But she did watch.
A year or so ago, Nolan had gone to visit the Cranstons and found Antonella pinning flags to the arena fence. She’d explained how she desensitised her horses by introducing them to scary things in a safe environment so they didn’t spook when they saw them in the wild. Obviously, Alexa wasn’t a horse, but he figured it was a sensible approach to take—let her get used to seeing his ass outside the bedroom, and she’d be less likely to panic when the clothing came off at home. And he wasn’t lying anyway—he often came up here to skinny-dip in the swimming hole. Yeah, he had a pool down at the house, but there was something freeing about floating around in nature.
He jumped into the cool water and came up gasping, then turned to wave. Alexa quickly averted her gaze, and Nolan chuckled to himself as he sculled across the pool on his back beneath a blue sky and puffy clouds. Someday, he’d convince her to get in the pool. Preferably naked, but he’d take a bikini or even a one-piece.
She retreated to the shade of a valley oak with the laptop perched on her knees, and Juno went to lie beside her, stretched out with her head resting beside Alexa’s feet. Nolan was both pleased and relieved that she’d learned to tolerate the dog. In Virginia, she’d freaked out if one of the neighbourhood mutts put so much as a toe into the yard, so this was a big step forward. And another barrier to a life together removed. Nolan could never give up his loyal pet, not even for Alexa Stone. He let his body float as he rested his folded arms on a flat rock at the side of the pool and watched his two favourite girls. Wires snaked across the ground from the laptop, connected to… Damn, she’d schlepped a solar panel halfway up a fucking mountain? She glanced across, caught his eye, and smiled. Then realised what she’d done and quickly scowled.
“You’re allowed to enjoy the view,” he called.
“I’d rather enjoy chocolate cake and a glass of vino.”
“Do I look like a waiter?”
“Chase went to a sushi place where the waiters wore aprons and nothing else, and dinner was served from a naked ass. So…” She shrugged.
“We’re all out of sushi.” But Nolan reached for the backpack he’d left in the shade of a boulder and retrieved the two wine glasses he’d carefully wrapped in dish towels. He could have gone with plastic, but Alexa deserved the best. He poured a generous glassful for her and set it on a rock.
This time, she didn’t hide her smile.
“You can bring it.”
Okay, this was progress. And Nolan had nothing to be ashamed of. He had a work body, not a gym body, but the vineyard kept him in good shape. He climbed out of the water, shook droplets out of his hair, and picked his way barefoot across the stony ground, sticking to the grassiest areas and wishing he’d brought a pair of flip-flops.
Alexa didn’t take her eyes off him as he crossed the clearing. Mostly, she focused on his face, but once or twice her gaze dropped. The cold water had kept things well-shrivelled, but when she subconsciously bit her bottom lip, he felt himself begin to harden. Shit.
“Are you done taking over the world?” he asked in an attempt to distract himself. “And is that a fucking satellite dish?”
It sure looked like one. A tiny fold-out satellite dish.
“There’s no cell signal here. Another reason hiking is a bad idea. And no, I’m not taking over the world, only a small corner of Amador County. Did you know Roy Leland bribes food critics to write nice things about his products?”
No, but it didn’t entirely surprise Nolan. Roy had no problem with running a smear campaign, so bribery was just a natural evolution of his shady character.
“Do I want to know how you found that out?”
“Probably not.”
But dammit, he was curious. “Can you tell me anyway?”
“As long as you’re not planning to drip all over my picnic blanket.”
“Our picnic blanket, and it’ll dry.”
“Are you going to put on underwear?”
“Not while I’m still wet.”
Alexa rolled her eyes and muttered about butt cooties, but she also moved over to make room, and the trust she was putting in Nolan wasn’t lost on him. But his ass had barely touched wool when Juno gave a low growl. Her ears were twitching, her nose pointing east as she sniffed the air. The hair on the back of Nolan’s neck prickled, and not because of the cool breeze.
Something was out there. Or someone.
Alexa gripped his arm, her fingernails digging into his skin. “Is she going to bite?”
“No. I mean, she’s not going to bite you or me. But she’s heard a sound she doesn’t like,” he said as the dog inched forward. A moment later, Juno shot off into the trees. She considered chasing deer or rabbits beneath her, but she’d scare off any predators.
“Are we talking a mountain lion? A bear?”
“It’s possible, but they’re more active around dawn and dusk.”
