I went on to tell him about Bonn Remmen’s land, and how the McEvoys and our family had been in the middle of a cold war—particularly because Raina and Jagger were enemies.But then they fell in love, and united us all, and we decided to band together and pitch our plan to the Elders as one group rather than two.And we won.
“I’ll take you there one day,” I said.“Show you the plans.Right now, it’s just bare.We’ve leveled a lot of it, pulled out the big boulders, stumps and stuff.We’re keeping Bonn’s house though.Hopefully by next summer, the land will be functional.This summer is all about building.”
I glanced up at him after I checked the temperature of a barrel and found him grinning at me in an interesting, slightly unsettling way.
“What’s that face for?”
“I just love hearing you talk about wine.You’re passionate about it.Do you enjoy what you do?”
My face flushed with heat again, and I tucked a strand of wayward hair that had escaped one of my braids back behind my ear.“I do love it.I didn’t know anything about wine or making it before I moved here.My aunt taught me everything.Then I taught the others.”
“Why did you move here?”
“My aunt.She offered me a place to stay after my husband died.I was a single mom with a toddler and a baby on the way, and my family was … they’re not exactly people I want around my children.So I left.I came here right from our tiny little Idaho town, and we’ve never been happier.”I swallowed.“I didn’t know what it felt like to really feel safe until the kids and I landed on the island.It was this overwhelming sense of peace.I burst into tears the moment we unloaded off the ferry.”
The backs of my eyes burned from the memory.I would remember that all-consuming sensation of relief until the day I died.Up until then, I’d lived my entire life in fear.If it wasn’t fear of my father, it was fear of my husband, fear for my children.But here, I felt no fear.This was a community that took care of its people.I was part of a family, a group of women, that looked out for each other, and we made sure, every damn day, that our kids wouldn’t grow up the way we did.That our kids felt safe to be themselves and didn’t question how much they were loved for even a second.
My jaw ached, and I worked it back and forth to relieve the strain.My vision was glassy now, and I had to use the sleeve of my shirt to blot at it.“Sorry.I … I still get emotional thinking about that day and how I felt.”
His gaze burned into me.“Don’t apologize.I felt similarly when we arrived.We moved across the country.And even though I’m not ready to start leaving my doors unlocked, I can say that I certainly feel a hell of a lot safer here than I did anywhere in Florida.”
Even though a man stood in front of me, for a second all I could see was this young boy.Scared, hurt, and with nobody he could trust.No child should ever have to feel like that.
The air between us pulsed and crackled, and now that lump in my throat wasn’t just because of overwhelming memories.Everything inside of me hummed like a live wire, and even my chest started to rise and fall quicker.
“Naomi …”
“Yes?”I zeroed in on his lips.Nice, full, plump lips.Wet from his tongue, but not too red.And that scar … I liked it.It was sexy and I kind of wanted to know what it felt like against my mouth.
“I’m going to kiss you.”
My stomach did a flip.“O-okay.”
Stepping forward, he cupped the back of my neck in a possessive way, inhaled through his nose, and brought his mouth down to mine.
I opened for him, tilted my head, closed my eyes, and melted.
I absolutely melted.Like a Popsicle on a hot sidewalk.
I grew malleable and allowed him to sink into the curvature of my body as he deepened the kiss.One arm wrapped around his neck while the other traveled up to his shoulder.His muscular shoulder, tightly encased in a white T-shirt.His arms came around my waist as his tongue slid between my parted lips, hesitantly probing.I opened wider and slid my tongue against his, moaning a little from just how good it felt to finally kiss him.To be in his arms, to have his body pressed against mine.
The scar on his upper lip didn’t feel strange, but I could tell it was there.I liked that slight disruption to the softness of his mouth and carefully slid my tongue across it.
After a few more sultry kisses that had my heart racing, he pulled away, his gaze glassy and unfocused.“Let’s go for a drive.”
I was done in the barn anyway, so I let him take my hand and lead me out into the sunshine to his truck.
Austin was off somewhere with Jagger and Marco, and Honor was at Tom’s with Sam and Laurel.I didn’t know where my cousins were, but they weren’t my keepers.I simply allowed this handsome, wounded man with the lip scar, tattoos, and tragic backstory to spontaneously whisk me away for the afternoon.
He held the passenger side door of his truck open for me, and I hopped in.Then he ran around the grill and climbed in behind the wheel.
We grinned at each other like twitterpated fools as he turned the ignition and put it into drive.
“Where are we going?”I asked.
He shrugged.“Wherever we want.Any suggestions?”
Nibbling on my lip for a moment in thought, I gazed out the side window at the rows of grapevines on either side of us.We owned a lot of land, but we needed it to produce as much wine as we did.
