Chapter 15 Eberly
EBERLY
Yesterday, I’d fully expected that, when I woke up this morning, I’d no longer be a virgin. While I still was, the decision to put off intimacy felt like the right one.
How could I even think about it with my father missing?
He’d been gone close to forty-eight hours, and I had no idea where to look for him.
Given his best friend hadn’t spoken to him in weeks and the last time his latest girlfriend saw him was the night of the ball, I was out of ideas.
Adding in the argument I’d overheard him having on his cell phone, and his disappearance was distressing.
When I asked Trevino if I should contact Tiernan, he passed the question on to the sheriff, who said I should wait.
I was facing away from him, but since he was snoring, confirming he was still asleep, I wouldn’t ask if that had changed yet.
It seemed logical that Tiernan showing up at the gate the same night my father disappeared was somehow related. That Trevino said his brother heard my ex-fiancé had played a role in my father selling Eberly Winery to the Wine Consortium made his relentless attempt to get me to open it suspicious.
Now, I regretted that whenever Tiernan and my dad discussed winery business, I’d tuned them out. I’d never had an interest in either making wine or growing grapes, which was surprising since I loved gardening so much.
When Trevino’s hand moved from around my waist to my breast, I glanced over my shoulder at him.
“Good morning.”
“That I woke up with you in my arms makes it better than Christmas.” He nuzzled my neck. “How long have you been awake?”
“A few minutes.” Desire pooled between my legs when his hardness pressed against my naked bottom. “Trevino?”
“Yes, my little dove?”
“Do you think maybe the first time…?” I wished I hadn’t started the question, because once I said the words out loud, I realized what I was about to ask was the opposite of what Trevino had told me he needed as much as wanted. “Never mind.”
“You’d rather it not be a scene.”
“Sorry. I know—”
“I’d rather it not be too.” He reached up and swirled my nipple with the tip of his finger, hardening it before switching to the other breast. “Roll to your opposite side so I can see you.”
Our eyes met, and he cupped my cheek. “There’s somewhere I want to take you today.”
“Okay.”
He rubbed my furrowed forehead. “Don’t worry. I predict you’re going to love it.”
What I’d love would be for him to kiss me.
Better yet. Put his hand between my legs—or his cock.
I was in favor of being patient, but when a woman decides she’s ready to lose her virginity, one would think a man interested in her would be as anxious to take it.
Not that I’d say any of that since he made it clear we had to determine our limits first.
“Is there something you want to say to me?”
I shook my head.
“I sense you’re frustrated.”
There were at least five things on the tip of my tongue to say, but all were disrespectful. “Aren’t you?”
He took my hand and wrapped it around his cock. “You can feel for yourself, little dove.” He left his hand on mine and kept them both still. “Soon, I promise.”
Unless it was in the next five minutes, whatever he was promising wouldn’t be soon enough.
“Come. We can stop and pick up coffee and groceries on our way.” He removed my hand from his penis and rolled away from me.
“Is whining permitted?”
He smiled. “Trust me. That’s all I ask.”
“Can I shower first?”
“Yes, but you can also wait to take one with me.”
Now, I was intrigued. “Does it matter what I wear?” I didn’t have much with me, so I hoped not.
“Wear something comfortable, but bring enough for a couple of days. Oh, and your work boots.”
I kept a pair of Wellington rubber boots in the storeroom at the Stonehouse for the days when I worked in the garden.
We were on the road twenty minutes later, headed toward the ocean. I wanted to ask Trevino where we were going, but he’d requested I trust him, and honestly, I was enjoying the surprise.
When the main road that went from Los Caballeros to the beach ended, he pulled onto Cabrillo Highway and into the town of Cambria, where we stopped at the gourmet market on Main Street. I so rarely came down here anymore and hadn’t realized how much I missed it.
“Hey, Trevino,” said Louie, who owned the place, when we walked in. “Want me to have my son load your order?”
“Thanks,” he said, stopping at the counter. “If it’s boxed up, you can put it in the truck bed.” He turned to me. “I stocked up, but if there’s anything you’re craving, let’s get that too.”
What I was craving had nothing to do with food. Although now that I thought about it, I was hungry. “Maybe some muffins?”
“You’re in luck. The Olallieberry Diner dropped off our delivery a few minutes ago, and they’re still warm,” said Louie.
“Half dozen?” Trevino asked.
