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I bit my lip and inhaled deeply through my nose. “I’ll stay.” It’s not like I had anywhere else to go.
“Great,” Franc said, and moved to the cabinet by the sink, taking two white and gray dinner plates. They were masculine and elegant, yet casual, just like him. “Do you want to carve, or do you want me to?”
“You can do the honors.”
He retrieved a knife from the draw and placed the roast on a cutting board. “If you want, you can take two wine glasses.”
“I have to drive, but I’ll get you a glass.”
“Overly responsible or a lightweight?” he asked.
“Honestly, I’m a total lightweight when it comes to wine. I don’t drink it often enough and a few sips, and I can already feel it.”
“And you were going to work in the tasting room?”
“I was desperate, and since I’m being completely honest, the only thing I know about wine is it comes in red or white and sometimes pink. I would have failed miserably in the tasting room.”
He grabbed the bottle of red that sat on the counter in the corner. “Then I’m happy I was there that day, desperate myself.”
“It worked out rather well.”
“Yes, but I also think you should let me give you a wine tasting.”
I turned with the glass of red and handed it to him. “You don’t have to do that.” He took the glass, his finger brushing mine ever so slightly. Sparks started where our skin met and continued up my arm.
“You know people pay top dollar to have me give them a personal tasting. After all, I am Vine Valley’s highly regarded vintner, winning awards from around the world.”
“Yet you’re so modest,” I teased.
“If we can’t be proud of our achievements, then what’s the point of having any?” He lifted the cutting board and smiled. “Dinner is served.” He placed the board on the table, and I brought over the potatoes. We sat across from each other and served ourselves.
“If I were to take you up on the wine tasting offer, what wines would you have me try?” I asked, anxious to hear more about what made him tick.
“It depends, but since you are a newbie, I would start you out with something light so your palette can learn to appreciate the flavors and not overwhelm your taste buds. So probably an unoaked pinot grigio to start. A Sauvignon blanc is light on the palette and has a light body, so that would be on the menu as well.”
I nodded to his glass. “What about what you’re drinking?”
His mouth quirked, eyes glancing at the thick, ruby red liquid. “We’d have to work you up to this. Though you can try it if you’d like.”
My eyes lingered on the glass, getting strangely turned on at the thought of putting my lips where his were. I swallowed and held out my hand.
“You sure?” he asked.
“Just a taste.” He handed me the glass, and I tentatively brought it to my mouth. I took a sniff, trying to pretend like I knew what I was doing when, in fact, I had no idea. “Smells spicy.”
“Very good. You should get hints of black pepper, maybe a little clove.”
His gaze lingered on my lips as I brought the glass up and took a tiny sip. I was going for sexy, but as soon as the liquid hit my tongue, my entire face scrunched up. Franc barked out a laugh, and I quickly handed him his glass.
“Oh, that’s… that’s… dry.” I flopped my tongue about, trying to regain some moisture, while Franc continued to chuckle in that deep, sexy laughter.
I downed some water and sighed.
“You should start out light so not to overwhelm your taste buds.”
“Next time, I might listen to you.” I stuck my tongue out a few times and scrunched my nose.
“If I wasn’t so confident in my wine making ability, I might be a little insulted,” he said.
