Let Me Love You (5 page)

Could she be feeling the same gravity pulling them together?

Before he overthought the moment, Joey planted his hands on her cheeks and dragged her face to his. Their lips met with force, and she made a shocked mewing sound as he tunneled his fingers through her hair. She stiffened against him. He slanted his head to deepen the kiss. Her lips softened on a moan, and she kissed him back, parting her lips. His stomach tumbled, sparking with newfound desire.

Instead of taking what she offered, he pulled back.

Mouth hanging open in surprise, Lucy’s hands remained in midair as if she had been about to touch his face. His entire body went rigid beneath the heat of her stare.

“Does that sum it up?” he asked.

She shook her head and blinked quickly as if trying to drag herself out of some sort of haze. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Isn’t that what was difficult for you to say?”

“No.” She covered her mouth with her hand and rubbed her fingers over her lower lip. “That was…
surprising
…but definitely
not
what I was going to say.”

Embarrassment landed in Joey’s gut, decimating any buzzing feelings that’d been growing there.

“Then I’m sorry,” he said. “I crossed a line. I shouldn’t have done that.”

“It’s fine,” she said, staring out over her vineyard. Harvesters moved between the rows, their lights guiding the way. “I probably shouldn’t have said what I was going to anyway.”

“Oh, no you don’t. You have to tell me now.” Reaching over the edge of the truck, he dumped his beer into the dirt and then tossed the bottle into the grocery bag. “You can’t leave me hanging, at least not after I embarrassed myself like that.”

“There’s no reason to be embarrassed.” She touched his shoulder. “Please, we’re two grown adults who’ve had too much to drink. I’d hate to quote the song, but you can blame it on the alcohol if you want.”

He could, but he hadn’t had that much. He didn’t feel anything close to a buzz.

“So what is it, then?” He turned to look at her. She looked pained. Sick to her stomach. She must’ve been feeling ill.

“Has Dane ever mentioned me?”

No,
take that back.
He
was the one who was going to be ill. “You want to go out with my brother?”

She shrugged. “Not anything serious, but if he’s interested in having a good time, I might be interested in the same. Would you mind…”

Of course he didn’t mind! In fact, he’d gotten used to playing second fiddle to his brother. Women
always
chose Dane, and they’d only come to him after Dane broke their hearts. Joey didn’t think twice when Dane inherited the family business over him, either. No, he didn’t mind helping Dane score a date with Lucy. Joey had gotten damn good at lying to himself, too. Took away the sting.

“No problem.” Joey hopped off the truck, planting his feet firmly on the ground. Where they belonged. “I’ll do that.”

Rachael plopped into the chair in Lucy’s kitchen and leaned across the table. “So…how was your date last night?”

“Well, I said I wanted to date his brother.” Lucy scratched her head and took another drink of coffee. Guilt had been festering in her belly all morning long. The coffee did little to squelch the feeling. “Wait, I take that back. I said I’d be interested in having a good time with his brother.”

“You said you wanted to date Dane while you were out with him?” Rachael’s voice shot so high, she nearly squeaked. “And I thought I gave Cole a hard time when we first started dating.”

“No, no, no.” Lucy wagged her finger. “Joey and I went out and had a good time. One time, one date. That’s not the same as
dating
. Anyway, I’m pretty sure that’ll go down in history as the worst date ever. I’m going to have to apologize for letting him kiss me.”

“Hold up.” Rachael put up her hand. “Joey
kissed
you?”

“Yeah, but it was a misunderstanding. We got into this really intense eye-lock.” Lucy leaned over the tiny kitchen table and brought her face close to Rachael’s. “And then when I said I wanted to say something, but I wasn’t sure what, he took it the wrong way. Honest mistake. I’m irresistible.” She winked at her friend and then sat back in her chair, drinking the last of her second cup of coffee. “Refill for you, too?”

“No, thanks.” Rachael stared, a stunned expression on her face as she stroked her cup. “That was…ballsy of you, Luce.”

“What?”

“Kissing and ditching.”

Wow, when she said it that way, it sounded harsh.

“I just know what I want.” Lucy pushed back from the table and strode into the kitchen. She dug through a basket on the counter for a hazelnut K-Cup. “I didn’t want to hurt him, but I didn’t want to lead him on either.”

“Well,” Rachael said, “no one can say you’re indirect.”

“Exactly,” Lucy mumbled. “Besides, I know it was harsh, and I’m going to take care of it.”

“How was it?” Rachael leaned over the table. “You know…kissing him?”

“You’ve kissed him before,” Lucy said, punching brew on the Keurig. “So you know he’s good.”

Rachael rolled her eyes. “He’s got soft lips and knows what to do with his hands when he kisses, I’ll give him that. I love when guys do that thing where they cup your cheeks and tilt your head to get a better angle at your lips.”

Lucy closed her eyes and moaned just thinking about it. Joey had caressed her face when their lips met. He’d pulled her to him as if he couldn’t resist her, yet his touch was soft. Almost reverent. There was heat behind the kiss, too. A surprise that had her stomach flipping from the mere thought. A guy hadn’t made her feel that way in…well, probably
ever
. Joey and that kiss had taken her off guard.

“But every kiss is different,” Rachael babbled on. “What’s most important is whether or not you felt
that thing
…”

“I didn’t get anywhere near his thing, Rachael. We kissed. That was it.”

“Lucy,” Rachael said with a laugh, “you’re incredible.”

She bowed with a theatrical hand wave. “Why, thank you.”

“What did he say about Dane?”

“That’s just it. I don’t really know how it ended.” Lucy refilled her third cup and stared out the kitchen window that overlooked the vineyard. “I don’t know if Dane’s going to call me, or if I’m going to call him, or if he’s going to show up here and ask me out. I have no idea if Joey will say anything to him at all.”