“Um, I’ll eat one.”
He smiled, then ordered three each of olallieberry and peach cream. “Coffee?” he asked.
“I can grab it,” I offered. As I poured regular for me and decaf for him, I watched Trevino out of the corner of my eye. He’d lowered his voice and was saying something to Louie, who then smiled and nodded. “You got it,” I heard the man say.
“Ready?” Trevino asked when I approached with our coffee.
“Whenever you are.”
He leaned forward and kissed my cheek. “I can’t wait to be alone with you, little dove,” he whispered.
Sitting outside at a bistro table in front of the market, we finished our coffee. I ate one of the muffins while Trevino polished off two. As I was throwing our trash away, someone said my name. Spinning around, I came face to face with Tiernan.
“Hello,” I said, thankful when Trevino stood beside me with his hand on the small of my back.
Tiernan glanced at him but didn’t show any sign of recognition, nor did he speak to him. Instead, he stepped closer to me. “I’ve been trying to get in touch with you.”
I raised my chin. “What about?”
He looked between Trevino and me a second time. “Could we speak privately?”
“Whatever you have to say—”
“I’m Trevino Avila. Who are you?”
I wanted to giggle at Tiernan’s reaction. That was until his expression changed. “Is he the reason you called off the wedding?” he said rather than introduce himself.
My eyes scrunched. “What are you talking about?”
“It hasn’t been that long, Eberly. Surely, you remember we were supposed to get married ten days ago.”
“You were the one…My dad said…”
“Your father came to see me to tell me you’d had a change of heart and the wedding was off. I tried to call you, but apparently, you’d already blocked my number. I’ve also been by the house a number of times, but either you’re ignoring me or are never there.”
My mind reeled in confusion, but when Trevino moved his hand to my waist and held me tighter, I shook myself out of it. “We, uh, need to be going.”
“That’s it? You break off our engagement, and you have nothing to say to me?”
Trevino stepped between Tiernan and me. “Eberly owes you no explanation.”
Tiernan sneered. “He speaks for you now?”
“Since I have nothing to say to you, no.” I put my hand in Trevino’s, stunned by the tension I felt seeping off him. “Let’s go.”
Since the truck was parked beside us on the street, we left Tiernan standing where he was, got in, and drove away.
“I’m—”
“Do not apologize.”
“You seem angry.”
We were a couple of blocks away from the market when Trevino turned on a side street, pulled over, and parked. “I am but not at you,” he said, turning to face me.
“That conversation was so, err, bizarre.”
“Do you think he’s telling the truth?” he asked.
I didn’t hesitate. “No.”
Trevino put his hand on my leg. “Good.”
“I realize now that there was a part of me that never trusted Tiernan. God, I can’t believe I came that close to marrying him.” I looked at Trevino. “I can’t help but feel like there’s something you’re not saying.”
“I don’t have all the facts yet.”
Chills spread through my body. “How worried should I be?”
His eyes bored into mine. “I promised you I’d keep you safe, and I will.”
“Am I in danger?”
“I don’t know for certain, but I’m not taking any chances.”
I studied him, unsure what to think.
“I asked you before to trust me. Do you?”
Like I hadn’t hesitated to respond when he asked if I thought Tiernan was telling the truth, I didn’t now. “I do.”
“Okay if we get on the road now? I’d rather have the rest of this conversation once we arrive.”
“Of course.”
He started the truck but kept his hand on my thigh. That alone brought me comfort.
Once on the road, Trevino went the way we’d come, but instead of turning east to return to Los Cab, he continued south for a few miles.
Shortly after the highway veered inland, he turned right, in the direction of the ocean.
The gravel drive curved in several places, eventually leading to a gate that looked more elaborate than the one we had.
Trevino slowed his truck, waited for it to open, then pulled through. The drive curved again, then wound its way up to a crest. Once there, he stopped and shut the engine off. In front of us was a sweeping view of the ocean.
“Where are we?” I asked.
“Technically, Harmony, but the unincorporated part,” he said, looking out at the view like I was. “I’ve never brought anyone here, Eberly. In fact, no one knows about it.”
“No one?”
He shook his head. “Not a soul.” He looked over at me. “Whenever I imagined the two of us together, it was always here.” He took my hand and brought it to his lips. “I hope you like it.”
“I already do.”
He started the truck, put it in gear, and as we made our way down the hillside, he told me about the place the former owners had named Poppy Hill Ranch.
