Risking the Vine (Romancing the Vine Book 1) (9 page)

After adding more paint to his tray, Luke lifted it onto drop cloth-covered barrels, balancing it in the valley between two of them. He dipped his roller and resumed painting overhead.

Jac repositioned herself directly under where he worked. His wet roller squished against the wall, echoed by the sound of Jac stroking paint on her half.

The next time he stuck the roller in the tray, it began to skid toward the edge of the barrel. Dismay filled him and time slowed into an
oh-fuck-no
freeze frame as the shallow piece of plastic tipped over.

Jac’s outraged screech bounced off the wall, followed by sudden quiet. Drips of paint plopped on the canvas under her. Other teams stopped their progress and craned their necks to check out what was going on.

“Oh, God, I’m sorry.” Luke propped his roller between the barrels, making sure to wedge it in place. Stepping on the platform with one foot, he lifted up to peer over the top. “Jacqui, are you okay?”

“Um . . .”

Whitewash covered half her head, oozing down her left side. After scrubbing the back of her hand over her leg, she tried to wipe the excess from her face. With her back to him, Luke couldn’t see just how bad it was.

“Oh, fuck. I can’t believe I did that.” His voice sharpened in horror.

“Believe it!” Thank God she chuckled as she said it. “Can you find a rag or some paper towels? I’m afraid if I move the mess will end up bigger.”

Belinda hustled over, a wad of paper in her hand. She knelt next to the riser and shoved her arm under. “Take these. Sally’s coming around to help.”

Sally had already slipped between the platforms. Even though she was tiny, Luke could see how crammed together the two of them were. Sally reached across Jac’s chest and began sluicing the sticky mess off her shoulder. Jac twisted a little to give her better access and pressed the unpainted portion of her back to the barrels. FIG wandered over and took up a position right next to Luke.

Anger at his own stupidity swept over Luke like a broom through a dust pile. “I’m so sorry, Jac. Setting the tray on the barrels was asinine.”

“Won’t get any argument from me.” Jac struggled to her feet in the confined space. She turned as Sally continued scrubbing at the paint coloring half her head white.

Marcus joined the onlookers. “What’s going on?” He let out a low whistle. “You’re a mess, girl.”

Marcus’s comment brought a rueful pout to Jac’s face, creasing the remaining paint. “Tell me about it. But look, Marcus. Not a drop on the barrels.” She said it like it was the most important thing to her.

“At least you took that to heart.” Marcus’ teeth flashed whitely against his dark complexion. “You better come on out of there and get cleaned up before the shit dries. It’ll be a bitch to get out if it does.”

“The choir is on the same page with ya there.” Holding her hair away from her head, Jac followed Sally from behind the barrels.

Luke was ready with more paper towels. He wiped away as much of the mess from her back and sides as possible. Jac inhaled sharply as he passed his hand down her arm, brushing the side of her breast in the process. Everything in him tightened in the instant after the brief contact.

Jac cleared her throat and shrugged away Luke’s hands. She took the paper towels from Sally, smiling as she did. “Thanks, Sally. I’ve got it from here. Marcus, I can’t go into the house covered in paint this way. I don’t suppose you have a place where I can wash off the worst of this, do you? An outdoor shower, maybe?”

“Back by the picnic pavilion where we had lunch, there’s an area where you can hose off. Just behind the building.”

Luke grabbed the drop cloth off the barrels. Carefully, he wrapped it around Jac’s shoulders, sealing her paint-splattered body within the canvas folds. “I’ll take you over.”

“We should clean up this mess before we go.” Jac gestured toward the other side of the barrels, where she’d been sitting when he’d dumped half a can of paint on her head.

Luke glanced at Marcus and lifted a hand in question. “Can we get a little help here? I don’t want the paint drying in her hair.”

“Me and the boys will take care of the mess.” Marcus slapped FIG on the back. FIG shot him a dirty look. “Hey now, Jeff. That what teams do. They help each other. You’re not going let the team down, now are you?”

“We’ll help, too,” Sally offered.

Marcus beamed at her. “Atta girl! Luke, take Jacqui and get her cleaned up. You’re excused from the rest of this exercise.” He tapped his hand on Jac’s arm. “You know, the color works on you, but maybe you should go clean up now.”

Jac chuckled, the sound easy and sexy at the same time. “Thanks. We’ll see you at dinner.”

Body humming like a plucked guitar string, Luke followed her out of the cask room.

Chapter 7

The rapidly drying paint oozed down her neck like a cold, disgusting slug. As she swiped it away with a corner of the drop cloth Luke had wrapped around her, Jac thanked her lucky stars she’d worn the coveralls Team Vino had supplied. Otherwise, her blue T-shirt would have been ruined. The bench seat of the golf cart became a trampoline as Luke sped to the barn where they’d worked earlier. She bounced with each rut they hit.

“You can slow down,” she said, hanging on to the side handle for dear life. “With the amount of water in the whitewash, this mess should clean up pretty easily.”

“I’m just sick I did that.” Luke’s voice held a note of frustration.

