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

by Jan Moran

  “It’s different,” she said.

  “Maybe so, but that doesn’t mean I don’t get it.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t like talking about it.”

  “Clearly. What do you like talking about?”

  “You. I want to know about this island you live on.”

  “That’s me talking, not you talking.”

  “Hey, I’m just following the get to know you rules. You told me something personal and I told you something. Now it’s your turn again.”

  “You love your rules, don’t you? Do you ever break them?”

  “I’m breaking them by being out here with you, so shut up and tell me about your island.”

  Her eyes widened before she uttered a healthy string of curses. Aiden turned, uttering his own string when he saw the storm clouds moving in. He lifted Courtney off him and fired up the engine, wasting no time in getting the boat turned around and heading straight for his cabin.

  “We’re going to get wet,” Courtney said.

  He didn’t have a problem with wet, but clouds like that came with lightning and that he did mind.

  The rain hit them about halfway to the cabin. “Keep your face down,” he said, not wanting to slow the boat. They needed to beat the lightning. A few minutes later, he pulled the boat up to the dock. “Go on in, I have to put the cover on.”

  The boat was already wet, but he didn’t need rainwater pooling in it. Courtney got out of the boat, but kneeled down and reached for the cover. “I can help.”

  Instead of arguing, because they didn’t have time for debate, he snapped the right side into place and handed her the other edge. She snapped it on while he exited the front. The panels to cover the front were back at the winery dock, but he closed the small door between the bow and the main part of the boat, hoping that would keep most of the water out.

  When he was up on the dock, he grabbed her hand and ran toward the cabin. Even under the canopy of trees they were pelted with large raindrops. By the time they got inside, Courtney was laughing. They were both drenched, from head to toe, leaving a puddle on the floor just inside the door.

  The crack of thunder sent her jumping into his arms and she started laughing again.

  “Maybe we should turn the lights on,” she suggested.

  “No lights. No electricity. I do have running water, but you can’t drink it.”

  “How rustic,” she said.

  “I also have candles and wine.”

  “There’s that romantic guy again.”

  “He’s been here the whole time,” Aiden said, pulling her against him and lowering his mouth to hers. She made that noise again, that happy little sigh that invited him to keep kissing her and see how far he could take this. Based on all her rules, he didn’t expect to get far, but the desire burning between their soaking wet bodies encouraged him to push Courtney’s limits.

  Her cool skin was wet beneath the shirt and so soft. Her muscles twitched as he ran his thumb along her rib cage, just below the breasts he was aching to touch and taste. “You’re ticklish,” he murmured against her lips.

  “Extremely, so watch it.”

  “Well, if I’m going to watch, I better light some candles.”

  With one last peck to her lips, he stepped away to the kitchen and pulled a couple candle jars out of cabinet, along with the lighter. He put one at each end of the small table and unable to stand the wet shirt clinging to his skin, he stripped out of it, draping it over one of the chairs.

  “You want me to grab you something dry to wear?” He wanted her naked, but didn’t presume to think she wanted the same thing, despite the way she looked at him.

  “Depends on your intentions,” she said, crossing the room, that fierce fire in her eyes burning right into him.

  “My intentions require you to break all those rules you like to follow.”

  She peeled her own shirt off, draping it over the same chair. A hand landed on his chest, jarring his heart into overdrive. She was beautiful, all feminine curves and glistening skin, begging for his hands to explore every inch.

  “So we’re breaking your rules, then?” he asked, needing confirmation before he gave in to all his desires.

  “I’m sure this is going to come back to bite us in the ass, but yes, we’re breaking the rules.”

  Chapter 9

  There would be consequences, of that she had no doubt, but it had been so damn long since she’d done anything for herself, she deserved this, and wanted Aiden more than she’d ever wanted anyone.

  “Do you want a glass of wine?” he asked.

  She didn’t understand why he was stalling since he had all these intentions, but maybe it was one more opportunity to offer her an out. “I don’t drink, Aiden.”

  “Right.” He remained still, his hands gripping her waist, studying her, ratcheting up her anxiety again. Before she let any doubts take hold, she pressed her other hand to his chest. His heart thumped against her hand. Nerves? She couldn’t picture this confident man being nervous about anything, but the longer he stood there the more Courtney believed he was as nervous as she.

  “I want this — you,” she assured him.

  “You’re beautiful. I could look at you all night.”

  “But then we’d miss out on all the fun. Kiss me, Aiden. Touch me. Do something.”

  He took her hands and led her across the open space to the corner with the small bed. After releasing one hand Aiden reached behind him, pulling his wallet from his pants and placing it on the window sill behind the bed.

  Another crack of thunder made Courtney jump, but it encouraged Aiden to pull her against him where he kissed her senseless. When her lips were swollen and tingling, he kissed her chin, her neck, her breast, his fingers caressing the edge of her very boring bra. She didn’t have sexy underwear because she didn’t date, but he didn’t seem to care. At least it was a front clasp and with adept skill, he released the clasp with one hand.

  She had no idea what kind of sounds she made, but he was making sounds now, little tormented groans that made her wonder what it would feel like to have his mouth pressed against the most intimate part of her while he made those little noises.