“All together, around thirty-five acres.” He motioned to the left. “Those are Valencia oranges, and beyond that grove, there are Star Ruby grapefruit.” He turned his head to the right. “Those are avocado trees. All of it turns a decent profit.”
He explained that the property was set up to be entirely self-sufficient with solar power, a deep well, and two ten-thousand-gallon storage tanks.
“In addition to the main house, there’s a one-bedroom guesthouse that I haven’t done much to yet.”
“How long have you owned this?” I asked.
“Not quite a year.” He shook his head and chuckled. “I guess if my family really wanted to find me, Ashford could’ve told them how to do it. Or maybe they decided not to bother looking.”
“Were you hiding?”
His expression changed. “I guess you could say I was. More, I wanted to be left alone.”
“Thank you for bringing me here, Trevino.”
“I’d say it’s my pleasure, but it will be yours too.” He rested his hand on my thigh. “First, I want to show you around outside.”
He parked near what he said was the main house. It sat at the highest point of the drive, so the views were breathtaking.
“By the way, it looks better on the inside than it does out.”
“With the beauty surrounding it, one wouldn’t even notice.”
He smiled and held my hand as we walked down a stone pathway. “There’s a greenhouse. That was the first thing I fixed up. Below that is the pond.”
“Pond? It looks more like a lake.”
“It’s about three acres on the surface.”
“Are there fish?” I asked.
“A few. I might stock it at some point.” Once we got close to the water, he turned us so we were facing the house. “All this, I want to make into gardens like we did at the Stonehouse. Well, like you did.”
I counted five separate areas that could be planted in addition to the raised beds that were in rows near the greenhouse.
“Seems like those would be perfect for a kitchen garden,” he said, studying me as I took everything in.
“What’s that?” I asked, pointing at another structure that looked like a garage but didn’t have roll-up doors.
“I’ll take you there later, but you won’t believe it when you see it. It’s a commercial kitchen, and it’s huge.”
I couldn’t recall seeing Trevino as animated as he was while showing me around his property. “I like seeing you this happy,” I commented while we walked up the path to the house.
“It’s you.”
I stopped and turned around to look at the views. “It’s this.”
He shook his head. “It’s you being here with me.”
Once inside the house, I saw how right he’d been about it looking much better than the outside. “Did you gut the place?” I asked.
“Basically.”
The kitchen was state-of-the-art and very modern looking. The floors throughout were done in white oak, and the vaulted ceilings made the great room look massive. “I never would’ve guessed it was this big.”
“We’re talking about the room now or…?”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes, Trevino, the room.”
“Too bad. Anyway, there are four bedrooms down this hallway,” he said, pointing before leading me over to French doors. “This is one of the best parts.” We walked out onto a deck that went the entire length of the house and looked out over the ocean.
“How do you ever leave?”
“It used to be harder.” We walked to the opposite end of the deck, where there was a built-in hot tub. Next to it were more French doors. “That’s the largest of the four bedrooms.”
“Will you show it to me?”
Trevino leaned up against the deck railing. “Last night, I told you that before we were intimate, I wanted to review our limits.”
“Okay. We can do that.”
“Actually, I’m going to propose something else.”
I felt my cheeks flush but not in embarrassment. If he was about to tell me we still wouldn’t be having sex, chances were good I’d push him over the deck railing.
He chuckled. “I’d love to know what you’re thinking.”
I folded my arms. “Actually, I don’t think you would.”
“Here’s my proposal. The first time we’re together, I want what happens between us to be natural. I don’t want either of us to be thinking about control or limits or expectations.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. I spent most of the night thinking about it.” He stepped closer and pulled my arms apart. “I still want to introduce you to everything we talked about. But not today.”
Today? I liked the sound of that.
He leaned forward and kissed me. “Now, I know what you’re thinking.”
“Yeah?”
He brushed my hardened nipple with his hand and stared into my eyes. “You are very transparent when you’re aroused. I like that a lot, Eberly.”
“I feel like I’m in a perpetual state of desire when I’m with you, Trevino.”
He slowly closed his eyes, then reopened them. “If you’ll let me, it’s the way I want to keep you always. Ready for me, wanting me, open to me. When we’re here, I’ll want you naked all the time.”
My breath caught. “Will you be naked too?”
“That’s a conversation for tomorrow. In fact, the time for talking is over.”