work most of the time, so Courtney had learned from a young age how to scam her mother’s bosses into letting her fill in when Gail was “sick.”

  Danny managed the night shift, having worked his way up from server and then bartender. He had no idea Courtney was only fifteen, but after a few dates and intense make-out sessions, she confessed her age and virginity. He said he loved her and age didn’t matter, and promised to be gentle. He was and it was perfect until a couple months later when Brent walked in on them. Mom and Dad were passed out in the living room when she sneaked Danny in the back door. Courtney didn’t care if her parents caught her anyway because they’d be too drunk to do anything about it, and she thought her brother was working.

  Brent had finished work early, heard her moans and charged in, pulling Danny off her and beating the crap out of him until Courtney managed to get in the middle. Danny not only fired her, but her mother, too. When her parents sobered up enough to realize the implications of losing that job, they sent Brent away to Lilac Ridge, to live with Uncle Ray so he couldn’t mess up the next job. When evicted from their apartment, they moved from Chicago to Pittsburgh using a stolen credit card and found a seedy bar where her mother could work and Courtney could fill in. Courtney had also found work cleaning rooms at a pay by the hour motel.

  Now was different. She wasn’t a teenager, working an illegal job with an illegal ID. She was professional, educated, smart. She worked hard and denied herself basic pleasures in order to expedite her goals. She deserved to go on a date. Aiden had promised not to fire her and based on how desperately he hired her, she believed him.

  She had to, because she wanted everything he’d offered.

  At quarter to seven, a motorcycle rolled into the driveway. At first she thought it was someone for the Barn because it was open until seven on Mondays, but as soon as it came to a stop next to the house, Courtney knew it was Aiden.

  “Motorcycle. Nice touch,” Cyn said from the bar stool at the kitchen counter. “You going to introduce me to Hottie McBossman?”

  “Not in a million years. Don’t forget to give Humphrey water and kibble every hour until ten.”

  Cyn offered a mock salute. “Yes, ma’am. Don’t forget to have fun and enjoy the big O.”

  And that was exactly why Cyn didn’t get to meet Hottie McBossman. The woman had no filter, ever.

  She closed the door and turned, finding a solid wall of man in leather and denim. “Oh.”

  “Not even going to invite me in?”

  “Why? So Humphrey can violate your leg some more?”

  “Since he only does that when I kiss you, I’m willing to chance it.”

  He didn’t give her a chance to respond before his hand cupped her nape and his mouth did that delicious thing that made her knees go weak and every ounce of common sense go on vacation.

  “So, hi,” she said after Aiden pulled away.

  The knock on the glass door had Courtney looking over her shoulder, still clinging to Aiden for support because she couldn’t trust her legs to do their job.

  “Humphrey and I give that an 8.2. I’m sure you can do better.”

  “Don’t wait up,” Courtney said, pushing Aiden off the porch.

  “That’s the roommate?” he asked.

  “In the flesh. Her name is Cyn, short for Cynthia, but believe me, Cyn suits her.”

  Courtney loved Cyn because even though she reminded Courtney on a regular basis to add a little fun and relaxation to her life, she was also reliable and responsible, two qualities Courtney found important and necessary in a trusted friend.

  “I’ve got a little sin on tonight’s agenda, if you’re game.”

  Yeah, hell yeah, she was game. If she was going to make a bad decision — and going on a date with her boss tipped the scales — then she was all in. “I’m game.”

  “Good. Put these on.” He handed her a leather jacket and helmet, putting his helmet on and climbing on the bike.

  “What is this?” she asked.

  “A Harley Night Rod, but I call her Baby.”

  “Baby?”

  “Yeah, as in, no one puts Baby in the corner.”

  That reference to Dirty Dancing, one of her favorite movies because Patrick Swayze had been her guilty pleasure, amped up Aiden’s sex appeal. “Let’s just hope you don’t have spaghetti arms while you’re driving this thing.”

  “I’ll save the spaghetti arms for our destination. Climb on and hang on to my waist.”

  There wasn’t a whole lot of seat, so she had to press her body right against him. He fired up the engine and her whole body vibrated, the sexual tension coiling like a rattlesnake ready to strike. “Holy shit,” she muttered.

  “Hang on tight,” he called over his shoulder, his hand gripping hers for a few moments before gripping the bar.

  She caught a thumb’s up from Cyn as they rolled out of the driveway, turning right toward Sunset Valley.

  Courtney had never been on a motorcycle because as a teenager her brother hadn’t allowed it, claiming guys on motorcycles only had one thing on their mind. When she reminded him that he rode a motorcycle, he replied with, “my point, exactly.”

