Risking the Vine (Romancing the Vine Book 1) (7 page)

Laughing, Jac replied, “Well, maybe not chickens. My grandparents used to run a spice and herb farm. It’s lain dormant . . . no, fallow, for a few years but I think I could bring it back. It would certainly be a simpler lifestyle than my city life.”

“Country girl, huh?” Jules toyed with the corks laid out, ready to be added to the art project.

“Yep.” Jac remained outwardly positive, while inside she held a running debate. She knew nothing about farming, which didn’t lessen the appeal. “God, it feels like I’m going off the deep end. Just like the character from the show my grandpa used to watch.
Green Acres
.”

Luke barked out a laugh. “At least you’ll be a little less clueless than Oliver and Lisa.”

Jules dropped the cork she’d played with and dusted her hands together. “Tell you what . . . let’s talk tomorrow evening after our daily projects. I’ll have time to pull together some resource material for you. I was born and raised in Los Angeles. I never even talked to the gardeners on my mom’s property. I kind of went through the same thing when I bought the vineyard. I’m happy to share what I know.”

The unease gurgling heavily in Jac’s stomach lightened. “Deal.”

“Now, get back to work.” Jules leaned in confidingly and gestured to the board on the table. “I don’t want the other teams to beat you at this. Your picture is going to be great and make a lot of money for our charity.”

As she sauntered away toward the lawyers’ table, Jac stared after her. “I’d have never guessed she didn’t grow up on this property. She seems bred for it.”

“Can’t judge a book—” Luke started.

“I know, by its cover.” Wonderful, now they were completing each other’s sentences. “Come on, let’s finish our picture. Jules really put the pressure on. We don’t want to disappoint.”

Luke gestured to the growing pile of cut pieces. “Hey, I’ve been working while you were gabbing.”

“Well, leadership does have its privileges. Besides, I can glue faster than you can cut.”

They worked side-by-side in silence to complete the project. Once Luke finished with the saw, he took the glue gun and started prepping the pieces for Jac. The picture took shape faster because they worked so well together. Luke even managed to find the right amount of red-tipped corks to allow Jac to create a flowerbed along the bottom of the picture.

She poured a dab of purple paint on another paper plate and added a separate dollop of green. Quickly she demonstrated how to daub the color on the end of the corks representing the grape vines. Once she handed Luke the paintbrush, the extra little touch turned their project into a beautiful work of art.

Jules walked to the front of the room, clapping her hands as she went. “Time’s up. We have a couple of teams who didn’t finish.” She eyed the insurance guys, her lips pressed into a firm line. “You have ninety minutes before the afternoon activity. Marcus set up the lunch buffet in the pavilion behind this building. If you want, you can use those ninety minutes to complete your project after you eat.”

FIG jammed his hands on his hips. “What if we don’t want to finish?”

“That’s up to you. You aren’t required to complete the project. What’s important is you found a way to work together as a team. Three hours should have been enough to hit the deadline, but sometimes, things interfere.” Jules folded her arms over her chest. “How you react to those disturbances is as much a part of the exercise as anything else. You’ll face situations in the office that can cock-up your projects. You need to learn how to delegate and re-prioritize as team leaders.”

“Well, we aren’t finishing,” Steve grunted. “This one ain’t a priority.”

Jules shrugged. “Fine. Go ahead and clean up your stations before you hit the buffet.”

“We have to clean up?” FIG whined as he gestured to the monumental mess his team had made with paint and glue, not to mention cork shavings. The jerk probably underpaid his administrative assist and forced her to wash out his coffee mug.

“Part of the details on any team project is the follow-up or wrap-up. You should get in the habit of evaluating each team project you are on, determining how you can make things run smoother on the next one.”

FIG opened his mouth to complain, but Luke beat him to it. “That’s what a good leader does. I think the people on a team appreciate it. It’s also a chance to praise people. Which is just as important.”

Jules beamed at him. “So right, Luke. In fact, we’ll be reviewing today’s activities, what worked . . . and what didn’t, tonight at dinner. There might even be some prizes handed out. If there aren’t any other questions, you can finish here and grab lunch.”

