Chapter 4
Justin
I WAS ALWAYS ANXIOUS the night of any event at the winery, especially when we were introducing a new bottle.
But tonight I was especially nervous.
Every person that walked through the door, I watched with eager eyes, then my face fell when it wasn't Willa.
Maybe she wouldn't come.
Maybe I'd scared her off.
Shit.
I raked my fingers through my hair, throwing away another empty bottle. The wine and food were going faster than any other party. People were loving Leanna's latest jam and the wine paired with it perfectly. It was going to be our signature summer pairing.
"Still waiting for your girlfriend?" Luke's hand was on my shoulder, giving it a squeeze as he laughed.
I shook my head. "She's not my girlfriend and no, I haven't seen her yet."
"Don't worry, man. She'll come if she knows what's good for her and if she doesn't, well at least you'll have to see her and make it awkward as hell with the next jam delivery. This shit is good and pairs perfectly with the new Riesling."
Luke stuffed a piece of bread with jam in his mouth.
"Hey, that's for the guests!"
"I'm a guest," he said, his mouth still full.
There were at least two-hundred people inside the place and milling out to the outdoor seating area. But it was as if she had a tracking device because as soon as the door opened, my head turned and my breath caught in my throat.
If I thought Willa looked good earlier in the day, that was nothing compared to the goddess that walked through the doorway.
I wasn't the only one that noticed either. It seemed that all eyes were on the striking blonde with her hair falling down her back in long waves. She was wearing a light blue dress that hugged her frame with her pillowy breasts on full display.
As soon as her hazel eyes caught mine, a huge smile spread across her face and she crossed the room to the bar. "Justin, this is amazing! I didn't think there would be so many people here!"
I smiled. "It's all thanks to that jam. It brings people together."
God that was a lame line. I couldn't think of anything better?
She tucked a fallen strand of hair behind her ear and licked her lips. "I think it may have something to do with you, too. Leanna told me this place is a hotspot in the area."
Before I could say another word, Luke was at my side, handing Willa a glass and a plate of our different food samples. "Excuse my friend. He doesn't have any manners. Care to try the wine and food of the summer?"
"Oh, thank you," Willa said, blinking rapidly before she took a sip of her wine. "Oh, wow. This is really good. It's light and crisp. Like biting into a fresh apricot."
"Now take a bite of that financier and really experience the flavor," I pointed at the small pastry on her plate, topped with a dab of jam.
She daintily picked up the pastry, ever so slightly taking a bite before she moaned, licking her lips. "Oh my gosh! That may be the best thing to ever enter my mouth."
I felt all the heat rise to my cheeks and Luke laughed before putting his hand out to her. "And you must be the new jam lady, I'm Luke. The head wine maker here."
She swallowed the last bit of her food then shook his hand. "Yes, I'm Willa."
He smiled and then placed another glass of wine in front of her. "Well, Willa. I won't take up too much of your time here. Enjoy your night and thanks for the jam."
"Thank you!" She said, raising her glass and taking another big sip of her wine.
Luke patted my back as he went to help another guest and I leaned over the bar, trying to act cool, but I was really sweating bullets and hoped there weren't pit stains in my white button-down. "So how did a nice girl like you end up in a place like this anyway?"
She giggled, taking a little sip then set her glass down. "Well, it's kind of a funny story."
"I like funny stories."
She smiled slightly. "It's also kind of stupid. Really stupid actually. I still can't believe I'm here."
She sighed, taking another long gulp of her drink, almost finishing the glass. "I had this crazy idea that I was going to be the next big thriller writer, so I sold my car and everything after college graduation. I put down a deposit on a place I found on Craigslist, only to find out that the apartment didn't exist. So basically, I flew from Missouri to New York, not knowing anyone, and put all of my money into a scam. Luckily I met Leanna and that lady is a saint. She gave me a job and a place to live. Without her, I would be sleeping somewhere on the street or calling my parents to come get me and crying."
I blinked, staring at this beautiful girl. How could anyone dare scam her? It pissed me off but at the same time I was extremely grateful for Leanna. I always knew she had a heart of gold and this proved it. Not only did she help Willa, but brought her here.
I pushed the full glass of wine toward Willa. "You know, with a day like that, you definitely deserve a second glass of wine."
She laughed, finishing her first glass. "I should warn you, I'm kind of a light weight. I may end up calling Leanna to bring me home."
"I can always walk you home," I blurted, before even thinking about what I was saying.
"I mean, you know, if you need me to," I said, raking my hands through hair. Smooth move, Justin.
She smiled. "I may need you to. This wine is really good and maybe a little strong."
"It's one of our higher alcohol volumes. Meant more for sipping and desserts, but with a sweet taste that's almost like juice, it's hard just to sip on it," I said, trying not to show too much of my wine nerdiness.
"Oh, gosh! Hopefully I don't just pass out then after downing that glass!"
I put my hand on hers, without even thinking. "Don't worry. You'll be fine."
Her eyes met mine and if every part of me wasn't on fire before, now it was completely burning. She licked her lips and I couldn't stop staring at them.
"How about I give you a tour of the place? You didn't get to do that with me earlier." I asked, trying to break up the silence and the heat.
She smiled. "Yeah. I'd like that."
