I shrugged.“I’m not sure.Calvin always orders my drinks if we are out.I’m not a big drinker.”
His brows snapped together.“Calvin?Fuck that.We will figure out what you like.Don’t let some man pick out your drink.”
Okay, I didn’t think it was a big deal, but sure.Whatever he said.
He started toward the kitchen again, and I had to quicken my pace since his strides had become longer and more intense.As if he was pissed about this drink thing.
When he stepped into the kitchen, the lights came on without him touching anything.I hadn’t known they were activated by movement.
“All right, get a seat at the bar.We will start with wine, unless you want to try beer.”
I pulled out a stool.“I might not be a drinker, but isn’t there a saying, like,Beer before liquor, never sicker?”
“Myth.Doesn’t matter.Beer is just something you can drink a lot of before realizing you’re intoxicated.You feel effects faster with liquor and slow down.It’s drinking too much sugar that fucks you up.”
Oh.Learn something new every day.“All right then.Is it okay if I don’t try the beer?I already know I hate it.I can’t even stand the way it smells.”
He smirked.“Yeah, Pickles.We will leave off the beer,” he agreed as he pulled two bottles from the wine rack.“Let’s do the red versus white taste test first.”
I watched him open a cabinet and take out two different wineglasses.One with a stem and one without.
“I’ve had red, and maybe it was the kind I drank, but I wasn’t a fan.I hate for you to open a bottle of it just for me to taste,” I told him.
He picked up the bottle of merlot and slid it back into the holder, then scanned the other bottles and pulled out a new bottle.“Rosé.I should have thought about that one anyway.My mom prefers it.I think it’s a female thing.”
The color looked like a dark pink, and I thought that was promising.It was hard not to look at his biceps flexing as he uncorked the bottle of rosé.They were mesmerizing.
He poured a small amount into the glass without a stem and slid it across the bar to me.
Taking it, I licked my lips, then took a small sip.It was nice.Nothing like the red I’d tried once.It had a crisp, fruity taste that wasn’t too sweet.
I nodded.“I like that.”
He read the label.“That’s a medium blend,” he told me.“You might not like the dry or sweeter ones.”
He slid the white wine over to me.
Taking a sip of it, I decided the rosé was my favorite.I pointed at the other glass.“That one for sure.”
He opened a drawer and pulled out two wine bottle corks with crystal decoration at the top and closed both of them before putting them in the fridge.
“I’m assuming you’ve had champagne,” he said, glancing back at me.
I nodded.“It’s okay.I like the sweeter ones.Prosecco.But we don’t need to try it.”
He went over to the small area that I believed my mother had once called a butler’s pantry and came back out, carrying two bottles.He set them in front of me.“I’m not a drink mixer.But I know that girls tend to mix vodka with cranberry juice or sparkling water.”Then he held up the other bottle.“I grabbed the whiskey because the gin was intimidating.I have no idea what to mix with it.”
Smiling, I pointed at the whiskey.“I think I mentioned before that I don’t much care for whiskey,” I reminded him.“I’ve tried Jack and Coke.”
The horrified look on his face told me I’d said something offensive.
“This is not Jack Daniel’s, Pickles.Never mix this with anything.Ever.And no fucking wonder you don’t like whiskey.”
“It’s Calvin’s drink of choice,” I explained.
Forge winced.“It’s like he and I aren’t related at all,” he muttered.“Let’s start with this.If you hate it, you can wash it down with a cranberry vodka.”
“I like vodka,” I told him.“I think that is what is in, uh, lemon drops.”
