Chapter 7
Chapter 7
Sophie
" I t's not much," I mumble as I unlock the door to my beachside condo, feeling super self-conscious about the space. "I've spent most of my time at the winery since moving here, so I haven't really decorated."
"That's because you've been busy making masterpieces. Stop apologizing, Soph," Alex teases. "I'm pretty sure there's a week-old pizza box shoved under my bed, and I have several piles of dirty laundry scattered around my apartment. I won’t judge you."
I can't stop the grimace that flashes across my face at the imagery he just supplied. "No, but I might judge you . That's gross, Alex."
He chuckles, the deep timbre pleasantly vibrating in my chest. I've come to love his laugh over the last week — he does it often enough. Alex makes it so easy to be around. Everything is fun and light, and there's never any drama.
Sometimes I feel like he and I are opposite sides of the same coin — so similar, yet different enough to make things interesting. Where I am prickly, he is relaxed and mellow; where I am rigid, he is pliant and carefree.
And he constantly wants to learn more about wine — the one thing I love more than life itself. It is effortless to get lost in my passion around him as I teach him, especially when he appreciates it so much. The fact that he has spectacular instincts helps, as well. I love watching the light flash in his eyes as he makes connections between some of the more complicated applications of winemaking.
"I'll be sure to clean everything up before you come over," he promises, his body brushing against mine as we walk through the door.
I wasn't kidding. I've literally made no time for decorating this place. I've made the winery my top priority and would probably sleep there if I could. I have the basic furniture up and change the sheets on my bed weekly. Other than that, it's stark with bare, white walls and a pile of unopened mail on the kitchen counter.
"You have nice light in here," he comments as he walks to the center of my living room, nodding his head while he turns in a circle.
I snort, not sure if he's being honest or facetious. "Stop teasing me, Alex."
His eyes widen, and I can tell he's trying to hold back a laugh. "I'm being serious here. The light is great. Florida has that going for it."
"Is it very different from the Texas Hill Country?"
He nods. "There are a lot of similarities: the heat, humidity, bugs, snakes. But the landscape is quite a bit different. There are no beaches, but Hill Country has its own magic with the hills, rivers, and canyons. It has some of the best countryside you'll ever see. And some of their wineries consistently make the world's top ten list."
"Yes, I know. It drives my father nuts when he sees the Mary Ruth Winery snagging a higher rating than my family’s winery." I grin. "He's the ultimate California wine snob, believing no other place in the country makes better wine. Which you and I both know is crap."
Alex walks slowly toward me, his eyes gleaming. "I used to visit Mary Ruth regularly. Have you been?"
"No. I didn't have much of a life in California, and I rarely traveled." I shrug. "I don't have much of a life here, either. Old habits die hard, I guess. How is it?"
"Mary Ruth? Spectacular. The winery grounds are nearly as fabulous as their wines. It's all spread out with huge live oak trees that have been around for a couple hundred years. People are usually scattered beneath them, enjoying the shade, having picnics, listening to music. And located that close to Austin, the musicians they book are amazingly good. Their tasting rooms are so popular, you have to get reservations. But the wine is worth the wait if you do get in."
It sounds like heaven to me. It's what I've always wanted for my own winery—a place where people want to hang out and enjoy time with family or friends as they enjoy the wine and ambiance. The Celtic Knot has potential, but right now it's a raging hot mess and will be until we get several solid wines on the menu. Sophia's Blend is just the start.
Alex takes my hand, moving closer. "I'd love to take you there some day." He lifts my hand and places a warm kiss on my palm, sending delicious goosebumps up and down my arms. The power this man has over me… It is dangerous.
"I'd like that," I choke out.
He trails soft kisses up my arm, and I close my eyes with a sigh, enjoying his attention. I’ve never had a guy try so hard with me, and it doesn’t hurt that Alex is shockingly gorgeous. I am putty in his hands.
I shiver as his tongue traces my shoulder joint, then moves along my collarbone to lick the base of my throat.
I can't hold back the moan as his mouth latches onto the flesh just below my jawline. He's hitting all my erogenous zones so effortlessly, as if he has a map in his head.
"Fuck, you're delicious," he mutters as he places a licking kiss just below my ear. "You smell so good and taste even better, Soph." He threads his fingers through my hair at the base of my spine, holding my head in place as he stares down at me. "I'm addicted to you," he reveals, just seconds before his mouth slashes across mine, taking full possession.
I let go completely and let Alex take charge, willingly ceding control to him as he works his magic on me. All I can focus on is his mouth as he slowly begins to edge forward. I move with him as if we’re dancing, clinging and desperate to keep the kiss going as our tongues duel furiously and hands begin to explore one another.
My fingers touch bare skin at his waist, and I smooth my hands up his back, luxuriating in the muscled expanse.
