“Oh. Hey, Rhonan.”
“I need to speak with you.”
She glances around at the men and then back to me. “Uh, I’m kind of busy right now.”
“It can’t wait.”
She takes a step closer to me. “Is—is something wrong? Where’sEllis?”
Fuck. This woman’s mind instantly went to my daughter and her well-being.
Yeah, I didn’t stand a fucking chance at resisting her.
“Ellis is fine. I’m the one with the problem.”
One of her many suitors glares at me, but I shoot him an equally harsh look and then plead with Vienna using my eyes.
Vienna addresses the men. “I—I’m sorry y’all. I need to step away for a moment.”
As soon as she says the words, I grab her hand and pull her toward the main building.
“Rhonan!” Fletcher calls out to me as we cross through the courtyard, but I wave him off.
“Rhonan.” Vienna’s voice infiltrates my ears this time, but I’m too focused on getting this woman away from everyone so we can speak in private.
“Hey, son,” my father says as I pass him in the tasting room, headed for the hallway that leads to the cellar beneath the building. “Everything all right?”
Pausing in front of him for just one second, I ask, “Is the cellar empty?”
His brows draw together. “Yes…”
“Okay, thanks.” I pull Vienna behind me again and lead her to the heavy wooden door, entering the keypad on the lock and opening it up for Vienna to step through. “Watch your step.”
“What’s going on, Rhonan?” Her hand glides on the railing of the stairs as I step behind her, keeping my hand on her shoulder. When she finally reaches the cellar floor, she spins around, ready to give me a piece of her mind, but I crash my mouth into hers and back her up against the racks of barrels behind her, pinning her hands above her head.
White-hot pleasure races through me, traveling straight to my cock as I thrust my hips into her stomach, letting her feel how hard I am.
I don’t think anymore. All the words, all the doubts that have been on a loop in my head for nearly two months vanish the second our lips touch—because this can’t be wrong.
Not when it feels this right.
Vienna breaks our kiss, her chest heaving between us. “What the hell has gotten into you?”
“You have, Vienna. I’m waving my white flag.”
“And what exactly are you surrendering to?”
I lock my eyes onto hers, those green irises glittering from the soft lighting above us. “I can’t deny my fucking feelings for you anymore, woman. It fucking killed me watching those men gawking over you…”
Her eyes widen, but she still looks confused. “Right now? You—you came to this realization rightnow?”
I drag my nose up the column of her throat, nibbling on her earlobe when I get there. “You’re lucky I dragged you away from those men before kissing you the way I just did. Trust me, I wanted to mark you right in front of all of them.”
I don’t miss how her body shivers in response to my words. “I—I’m sorry. We haven’t seen each other in almost a week and now…”
I lean back and stare into her eyes again. “Have dinner with me,” I blurt out, throwing caution to the wind, but it’s now or never. I’m asking this woman on a date, just like my friends told me I should.
I just wish she didn’t pause as she considers her answer.