  In the air force, she just hadn’t dated anyone with a bike and since moving to Lilac Ridge, she hadn’t dated at all. She loved the wind in her face, the freedom of not being cooped up inside a car, but most of all, she loved being tucked up against Aiden’s strong body. When they reached cruising speed, his hand went to hers again, holding it firmly. The skin was rough, calloused, proof that he worked hard. She’d figured out in just a few days that he did, in fact, do everything at the winery. She had followed him down to the wine-making cellar, which looked so much different than the rest of the building. It hadn’t been upgraded, retainin
g the rustic appeal of the winery before it was renovated. While briefing him on the applicants she had interviewed, which sparked another one of their heated discussions about doing things his way and she couldn’t just take over, she had watched him move barrels and inspect the destemming-crusher machine.

  Halfway to Sunset Valley, Aiden slowed down and pulled his hand away from hers to turn down a dirt road Courtney had never been on. “Hang on,” he said, as the bike straightened out. It was heavily wooded and pretty narrow, only wide enough for one car. She was curious about their destination, but based on the turns, it seemed like they were heading back to Lilac Ridge. About ten minutes in, the wooded road opened up to an orchard, but after only a minute, the orchard ended, opening up a view to the vineyard. “Is this yours?” she asked, hoping he heard her over the rumble of the motorcycle.

  “All of it, the orchard too. There’s almost eighty acres of vineyard and orchard.”

  No wonder he had calloused hands. Given how committed he was to the winery, she imagined during his long absences from the main building, he was tending to the vines.

  He moved slow through the vineyard, allowing Courtney to appreciate the years it had taken to cultivate all this land. She’d been reading the annual reports and newsletters, trying to familiarize herself with the business to help with her marketing strategy for the winery, but she hadn’t realized the extent of the property.

  “This is incredible,” she said, earning her hand another squeeze before he moved it back to the handle.

  When the bike slowed, she drew her attention from the vines to the road ahead, but there was no road ahead, just open lake. Aiden brought the bike to a stop next to a dock.

  “I had no idea the vineyard went all the way to the lake,” she admitted after he climbed off and removed his helmet. She followed suit, shedding the leather jacket, too.

  “This is my legacy,” he said, admiring the view of the vines up the hill. “I just hope I can do my grandfather proud.”

  “What about your father?” she asked.

  “My father was never proud of me. Since my aspirations are old-school like my grandfather’s, I doubt he’d ever be proud of me.”

  “Oh, Aiden—”

  “No sympathy. I’ve learned to live with it. Come on.” He grabbed her hand and led her onto the dock.

  “You have a boat?” she asked.

  “Need a boat. See that little island out there? That’s where I live.”

  “You live on an island?”

  “Most of the time. I also have my grandfather’s house just down the road here too, but I prefer the solitude of the cabin. My grandfather left it to me when he died. Made my parents livid, but he knew they’d destroy everything he built out there, just like he knew my father would ruin the winery.”

  “If he knew, why’d he leave it to your father?”

  “Tradition and family were as important to Grandpa as the winery. He made me promise to undo whatever my dad did. I just didn’t expect it to be so soon. My dad was difficult, but I still miss him.”

  Courtney squeezed his hand. She wished she could miss her parents. She got the obligatory phone call on her birthday some years, but mostly had lost contact with them and that was fine with her. She’d had to grow up far too soon, to be the parent when she should have been the kid, and she still held a grudge about it.

  Her time to enjoy life was coming, though. Once she finished her degree and landed a marketing job, or convinced Aiden to put her in charge of marketing at the winery, she’d be able to enjoy life a little.

  Aiden held her hand as they climbed in the boat. “Ever see the sun set from the middle of the lake?”

  “Nope,” she admitted.

  “Perfect. It’s like nothing you’ve ever seen.”

  He fired up the boat and moved out into the water slowly before opening it up. She spotted water skis at the back of the boat and thought that would be fun to try. When they passed the island, she spotted a small cabin behind the trees, but Aiden didn’t seem at all interested in his home. Starlight Lake was massive, one of the biggest lakes in New England. When Aiden seemed satisfied that they were far from shore, he slowed the throttle and soon cut the engine.

  “Let’s sit up front,” he said, signaling to the front of the boat. Courtney walked through the narrow passage and took a seat in the triangle-shaped front of the boat. The sun hovered just above the horizon, a spectacular copper reflecting off the lake.

  “If I had a boat or lived on an island on this lake, I’d never want to leave it.”

  “Sure you would. You’re determined, focused, ambitious. You couldn’t just sit around and watch the water.”

