Chapter Seven
Lila
I woke in Griffin's guest room with sunlight streaming across the white cotton sheets and the memory of his hands on my body still burning under my skin. Every nerve ending felt alive, sensitized in a way that made even the soft fabric against my naked flesh feel like a caress.
What had I done?
The rational part of my brain—the part that had kept me safe and in control for so many years—was screaming warnings.
I'd let myself get swept away by a man I'd known for less than a week.
Worse, I'd let him see me completely vulnerable, crying out his name under a canopy of stars like some lovesick romance novel heroine.
But God, the way he'd touched me. The way he'd looked at me like I was something precious instead of damaged goods.
I pressed my fingers to my lips, still feeling the ghost of his kisses, and tried to sort through the tangle of emotions in my chest. Want. Fear. Hope. Confusion. They all twisted together until I couldn't tell where one ended and another began.
A soft knock on the door made me jump. "Lila? You awake? I made coffee."
Griffin's voice, rough with sleep and something else that made my stomach flutter. I grabbed a robe from my suitcase and wrapped it around myself before opening the door.
He stood in the hallway holding two steaming mugs, his hair still messed from sleep, wearing nothing but a pair of low-slung sweatpants cut off at the knee. The sight of his bare chest, marked with the faint scratches my nails had left last night, sent heat flooding through me.
"Morning," he said, his dark eyes searching my face. "Sleep okay?"
"Yes, thank you." The words came out more formal than I intended, and I saw something flicker in his expression. Disappointment? Hurt?
He handed me a mug, his fingers brushing mine. "We should probably hit the road soon if you want to make it to Oakcrest Bay in time for your meeting with Madeline."
Right. The meeting. My new job. The life I'd been planning before Griffin Rhodes turned everything upside down.
"Of course," I said, wrapping my hands around the warm ceramic. "I should get ready."
An awkward silence stretched between us, filled with everything we weren't saying. Finally, Griffin nodded. "I'll go throw some things in a bag. Take your time."
He turned to go, then paused. "Lila—"
"It's fine," I said quickly, not sure I could handle whatever he was about to say. "Last night was... it was beautiful. But we both know this is temporary."
Something shuttered in his expression. "Right. Temporary."
After he disappeared into his room, I leaned against the doorframe and tried to steady my breathing. This was for the best. I had a job to focus on, a career to build. Getting tangled up with a man who lived hours away, no matter how incredible the sex had been, would only complicate things.
So why did my chest feel like it was caving in?
An hour later, we were on the road. Griffin had been polite but distant as we loaded my bags into his truck, the easy camaraderie we'd built over the past few days replaced by awkward silence. I missed his teasing already, missed the way he'd looked at me like I was a puzzle he wanted to solve.
The scenery changed as we drove, desert giving way to rolling hills and finally to the coastal mountains of Oakcrest Bay.
Vineyards stretched across the landscape like green quilts, and the air smelled of salt and growing things.
It should have been exciting—the first glimpse of my new home.
Instead, all I could think about was the man beside me and the wall that had sprung up between us.
"It's beautiful," I said, trying to break the tension.
"Yeah," Griffin replied, but he didn't elaborate.
We drove in silence for another hour before Griffin's phone rang through the truck's speakers. "Rhodes."
"Griffin? It's Elise. I heard you were coming through Oakcrest Bay today."
"Aunt Elise," Griffin said, and I heard genuine warmth in his voice for the first time all morning. "How did you—never mind. I should know better than to ask how you know things."
A throaty laugh came through the speakers. "I have my sources. I was hoping you might stop by the office while you're in town. There are some contracts I'd like you to look at."
Griffin glanced at me. "I'm actually just dropping someone off. I wasn't planning to stick around."
"Nonsense. Bring your friend along. We'll make a day of it."
"She's starting a new job at Sparkling Oak," Griffin said. "I doubt she has time for—"
"Sparkling Oak?" Elise's voice sharpened with interest. "How fascinating. We do quite a bit of business with them. I insist you both come by."
Griffin met my eyes, a question in them. Part of me wanted to refuse, to stick to my plan of keeping things professional. But curiosity won out. What kind of business did Griffin's family have with Sparkling Oak?
"Okay," I said. "That sounds nice."
Rhodes Select Imports was housed in a sleek glass building overlooking the bay. The company name was etched in elegant script across the double doors, and the lobby beyond was all marble and understated luxury.
Griffin’s aunt was nothing like what I'd expected.
