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His breathing skipped several beats and he finally pushed me away as he gazed down at me, a sly smile crossing his face. “You are one very naughty little kitten.”
“Why, yes, sir.” I expected him to punish me for some unknown reason, but he pulled me onto my feet, sliding my strands of hair from my shoulders.
“Do you trust me, Aspen?”
He managed to surprise me once again, the question not one I would have expected. The answer wasn’t necessarily easy. I didn’t know him, other than what little I’d read and the limited and usually terse conversations we’d had. What struck me as odd was that I actually did trust him. I’d refused to trust any man in years. Why him and why now?
“I… do.”
A slight smile crossed his face. He leaned down, pressing his lips against mine. While the kiss was light, I pressed my hands against his chest, leaning into him. Maybe I simply longed for the closeness that had been missing in my life for so long. He’d barely slipped his tongue inside my mouth when he pulled away, kissing my forehead as he gripped and squeezed my arms. Then he took me by the hand.
“Then come with me.”
Saying no wasn’t an option. I accepted his hand, shuddering to my core, curious as to what he had in mind. When he pulled me toward the set of French doors leading out onto his private balcony, I started to pull away. His grip became firmer and he gave me a stern look.
“Trust. Remember?”
All I could do was nod as he unlocked the doors, opening only one and leading us outside. The night air was crisp enough I shivered for an entirely different reason, darting my eyes back and forth in hopes that no one could see us. I was struck almost immediately by the stars in the sky. They were glistening, twinkling in a way I’d never seen or paid attention to before. Even the moon seemed more incredible, the beautiful glowing orb almost full. I’d taken little time in my life to enjoy the beauty of the darkness, even afraid of the shadows that nighttime presented.
On this night, I was impervious to that kind of fear. This was his world, the larger than life Cheyenne who’d fought his heritage along with his rage. I loved every second of being allowed to experience it.
He pushed me against the railing, immediately crowding my space behind. The feel of his heated body was exactly what I’d been craving. Sighing, I gripped the iron rails, trying to alleviate the embarrassment, although there didn’t appear to be anyone else around. Even if there was, with the limited light from the desk lamp, there was very little chance anyone would be able to make out anything but shadows.
This was just a test, a moment of proving myself to the man. I wasn’t certain how I felt about that.
Montgomery placed his hands just outside of mine, taking several deep breaths as we stood together in silence.
“I haven’t been on this balcony in almost two years.” His admittance seemed to come out of the blue, but the tidbit of information seemed significant.
“Why?”
“Because it was too painful.”
I wanted so much to ask why, but I knew that if I did, I’d push him further into his shell.
“From here, I can see so much of the estate, including several of the vineyards,” he continued. “I can also see one of the barns.”
The barn where Star was located. There was no doubt in my mind. I held my breath, my heart skipping.
“I never wanted to see it again.” He brushed the tips of his fingers up and down my arm in a lazy fashion, only adding to the dancing sensations.
“What happened?” The words slipped from my mouth before I could stop them. I expected him to explode, to send me away. Nothing could have shocked me more when he shifted his hips back and forth, continuing to caress my arm.
“There was a massive fire that came out of nowhere. Granted, it was the second one in less than two weeks.”
“How did it happen?” I was already cringing inside.
“The reports came back that it was an accident, set off by a careless worker with a cigarette.”
“But you’ve never believed that.”
He laughed bitterly, the sound reeking of angst. “No. I knew better. I smelled the gasoline, but the authorities wouldn’t believe me since we stored gasoline close by for the various vehicles. I knew the winery was being targeted at that point. I’d even attempted to report some of the other incidents, but it was always the same. Just an accident.”
“My God. I am so sorry.” I could feel him tensing. After biting my lower lip, I pulled his arm around me, snuggling against him. He tensed even more at first, then exhaled.
“The night was something I can never forget, nor will I forgive the person responsible.”
“Do you know who that is?”
