Chapter 33
“Areyou sure your parents won’t mind us being down here?” Gavin asks as we walk through the cellar.
“This is my home, Scottie. My brothers and I used to play hide and seek down here. It’s like our basement. It just also happens to house a few million dollars worth of wine.”
He gulps and takes my hand.
I lead us through the cellar and tasting room toward the dining area. Then I head for the double doors, the ones with the words La Grotte carved into them.
When I open them, he actually gasps. “Is this really a cave?”
I laugh. “It’s man-made, but yeah it mimics a real one, at least the climate does.”
“I love how cool it is in here,” he says, looking around at the rows of barrels. “And it smells amazing.”
“Oak. And I always found it a bit too chilly.”
“Then I’ll have to keep you warm.” He wraps his arms around me from behind, spreads his legs to walk on each side of me.
We waddle toward the armoire that houses stemmed glasses and tools and he finally lets go of me. The door creaks when I open it, showcasing its age, a relic brought here from my great grandparents. I grab a glass and hand it to Gavin, and then I take out one of the thieves.
“What do you wanna taste?” I ask.
“You.”
“Scottie!” I poke the wine thief at his chest. “Pick a barrel.”
He licks his lips, raises a brow at me, but finally turns to face down the long hallway of barrels. “How do I know what’s good?”
“Everything along this wall will be bottled in the next six months.” I point to his left. “They’ll all be good.”
“This one.” He places a hand down on one of the closest barrels. “It’s gotta be your favorite for a reason.”
“The Vega it is.” I unlatch the barrel and slide the top over. “Hold out the glass.” I insert the wine thief, making sure to cover the top of it with my thumb and pull out a decent amount of wine.
“It really is kind of hot. How do you make that look sexy?”
“Just taste the wine, Scottie.”
He takes a slow sip, swishing it around in his mouth like my whole family taught him last time he visited. “It’s sort of tart, I think? Compared to the one in the bottle, at least.”
“Yeah, it mellows out the longer we barrel it.” I take a sip. “Going to be perfect though.”
We trade a few sips, and I let him test out using the thief for a second glass. Then I rinse everything in our little cleaning station so there’s no evidence of our secret tasting session.
“Ready to?—”
Gavin steals the words out of my mouth with a kiss, his arms coming around me in a tight hold. His lips brush mine softly, slowly, a little nip at the end before he pulls back.
“What was that for?” I ask through a grin.
“This has been one of my favorite days with you. I just wanted to make sure it ended with a kiss.”
I melt. Will it always be like this with Gavin? I know our relationship is still new, but I can’t imagine ever wanting him less, ever not going weak at the knees when he says things like that.
He backs me up against the same barrel we just tasted from and kisses me again, his hands wandering down to squeeze my ass. I think he’s about to pick me up but stops short.
His hoodie is off a second later and he lays it down on top of the barrel. Then I’m immediately lifted up to sit on it.
“Can’t have you getting splinters.”
I laugh but he just kisses me again. He’s so goddamn considerate.
“Did you mean what you said earlier?” I ask, pulling back an inch. “Do you really think you know me that well?” Because I haven’t been able to get those words out of my head. No one would let you go if they knew you like I do.
“You doubt me, Sparkles?” He squeezes my ankle and runs his hand up my bare leg. Thank god we live in California, because I only ever want to wear dresses when I’m with Gavin. “I know you,” he says, his voice dropping dangerously low. “I know that this house is your favorite place in the world, even if you tell yourself you wanted to escape it. I know that you’re insanely proud of what your family does.”
He kisses my neck and runs his hand further up my thigh, until he starts toying with the bit of lace under my dress, slips his fingers underneath it.
“I know that if I touch you here—” I gasp as his thumb presses against me— “You’ll come in just a minute.” My breath catches right as he pulls away, letting his hand rest back on my thigh. He licks the spot right under my ear and grins, his smile stretching against my skin. “But I know you’d rather I draw it out, make it last.” This time he whispers directly into my ear. “You’d rather finish with me inside you.”
My heart hammers against my chest as he drags his lips from my ear to my throat and back up again. His right hand squeezes my thigh as his other comes up to my shoulder and slides down the strap of my dress. He tugs until my breast is exposed and rolls my nipple between his fingers.
“So I’ll touch you here instead,” he continues, his words almost as teasing as his hands. “Because I know you love this spot too. But it won’t get you there. This way I can keep you on edge a little longer.”
“Scottie.” It’s all I can say, more of a breath than a word really, my brain short circuiting from this display of seduction. He chuckles in response, loving what he’s doing to me.
But I don’t give up control that easily.
I press a hand to the center of his chest. “You forgot something, Scottie. I know you too.” I hike up my dress and throw each leg up until my ankles are resting on his shoulders. Satisfaction hits me like a drug when his eyes bulge. They grow even wider as I slide my hand between my legs. “And I know how jealous you get when I decide to take things into my own hands.”
He lets out a rough, guttural sound. I think I finally understand what it means in books when the man growls. His teeth sink into his lower lip and he grabs my wrist, pulling it up to his lips. His tongue lashes out and he sucks two fingers into his mouth.
He smirks. “Told you I’d get a taste.”
We both lose our patience after that. My dress goes first, then his pants, his shirt. I’m not even sure who removes what. The only piece of fabric I can feel is Scottie’s hoodie that I’m still sitting on. He really thought ahead.
“Guess what I remembered to bring,” he says, a smile playing on his lips. He bends down and pulls a condom out of his pocket.
“Look who’s getting cocky.”
“Not cocky. I just never want to disappoint you.” His words are earnest, no longer teasing, even as he rolls on the condom. If it’s possible, my whole body softens even more.
He pushes into me, slow and gentle, always waiting for me to set the pace. My head rolls back when his teeth sink into my shoulder, his tongue following with a languid stroke. Before I lose the ability to speak, I make sure to let him know, “You never do.”