Chapter 10 Wyatt
I’d only seen the castle from the outside until now, but I was excited to explore it with Kinley. She kept looking around, taking in every detail, feathering her fingers along the walls. Her blonde hair fell around her shoulders and swayed with every step.
“Can you believe these bricks are centuries old? I feel like I’ve stepped into another world.”
“It’s impressive. Have you ever been to Europe?”
“No, but I’d love to go. Have you?”
“Yeah. Italy is my favorite.”
She rolled her eyes playfully. “Why am I not surprised? Where in Italy have you been?”
“Rome only. The Colosseum is impressive.”
She grinned. “I can’t wait to see it one day. I never managed to travel much.”
“Didn’t have too many days off?”
“It’s not that.” She looked down at her feet.
I could have let it drop, but I didn’t.
“Mark wasn’t much of a traveler?” I guessed.
She looked up at me. “I’d rather not talk about him.”
“Sure. Don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” But then I couldn’t help myself and asked, “Do you visit him?”
She blinked. “What do you mean?”
“In prison. Do you visit him?”
“Of course not,” she sputtered, straightening up. “I haven’t been in contact with him ever since this whole thing started! I’ve only seen him at hearings.”
I help up my hands in apology. “Sorry. That was none of my business. It’s just that the way you speak of him sounds as if he’s still part of your life.”
“He is, but not in the way you would think.” Taking a deep breath, she added, “I just can’t escape him or his legacy. So many doors have been slammed right in my face because of him. People still associate us, making it impossible to forget him.”
“I promise I won’t bring him or BuzzPage up again.”
“I would really appreciate that. I want to finally enjoy my life, you know? It’s been impossible for the past year.”
She sighed, looking away. She almost looked defeated. Kinley didn’t strike me as someone who gave up easily or liked to complain for no reason.
“This is a fresh start for me,” she added softly.
“I know,” I replied as we reached the meeting point for the tour. The group was small—only ten people. The guide told us the history of the castle and how it came into existence in the first place.
Kinley drank in the guide’s every word, but my focus was entirely on her. Something about her was just... Damn, I couldn’t put it into words.
I barely stopped myself from asking her more personal questions.
I just wanted to know more about her. She looked fucking gorgeous tonight in that dress.
I especially liked the neckline. Her boobs were pushed up, making my imagination run wild.
I could imagine yanking it down just enough so her breasts spilled free.
I’d lavish each one with attention as she begged for more.
“Wyatt?” Kinley asked.
“Mm-hmm?”
“You want a glass as well?” she asked as we started the wine tasting part of the tour.
“No. You do the tasting and give me your opinions.”
She gasped. “Oh my. You’re passing on wine?”
“Have to. I don’t drink and drive. Dad drilled that into me.”
“That’s great, of course. It just feels odd to be drinking alone.”
“You’ve got plenty of company.” I pointed to the other participants.
“You know what I mean. I won’t drink either.”
“I actually want your opinion.”
“How so?”
I brought my mouth to her ear for no reason at all. “Because they’re competition.”
When I straightened up, Kinley looked away quickly. Damn, I had to keep my distance. I wasn’t even sure why I kept pushing it. I was known for being impulsive, sure, maybe even reckless, but this was not the time or place for it.
I watched Kinley intently as she tasted the chardonnay first. They were doing this very professionally, serving a glass of water and a bit of bread with every wine to cleanse the palate.
“What’s the verdict?” I asked.
She looked at the group and then motioned for me to come closer. “Not the best chardonnay I’ve had.”
“Duly noted.”
The next one was a sauvignon blanc. She swirled the contents and took a deep breath in. I could tell Kinley loved it before she even finished her first sip. The corners of her mouth tilted up into a pleased smile, her cheeks relaxed, and her green eyes softened with delight.
“This is a winner!” Her eyes widened as she lowered her glass.
“How can you tell?” I asked.
“I just can.”
“What are the key notes?”
“It’s light and airy.” Closing her mouth again, she bit her lower lip before adding, “Pear and lime.” She pursed her lips. “Actually, maybe a hint of lemongrass.”
“That’s some description. Is sauvignon blanc your favorite?”
“Yeah, it is.” She looked so damn cute with a light flush growing on her cheeks.