  His mouth pressed against her breast sent a surge of more, please all the way to her toes. With the way his lips nuzzled and his tongue explored, eagerness also surged, her body desperate to see exactly what his intentions were.

  Running her hands down his back, she loved how his muscles jumped. His skin was so smooth, tight, goosebumps rising under her fingers. After reaching his waist, she ran her thumbs along the inside of his jeans until they came all the way around to the button. She released it, but didn’t want to rush things, so moved her hands across his tight stomach, her thumbs catching the line of hair that went from beneath his jeans to his belly button. His hair was so light and the room so dark, she hadn’t noticed it when he’d taken off his shirt, but the enticing line inspired intrigue about what else might be hiding in the candle light.

  His body jerked and he groaned against her breast, tugging her nipple with his teeth before easing the erotic sting with his tongue.

  “Ticklish?” she teased.

  “No, but keep touching me like that…and more.”

  Unable to resist, her hands moved back down, this time tugging at the zipper, her palm moving over the erection still restrained by his sleek boxers.

  Aiden hissed in a breath, leaving her breasts. There was fire in his gaze, his hands moving down her belly to ground zero. He was just as deft with her jeans, pushing them over her hips while he crouched.

  With care, he helped her step out of the wet denim and tossed the jeans aside. His lips caressed her thigh, then her hip, then he was kissing her over her panties, teasing her with the too gentle touch.

  He tugged her panties down with a groan, not even letting her step out of them before his mouth was right on her, his tongue pushing between her legs. She was aware of the noises she made now and of the way he groaned when s
he did, the sound vibrating against her delicate flesh.

  It had been so long since a man had touched her, she was teetering on the edge and just when she thought she might tumble over, he moved back to her hip and thigh, his hands easing her panties down, his mouth teasing and tormenting her.

  “You didn’t have to stop,” she said, hoping he’d get back to it.

  “I want you to come apart while I’m buried inside you. I want to know how that feels, Courtney, because it’s all I’ve been able to think about since I met you.”

  Is that why he’d hired her on the spot, because he wanted to take her to bed?

  “Stay with me. I promise I won’t let you down.”

  He would let her down, because everyone did at some point. The only person she could count on was herself.

  She pushed aside the thought and focused on him, on them, because it didn’t matter how they’d gotten here or how it would end. This is what she wanted, what she, too had thought about since that first meeting, and more so after he had kissed her the first time.

  With a lot less skill than he’d shown, she pushed his jeans down and he stepped out of them while she pushed his boxers down.

  He groaned again when she wrapped her hand around his thick, hot length. He covered her hand with his, slowing her strokes. “I don’t want to finish first,” he said, his other hand cupping her face before his mouth covered hers. He felt so good, everywhere they touched, that spark she’d been trying to ignore exploding between them.

  “Courtney,” he whispered against her ear, tugging on her lobe and easing the sting with his warm tongue.

  “Yes,” she replied, wanting whatever it was he wanted.

  He eased her onto the bed, moving on top of her as the small mattress sank beneath them. He reached toward the window and grabbed his wallet, fumbling to retrieve the condom. When he did, he tossed the wallet on the floor and handed her the disk. “Put this on me.”

  “So bossy,” she chuckled, but Aiden was too busy kissing that spot right at the base of neck, the hollow just above her collar bone. Courtney tried to focus on her task, but damn if his lips weren’t the best thing she’d felt ever. He knew just the spot that drove her wild, while one hand cupped and teased her breast. The tingling sensation danced all over her skin. She managed to get the condom out of the wrapper and prayed she rolled it on the right way.

  “Take us there,” he whispered, lifting his head. Whether it was the candlelight or the chemistry stirring between them, his eyes flickered with his earlier promise, that he wouldn’t let her down. “Please, Courtney. I need you. Tell me you need me too.”

  He was always so confident, running the show, but there was a vulnerability in his words. She guided him to her but he didn’t push in, as if waiting for her to answer.

  “Yes, Aiden. I need you, too.”

  With that he pushed in, pulsing in and out until he was so deep inside her she felt the full connection of their bodies coming together. She cried out before biting down on her lip, trying to hold back the cacophony.

  “Damn, Courtney, let go. I want to feel you come apart.”

  It was too soon. They’d only just begun, but she’d gone without for so long, her body was desperate for everything Aiden promised.

  “Let go,” he whispered, hooking her knee with his arm and pushing deeper.

  Courtney couldn’t hold back. She cried out with the explosion of sensations rocking through her, every muscle constricting while Aiden continued to move with long slow strokes.

  When she stopped seeing stars, she opened her eyes to find him watching her, his eyes still sparkling with desire. “Sorry, it’s been a while.”

  “Don’t ever apologize. That was the hottest thing I’ve ever experienced. I want to make you do that again.”

  Courtney doubted that would happen, but he felt so good inside and on top of her that she was willing to let him try.

  Releasing her leg, his hands skimmed along her arms, leaving goosebumps in their wake and moving her arms over her head. His fingers wove between hers, their bodies flush. The hair on his chest tickled her breasts.