Cleaning wasn’t a huge chore for Jac and Luke. They’d tidied up as they’d worked, so now it was a matter of wiping down the paint bottles, rinsing out brushes, and returning the unused corks to the proper barrels. Once again, Jac marveled at how easily she and Luke had worked together. If they kept trundling along this way, they might end up the team to beat.

Luke smiled at her as he took the brushes from her and headed to the sink. His grin warmed her system better than a good red wine. The heady heat settled with a tantalizing tug low in her pelvis.

He returned to her side, pulling her back from her musing. “Ready to eat?”

Her stomach rumbled loudly. Her thoughts and the embarrassment of the burbling in her tummy forced heat to climb her throat and cheeks. She grimaced. “Sorry. This morning’s eggs didn’t last, I guess. Let’s go check out the buffet before FIG and company eat everything.”

Luke led the way to the picnic structure where they found a buffet of cold sandwiches, three varieties of salads, and a tray of the yummiest looking cookies Jac had ever seen. In front of them in line, FIG and DIG loaded their plates with the cookies, while Luke helped himself to a turkey sandwich. He carried Jac’s plate so she could grab soft drinks for them.

She followed him to a long table with benches on either side. Luke deposited her plate across from his.

As they settled on the benches, Belinda and Sally came over. “Mind if we join you?”

Jac nodded, though she’d have enjoyed continuing getting to know Luke better. “Sure. How did you do with this morning’s project?”

“We finished, but it’s crap.” Belinda laughed as she climbed over the bench to sit.

“No it isn’t,” Sally disagreed. “It turned out okay.”

Belinda narrowed her eyes, sending the younger woman a quelling stare. “It sucks and you know it. In our defense, we’re lawyers, not artists.”

Color pinked Sally’s ears. “But—”

“No buts about it. We aren’t creative people,” Belinda demurred in disgust.

She eyed Luke. “We checked out your picture after we finished cleaning up. It was really good. I wonder if Jules would sell it to me, too? It would make a great companion piece for the other one I bought.”

“Jacqui really made it come to life. I never even considered using the paint, but she had a vision.” Luke patted Jac’s hand where it rested on the table.

Sally raised her brows. “Are you an artist?” she asked Jac.

“Not even close. I’m in account services with a medical records and billing company.” Jac laughed, the sound tinged with an unfamiliar darkness. Hoping to take the focus off herself, she changed the topic. “What kind of law do you practice?”

Belinda straightened and set down her fork. “Employment law. We deal mainly with discrimination and harassment lawsuits. We’re based in New York.”

Luke shot Jac a fast look before leaning forward. “You’re talking about cases where qualified people are passed over for a position and someone less qualified being promoted?”

“Exactly.” Sally beamed at Luke.

Please don’t go there. Please don’t
. Jac sent the mental command with a squint she hoped Luke would catch. She was having a good time and didn’t want to spoil it with thoughts about the office and the situation she found herself in.

Apparently, Luke received the message. “Sounds like interesting work. Were you involved in the case against the Knicks in New York?”

Belinda nodded. “Our firm was. We sat at the defendant’s table in the courtroom.”

“Ouch! That had to suck for them. What was the final judgment? Something near five million?”

“Six. And in my opinion, it wasn’t enough.” Belinda’s tone bordered on giddy. It was obvious she would have worked for the plaintive.

Jac paid attention to her meal, rather than the conversation. As some point, the toe of her sneaker connected to the tip of Luke’s. Her gaze flew to his eyes, which held a promising gleam. Neither bothered to shift their feet.

Conversation flowed and she uttered an occasional response, just to make it seem she was attentive. But her thoughts wandered to Luke’s mouth, and his broad chest, and the way his fingers flexed as he peeled and sectioned his orange. The sweet citrus tang filled the air, making her mouth water. He offered half of the fruit to her, which she readily accepted. The taste of sunshine burst on her tongue.

A couple of the other teams stopped by their table to compliment them on the art they’d created. Their praise was lavish, causing pride to swell in her chest. Several of the other teams disappeared into the barn to finish their projects before the next event began.