There isn’t one portion of his body that isn’t brawny. I regularly steal glimpses of him as he works on equipment or hauls fifty-pound bags of supplies across the room. He makes it look so effortless, but I know those muscles are acquired from years and years of hard labor — not from regular gym workouts.
His warm skin feels like the smoothest silk, and I want more. I want to feel all of him against all of me, want to rub my naked breasts against his chest.
I jolt as something connects with the back of my knees, and I break the kiss to glance around. Alex has walked us into my bedroom, my bed is just behind me, and all I have to do is fall back and let him continue.
With a grin, I yank my stained festival T-shirt over my head. He follows suit, his eyes flaming as he takes in my lacey black bra. Sexy undies are the only guilty pleasure I've allowed myself over the years. It is a secret I love keeping from the world. And based on my work uniform, which consists of canvas work pants, T-shirts, and boots, no one would ever know that my underwear rivals something you'd see on a fashion model.
"If you tell me the panties match, I might explode right now," he grinds out, his jaw flexing.
A surge of power barrels through me at the heat in his gaze, and I grin as I unbutton my pants and slowly work them down my hips. A growl rips from his throat as his eyes catch my matching black thong. He kneels and stops my hands.
"Wait. Let me get your boots off, first." His blazing gaze never leaves my center as he rapidly unlaces each boot before slipping them off and tossing them to the side. My pulse quickens even more as he licks his lips and strips my pants down my legs, lifting each foot free until I'm standing before him in just my underwear.
"My god, Soph. You're a goddess… a vision," he croaks.
I don't know what to say, and I'm grateful I don't have to respond as he leans forward and places hot kisses along my panty line. "Take off your bra," he adds as he places a hot kiss over my mound, his gaze fierce.
I obey immediately and release the back clasp, letting it drop to the floor.
He groans as his hands reach for my heavy breasts, cupping and kneading the tender flesh. "So beautiful," he mumbles as his lips capture one tight nipple.
I release a breathy moan and close my eyes, reveling in the sensation of his lips and hands on me. I hold his head to my chest, wanting this torture to go on forever.
His fingers hook in the sides of my panties, and he drags them down slowly until they pool at my feet.
"Step out of them and spread your legs," he orders.
I tremble at his command but do as he says, gasping as his hand cups my sensitive flesh, my core clenching at the combined sensation. His fingers work me mercilessly as if they'd done it a million times before and know exactly where to touch me. Before I know it, I'm at the cusp of an orgasm, and a shriek is yanked from my chest as my body launches over the peak.
"That's it, babe. Let it go," he croons against my breasts before he captures my other peak, sucking strongly. He slowly works a finger inside me, and I arch as my walls contract around the intrusion. He rubs moisture around my opening, then releases my nipple with a pop.
Leaning back on his heels, he stares at me for a moment with satisfaction shining in his eyes, then stands and works off his boots. He pulls his wallet from his pocket and extracts two condoms, dropping them on the side table. In seconds, he's as gloriously bare as me as his lips capture mine again. I have only a second to admire his muscled physique before he’s pressing over me. I wrap my legs around his hips as he notches his hard cock against my swollen entrance.
“Shit!” he gasps as he pulls back. “Hold on, babe. Don’t know what I was thinking.” He snatches a condom and rips it open with his teeth—so sexy. I watch, fascinated, as he rolls it onto his thick member and gives it a stroke.
Alex settles over me again, and with a whimper, I pull his mouth down to mine as he swirls the head of his cock in my moist heat. He pushes slowly forward, inching his huge, iron-hard member into me. For one second, I feel a sting at his girth; then my body relaxes and enjoys the sensual stretching sensation as he slides deeper.
I grasp his buttocks, urging him on, desperate for more. But he holds still despite my attempts and braces himself with his arms. He pants heavily as he stares down at me, wonder in his eyes. "Fuck. You feel amazing, Soph."
His words echo with truth, and I know in that moment I've fallen completely for this guy. It's a dangerous thought, but I just don't care.
"You are so beautiful," he groans as his hips begin a solid rhythm, making me squirm and arch beneath him as he easily pushes me toward another peak. "That's it, babe. Move with me."
Within seconds, the wave is building to a second crescendo, and two powerful thrusts later, I'm thrown over a delicious cliff, awash in sensation. My walls seize around his thick cock as his pace quickens. I open my mouth on a silent scream at the powerful orgasm that seems to last forever and shatters all of my senses. I barely register him reaching his own peak as he flexes and shouts above me, his hips jerking as his release pumps into me.
The aftermath is a stunning sensation overload, and for once, I just let myself feel as my body throbs and soars. I let Alex take full control, and he rewards me with pleasure beyond my dreams.
As I slowly descend from my high, I acknowledge that I've fallen in love with Alex. For my peace of mind, I can only hope he'll eventually feel the same, and that the joke isn't on me.