“The way the—what do you call the people who pick the fruit?”
“A harvester,” I supply.
“The harvester seemed to weigh the fruit in their hand—like his palm has a built-in scale,” her voice is awed.
“You can tell how ripe the grapes are by how they feel.”
She lowers her camera. Disbelief laces her voice. “Really?”
I lead her over to a cluster I can tell are ready to be picked and place her hand beneath them. My voice drops low enough soonly Maya can hear me. “Do you feel how...tense…these feel in your hands?”
The air around us stills beneath the morning sun. My balls tighten, imagining her rolling my nuts in just the same fashion. Her breath comes out a touch raspier than it was before as she delicately handles the fruit. “Yes.”
I clear my throat before attempting to speak. “What about the color?”
“The deep red color? Is that usual?”
“That’s what we want. You don’t want them to…prematurely explode. Siphons all the juice out.”
Her eyes sparkle with mischief. “Really? Good to know.”
Then she sets about desecrating what little self-control I have left. She leans over and places her mouth on top of one of the juicy red fruits. With a light tug, she pulls it into her mouth.
And it takes everything in my power not to explode in my pants. I rasp, “You’re becoming a pro. But caution,uvetta mia, demonstrations like that can get you in a world of trouble.”
Confusion mars her features. “What does that mean—uvetta mia?”
A grin spreads across my face. Finding a tiny one on a different vine, I lift it up. “My little grape.”
“Such flattery.” Her lips curve in genuine amusement before she bursts into laughter. It makes me feel like I could harvest the entire field single-handedly. She shoves me gently before ordering me, “Go use that charm on your grapes to make them grow larger.”
I loop an arm around her shoulders and guide her to the end of the row so as not to impede the crew. “Want to know the overall process now or later?”
She swivels her head back and forth. “Do you have time, or do you need to support your team?”
I grimace.
She gives me a gentle nudge. “Then go be with your team.”
“I can give you a quick rundown.” I nod at the men and women rapidly snipping the ripe grapes from the vines. “We move from this to sorting.”
“Then?”
“Then to crushing, and fermentation. So much of this job is time and patience.”
She plucks another grape and pops it into her mouth. I smirk. “That’s profit right there.”
“Have patience.” Her eyes twinkle.
I’m captivated by the sight. “Throwing my words back at me?”
“You bet.”
I chuckle. “Well played.”
She nudges my shoulder. “Why don’t you put your muscles to good use and help your team?”
“There are some things more important than a team.”Like you,I want to share with her. Her breath catches when my hand brushes a wayward curl away from her face. A light breeze carrying the scent of grapes wafts over us both. “Like compassion and character.”
