Risking the Vine (Romancing the Vine Book 1) (22 page)

She pressed her palm against his heart and raised up to give him a soft, almost shy glance. “I love you, Luke. I fell hard when I threw my drunken self at you, and you declined. So sweet and endearing. And frustrating.” Her wicked grin lit a glow in him. “You certainly redeemed yourself later.”

“I plan to keep redeeming myself for a long, long time.” He chuckled. “I knew I loved you when you laughed after I doused you with paint. Bad situation, made worse later by crap going on at work. But you weren’t daunted. I love how you know your own mind and aren’t afraid to steer a new path.”

Luke traced Jac’s shoulder and pulled her up for a kiss, relieved they’d worked out what bothered her. He wanted her, her laughter, her love in his life.

He slipped from the bed and made his way to the attached bathroom, where he stripped off the spent condom and disposed of it. After snapping off the light, he returned to the bed, where Jac reclined in a dim pool of light from the bedside lamp.

He drifted his gaze over her creamy skin, knowing how satiny it felt under his fingertips. Long, coltish legs, bent slightly at the knees, drew his attention next. He licked his lips, imagining tonguing his way from pink tipped toes to the place hidden under the thin strip of dark russet hair at the apex of her thighs. Eyes closed, a soft smile on her face, with one hand resting on her hip, the other against her lips, as if holding in their kisses.

“God, you are stunning.”

Her eyes fluttered open. Extending her hand, an invitation to come back to bed, she asked, “Are you hungry?”

His chest heaved and blood rushed back into his cock. Damn straight he was hungry.

Jac’s soft, sexy chuckle and pointed look at his groin wove through his system like a shot of whiskey. She cleared her throat, drawing his gaze as she lowered her fingers to her pink-tipped breasts. “I meant for food.”

Luke shot a look at the analog alarm clock by her bedside. After midnight. Disappointment over the way time had spun away swamped him, colder than a bucket of ice. He sat next to her on the bed and leaned gingerly against her leg, his arm between her knees and his hand over her calf. “As much as I’d prefer to simply climb into bed and slip back into you, I have to be at the medical center in two hours. I still need to go home and get a clean suit.” He squeezed his fingers around her ankle. “God, I hope we reach an agreement today. This bargaining has gone on too long.”

Jac sat up at his side and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “You’re not even gone and I miss you already. This is what I mean about being apart. It’s going to be hell.” Sliding her hand to his jaw, she prodded his face toward hers and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, which felt better than a slice of heaven and tasted of sweet nectar. “But a picnic compared to hell without you.”

She dropped her hand to his chest, toying with the short, scattered hairs. “I’ll fix you breakfast before I send you on your way. But you have to promise to come back with everything you need for a few days. I want to spend as much time as possible with you before I head to Eugene. So come back, even if it’s during booty-call hours.”

“Baby, you’re as far away from being a booty-call as the hospital is in settling these damn talks.”

Her lips pulled down, her eyes sad. “I’m confident you’ll work it out.”

Yeah, he would. Once he got his dipshit boss to quit stalling. “Come on. Let’s go fix some food. I
am
hungry.”

Chapter 21

In the tiny kitchen, Jac steered Luke toward the breakfast bar and pushed him down onto a stool.

“Only room for one in here. You sit, I’ll work.”

Luke yawned and scrubbed his hand through his hair. “Can we start with coffee?”

“I take it you don’t want decaf?”

The stool rocked beneath him as he shook his head vehemently. “Hell, no.”

Her sweet, light laughter filled the small space, bouncing off the low ceiling. She set about filling the space-aged single cup brewer with water. Luke rested his elbow on the counter, his chin on his hand, and watched her sure, economical movements.

The little coffeemaker gurgled to life, water hissing as it started to warm. Jac held out two small pods. “Regular breakfast blend, or put-hair-on-your-chest dark roast?” She lowered her gaze to his pecs, arching an eyebrow.

He flattened his palm to his torso and rubbed, his chest hair rasping under his fingers. “Dark roast, please.”

Less than a minute later, Jac deposited a bright red mug with pink lips on it in front of him. Fragrant, smoky steam wafted into his nostrils as he lifted the cup and blew on it. After taking a sip, he closed his eyes and heaved a contented sigh. Sure, it might be the middle of the night, and watching Jac’s rounded ass shifting under the thin cotton wrapper she wore sent signals to his cock that it was desperate to be inside her. But he was relaxed and happier than he’d been in the past forty-eight hours.