“Well, you did fix it so we got out of the exercise. It might not be the best way to be excused, but we don’t have to finish painting. Or clean up. Bright side, right?”

He snorted. “Damned Pollyanna. Do you always find the good?”

The barn came into view as they crested a small hill. “It’s a rewarding way to live. For example, now I know FIG’s name is really Jeff. Easy enough to remember because fig starts with
F
and Jeff has a double dose of F in his name. Easy peasy.” She jerked forward in her seat as Luke braked to a stop on the side of the building.

Sure enough, there was a cedar-fenced enclosure at the far corner. She pulled the sides of the drop cloth together before she jumped out of the cart and reached for the gate handle. The bottom scraped over the pavement as she swung it open. Inside were gardening tools, a wheelbarrow, and a green hose coiled on the ground. There was also a drain in the center of the cement pad, and several buckets filled with sand.

Luke bumped into her when he stepped around her. “Sorry.”

Shrugging, Jac peeled the canvas material away and dropped it while he fastened one end of the hose to the barn spigot. Pipes clanked to life when Luke twisted the knob. The hose jerked and jumped, filling with water that gushed from its open end. Jac toed off her shoes and kicked them aside, away from the water, the pavement rough and chilly under her bare feet.

Luke straightened and motioned her to the center. “Unfortunately, your clothes are probably going to get soaked.”

“They’ll dry. Come on, hose me down.” She scrunched up her shoulders and squeezed her eyes shut. Frigid water splattered over her head. “Bloody hell! That’s cold.”

“Sorry. Again. There isn’t any hot water available here.”

Keeping her eyes closed, she ran her fingers through her hair, trying to push the paint out. “Not your fault. You don’t have to keep apologizing. Let’s just get this done.”

At least Luke’s fingers were warm as he massaged her scalp to help. Yeah, they actually felt freaking amazing. A rush of heat seeped from her chest then lower, raising more goose bumps than the icy shower had.

“Can you hold the hose? I could help more if I can use both hands.”

It flashed through her mind, which hose she really wanted to hold. And how much better it would be if his two hands were on her. The heat in her cheeks was at complete odds with the arctic temperature of the water flowing over her head.

“If I hold the hose, you’ll end up getting soaked, too.”

“True.” He dropped the hose to the ground where it promptly spurted over her feet.

Not caring how she looked, she danced a crazy jig to keep her toes from going numb. Luke grabbed a garden rake, flipped it upside down, and shoved the wooden handle into one of the buckets of sand. After he retrieved the hose, he wrapped it around and around the shaft and ended by jamming the brass-fitted end between the tines.

He grinned and pointed to his handiwork. “Ta-da! Instant shower. C’mere.”

Jac accepted the hand he offered and let him pull her forward under the flow of water. It was still cold, but with him helping to scrub the paint away, it wouldn’t last as long.

The cold water sluicing down her spine remained at odds with the heat generated when he massaged her scalp. She tipped her head back and he framed it between his hands. Something flickered in his eyes, a flash of lust, of hunger. Jac bit her lower lip as sensation coursed through her body, lodging in her brain. In spite of the temperature of the water, this little impromptu shower had activated the desire receptors within.

And they weren’t going to be denied.

Luke didn’t hold back either. Dark lashes swept down as he closed his eyes an instant before his lips claimed hers. It wasn’t a tender kiss. No, this was filled with raw want and need. Open-mouthed, thrusting. His tongue stole into her mouth, retreated, only to advance again.

Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her close, nestling her against his hard-in-all-the-right-places body. The heat and evidence of his arousal turned the moisture between their wet bodies to steam.

Without releasing his hold Luke walked her backward until she hit the board fence surrounding them. The planks pressing into her shoulder blades were rough, the planes of Luke’s chest incendiary. Raising her hands from those hard muscles, she threaded her fingers through his short, wavy hair. Luke nibbled her lower lip, nipping and pulling slightly before soothing the sting with his tongue.

The tingling between her legs kicked up a notch when he worked his hands between their bodies. He trailed them up her ribcage, pausing to cup and squeeze her sensitive breasts as he ground his hips to hers. The sweet tugging sensation in her gut tightened her body until it felt like a plucked string on a violin.

Her heart raced at the feel of his fingers, unfastening her coveralls, the rasp of the zipper loud in the quiet air. He slipped his hand into the opening and ran it from her pubic bone to the waistband of her jeans. She squirmed and shifted, her body giving in to desire, offering him more. He pulled her T-shirt from her pants, smiling against her lips.

Skyrockets took flight behind her closed eyes at the first touch of his fingers on the bare flesh of her stomach. Luke slid his hand upward, tracing each rib as he went. His lips didn’t stop moving on hers. Without any conscious thought, Jac lifted her leg around the back of his thigh and jerked him closer, opening herself at her very core.

His hard erection prodded her through the layers of their clothing and lodged against her center. Moist heat flooded between her legs when he circled his hips against hers. He’d reached her breast and slipped his finger behind the lace of her bra, flicking the taut nipple. Sensation tugged hard in her womb, squeezing and heating her.

He worshipped her mouth, tongue tangling with hers, thrusting in time with his hips. God, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d been dry-humped so deliciously. At the moment her only complaint was the amount of clothing between them.

