Chapter Twelve
For years I loved her, then hated her. All those emotions careened together and poured into the kiss. My mouth moved against hers hard and desperate, attempting to make up for twenty lost years. She didn’t try to pull away or hit me, instead she sunk into me, her fingers digging into my scalp and pulling me down to her, tighter, harder, just as desperately as I felt.
She tried to take the lead, but there was no way in hell that was happening. She was in control in all aspects of her life. It was time she let the reins go.
“My office,” she said against my mouth. “I have a couch.”
I pressed her into me, my cock straining against my pants. She inhaled at the contact. One hand slid down her side to her ass, and using my strength, I lifted her with one arm onto the bar.
This time, she inhaled a ragged breath. “What are you doing?”
“Taking control.” I fisted her hair, tugging it slightly, revealing her silken skin. I dipped my head, kissing a path to the crook of her neck. Her body arched into me, her arms flinging around my neck, holding me close. Little whimpers rose in her throat, the vibrations dancing across my mouth.
My fingers curled into the lapels of her suit jacket, and I ripped it down her arms.
“We should go to the couch,” she said again, but her voice was faint, breathy, and not very convincing. She was clinging to control, and I couldn’t have that. I needed her free, screaming out my name and succumbing to the pleasure.
“You don’t listen. I’m in control.” I ran my tongue across her collarbone, my fingers flicking the buttons of her shirt. “Let me.”
“I’m trying.”
“Relax.”
“I am relaxed, but we should go upstairs to the couch.” Her voice wavered.
I kissed up her neck, stopping to suck on the spot along her jawline before continuing. “Or we can stay right here.” I grabbed her thighs and yanked her until she was pressed tightly against my growing erection.
Her legs wrapped around me, and with a smile, I lifted her from the bar.
“Oh good. Couch is good.”
“No couch,” I said, refusing to give into her demands. She’d been calling the shots for so long, and I was going to love teasing her.
“No,” I grumbled as I grabbed the blanket she dropped. “We’re going to fuck right here.”
Her eyes widened, and she glanced around the tasting room. “In the open?”
I shook my head, not breaking my hold on her eyes. “Right here.” The wind chose that moment to pick up, releasing an angry howl as tree branches slammed together, and the building creaked against the force. I dropped the blanket and bent down, resting her on top of the soft material.
“We’re old. Aren’t you afraid of hurting your knees or your back?”
A laugh rumbled my throat. Her sensibility was as adorable as it was ridiculous. “I climb rocks for fun. I think I can manage.”
I ripped my shirt off and tossed it aside. The hollow of her neck bobbed. Her teeth slid over her bottom lip, and her gaze roamed my chest. I kneeled between her thighs, capturing her mouth. A sexy moan rumbled against our lips, and I urged her to lie back.
I flicked the button of her pants open and jerked the zipper down. My fingers dipped to the top of her panties, tracing a line where skin met... lace. I did not imagine buttoned-up Chardonnay as a lace girl. Cotton maybe.
But lace… My cock pulsated with the thought.
With no patience, I tugged her pants down her legs, revealing the red material. My brain stopped functioning, mouth agape as I took her in. She was pure perfection in red, and I was simply not worthy. I never was.
She slipped her shirt off, revealing a matching red bra. “Your turn,” she said, reaching for my pants.
I snatched her wrist before she could get to them. “You’re not in control here, baby.”
Her eyes widened, but her hands fell to the side, and she eased onto her elbows. “Yes, master.” Her tone had a hint of humor, but there was nothing funny about this. She’d been the standard I had measured for all women, even when I hated her. Now in front of me, she was even better than I imagined.
After all this time, she’d been protecting me. Not that I needed protection. I’d been protecting myself my whole damn life. It was nice to know she cared. And I repaid her by being a fucking asshole. Now I’d spend the rest of my life trying to make up for it.
I was going to try my damndest to be every ounce of the man she deserved. Retrieving my wallet and tossing it by her head, I stood, unzipping and pushing my pants down my thighs. She gasped as they pooled at my feet. My cock was barely contained by my boxer briefs.
My knee came to the floor, parting her thighs. Her chest rose as she sucked in a breath.
