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As we sat down he uncorked the bottle and poured wine in each of the glasses, which we then clinked.
“How do you even know about this place?”
“This is open to visitors during the day. I brought April and Peyton here last year, and they gave us a tour of the gardens. And whenever I’m here for an event, I take a walk when I need a break.”
Alone? I wanted to ask. Or did he pick up someone at every event? I pushed that thought to the very back of my mind. How could he be so handsome? His dark hair was messy, as if he’d run his hand repeatedly through it tonight. Messy looked good on him, especially because it contrasted so starkly with the tux. He’d taken off the jacket at some point and was only wearing a shirt now. A white shirt that stretched over his abs and chest, showing off his sculpted muscles.
“Where are the girls tonight?”
“Home. They have a nanny who watches them in the afternoon and when I have commitments in the evening. April all but begged me to take her with me. I think rubbing elbows with celebrities earned me a few points in the cool department. Then I lost all of them when I told her she couldn’t come. But I’ve been to enough of these to know it’s no place for a fourteen-year-old, especially since I couldn’t keep an eye on her.”
That was cute.
“Thanks for stepping in earlier when that guy cornered me. Wouldn’t have pegged you for a white knight.”
“Why not?”
“Just didn’t get that vibe.” The honest answer was because he was giving off tall, handsome, and dangerous vibes, but I couldn’t own up to that. He watched me as if he knew exactly what I was thinking.
Chapter Nine
Carter
I was battling with myself constantly between wanting to talk to this woman, find out more about her, and kiss the hell out of her. She sipped from her glass, making a little sound of pleasure at the back of her throat. I was too consumed by Val to drink. When she raised her gaze and noticed I’d been watching her, she licked her lips, looking away. A whiff of her perfume reached me with the movement of her head.
“Tell me about your perfume. Smells insanely good.”
She lit up. “Freesia and lavender. One of Mom’s favorite combinations. She gave me the bug for fragrances. We used to make soaps and perfumes when I was little.”
This wasn’t anywhere on her company’s website or in the PR articles I’d come across when I’d looked her up online. She was trusting me with something intimate. There was a wistful expression in her eyes.
“She must be very proud of you.”
“I think she would be. They.... We lost my parents more than fifteen years ago.” Her voice wobbled for a second, and I squeezed her hand.
I did some mental calculations. Suddenly, I realized why she was so good at giving me advice regarding April. I’d been inexplicably drawn to Val since we’d shared that first coffee, and I wondered if this was part of why. I felt connected to her in a way that took me completely by surprise.
“And you raised your siblings?”
“Yes. Together with my twin brother, Landon.”
“You’ve got four other siblings, right?” I remembered reading that somewhere.
“Correct. And it wasn’t easy, but they all grew up into responsible, successful adults. Jace plays soccer for the LA Lords. Will used to be a detective but now runs a foundation with his fiancée. Hailey works at a PR agency. Lori is a wedding planner. I’m so proud o
f all of them.”
“You have every reason to be.”
“Thanks.”
I liked Valentina’s mix of strength and sensuality. And I also loved that delightful side she’d shown in that message she’d sent me by mistake. A picture was worth a thousand words, and that one was going to be my undoing. In fact, it already had been. After we’d exchanged messages, I’d hopped into my shower. All I could think about under the warm spray of the water was how it would feel to take that dress off her, uncover every inch of her sweet body. I ended up jacking off to the fantasy, crying out her name. My dick twitched at the memory.
“Looks like we did need the entire bottle after all,” I commented when I refilled our glasses for the third time.
Val giggled. “It was a small one, though.”
I wondered why a woman like her was single. When I saw her with that guy tonight, my gut had clenched tightly. They were so close that I’d first thought that they were an item, or about to become one. Then when I’d glimpsed her uncomfortable expression, I saw red. I was proud that I hadn’t forcibly removed the guy from her proximity.