“I need to check in with my office before the afternoon exercise,” Luke said after their lunch companions left the table. “What are you going to do?”

“Well, I won’t be calling Ted.” She’d deliberately left her phone on the desk in her room so she couldn’t be reached. She didn’t want to talk to him until she’d formed some kind of plan. “I think I’ll take a walk through the vineyard.”

“You want company?” he offered.

“I thought you had calls to make.”

“They can wait.” He dropped his hand to hers where it rested on the table.

The need to rotate her hand so they were palm to palm was strong. She bit her lip and shook her head. “You go ahead and make your calls. I can use some time to start formulating what I intend to say to Ted once I do call him back.”

“I vote you tell him to go to hell.” Luke’s grin eased his harsh words.

“As tempting as that sounds, I should probably come up with something better. Something more along the lines of telling him I’ll be leaving for a company where I’ll be celebrated, not merely tolerated.”

“That’s the spirit.” He patted her hand, encouraging and comforting at the same time. Once he stood, he stretched his arms overhead. The white shirt he’d left untucked shifted above the belt on his jeans, revealing taut stomach muscles adorned with a thin line of hair spearing south.

It was probably wrong to want to sweep her tongue down that trail to discover the treasure at the end of the line. Sparks erupted between her thighs. Jac’s mouth went dry and her heart sped up just thinking about it.

If Luke noticed her fascination with his abdomen, he didn’t let on. “I’ll meet you at the cask room in thirty minutes. Do you need anything from me?”

Oh, she needed something from him. Bemused, she dragged her gaze to his face. “Anything?”

Humor, tinged with desire darkened his eyes. His lips curved into a slow, suggestive smile. “I meant like a sweater or different pair of shoes, or your phone. But I’m open to other ideas.”

“Oh.” She reined in her erotic imagination and forced the muscles on her face to relax. “No, I think I’m good.”

Luke scooted around the table with nimble grace. When he reached her side, he extended his arm, offering to help her out of her seat. After she laid her hand in his, he jerked her up and against his body. The second her breasts brushed against the hard plane of his chest, fire burst between them. Breath froze in her lungs as he stared at her upturned face, zeroing in on her lips.

Jac kept her focus on him as he lowered his mouth to hers. Flecks of silver popped in his blue eyes, a thin line of brown ringed the iris. His eyes were made more exotic by the thick, dark lashes surrounded them. Once his lips touched hers, the lashes swept down, brushing her cheek as he angled his head.

She sank into the kiss and closed her eyes, a glittering kaleidoscope flaring behind her eyelids. The touch of his hand when he laid it on her hip was hot, solid, and inviting. Desire shook her when he tugged her lower lip between his and sucked hard.

If he kept kissing her this way, she’d melt into a puddle of please-do-me-now right in front of him. Laying her hand to his chest, she applied the smallest pressure to his heated muscles. Luke broke the seal between their lips and stepped a scant two inches away from her. His orange-scented breath brushed sweetly on her face.

Clearing her throat, she toyed with the buttons on his shirt before murmuring, “We, uh, should probably hold this thought for later.” And she meant it. Later, if he wanted to go where this kiss led, she’d go right with him. And if he didn’t want to go, well, she’d do her damnedest to convince him otherwise. What a difference a few hours of working next to the magnetic man had made.

Luke rested his forehead against hers, his hands remaining on her hips, sure and possessive. “Later. Right.” He drew a deep breath.

She didn’t like the bereft feeling that remained after he released her. “Maybe we could skip the afternoon session. I mean, I might get sent home and not get to complete the course anyway.”

A wry grin twisted his features. “We might be missed if we blew it off. Besides, like I said earlier, we do live in the same town. And I’m guessing, based on the fact you kissed me back—quite nicely, I might add—you aren’t opposed to a relationship with me.”

Surprise fluttered in her chest, like grape leaves trembling in a breeze. When had she made that decision? “I guess I’m not.”

“Then there’s plenty of time.” He stepped away from her, trailing fingers along her arm. He grasped her hand and squeezed. Letting go, he began to walk backward away from her, his gaze intent. “Go take your walk. We’ll pick this up later. That’s a promise.”