I had wasted so much time, but it didn’t make me want to rush. I wanted to savor every little detail about Chardonnay like the freckle on the inside of her left thigh. I dipped my head and kissed the brown dot. Her body trembled beneath my lips, urging me to continue. My tongue snaked out, dragging along her creamy skin, stopping just shy of the red lace. I loved the way the panties looked on her, but they were in the way. I hooked my fingers on either side and ripped.
A sharp inhale echoed through the tasting room. “Did you just…? Those were La Perla!”
“La whata?”
“La—” Her response cut off as I swiped my tongue across her clit. Her body arched, arms slammed down, hands fisted into the blanket.
That’s what I thought .
I’d replace them later, but for now, they were a barrier, and I didn’t want a single barrier. My tongue lashed out again, and she cried out this time, pressing her sweetness into me. She tasted like honeyed nectar that was both intoxicating and addicting.
Her fingers thrust into my hair, tugging the strands as her body rolled into me, urging me on. I sunk a finger into her slick heat, and my name spilled from her lips. I’d never loved my name so much.
She yanked on my hair, trying to pull me away from her sweetness. I shook off her request and continued to feast on her.
“Brady, I’m going to—”
I slowed my pace, then sucked her swollen nub. She trembled beneath me, and I released her.
“You’re going to what?” I asked, glancing up at her.
Her lips parted like she was going to blurt it, then snapped shut. “You know.”
I shook my head. “I don’t. Tell me.”
Her lips were a swollen red from our kiss, her cheeks blotchy from my beard. I pressed a kiss to that freckle on her thigh and dragged my tongue up her silky skin. “Tell me,” I said again. “You were going to…?”
She answered with a moan as I found her center again. I licked and sucked, adding a slow, torturous finger to the mix. Her stomach fell with her inhalation, thighs tightened around me. My hand slid up her body, curving around a perfect mound of creamy flesh. I pinched her extended nipple just as I sucked her clit.
“I’m going to come!” she cried out, and I reveled in the victory as I continued to pinch, suck, and lick. Her muscles tightened around my finger, her core rocked against my mouth, and her hands grabbed my hair, gripping painfully until she came with a moan.
I picked up speed, riding her orgasm until her body went lax, then I grabbed her thighs and jerked her legs toward my cock. Not wasting a second, I rolled the condom on and surged into her.
Her breath caught, her body jolted, and her eyes widened as they met mine before being overtaken by the heaviness of ecstasy. She’d never looked more beautiful than she did right now—her hair askew, eyes glossy with pleasure, and her lip gloss smeared.
My chest tightened, a mix of raw desire and something deeper.
Something I wasn’t ready to feel.
Her hand rested on my cheek, cupping my jaw as her thumb ran gently across my beard. She didn’t say anything; she didn’t need to. The way she looked at me… it was enough to bring a grown man to his knees to worship at her feet.
“Kiss me,” she said, and even though I wanted to be the one in control, in this moment, I couldn’t deny her. Her fingers tangled in my hair, pulling me closer, as if she needed me as much as I needed her. I captured her lips, letting everything I felt and was too scared to feel pour out of me and into her.
I moved my hips, thrusting into her sweet heat, relishing the way her muscles contracted around me, pulling me in and holding me tight. She moved with me, giving and taking in a perfect rhythm. Pleasure built, sending me on a crash course to orgasm. I refused to come first.
I dipped my head, taking her nipple between my teeth and finding her swollen nub with my finger. I moved my tongue in sync with my finger. Her muscles tightened even more, and I moved my mouth to hers. Her hands grabbed my face, holding me close. Moans vibrated against our lips, then her breaths came fast and hard.
Her body shuddered, hands went limp, and I pounded into her, following her over the edge.
***
Sunlight filtered in through the windows, and I squinted toward the blinding combination of light and snow. At some point last night, between another few rounds and sampling some wine and snacks, I went upstairs and found more blankets, creating a cozy spot in front of the fireplace.
Chardonnay cuddled into my side, and I held her close, bending to kiss her forehead. She moaned before her eyes popped open. “Morning,” she said, almost looking startled, but then quickly slipped on a sexy smile.
“Morning,” I said. “We should get moving before someone shows up.”
Her eyes widened, and she jumped out of my arms. I immediately wanted to pull her back. The blanket fell free, giving me a nice view of her naked body.
I stared, of course. She snatched the blanket from me, leaving me bare as she wrapped the fleece around her body. With a laugh, I grabbed my pants and yanked them on. She scanned the floor, trying to find articles of clothing that were scattered around the tasting room.