Tall and elegant with silver hair swept into a perfect chignon, Elise Rhodes wore a tailored suit that probably cost more than my old car had been worth.
But her smile was warm as she embraced Griffin, and her handshake was firm when he introduced us.
"Lila King," she said, studying me with intelligent hazel eyes. "What position will you be taking at Sparkling Oak?"
"Wine sales," I replied. "I start Monday with Madeline Foster."
"Madeline." Elise's smile turned knowing. "She's excellent, though she can be...exacting. You'll do well to impress her." She turned to Griffin. "And you didn't think to mention to this young lady that Rhodes Select is Sparkling Oak's primary distributor?"
I felt the blood drain from my face. Griffin's family business was Sparkling Oak's primary distributor? The man I'd just spent the night with had a direct business relationship with my new employer?
"What?" I whispered.
Griffin looked as stunned as I felt. "I had no idea. You never mentioned—"
"I suppose it is a rather a recent development," Elise said smoothly, patting her hair. "We signed the contract two months ago. Which means, Miss King, that you and my nephew may have opportunity to work quite closely together—should you choose."
The room felt like it was spinning. I'd always been so careful to keep my personal and professional lives separate, and now they were crashing together in the worst possible way.
"In fact," Elise continued, "Madeline called this morning about the buyer showcase next week.
Apparently, she thinks having our distributor and her new sales associate present together will show potential clients how seamlessly we work together, effectively announcing our new partnership in the public forum.
Griffin, perhaps you would like to co-lead the showcase along with Lila? "
"No," I said, the word bursting out of me. "That's not—I can't—"
"Lila," Griffin said quietly, but I was already backing toward the door.
"I need some air," I managed, before fleeing the office.
I made it to the parking lot before the tears started.
Everything I'd worked for, everything I'd planned, was falling apart.
How could I work with Griffin professionally when I could barely look at him without remembering how it felt to have his hands on my body?
How could I maintain the professional distance I needed when just being in the same room with him made me want things I couldn't have?
"Lila, wait." Griffin's voice behind me was rough with emotion.
I didn't turn around. "Did you know?"
"I swear to God, I had no idea. Elise never tells me anything about the business."
"It doesn't matter." I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. "This complicates everything."
"It doesn't have to."
Now I did turn around, and the look on his face nearly undid me. "Yes, it does. I can't afford to screw this up, Griffin. This job is everything I've worked for."
"And what about us?"
The question hung in the air between us like a challenge. "There is no us," I said, hating myself for the lie. "There can't be."
Griffin's expression hardened. "Right. Because you can't risk anything messing up your perfect plan."
"That's not fair."
"Isn't it?" He stepped closer, and I caught the scent of his cologne, the warmth radiating from his skin. "You felt it too last night, Lila. What happened between us wasn't just sex, and you know it."
I did know it. That was the problem. "I can't."
"Can't, or won't?"
I didn't answer, couldn't answer. Because the truth was, I was terrified. Terrified of wanting him as much as I did. Terrified of letting someone get close enough to hurt me. Terrified of losing control of the life I'd fought so hard to build.
Griffin stared at me for a long moment, then nodded slowly. "Fine. You want to pretend last night didn't happen? Have it your way. But don't expect me to make it easy for you. I’m going to accept the offer to co-lead the buyer showcase on behalf of Rhodes Select Imports."
He turned and walked back toward the building, leaving me standing alone in the parking lot with my heart breaking and my carefully constructed walls crumbling around me.
Twenty minutes later, I sat across from Madeline Foster in the Sparkling Oak Winery conference room, trying to focus on her words instead of the ache in my chest.
"The buyer showcase is crucial," Madeline was saying. "Our biggest potential clients will be there, and I want everything perfect. Having Griffin Rhodes from our distributor presenting with you will show them the kind of win-win relationships we build."
"About that," I began, but Madeline cut me off.
"I know it's unconventional to throw you into something this big on your first week, but your resume is impressive. And Griffin comes highly recommended. Elise says you two have already been working together."
If she only knew how true that was.
"The showcase is Friday evening," Madeline continued. "That gives you both time to prepare. I've arranged for you to meet tomorrow morning to go over the presentation."
My stomach dropped. "Tomorrow?"
"Is that a problem?"
"No," I said quickly. "No problem at all."
But as I signed my employment paperwork and listened to Madeline outline my responsibilities, all I could think about was Griffin's parting words.
Don't expect me to make it easy for you.
Something told me the next week was going to be the hardest of my life.