“But Joey said he’d hook you two up?”

“I guess.” She plopped into the seat across from her friend and sipped on her drink. “I don’t really know what Joey’s going to say, but I hope he doesn’t make me sound desperate. That’s the last thing I want. I don’t need any man, let alone Dane Brackett. I just thought we could have a good time together.”

Rachael glared at Lucy over the rim of her cup.

“What?” Lucy prodded. “Why are you staring at me like that?”

As Rachael set down her coffee, Lucy got the feeling she was in for it.

“You’re right, you don’t need a man,” Rachael said, in that lecturing tone of hers, “but when you find the right one, you want him near you every moment of every day. And before you know it, you can’t imagine your life without him.”

Lucy couldn’t listen to much more of that crazy talk. Of course Rachael would be spouting notions of love and butterflies and rainbows. She was in a relationship with a rock star, someone who wanted to be involved in her life, someone who loved her, yet didn’t pressure her to do things she didn’t want to do.

He might’ve been the perfect man.

Why couldn’t men and women simply go out when they wanted, have fun together doing whatever they wanted, and when things went south, go their separate ways?

It wasn’t about loyalty. Lucy could be loyal to one man. She could probably love one too, if he were good to her and made her laugh daily. (That was a definite requirement.)

No, loyalty wasn’t the issue. It was the
F-word that made her insides squirm.

Forever.

She shuddered at the mere thought of being trapped with one person until the end of her days. She craved adventure and yearned for personal space.

After they finished their coffee date and Rachael went back to manage her inn, Lucy showered and dressed in a pair of black slacks and bright green sweater. She glossed her lips with “Rock ’n’ Red” and twisted her hair up, using a claw to hold her curls in place. She stepped out of her studio and into the bright morning sun. The rays of light made everything more vibrant: the leaves on the vines greener, sky crystal blue, and the winery in the distance a rich shade of mocha.

It was going to be a great day.

She had the crazy urge to head to the station during lunch to talk to Joey. She’d apologize for the way their date had ended, and then figure out exactly what he was going to say to Dane. But she was far from desperate. The more she thought about it, the more she decided to follow the cardinal rule in dating and wait three days before making contact with him. Although they hadn’t been on an actual date, he did buy her a beer.

And there was no way she’d forget that kiss any time this millennium.

Gearing up for work, Lucy hooked her Bluetooth on her ear and strode past the rows of wine troughs in the outdoor cellar.

Out of the corner of her eye, a flash of movement spooked her. One of the workers, out of breath and stumbling, emerged from a row of vines. When he spotted her, he changed course and veered her direction. It was Matthew, one of her oldest workers.

“What is it?” Her heart raced as worst-case scenarios raced through her head. It was harvest; thousands of things could go wrong. “What’s happened?”

As he came close, he slowed and put his hands on his knees in an effort to catch his breath. “The back…there’s a dog stuck in the bottom.”

Her brows pulled together in confusion. “In the bottom of what?”

“The gulley…” He huffed and stood upright, his giant belly sticking out from beneath his wine-stained StoneMill T-shirt. Clumps of mud stuck to his pants and dirtied his arms. “He’s stuck on somethin’ in the mud. He won’t come out and he’s going to fall under.”

What the hell?

“Show me,” she said, and charged toward the shed, Matthew following hot on her heels.

Lucy unlocked the shed doors, swung them open wide, and then hopped onto one of the four-wheelers. She motioned for Matthew to take the other one. Since the sheds were locked, she had a habit of leaving the keys in the ignitions. She turned the key on her four-wheeler and bolted out of the shed, glancing back to make sure Matthew had followed.

As they barreled down the dirt path leading to the back end of the property and Matthew raced to catch up, Lucy hollered, “Why didn’t you try to get the dog out?”

“I did!” He held up his hand. Blood dripped down his forearm, staining his shirt. “The sucker bit me!”

Shit.

Accident reports piled up in her head as she shifted gears and hugged the west corner of the property. Beside her, off in the distance and up a steep hill, the helipad disappeared into a cloud of dust. She and Joey had been there only last night. He’d handed her a beer and then kissed her under the stars.

“There!” Matthew called, pointing to where the gully deepened into a sharp ravine. “He’s down there.”

She skidded to a stop and turned off the engine, clicking her Bluetooth to call for help as she dismounted.

“Skylie,” she said when her assistant answered. “Call animal control and have them take the winery’s eastern exit. Meet them there and then take them to the back end of the property. I’m here now.”

She jogged to the edge of the gulley and scanned through the river of crud. A German shepherd pup had gotten stuck in mud up to its neck. Its gray fur was matted and filthy, and its neck and face exposed its emaciated state. The poor thing looked like it hadn’t eaten in weeks. Its big round eyes were sunken and solemn, though when it spotted her it squirmed excitedly.

“Tell them we’ve got a German shepherd stray stuck on something in the gulley.” She’d nearly forgotten about Matthew’s injury. “And bring the first-aid kit. Matthew’s hurt.”

“On it!” Skylie said, and disconnected the call.

“I heard him cry from the harvester,” Matthew said. “I thought it was a woman screaming for help. I came down here to check and saw the little guy, but he wouldn’t let me help him.”

“Okay, okay,” Lucy said, heart beating out of her chest. “Don’t move!”

The dog twitched and tried to scramble, but its hind legs seemed to be stuck on something. It whimpered, breaking Lucy’s heart. She couldn’t stand idly by, watching helplessly as the pup fought to be free.

“You went down there?” Lucy checked out the mud and blood splotches on Matthew’s legs. “Which way’d you go?”

He wiped his hands on his shirt. “That tree over there’s got roots to help you down. I hung on to those as long as I could. He wouldn’t come to me, but maybe he’ll come to you. He sure seemed eager when he saw you.”