Page 113 of Blush Crush

We sit quietly, both of us enjoying our drinks in comfortable silence. His hand rubs up and down my legs, soothingly. The air has a quality to it I’ve only recently learned to recognize.Intimate but not in the way I used to think of intimacy. Deeper than that. Like simply being is so much better together than it could ever be apart.

“Did you guys end up finding any land?” I ask, to distract myself from thinking too much.

“We found a few different options. Blake is going to have some testing done on the different parcels. There’s a certain flavor we’re trying to achieve so acidity levels are really important.”

Cole rarely talks about his job, but every time he does, I can feel the passion behind it. It’s like a part of himself he keeps guarded, and I’m not sure why, because it’s incredible to witness. I never thought he lacked intelligence, but I didn’t realize just how smart he actually is. It’s like he leans into a certain persona so people won’t look too closely, won’t realize there’s more beneath the surface.

It’s the same mistake I made. I let him fool me into thinking he was a shallow playboy, not some borderline genius—an incredibly savvy businessman who genuinely cares about the legacy he’s upholding. It’s inspiring, even more so because I grew up in this world. I know the stress Ethan carries as CEO, the pressure Gavin puts on himself as head winemaker, and Cole does both jobs combined. You’d never know the turmoil he masks with charm and an easy smile.

He catches me staring at him, a boyish smile stretching across his face. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

I lean forward and give him a quick peck. “No reason. You’re just cute.”

He looks uncharacteristically shy for a moment. “Cute? I think you mean manly and rugged.”

“No.” I giggle. “Definitely cute.”

“Mm.” He’s quiet for a moment. “I brought you something.”

My brows shoot up. “You brought me something?”

He rises, going toward the front door where there’s a paper gift bag I didn’t notice. He brings it over to me and I sit up a little to open it as he rejoins me on the couch.

“A book from a little shop we walked past. The woman behind the counter recommended it. Said it was the best thing she’d read all year.”

I reach into the bag and pull it out.

It’s a newerwhy chooseRegency romance that has been sitting at the top of my TBR for months but I just haven’t found the time to buy a copy yet.

I blink at him, stunned to say the least. He went to a bookstore and spoke to a worker long enough to get a book recommendation for me. He thought of me.

His gaze stays on me, anxiously waiting for me to say something. “It might be terrible. I don’t know anything about the kind of books you like.”

I thought I could hold it in but I can’t. Hot tears blur my vision, one of them sliding down my face.

“Shit.” He panics. “You already hate it, don’t you? Just forget about it. I’ll take it back or throw it away or?—”

I fling myself at him, crossing my arms around his neck and pulling him close. “Thank you,” my muffled, garbled voice says against his shoulder.

He hesitates briefly before returning the hug. “So I take it those are happy tears?”

“Very happy.”

It’s the most meaningful gift I’ve ever received. No one ever buys me books—my family assumes my taste is too particular, so they default to gift cards. And that’s fine, I appreciate them. But there’s something so special about someone choosing a book for you, about being seen in that way. It’s a kind of thoughtfulness a gift card just can’t replicate.

We stay tangled together on the couch for a while longer, neither of us in any particular hurry to move.

“What are your plans today?” Cole asks.

“Nothing exciting just working in the shop until closing time.” I look up at him. “You?”

“Have to go into work for a few hours. Blake has some concerns about uneven ripening across the blocks that I’ll probably have to take a look at.”

He stands and stretches, and I watch him from the couch, my eyes drifting over him. He really is ridiculously handsome.

He catches me checking him out. “Stop that.” He smirks, clearly enjoying the attention.

“I’m not doing anything.” I bat my eyelashes, feigning innocence.