  When she bit down on her lip again, he kissed her, his tongue pushing past her lips, finding hers. His hands clenched around hers, like he was clinging to his own control and then he broke the kiss and groaned with such rough and ragged passion that she lost the control she’d been clinging too. The sensations pooled once again where they were joined, every inch of skin aware of every inch of his as their hips slammed together, desperate for more.

  Courtney’s muscles contracted again, her legs wrapping around his and locking, her back arched. When Aiden growled with his release, she cried out with hers, shocked by the intensity.

  The moments ticked by while they stayed there, catching their breath, their bodies now damp from sweat instead of the rain.

  “Okay, now that was the hottest thing I’ve ever experienced,” Aiden said against her neck.

  “No argument from me,” she responded.

  He loosened the vice grip on her hands, leaning to the side to stroke her breast. “I’d love to stay like this forever, but I have to take care of the condom.”

  The cold hit her body the moment he stood, but she enjoyed the amazing view of him moving across the room, the candlelight creating mysterious and intriguing shadows on his body.

  He opened a door on the middle of the wall and disappeared inside. Running water filled the silence and then he was back, going into the corner where the kitchen was and pulling a bottle of wine from the corner rack. After grabbing a corkscrew from a drawer, he opened the wine and set it on the table where his shirt was draped on a chair.

  “I can feel your eyes on me.”

  “It’s a nice view.”

  He poured two glasses and returned to the bed. “I’m enjoying the view too.” He held out a glass. “I know you don’t drink, but I can’t not offer you a glass. It’s in my blood.”

  “Is this one of yours?” she asked and laughed when he raised one eyebrow. “Of course it’s yours. Tell me about it.”

  She held the glass up so the candle across the room flickered behind it, noticing it had the same rich, red color as the wine they’d had at the Hale the other night.

  “This is Merlot, one of our more popular wines and one of my personal favorites.” Aiden didn’t miss how she went through the routine he’d taught her the other night, first looking at the color, then swirling and sniffing before taking a slow sip. His heart beat a little faster, pumping the blood south despite the fact it had only been minutes since Courtney had popped his cork.

  “It’s strong — bold, I think is how you described it — like the other wine, Nero…”

  “Nero d’Avola,” he finished when she paused.

  “Right, Nero d’Avola.” She took another drink. “But not quite as acidic.”

  Her assessment was spot on and the fact this was only her second time ever trying wine impressed him even more.

  “Do you like it?” he asked, wondering if she’d avoid that answer like she had last time. He couldn’t explain why it was so important to him that she like it, except that it was his business — scratch that — his life. He’d tried to teach the women he was with about wine before, but none of them seemed to care. They preferred their fruity cocktails for the most part. Courtney seemed open to wine and everything that loving wine entailed.

  “I do. I like this much better than the other one. I can see why it’s a favorite.”

  She set the glass on the shelf next to the bed. “It’s intimate, drinking wine like this.”

  “It is,” he confirmed. “Can I ask you something personal?”

  “You can ask, but I reserve the right not to answer.”

  “Fair enough. You said it’s been awhile. Is that since you’ve been with a man or since you’ve been with a man who made you orgasm?” If asked, he’d admit his ego needed the confirmation, but Courtney had mysteries he wanted to unravel.

  She smiled and grabbed
the glass of wine, maybe to avoid the question or give her a moment to contemplate answering. Maybe for a dose of liquid courage.

  “I haven’t been with a lot of men,” she admitted, watching the wine swirl around the glass. Though she was blunt, she was incredibly private, so he knew he’d earned her trust for her to share that information. “One when I was in high school. He was older and we had some pretty fierce chemistry. A couple different boyfriends in the air force, one serious, one not so serious, but the chemistry wasn’t as potent with either of them. I haven’t been with anyone since I moved to Lilac Ridge, so yes, it’s been a while for both.”

  He set his glass on the shelf, taking hers and placing it next to his. “We have some pretty potent chemistry,” he said, laying her back and moving on top of her.

  “The problem with chemistry is that its unstable, tends to blow up in your face.”

  “Is that what happened with your first boyfriend? The older guy?”

  “It didn’t end well,” she said, “but that’s because I broke the rules to be with him.”

  There she was with her rules again. “You’re breaking your rules to be with me,” he reminded her.

  “I know,” she said. “I just hope when it all explodes, we don’t get burned too badly.”

  He kissed her, desperate to reassure her that the chemistry between them would not blow up in their faces. “Making wine isn’t just about smashing grapes and fermentation. There’s chemistry, the right balance of yeast, things we call additives, all working to make the wine smell and taste better and look more clear. Chemistry stabilizes the wine.”

  “We’re not wine,” the skeptic said.

  “No, we’re not. We’re a pairing. Food is better when paired with the right wine, just as a wine is more enjoyable when paired with the right food.

  “A pairing,” she chuffed. “That’s one I’ve never heard before.”

  “It’s not a line, Courtney. I like you. I had no intentions of hooking up with anyone when I moved back here, not so soon, anyway. I’ve been burned too. The winery is my main focus, my only focus, but you, I can’t explain it, but I just can’t get you out of my head.” He was putting his heart out there for a woman he’d only known for days, but damn him, he meant every word.