I walked around the bar and without thinking about it, took her hand in mine. When she didn't let go, something inside of me fluttered. Not butterflies. But something. Something that had every one of my senses aware.
The bar was packed, but everyone parted as we walked through like we were some sort of celebrities. We only had dim lighting with most of the ambience coming from the skylights, letting in the moonlight and the streetlights from outside.
"So, this used to be an old bank in the heart of Brooklyn and before that it was rumored to be a speakeasy. We weren't sure about that until my business partner, Luke, and I started fixing it up. We found all of these old tunnels and secret passageways that were either for some sinister banking or bootlegging."
She laughed, which was one of the most melodious sounds. "That's actually really cool."
"Yeah? Give you any writing inspiration?" We walked through the bar area toward the dining room that we used for weddings and private events. It had floor to ceiling windows on one side that looked onto our rows and rows of steel barrels.
"I write thrillers, so if you want your winery to be the scene of a murder, I'm sure I could work that in."
"Thrillers? Like chainsaw horror movie stuff?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
We walked through the dining room and stepped out of the French doors to the patio area. People stood around old oak barrels that we had fashioned into bar-height tables. There were rows of lights strung overhead and as the sun finally set in the summer sky, it cast a warm glow over everyone.
Willa's whole face lit up as she took in her surroundings. I didn't know much about this girl, and I wouldn't shut up about my winery, but I couldn't help but be intrigued by her. "I guess you could say that. I need to finish a book first."
I grabbed two glasses of wine off the bar behind me and handed her one. "I heard that Ernest Hemingway drank every day to inspire his books. Not saying you should be an alcoholic, but...shit..." I raked my hands through my hair. I sucked at talking to women or relating to anyone unless they were talking about wine.
She squeezed my hand as if she was sensing my frustration. Obviously she could see it. I really needed to work on my skills in the opposite sex department. "Why don't you show me more of this place? I wouldn't mind seeing a secret passageway or two."
She grinned, her eyes sparkling as she sipped her wine. Holy hell was this girl sexy.
"Yeah. I can do that." I licked my lips and led her toward the basement. I punched in the code and opened the sealed door, turning on the light.
"If this isn't thriller book material then I don't know what is," I said, and then winced, catching myself. "I mean, not that I'm a killer going to lead you down a set of an old stairs to a boot-legging cellar to kill you."
She squeezed my hand, following me down the few, brick lined steps to the cellar. "I think you have more of an active imagination than I do."
I turned on another light, revealing the rows of stacked oak barrels against concrete and wooden walls. "Now this is where the magic happens. It's temperature controlled and everything one needs to make wine in an urban setting."
She followed me through the rows of barrels, to our large commercial stills. "You'll have to come in November during Harvest and watch this all in action. You wouldn't believe the science that goes into all of this. Watching Luke and the other wine makers, smashing, sifting. It's almost beautiful."
She giggled. "You really like your wine making."
I turned toward her, shrugging, trying to seem nonchalant, but the truth was, wine making was all I had. The winery was my baby and I'd built it up for so long that I'd forgotten the rest of the world. "I think everyone needs something to be passionate about."
She finished the last of her wine. "Well, you do make a good wine, I'll give you that, and maybe I will have to come this fall. Will I get to stomp on the grapes?"
I grinned. "If you want to. It's not like those old TV shows, though, we wear boots. Not barefoot."
She pouted, but there was a hint of a smile under it. "Darn, first you ruin my idea of this place to commit a crime and now you're telling me I don't get to get grape juice between my toes. How am I ever going to get inspired now?"
"Are you trying to tell me I should give you some inspiration?" I stepped closer, not wanting to do anything she didn't want me to, but the more she licked her lips, the more I wanted to taste them.
"What have you got for me?" she whispered, looking up at me with those bright hazel eyes dancing.
I ran my fingers along her jawline, her body shivering as I stepped closer. "I think maybe you should look into writing romance."
Without thinking any further, I leaned in and pressed my lips to hers. She gasped, her mouth opening to mine. She had the sweetest lips and an even more intoxicating taste. Her tongue found mine and my body pulsed as she wrapped her arms around my neck, moving closer to me.
I put my hands on her hips, feeling the curves of her body under my finger tips. I wanted to push her up against the wall and take her right there against all the barrels. When she moaned and bit my lip, I gripped onto the thin fabric of her dress, trying to hold myself back from doing just that.
"Hey, Justin, you down there?"
We both gasped and jumped back almost a yard as footfalls fell loudly on the stairs. Willa looked down at the ground, a large smile on her lips as Luke came bolting down the stairs. "Hey, can you...oh..."
His eyes widened as he looked between me and Willa. "I was going to see if you were getting some more wine, but I'll get it myself..."
He wiggled his eyebrows at me. "Have a goodnight you two."
As soon as the door shut, Willa and I both looked at each other then laughed.
"Sorry about that," I said, rubbing the back of my neck.
She shook her head, clearing her throat. "No. It's totally fine. I guess you should get back to your party."
I wanted to tell her no. To push her back up against the wall and show her how much I didn't want to go back up there. But she was already heading for the stairs before I could say another word.
Before I knew it, the party was coming to a close and when I looked for Willa to walk her home, she was already gone.
I didn't get her number. I didn't have anything. But that kiss. That kiss was going to sit on my lips as long as I could remember it.