Quiet domesticity filled his senses. The fork Jac wielded clattered against the ceramic bowl as she whipped the eggs into froth. The microwave dinged as it finished nuking sausage patties. The delicious aroma of Italian spices conquered the scent of his coffee.

Jac hummed as she worked, a catchy tune he didn’t recognize, but one he decided instantly was his new favorite song. She set a couple of small Mason jar glasses on the bar and filled them with juice.

After loading two plates with heaping mounds of scrambled eggs, toast, and sausage, she laid them on the granite and rummaged under the counter for flatware. Carefully retrieving a second cup from the coffeemaker, she skirted the counter and climbed onto the stool next to him.

When she crossed her legs, she exposed a creamy expanse of thigh. Luke found it difficult to tear his eyes away from the view. He dropped his hand to the satiny skin, fingers itching to climb higher and disappear under the edge of the navy blue fabric hiding the rest of her from view.

Dipping his head to hers, he captured her mouth under his, laving the plump lips with his tongue, fingers flexing on the smooth skin under his hands. Finally ending the tender moment, he murmured against her cheek. “Thanks for cooking for me.”

“You’re welcome. Now eat before it gets cold.” Her voice was breathless as she cupped her hand over his jaw and turned his focus to his breakfast. “Here.” She pressed a fork into his hand.

Luke cut a bite of sausage and forked it up. He chewed thoughtfully, swallowed, and asked, “How did your talk with Jules go?”

Straightening, Jac beamed at him. “Oh my goodness. I nearly forgot to tell you. I ran into a bit of a snag. My cousin hasn’t paid the land taxes on the farm. I had to find fifty grand or the farm was going to auction.”

This was what he’d talked to Bella about. It was a huge chunk of change, though Jac didn’t seem as stressed about it as he’d expected. “Bella told me.”

“When did she tell you?” Jac paused, her fork halfway to her mouth.

“I ran into her on one of the wards last night. We talked about you. You should know she’s taking all the credit for us being together.” He knew his smile was sheepish. “Must have been right after you’d talked to her. She mentioned you were a little panicked.”

“She was right. At the time, I’d been staring at my budget, trying to borrow from Peter to pay Paul. I didn’t want to have to go so deeply into debt to launch a new life.”

“What are you going to do? I have some cash saved from the sale of my house in Tampa.” He leaned against the counter. “I can swing a loan, if you need. Not fifty thousand, mind you. Maybe half.” He hadn’t planned on offering to help her, but if felt right. It felt solid.

Jac set her fork on her plate and swung on her stool to face him. Her eyes glistened. “That’s so great of you. And so unnecessary. I found the money. Or rather, it found me.”

“I know it’s late, but you aren’t making much sense here.” He swiped the pad of his thumb under her eye, clearing away the drop of moisture that had trickled out.

“Sorry.” She blew out a breath. “Luke, Jules Capelli has a corporation. She lends money at a ridiculously low interest rate to start-ups like mine. Not even really a loan, more an investment.” Jac hopped off her seat and strode to the hall table, where her purse lay. After pawing through the bag, she turned back to him, a check clutched in her hand. “She insisted on investing in my spice farm and brought me my first customer.”

“Are you kidding?”

“Nope. Cross my heart.” Her fist slashed in an
X
over her chest, the paper she clutched dragging on the fabric of her robe. “Plus, my cousin Rowena is going to pay the original tax bill, minus the fees and penalties.” Jac bounced on the balls of her feet. “Oh, and get this. She told me earlier today, Gramps left a trust fund to be used if either of us wanted to restart the farm. Luke, I have money coming out my ears.”

She raced to the counter and threw her arms around him. He grabbed her and surged out of his seat. Her exuberant laughter rang sweetly as he spun her in circles.

He stopped twirling and lowered her to the floor. “Everything is falling into place for you.”

A shadow flitted in her eyes and the corners of her mouth drooped. “Except . . .”

A moment passed before he prompted her. “Except?”

“Eugene is two hours away.”

“And we hashed this out before, didn’t we?” He raised his brows, waiting.

She dipped her head, hiding her face from his view. “I’ve only just found you.” Her voice was small, quiet. Filled with uncertainty.