Water gushed heedlessly from the makeshift shower, plopping on the cement. The sharp scent of paint, garden clippings, and soil perfumed the air. Sunlight poured into the enclosure, warming their heads.

Luke gentled his kiss until he merely sipped at her lips. Releasing them, he traced his way across her cheek, licked his way down the column of her neck. The sun flared golden behind her eyelids when she tipped her head heavenward, exposing more of her neck to his clever mouth.

His hand still cupped her breast when he straightened. Once he’d tasted her lips again, he pressed his forehead to hers. His breath rushed against her cheek, his struggle to calm a racing heart as evident as hers. Body singing, she sucked in a breath as he gave one final tweak to her nipple.

Cold reality flooded her when he removed his hand from under her shirt. She didn’t want to open her eyes and see regret on his face, so she left them closed as he tucked the hem of her shirt back into her jeans.

“I got carried away. I’m sorry.” His words were soft against her ear. Leaving his hands on her hips, he leaned away, as if to give her space.

“I’m not,” she said. She pried her lids open to look him in the eye. “You kiss like a maestro, coaxing all the right notes from me at the right moment.”

He grinned, easing the hot desire in his eyes from molten to magnificent. “No one’s ever compared me to a musician before. I think I like it.”

Jac lowered her hands to his biceps, maintaining touch between them. A hard pounding pulse leapt in his throat and she rose on tiptoes to plant a soft kiss against the smooth skin covering the erratic beat. Luke inhaled sharply, digging his fingers into her sides.

She rested her damp head against the fence, closed her eyes, and reveled in the heat of the sun on her face, the intense warmth of his hands on her body.

“I think we got all the paint out,” he murmured. “Maybe we should head back to the house so you can get some dry clothes.”

“Probably right, but I hate to end our time here.” She opened her eyes and flicked her gaze around the enclosure. Water still flowed from the makeshift shower. “You know, if this was part of the team building exercises, this showering together, I believe we might have aced it.”

“Or we could use a little more practice.” He nuzzled the tender skin in the hollow between her ear and jaw.

Pushing against his arms, she nudged him away. A shiver coursed down her spine at the loss of his heat. “I’m sure they’ve missed us by now. And as delightful as this shower turned out, I think I’d prefer a hot one.”

“Hmmm, I was just thinking a cold shower might be in order.” In spite of his show of teeth, his expression seemed filled with regret. Electricity arced between them as he laced their fingers together. He pressed his lips to her cheek, then whispered in her ear, “To be continued later?”

His words tickled, his warm breath igniting another slow burning flame within. “I hope so.”

After shutting the water off, he led her from the enclosure back to the golf cart.

The fact he didn’t release her hand the entire trip back to the house melted something inside her into a burbling well of emotion.

Jules greeted them from the top step of the porch. “Marcus radioed me what happened. Are you okay, Jacqui?” She started down the steps, a fluffy white towel over her shoulder, another clutched in her hand.

The heavy canvas coveralls clung to Jac’s skin, a cold, wet blanket. She accepted the towel Jules offered, wrapping it around her shoulders. “I think we got most of the paint out. Hey, you should consider running hot water to the barn.”

“I’ll get right on it. Honestly, I do believe this was the first time we’ve ever used that area as a shower.” The woman’s chuckle was rich and filled with warmth. The friendly look in her eyes hardened as she added, “Ted Fleury has called six times. He’s insisting you return to the office. I tried to explain how important it was for you to stay to complete the training, but he didn’t seem interested in allowing it. I even tried to finagle at least one extra day, but I’m not sure he bit on the idea. I’m sorry.” Jules pulled the other towel from her shoulder and offered it to Jac.

Jules’ words escalated the tension creeping up Jac’s neck. Mutely accepting the absorbent fabric, she rubbed it over her scalp, wicking moisture from her hair, trying to rub newly budding stress away. “If he’s called you six times, I’ll bet he blew up my phone. I knew I was smart not bringing it with me. Although,” she sent a speculative glance at Luke, “if I’d had it, it might have gotten ruined with the paint. Shoot, another missed opportunity.”

Luke’s brows lowered over his angry eyes. “What are you going to do?”

Outright quitting her job was turning into an attractive option. “First, I’m going to shower and get rid of any remaining paint. Next, I think I’ll find a big glass of wine, which shouldn’t be a problem at a vineyard, right?” She looked to Jules for confirmation.

“I have a special bottle I’ve saved for the right occasion. This seems appropriate. I’ll deliver it to your room while you clean up.”

A special vintage of wine might be the highlight of her day. Well, except for the exceptional make-out session she’d just indulged in with Luke. That darned unreachable spot—at least in polite company—between her legs tingled and throbbed while she studied his lips. Maybe after she returned Ted’s call, she’d celebrate by letting Luke find the spot and relieve the incessant tickle.

Yeah, that sounded like a plan.

“Bring up that bottle, I’ll gladly accept it.” She pointed at Luke. “Give me an hour to handle all this, then stop by. Maybe I’ll share the wine. If there’s any left.”