Even if the scenario sounded too good to be true, Rafael had to go for it. Who could say when he’d get another chance alone with Victoria? “You sure he won’t be back until Wednesday?”
“Yep. And I told our housekeeper to take a few days off so she could do her Christmas shopping and spend time with her family. We’ll have the house to ourselves.” She waggled her eyebrows. “We can be as loud as we want.”
“I can be there at five.”
He wasn’t just playing with fire, he was playing with a whole damn volcano. But he wasn’t going to turn her down.
Chapter 20
What the hell was she doing?
As Victoria drove back to Temecula, the question nagged at her. When she’d gone to the bar with Rafael after Araceli’s party, all she’d wanted to do was share a drink. Smooth over any awkwardness. Talk to him as a friend. Nothing more.
But then she’d crossed a line by crashing on his bed. And doubled down by initiating this morning’s sexy shenanigans.
In theory, she should have been mired in regret. Or guilt. Or fear she’d made a mistake that couldn’t be undone. But the only emotion coursing through her was a fizzy happiness that lifted her spirits like the bubbles from a glass of champagne.
A feeling she didn’t want to end.
The sensible move would be to put these feelings on hold until after the wedding. Or better yet, until after her father reassured her that he’d cleared her debt. She couldn’t risk upsetting him.
But despite her rationale, she didn’t want to wait two weeks to be with Rafael. Hell, she didn’t want to wait two days. While the Quiet Game had been incredibly gratifying, it hadn’t left her satisfied. It left her wantingmore. More banter, more sex, moreeverything. Her body felt like it was waking up after years of hibernation. Even now, her nerve endings tingled at the thought of their upcoming encounter.
What harm could there be if they indulged in a steamy fling? They’d have to keep it under wraps while they were working on the wedding, but she was good at keeping secrets.
What about after the wedding?
A question she wasn’t ready to answer yet. And didn’t need to, since Rafael hadn’t said he wanted a relationship. As long as they both embarked on this fling with zero expectations, no one would get hurt.
Right?
Once she got home, she changed into an oversize sweater and a pair of yoga pants and curled up on the couch with her laptop. A quick check of her Blackwood Cellars inbox revealed no pressing crises. She uploaded the photos she’d taken at Araceli’s craft party and perused them carefully. After selecting the best ones, she attached them to an email and sent it to Missy.
The wedding was coming together. And she couldn’t have pulled it off without Rafael.
When her phone rang a few minutes later, she gave it a quick glance.Missy.
She’d better be calling to tell me what a fabulous job I’m doing.
As if. In all likelihood, she had another set of demands.
Putting on her cheerful, event-planner voice, Victoria answered the phone. “Hello, Missy. How may I help you?”
“Finally. Why haven’t you answered my emails?”
Victoria checked her inbox again to make sure she hadn’t missed anything. “Is this about the gingerbread houses? I just sent you a bunch of photos from last night’s craft party.”
“I got them. Thanks.”
She said it so grudgingly Victoria felt a twinge of satisfaction. But Missy wasn’t one to concede easily. “I’m calling about the signature cocktail.”
Victoria tried to keep the irritation out of her voice. “I told you I’d work on it.”
“I know, but that was on Saturday. What have you come up with since?”
Did Missy realize she had an actual job that involved her being on-site during the weekend and working withotherclients? Probably not.
“I talked to Rafael about it,” she said. “We’re getting together tonight to test out recipes. I can give you a list of our top three drink choices tomorrow, and you can pick one. Does that work?”
