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“I already know I’m going to like this,” London said. They got out and met at the front of the car.
“I booked a tour at this one because the views are amazing, and they allow you to wander through the groves on your own.”
London peered at him through narrowed eyes. “You didn’t bring me out here to live out some kind of kinky vineyard fantasy, did you?”
“Now that you mention it, that sounds like a good way to spend an afternoon.” He took her by the hand and leaned over to whisper in her ear. “We can save the kinky stuff for later. For now, let’s go find that glass of Cabernet that has your name on it.”
26
Rays of sunlight cut through the bistro’s bougainvillea-covered pergola, casting a blanket of welcoming warmth over London’s face and arms. She held the ruby-red blend at eye level and swirled it around the blown crystal before tipping the glass to her lips.
“This is divine,” she said, releasing a satisfied sigh as the burst of smoky fruit flavor hit her tongue. She motioned to the expanse of rolling hills that lay before them, with their rows of grapevines stretching into the horizon. “And this view. If I pretend hard enough, I can believe we’re sitting in a vineyard in Tuscany instead of Texas.”
“We can go to Tuscany too,” Drew said.
The lack of teasing in his voice caused London to quickly look over at him to make sure he wasn’t serious.
As if he knew what she was thinking, he said, “Just say the word and we can be on our way to a villa in Arezzo, or on the coast in Cinque Terre. If you think this is nice, just wait until you see the Italian Riviera.”
He winked, and it set off a delicious tingle low in her belly.
Oh, for goodness’ sake.
She was too old for this shit. Tingles were for teens like Nina, experiencing their first brush of attraction. Or for Taylor and Samiah, who’d been bitten by the love bugs that were everywhere these days, sinking their sneaky teeth into unsuspecting asses all over Texas. Tingles were not for busy pediatric surgeons in their final year of residency and who already had a surplus of hassles piling onto their plates.
But there was no other way to describe the sensations Drew sparked within her with a simple, silly wink. Those were definitely tingles and she was unquestionably smitten.
Fine, so maybe she was more than just smitten.
London wondered what he would say if she took him up on his offer.
You’d better not!
Agreeing to a weekend in the Texas Hill Country was one thing. Flying to Italy together was something entirely different. It would catapult this…this…whateverthiswas between them into a realm she didn’t have the bandwidth to even think about right now.
“Just knowing that I can get a little taste of Tuscany so close to home is good enough for me,” she told him.
No doubt about it, that was disappointment she saw sweep across his face. Hehadbeen serious. He was ready to whisk her off to Europe.
And she’d turned him down.
Who turned down a free trip to Italy that promised amazing scenery, fantastic food and wine, and an abundance of toe-curling orgasms? No wonder her mother thought she was a dud. Janette would be ready to disown her if she knew what London had just done.
“Well, maybe we can explore some of the other wineries in the area while I’m still in Texas,” Drew said. “There are dozens more to see.”
“Nowthatwe can do,” she said, tilting her glass toward him before taking another sip of the rich, slightly spicy wine. “Those other wineries had better bring it,” London said. “This one will be hard to beat.”
Their early afternoon visit had begun with a tour of the wine-making facility. The guide, whose enthusiasm about the varietals offered reminded London of an overzealous cheerleader trying too hard to make the varsity squad, explained the wine-making process as they walked among the large stainless steel vats and oak wine barrels. She and Drew were taken to the bottling room, where they watched the bottles whiz by on a conveyor belt before being filled by the automatic dispensers.
London tried hard not to lose her mind when they made it to the aging room. She’d looked upon the thousands of racked wine bottles with the same wonder as a kid visiting Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory.
They were then shown to the tasting room, where they sampled flights of wine, from sweet, crisp whites to deep, earthy reds. Drew suggested they pause their tour and have a light lunch in the bistro instead of heading straight to the vineyards, a plan London had quickly seconded. There was only so much she could expect of the protein bar she’d eaten while packing her clothes this morning.
They’d spent the past half hour grazing on an antipasto platter of meats, cheeses, and olives, along with a goat cheese and grape pizza that was to die for. Between the scrumptious lunch and gorgeous view, it felt as if she’d found a tiny slice of heaven right here in the heart of Texas.
Drew had skipped a glass of wine with lunch, choosing mineral water while London sipped on her Malbec-Syrah blend. As she studied his sun-dappled profile, she realized that she would have no problem enjoying afternoons like this for a long time to come. It still blew her mind to think it, yet she couldn’t deny what had become more than obvious.
She’d fallen hard for Drew fucking Sullivan.