She managed to gather all the pieces and as she was heading to most likely get dressed, I grabbed her waist and pulled her to me.
“What are you doing? I have a million things to do. I have to make sure the plow is scheduled to come. I have to check in with all my siblings to make sure they’re good. Then I have to make sure Chris is able to get here, so he can clear the walking—”
I kissed her, cutting her off. She resisted for only a second before melting into me.
When we broke apart, her forehead rested against mine, her breath warm and unsteady. “You make it impossible to think straight,” she whispered, her voice a combination of frustration and desire. Maybe we could get one more round in before getting back to reality.
Reality. Did that mean this was a one-time thing, or did last night start something? I needed to know, because if last night was supposed to get Char out of my system, it did a shit poor job of it. And if this wasn’t the last time, did we keep this to ourselves?
The front doors flung open, and both our attention whipped in the direction. A loud gasp escaped Wyatt, and he pointed a finger toward us. Char darted behind the bar, trying her best to hide behind the counter and bottles.
That answered my question. Nothing in the Grasso world was private.
Nero laughed, coming in behind Wyatt. “Unbelievable. You just gave me shit for having too much sex, and here you are, boinking your enemy.”
“Boinking? Are you twelve?” she retorted, her arms over her chest before she quickly ducked behind the bar.
Wyatt gasped again and pointed harder, as if we didn’t hear or see him the first time.
“Can you two give us a minute?” I asked. If they didn’t, I’d be more than happy to strong arm them out the fucking door. Both would put up a fight. Nero would laugh, making him lose his upper hand. Wyatt, though, he was a slippery son of a bitch.
“That’s all you need?” Wyatt asked, his eyebrows raised as he looked me up and down, as if sizing me up. “I expected you to last much longer than that.”
“Out!” Both Char and I snapped. She stepped from behind the bar, arms crossed over her now covered chest. Though the slightly skewed button-down didn’t stop the memories of her pert rosy nipples. Her hair was a beautiful mess of disheveled strands. Her lips were swollen from all the kissing. Her cheeks were flushed. She’d never looked more gorgeous.
“Well, now everyone knows.”
“It’s just Wyatt and Nero. I can ask them not to say anything.”
Chardonnay laughed. “Wyatt’s already calling Rose, and Nero is already calling Lainey. Lainey will tell Sherry. Rose will tell Rhone. Rhone will tell Franc who will tell Laurent, who will tell Phoebe. There’s no way we’re keeping this under wraps.”
“Then let them talk. Who cares?”
“My sex life has never been an open discussion amongst my family before.”
“First time for everything.”
“Like having sex on the tasting room floor. The amount of code violations.”
“Shh.” I pressed my finger to her lips. “You worry too much.”
“And you don’t worry enough.”
“I’ve learned that worrying about shit isn’t going to change a damn thing.”
“So what happens now?” Her dark brown eyes blinked up at me. Her lips glistened, begging me to capture them one last time. But our bubble had burst. Whatever we shared last night was over now.
“We get dressed and go on with our day. You have a vineyard to run, and I have to get home to Jack.” Not that I had any doubts. He probably slept through the entire storm, and I’d bet money he was still sleeping.
“I didn’t plan this,” Char said.
“You can’t plan everything.”
“But planning makes me comfortable. Keeps me—”
“In control.”
“I was going to say grounded.”
“You were far from grounded last night.”
“I’m not usually like that. You just made me so angry, and then memories of that stupid vampire costume…”
“Turned you on, huh?”
“Don’t try to be cute.”
“I’m not cute. Rugged. Handsome. Not cute.”
“Sorry to emasculate you.” She laughed, and I wanted to bottle up the noise so I could listen to it whenever I was having a bad day.
“Just don’t do it again,” I joked.
She lifted on her toes and pressed a kiss to my lips. “Last night was fun. Thank you.”
I’ve had sex many times through the years, but no one had ever thanked me for it. I didn’t exactly know how to respond. I stared into her eyes, wanting to rip off her clothes and take her again on the bar. Fuck the codes and all the rules. But I really needed to get home to Jack, and pretty soon, more Grasso’s would ascend onto the property. It was better if I was gone by then. If Franc had a problem with me sleeping with his sister, then he knew where to find me.
“Anytime,” I said, then kissed her forehead and returned to reality.