He tucked his finger under her chin and lifted until he could see her eyes. “Baby, I told you we’d make it work. And even though we’re about so much more than this one little thing, we’ve proven to be pretty damn good at phone sex.”

Color flooded into her cheeks. A tiny smile bloomed on her lips. “Yes, we are. But we’re even better at making love in person.”

She stood on tiptoes and pressed her lips to his, her tongue invading his mouth in a kiss both spicy and sweet, a mixture of the coffee and juice they’d drunk. Moving her hands to his shoulders, she pushed him until his back was flush against the wall by the breakfast bar.

Heat and blood shot to his groin, and his cock swelled at the pressure of her nipples tightening and rubbing against him as she snuggled in closer.

Luke bent to wrap his arms around the backs of her thighs, lifting so her legs caged his waist. He groaned at the contact of her pussy against his straining dick.

Nipping at his lips, Jac whispered, “Take me back to bed, Luke.”

Jac used the daylight hours of Sunday to sort out her affairs, assuring come Monday, she’d be ready to submit her resignation to her boss. She also made a trip to Gold Hill for lunch with her parents. The drive up the interstate was sunny and dry, allowing her to open the sunroof.

Dad sat at the kitchen table to keep them company while Jac helped her mom get their meal on the table. As they worked, she explained her plan to them. A plan they heartily favored.

“So exciting for you to restart the farm,” her dad said. “It will be nice to see you happy at something you love. Not working for that—”

“Brad!” her mom scolded.

“Jac hasn’t been happy at MedServices since the last time Ted screwed her out of promotion. I’m thrilled she’ll be out of there.”

Her dad beamed at her, pride evident in his eyes.

Mom clucked, but said, “I’m happy too. Jacqui, I’d love to help you redecorate. The first thing to tackle will be the wallpaper in the kitchen. It was lovely when my dad put it up thirty years ago.”

Jac shuddered. “You’re right. That’s a lot of years to accumulate grease and grime.”

Tears gathered in the corners of Mom’s eyes. “Not much has changed since I was a girl. Dad always promised, but there never seemed to be time. I’d give anything to have him still here, choosing new wallpaper.”

Jac missed the old man almost as much as her mom.

“Your Gramps has been gone for three years. That’s long enough for the soil to lay fallow. It’s time to make the farm pay again.” Mom’s voice shook slightly.

Dad had talked about the markets and which spices and herbs he thought would be more in demand. “Are you planning to venture into Brassica crops?” He’d surprised Jac with the depth of his knowledge.

They’d spent the rest of her visit discussing the pros and cons of different options. Conversation had been lively and peppered with laughter.

Luke had shown up at her condo just after sunset. When he’d walked through the door, his level of frustration had shot high, leaving him in a foul mood. “The bargaining session didn’t go well,” he complained. “Brian was belligerent in the face of the nurses’ demands. They still refuse to return to work.”

“Poor baby,” Jac crooned. It was the only thing she could offer, to be supportive.

“I stayed after negotiations to work a short shift in the emergency room. The second Bella shown up to relieve me, I blew out of there.”

He decompressed over a quiet dinner, actually relaxing. By the time they’d finished off a loaded pizza, Luke was laughing at her stories about Deidre.

Jac spread a blanket on the floor and ordered, “Okay, take off your shirt.”

The heat in his eyes burned hot as an autumn bonfire. He tossed his pale blue button-down over the back of the sofa, and didn’t resist when Jac pushed him to the floor and made him lie on his stomach.

She straddled his hips, sitting on his butt, and massaged the tight knots in his shoulders and back, his groans of contentment the only reward she needed.

After she’d finished rubbing him down, Luke led her to the bedroom, where he kissed her slowly and stripped away all of her clothes. His lovemaking was sweet, seductive.

In a word, perfect.

Afterward, he held her, hands stroking soft circles on her back. Using his chest as a pillow, she drifted off and slept soundly until the alarm buzzed them awake.

A sense of peace, of love and domesticity, swept through her while he fixed breakfast. Still, Jac cautioned herself against getting used to having him there every morning. Sadness loomed at the idea. He’d be having breakfast at his home, while she’d be living apart from him.

Impatiently she pushed away the negative thoughts and forced herself to focus on the time they had together.