The tour began in the gardens, Magnus speaking easily of the land, the workers, the harvest. But every so often, his words strayed into something more... suggestive.
"Running a vineyard," he said, gesturing to the neat rows of vines stretching outward in the valleys below, "requires constant tending. Discipline. A firm hand. If you're gentle with it, it grows wild. But if you're strict, precise... the yield is twice as sweet."
The weight of his eyes on me made my throat dry. Iknewhe wasn't only talking about grapes. It had to be more suggestive, right?
At the stables, the air grew thick with the smell of hay and horseflesh. Magnus led me to a sleek bay mare, stroking the animal's neck with sure, confident hands. "You must be firm with her, too," he said softly as he stepped much closer than was proper. "She respects strength, not hesitation. Give her the reins, and she'll run you into the ground. But take control..." he looked at me then, one brow raised, "and she'll give you everything you want."
My pulse thundered, and I felt the heat between our bodies grow. I needed to step back. I needed to tell him that this had to stop. Instead, my mouth ran away from me. "And do you always prefer control, Lieutenant?"
The grin that spread across his mouth was slow, devastating. "Magnus, please. And always. In every matter. I don't do halfmeasures, Miss Kruger. Not in business. Not in friendship. And certainly not in pleasure."
I dropped my gaze, my resolve unravelling thread by thread. How could I confess now, when my entire body was betraying me with its quickened breath, its desperate longing?
And yet... my conscience fought me. "Magnus," I whispered, clutching the mare's reins like a lifeline. "What happened in the garden…" I paused and swallowed down my apprehension. "It was wrong. Itmustnot happen again."
He stepped closer, close enough that I could feel the ghost of him wrapped around me. His voice lowered, rough silk against my ears. "Wrong, you say?" His knuckle traced the edge of my sleeve. "Then why do I find you dressed for adventure, lips parted like you're waiting to be kissed again?"
I swayed, caught between the truth of his words and the terror of them. "Because... I... because..."
"Because you want," he supplied. "And wanting is nothing to fear, Lisa. Leighton and I—we don't fear our wants and needs. We never have."
My head snapped up, confusion splintering through me. "What does thatmean?"
Magnus only smiled, stepping back, leaving me cold in the wake of his heat.
Before I could chase him down and press him for an explanation, a familiar voice cut through the tension.
"Lisa!"
I spun, breath catching as Leighton strode toward us, sunlight spilling behind him. Relief and joy surged so strongly that it nearly swept me from my feet. The interaction between Magnus and I dulled under the warmth in Leighton's eyes, but guilt came swiftly on its heels, curling in my gut like a thorned vine.
Leighton reached me, his smile boyish, his energy bright, and bent to brush a soft kiss against my cheek. The simple, tender touch made my chest ache. He didn't notice the way I stiffened. Or if he did, he mistook it for shyness.
Magnus gave a short, knowing nod. "She's all yours, Captain. You two be good now."
Heat flamed up my neck at the innuendo, but Leighton only laughed, slipping my hand through his arm as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Come, Lisa. You've seen the grounds, the house. Now you must see the heart of it. The vines themselves. You'll understand why I love it here so much."
I let him lead me away, my pulse still skittering. Magnus's presence clung to me like smoke, even as Leighton's earnest enthusiasm tried to wash it away.
The rows of vines stretched endlessly, green leaves rustling in the light breeze, the earth rich and dark beneath our boots. Leighton's face lit as he gestured toward the plants, speaking of harvest and soil, of weather and staff, with such passion that it made me see the vineyard as more than rows of fruit.
It reminded me so of my home. And the farm I'd left behind.
"And the business this morning?" I asked softly, eager to prove I was listening, to ground myself in him. "Did it go well?"
He turned his smile on me, tugging on the scar as the sunlight caught in his hair. "It did. Though, truth be told, the business hardly matters now that you're here. I don't think I can express how happy I am that you've agreed to be my wife and give our life here a chance."
My stomach swooped. "Leighton..."
He leaned closer, his voice dropping to something more intimate, a tease that touched me deeply. In places I didn't care to admit. "When we're married, Lisa, you can have itall. Not just the land, the riches that come with it. But all of me. All of us."His thumb brushed my knuckles where his hand held mine, and it was as though he'd promised something far greater than vines and wine.
My chest tightened, my throat burned. This man deserved so much more than I. He deserved someone pure and unburdened by sin. Not a woman who had let herself be swayed by another man's lips.
Before I could stop myself, the words tore free.
"I kissed Magnus."