  “Some days I could,” she admitted. She’d never just sat around, but it sounded like a little slice of heaven, especially with such a beautiful and peaceful view.

  His arm slid around Courtney’s shoulder like it was a perfectly normal thing. Courtney reminded herself to forget the whole boss thing and just enjoy his company.

  “You can relax,” he said, his hand moving up and down her arm, the innocent caress inspiring a far from innocent response from her body.

  “I’m trying,” she whispered, but she’d never been more anxious in her life. The job interview had been a cake walk. Even working for Aiden was easy because she was so busy all the time and didn’t have to constantly see him, but this, not knowing what was going to happen, but suspecting and hoping, all the while knowing it was going to blow up in her face at some point…it had her on edge.

  Courtney didn’t take personal risks like this. She followed the rules. She liked following the rules. She liked Aiden, too, when he wasn’t annoying her with his control freak tendencies, and that was breaking the rules.

  His hand stopped moving and squeezed her arms, pulling her to him. Courtney sucked in a breath and closed her eyes. His lips were curved in a smile when pressed against hers, but the smile was soon gone as he caressed and pressed and pried her anxiety away.

  “I love that little sound you make when I kiss you,” he said, his forehead resting against hers.

  “I have no idea what sound that is,” she admitted.

  “Well, don’t over-think it. I wouldn’t want you to stop doing it.”

  How could she over-think it when she couldn’t even think when he kissed her. She turned to the lake before the anxiety of him looking into her eyes ratcheted up. “Oh, look, the sun is touching the mountain.”

  “I think it’s kissing the mountain. We inspired it.”

  She turned to him, the sexy smile on his face melting any remaining anxiety. “You’re a romantic.”

  “Is that a bad thing?”

  “I don’t know you well enough to make that determination.”

  “So get to know me. Ask me anything.”

  She preferred kissing him because getting to know him scared her. She shook off the fear. Even if this was a mistake, the man intrigued her. “Why haven’t you been running the winery with your father all these years?”

  He made a motion as if stabbed in the heart. “Ow. You just jump right in head first, don’t you?”

  “I don’t like to play games. I believe in being direct.” At least when she wasn’t being a blubbering idiot.

  “I know. That’s one of the things I like about you. Ask me something else.”

  “Why won’t you answer my first question?”

  The woman was persistent, another thing he liked about her even if she did prove a pain in the ass sometimes. “All right. Fine. I never intended to leave Lilac Ridge. I love it here and I love the winery. When Grandpa died, my father changed everything. He spent money where it shouldn’t be spent, stopped doing things that were tradition. He forced me out, told me the winery was his to run the way he wanted and if I didn’t like it, I could either keep my mouth shut and do what I was told or I could leave.”

  It had broken Aiden’s heart to leave, but he knew someday he’d be back and the winery would be his to run the way Grandpa had. He just h
ad to be patient.

  “You don’t strike me as the keep your mouth shut, do as your told kind of guy.”

  “I’m not, but I never intended to be gone so long. I thought my father would come to his senses, need me, miss me, something. I was wrong.” He hadn’t expected his father to die so young either. Without a history of heart disease in the family, it surprised everyone when he’d had a massive coronary.

  “I’m sorry.” The condolence was sincere and he appreciated it. “How long were you gone?”

  “Eleven years. My parents wanted me to go to college, but everything I needed to know about the winery I had learned hands on from the master. College just seemed like a waste of money, so I headed out west. I love to ski. I started out on ski patrol, but after helping the search and rescue crew on a post-avalanche rescue, I got a taste for that and made the move.” He’d been too chicken shit to do it, but after Dee and Kyle betrayed him, he couldn’t stick around and face the humiliation. “SAR is year round, so I didn’t have to wait tables in the off-season. What about you? Why’d you join the air force?”

  Her body tensed again. It didn’t take a genius to figure out she didn’t like talking about herself. She had secrets, that he knew, and he wanted to know them because he wanted to know her.

  “I was an above average student, but not good enough to get a free ride to college. I knew the only way I was ever going to be able to do it was to join the military. I never had any structure growing up, so the air force was a nice change.”

  “Do your parents live in Lilac Ridge?” he asked.

  “No.”

  “Where are they?”

  She shook her head. “I have no idea and I’m fine with that. I didn’t have a good upbringing and they aren’t good people.”

  “I’m sorry,” he said pulling her to him but she resisted.

  “I’m not looking for sympathy.”

  She could resist all she wanted, but he was stronger and determined and didn’t relent until she was straddling his lap, her serious side pushed aside by an amused grin. “You get to be sympathetic toward my relationship with my parents, but I can’t reciprocate.”