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There was no way she could relax in the tub any longer. Carefully, she stood and reached for a heated towel before bending over to let the water drain. She dried off and slipped her robe on before going into the bedroom. Mick was lying in bed reading something on his tablet. Walking over, she stood beside him and waited until he looked up at her.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“You have nothing to apologize for, Sienna. I never should have...”
“It wouldn’t have changed anything,” she quickly but quietly interrupted. “You made the right decision. I’m just out of sorts and...I took it out on you. So, again, I’m sorry.”
All he did was nod.
Walking over to the dresser, she pulled out one of her nighties and slid it on. It was the first time she was wearing anything to bed since that first night she went home with him. But she didn’t want them to have sex tonight. They had touched on some real and serious issues today and what they had was about more than just fucking just because they could or because they were trying to make up for lost time.
Tonight, she wanted to be like a normal couple who crawled into bed together and read or watched TV. And be the types who are okay sleeping in each other’s arms and finding a contentment in just that.
So as she climbed into bed, she reached for her own tablet that was on the bedside table, and quietly pulled up something mindless to read. Neither said a word for almost an hour, but then Mick put his tablet aside and shut off the lamp on his side of the bed. Yawning, Sienna soon did the same.
They both gravitated toward one another in the middle of the bed—a tangling of limbs and a couple of soft sighs.
And it was the best night’s sleep she’d had in years.
****
They arrived at Hugh Shaughnessy’s Napa Valley resort at lunchtime, and Sienna was instantly in love. Everything was so peaceful and picturesque that she felt all the lingering tension from yesterday simply easing away.
“This is gorgeous!”
Mick came around the car to stand by her side. “Yeah, Hugh does a fabulous job with his resorts.”
“How many does he have?”
“I want to say...twelve? Maybe?” He shrugged. “I’ve stayed at most of them, but this one is my favorite.”
“Tell me why,” she said as they walked hand-in-hand toward the entrance.
“Because this is tucked far away from the city and you can come out here and actually hear yourself think. It’s very relaxing and tranquil and a great place to unwind.”
“I was just thinking the same thing.”
“Great minds,” he said before kissing her cheek.
“Mick Tyler!” someone called out and they both turned.
“Hugh! I had no idea you’d be here!” Mick said, walking over and shaking his hand. “Sienna Ashley, this is Hugh Shaughnessy. Hugh, this is Sienna.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” she said.
“Same. Riley mentioned seeing the two of you in Vegas and when I told him we had you down for a suite here for the night, he mentioned how you were on this two-week trip.” He smiled broadly and Sienna studied him to see if she could detect any resemblance to Riley, but there wasn’t one. Hugh was definitely more polished and reserved, whereas Riley had an edgier look and a bigger personality. Siblings were always fascinating to observe.
“We’ve been having a great time,” Mick was saying. “And since we were in San Francisco, I knew we needed to come here because you’ve got the best place in the entire valley.”
“Well, I like to think so!” Hugh joked. “Why don’t you get checked in and then join me for lunch? Say...an hour?”
“Sounds good. Thanks, Hugh!”
Check in was incredibly efficient and a bellhop took them by golf cart to their room, which was on the far end of the resort with a magnificent view of the vineyard. It wasn’t quite as extensive as she was expecting and commented on it to Mick.
“Land out here comes at a premium,” he explained. “And Hugh lucked out with this property about fifteen years ago. The resort was already here, but in bad shape. It came with a small vineyard, but he’s worked his ass off to renovate everything and bring in people who know how to tend to the grapes. This is smaller than a lot of the resorts in the area, but I think that’s what makes it charming.”
“Oh, there is no doubt. I guess when I think about places like this, I imagined hundreds of acres.” Then she laughed. “And I have no idea why. It not something that’s ever been on my radar before.”