The guide gave us details about each wine, but I wasn’t paying attention. I was too captivated by Kinley. By the end of the tour, only the sauvignon blanc had been a winner. She declared the others to be run-of-the-mill.
As the guide led us up to one of the towers, he told us, “This is the best view of the sunset in the whole city, and we’ve got a clear sky tonight too.”
Kinley walked right to the edge, placing her elbows and forearms on the stone wall.
The impulse to step behind her and put my arms around her waist was shockingly powerful.
I had no idea where it was coming from. We just clicked in so many ways, and I was ready to throw caution to the wind and touch her.
She’s not yours, Wyatt. Jesus, get your shit together.
And I would—soon. Right now, I just needed to stay focused and enjoy the sunset with Kinley.
“Where is your favorite spot to watch the sunset?” she asked me.
“My house. It’s my favorite place in the world.”
“I know what you mean. I love my place too. I feel so safe there.”
The way she phrased it bothered me. She felt unsafe when she wasn’t in her house? That wasn’t right.
We stayed up on the tower until the sun had gone completely down.
“This is so peaceful,” Kinley murmured.
“I agree. This whole place is amazing.”
She smiled. “I’ll see how we can work that into our branding.”
Yeah, that’s right. The branding. That’s why I brought her here. Not so I could look at her as if she’s the only woman on the face of the earth.
“All right, you two. Everyone else is already down. We’re closing up,” the guide said, sounding frustrated.
“Oh my goodness,” Kinley exclaimed. “We’re the last ones here.”
“I hadn’t realized that either,” I admitted as the guide ushered us down.
“This place is even more magical with just the two of us,” Kinley said. “I wonder if they’re open to hosting events.”
“Why?”
“It could be a fantastic venue for weddings.”
I wasn’t sure why she brought it up. “We’re not planning to host events.”
She laughed. “It’s a girl thing.”
“What?”
“Dreaming about a wedding. I can’t say I ever visualized mine in detail, but seeing this castle gives me ideas. It would be really nice to have a wedding here.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to ask why she’d thought about that. She was single, from what I’d gathered. But I had a hunch that I was missing something, so I just let it drop.
We didn’t encounter anyone on the way out. As we stepped through the castle gates, Kinley said, “This is a very unexpected end to the day.”
“Who said it’s ending?”
She grinned. “There’s more?”
“Yeah. You just had wine, no real food.”
“I don’t feel very hungry, though. I ate all that bread.” She laughed, covering her mouth. “I think I had more bread than wine.”
“I wanted to bring it up, but I figured I should...”
“Be more subtle,” she finished for me.
“Exactly.”
She’d seriously stuffed her face with bread. And it was sexy as hell.
Yeah, I thought seeing Kinley eat was sexy. I was in deep trouble.
“It was better than the wine, to be fair.”
“Well, I’m famished,” I said.
“Well, we can’t let you starve, can we?”
She was behaving a bit differently than before. Maybe the wine had calmed her down a bit. She’d been very tense after I brought up her ex, so this was a nice change of pace.
“So, what are we having for dinner?” she asked.
“There are plenty of restaurants in this area. Let’s see what strikes our fancy.”
“You think we’ll find someplace without a reservation?”
“Yes. It’s Monday.”
It turned out I had to eat my words, which I didn’t often do. We only found seats at the fourth restaurant we tried, and it was an all-American joint selling burgers and steaks.
“Oh, this place has an interesting vibe,” Kinley said as we sat down at the booth. It was dark, with medieval-themed details for some strange reason.
“Do they know that America, as we know it, isn’t quite into medieval stuff?” she asked in a low conspiratorial tone.
“No.” We laughed. “I think they’re a bit delusional, but let’s leave them to it.”
“Oh, I agree.”
A waiter came up to us a moment later. “I’m your server for tonight. What can I get you?”
We both ordered steak and she drank wine too.
Kinley looked at me. “Do you want any starters? I don’t. Had too much cheese and bread at the tour.”
“No, that’s fine. I’ll wait for the steak.”
“Good choice. They’re huge,” the server said before taking the menus and walking away from our table.
