“Well, I’m not,” I say a little too quickly.
“You are, aren’t you? Tell me all the details—unless you’re doing it right now. Eww, you’re not talking to me on the phone while you’re having sex, are you? Because that would be gross.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose and turn away from the sexy stranger, praying he can’t hear Liv’s side of the phone call. “No, I’m not, and that would be super gross if I were talking to you while I’m doing it.” I cup my hand over the phone and whisper the last part.
“Alright, since you just admitted you’re alone, I need you back at the winery by five. The singles wine tour starts at six. Bye.” She hangs up before I can plead my case for not coming in today.
“Problem there, Snow?”
“What did you call me?” I spin to face the handsome giant. I’m a tall woman at five feet ten inches, but he still towers over me.He must be about six-six or six-seven. I could actually wear high heels if we were dating.
“Snow, like Snow White. You’re half-naked in the woods, talking to furry little creatures.”
“I don’t remember Snow White being half naked.”
“In my version, she was.” He wiggles his eyebrows, and I almost fall over. How can he go from the grumpy, stern mountain man one second to a sexy, charming ladies' man the next?
“Well, if I’m Snow White, then you’re all the dwarves rolled into one.” I inwardly cringe at the worst possible comeback ever.
“No, I’m more of the Huntsman type.” He flashes me a smile, and this time I do lose my balance, as the ground tilts beneath me. I windmill my arms, dropping my phone in the grass as I try to right myself. “I got you, Snow.” He wraps his large arms around me, holding me steady.
Once I come to my senses, I shove his chest and break free of his grip. “I can stand by myself.” I take a step back, needing to put some space between us.
“If you say so.” He shrugs, letting his hands drop to his sides. “Not a good call, I take it.”
I’m not sure what possesses me, but I find myself telling a complete stranger about all my world problems from my siblings' love lives and breakups to the extra work at the winery. “So now my identical twin sister is demanding that I go backto the winery to help her with some stupid singles-dating wine tour, when all I want to do is sit by the river and relax.”
“Wow, there are actually two of you?” His teasing tone surprises me.
“I’m the nicer one of the two of us,” I joke, making him laugh. The deep baritone vibrates through my body, landing between my thighs. I have to bite my lip to keep from moaning at the intensity.
His laughter fades as his face grows serious. “I bet you’re the prettier of the two.” He reaches out a hand as if to touch me, then pulls it back abruptly.
“Don’t tell Liv that. She’s won beauty pageants,” I say, trying to lighten the mood, but instead of laughing, his eyes bore into mine, making me want to melt into him.
“Were you ever in them?” His eyes flick to my lips.
“No.” My voice comes out huskier than I expected.
“Then that’s why she won—she didn’t have you as competition.” This time, he touches me. His fingers graze my cheek as he tucks a lock of hair that fell out of my messy bun behind my ear.
He’s certainly a charmer, and if I’m not careful, he might charm me out of what little clothing I have on before even telling me his name. “I’ve got to run home, shower, and change before going to the winery.” He doesn’t try to stop me as I scurry around, gathering my phone, e-reader, and blanket.
I’m halfway down the trail to where I parked my car when I realize I forgot my bikini top by the river and that I’m still wearing his t-shirt, giving me the perfect excuse to see him again—because we need to exchange tops.
two
Owen
I’ve either lost mymind, or I’m a fool. A fool who three hours ago called the Forever Yours Mail Order Bride Company and signed up at the last minute for the singles wine tasting tour tonight.
After my encounter with Snow, as I call her since I don’t know her real name, I haven’t been able to think about anything else. I tried to be strong and push her away, but her sassy attitude and curvy body made me act like the carefree, fun-loving eighteen-year-old I once was before I joined the military. It’s been fifteen years since I’ve been that person. And today, for the first time in those fifteen years, I actually feel something, thanks to Snow.
What would she think of me if she knew I picked up her bikini top after she left, took it home with me, and jacked off with it wrapped around my cock? The seductive sway of her hips as she walked away from me made my already painful shaft ache with a level of hardness I’d never experienced before. And the way her naked breasts gently bounced when she first stood up to face me when I snuck up on her by the river is forever etched in my mind.
Now my fool ass is showered, shaved, and at a winery, getting ready to spend the evening socializing and drinking wine, two things I don’t particularly like. To see Snow again, I’ll endure it.
“Oh, you must be Owen, our last-minute guest.” A beautiful woman who looks exactly like my Snow greets me as I step into the winery. But I know she’s not my Snow. This woman might look like her, but the underlying sassy stubbornness that Snow has is nowhere to be seen in this one. I can definitely make out mischief in her eyes, but it’s not the same.