We received our food fast, and I scarfed down the steak. I was starving. Kinley, on the other hand, took her time, glancing at every bite before shoving it into her mouth.
“You can order something else if you don’t like it,” I suggested.
“It’s a bit more on the rare side than what I usually eat, but I’m enjoying it.”
I moved my legs under the table, stretching them out. Unfortunately, I miscalculated the space and ended up grazing hers. She gasped lightly, straightening up and casting her eyes down at her plate. I definitely had an impact on her. I fucking loved that, even though I shouldn’t.
“You’re already done,” she said, looking at my plate. “I’ll eat faster, then.”
“Don’t hurry on my account.”
“It’s fine. We should get going anyway. We’ve had a long day.”
“Yeah, we have.”
She finished eating a few minutes later.
I intended to pick her brain some more during the car ride, but Kinley conked out almost the second she sat down.
All that wine, I assumed. I often called my parents when I was behind the wheel, but I’d risk waking her, so I decided not to tonight, which left me alone with my thoughts.
They went into completely forbidden territory, especially because her dress rode up a few inches.
I couldn’t help but steal glances at her long legs.
Taking a deep breath, I focused on the road. I was a grown-ass man, and I was in charge of my instincts, not the other way around.
I made a concerted effort to think about tomorrow’s schedule, and that kept me busy right until we arrived at the vineyard.
Kinley was in a deep sleep even after I turned off the engine, so I gently nudged her shoulder. That did the trick. She opened her eyes and immediately startled. “Oh my goodness, we’re already here. I slept the whole way?”
“You did,” I confirmed.
“I can’t believe it. I’m so sorry!”
“What are you apologizing for?”
“We could have used this time to work.”
“Don’t worry. We’ve got plenty of time to talk shop tomorrow.”
We got out of the car at the same time. She made it to the door first and pushed it open. Sage told me not to bother locking it when we left, so we didn’t.
Kinley yawned. “Oh, I’m so tired. But I’m going to take a shower.” She looked at me over her shoulder. “Are you taking another one?”
“No.” I was barely holding back from bursting out laughing. She looked almost terrified at the thought. Was seeing me in a towel so bad?
“When do you typically shower?”
“Morning and evenings, but since I took one this afternoon, I’ll skip it.”
“Okey dokey.” She was fucking cute.
“I’ll be in my room. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
She nodded quickly. “Thanks for tonight, Wyatt. It was truly unexpected.”
“That’s me. I want to always keep you on your toes.”
I wanted to grab a bottle of wine and two glasses and ask her to sit with me, but that wasn’t going to happen tonight. We were both exhausted. Plus, I was going to have her to myself the whole week.
As I promised her, I went straight to my bedroom. I kicked away all my clothes except my boxers. I typically needed only five to six hours of sleep a night, so I didn’t immediately get into bed. Instead, I looked at some business reports.
I tried hard to focus on the numbers I was reading and not on the sound of Kinley’s door opening and closing.
Then the shower started. She was naked just a few feet away from me.
That knowledge was fucking torture. And we were supposed to go through this for a whole week?
Things could easily escalate, and neither Kinley nor I wanted that.
But we were both adults, and we were going to manage the situation somehow.
I was extremely thirsty because the steak had been too salty, but I waited for her to get out of the shower and go into her bedroom before leaving my own to get a glass of water.
I headed into the kitchen, filling a glass with cold water from the sink. After gulping it down, I did it again.
“Oh, hi,” Kinley’s voice came from behind me.
I turned around, and my eyes bulged. She was wearing a tank top and shorts and looked beyond hot in them. She quickly brought one hand to her neck and put the other one across her belly.
“I didn’t hear you. I was coming for water too. The food was very salty, wasn’t it?” She was speaking quickly.
Damn, I needed to look away. Turning around, I grabbed another glass from the cabinet above the sink and filled it with water.
She walked to the counter quickly. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her nipples pushing through the fabric. Fuck. Change of tactics. Instead of turning to her, I pushed the glass her way without even glancing.
“Here you go.”
“Thanks.”
“Good night, Kinley.”
“Good night,” she whispered, then hurried back into her room.
How the hell did we already get in this situation? And we had another week to go.
Maybe it was time I looked into a hotel.
Or headed back to San Diego.