Livvie awoke bright and early to her alarm again. She wasn’t sure if Drake would be outside working the vineyard this morning, but she felt as if they needed to clear the air. She also knew his mom and some of his customers were coming for lunch, and he hadn’t invited her, so it was unclear whether she’d get a chance to see him today at all.

After the cake episode, Livvie had spent the remainder of the day and evening writing in her room. Mr. Birkshire had left her dinner again by her door. She was grateful that he, at least, had thought about her. She felt so exhausted that she had fallen asleep quickly after eating and had no idea what time Drake made it to his bedroom. Maybe she had frustrated him so much yesterday that he went out to find a willing woman to fuck. She was sure that wouldn’t be hard for him. Any woman but her would be more than eager to have sex with him, even if he directly told them it would only be once. Maybe Mr. Birkshire was right, and she should have left her baggage by the door, but that didn’t seem right, either. How was she supposed to let loose if he wasn’t willing to compromise? Besides, she wasn’t asking to be with him forever. All she wanted to know was that they would stay in touch and see what happened. Was that too much to ask?

Livvie rose from her bed and ran to the window, hoping to spot Drake in his vineyard. She scanned the length of the vineyard and then remembered to look toward the path he had instructed her to take the other day. And she found him. He must have been kneeling by his grapes because he slowly rose from the ground as if he was a God. He looked like one, anyway. Tall and regal as he looked up at the sun, perhaps gauging how the weather would affect his grapes for the day. She couldn’t see exactly what he was wearing from her bedroom window, but she noticed his beautiful arm muscles and his hot-as-hell body. She wanted him so badly. Once she left here, she would only see him on the cover of magazines, in articles about his winery, and maybe even on the news.

Livvie inhaled deeply and leaned her head against the window. She adored him after only a few days, and there wasn’t anything she could do about it. Olivia Collins, an Ivy League school graduate and unemployed television writer had fallen for a man she’d only known for a few days. And there was no way she could protect her heart. And what was the point anyway? She tried to make intelligent choices, but her heart seemed to lead the way, and she hoped everything would be okay.

It wasn’t even about his looks. She was getting to know Drake on the inside, and she liked him.

As hard as it was, Livvie stepped away from her window and opened her closet, having finally unpacked. She decided to wear her blue sundress, which matched her eyes. This dress always made her feel good, with thin straps and a low neck that showed her cleavage. It made her chest look bigger and her hips smaller. She grabbed her white, flat sandals, ready to begin the day. With one more glance out the window, she picked up her journal from her night table and then headed out the door.

 

* * * * *

 

Livvie crept down the stairs, unsure what mood she’d find Drake in when she finally met up with him. When her ex-boyfriends were in a bad mood, they would usually ignore her or act mean. Maybe he wasn’t like other men when it came to moods. She knew he wasn’t like other men in general, except for the commitment phobic part. Unfortunately, there were a lot of those out there. Drake confessed to having a real fear of commitment. She wished she could change that.

When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she gripped the banister, as if she might draw some strength from it, find the courage she so desperately needed. She wanted Drake to realize what he’d miss when she left. And the only way to do that was to be her true self—strong, brave, and fearless. She had to remind herself that she was no longer the naïve woman she was when she was engaged to Liam, or the angry woman she was when she got fired and Zach cheated on her.

Feeling in control once again, Livvie raised her chin a little higher and approached the back doors that led to the vineyard. The vision that awaited her caused her to suddenly stop. Looking out the window, Livvie saw a woman who appeared older than Drake giving him a hug. Livvie studied the woman’s face and her beautiful features. As her hair was the same dark shade as Drake’s, and they shared the same color emerald eyes, Livvie assumed this was his mother, who had seemingly arrived super early. Livvie had hoped to have at least a few more hours alone with Drake before his mother and his other guests arrived. With only a few days remaining, every moment felt precious.

Maybe this would be better, though. Maybe not being alone with him would stop her from wanting to devour him every chance she got. She had been walking around with wetness between her thighs for days now. Clearly, she needed to calm herself down.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Livvie inhaled deeply and opened the French door. In the back of her mind, she thought they may want some mother-son time, but his mother must have seen Livvie standing inside the door, so there was nothing she could do but face the introductions. His mother was the last person she would want to meet. After all, any mother can recognize a female lusting after her son. Talk about awkward.

The second Livvie stepped outside, Drake and his mom stopped talking, which made Livvie feel as if she had made a grave mistake. What was she thinking? She was only a raffle winner. She had no right to assume Drake would want to introduce her to his mother. Plus, she hadn’t been officially invited to join them all at lunch. Maybe Mr. Birkshire and Drake had intended for her to eat by herself in her room.

Drake pinned her with his gaze and didn’t look away, and despite the presence of his mother, he raked his eyes up and down her body, pausing for a moment in his perusal of her when his gaze hit upon the general area of her hips and breasts.

Staring back at him, Livvie felt as if she was being sucked into a vortex. Her body reacted to him very differently than her mind. She could control her mind, but her body felt entirely different.

“Drake, are you going to introduce me to this lovely young lady, or are you both going to continue staring at each other?”

There’s nothing like another woman telling it like it is, thought Livvie. She’d always appreciated a woman who didn’t hesitate to speak her mind. She only hoped his mom was a lot less intimidating than her son.

“Yes, Mother, I was about to; I’m just surprised to see my little raffle winner out here so early in the morning,” Drake said while grinding his teeth.

Livvie guessed he was still mad about yesterday. If she were just a “little raffle winner,” why would he even care?

Livvie stuck her hand out for his mom to shake. “Hi, you must be Drake’s mom. I’m Olivia, but please call me Livvie.”

Drake’s mom grabbed her hand tightly and returned her smile. Livvie had an urge to run into her arms and cry like a baby, but instead, she inhaled and held back her unshed tears.

“Please call me Veronica.” She placed both her hands around Livvie’s and squeezed. The action made Livvie feel oddly safe and comforted.

“So you’re the raffle winner?” Veronica asked with a twinkle in her eye. Up close, the woman was beautiful, just like her son.

“Yes, I’m the lucky raffle winner,” Livvie said a little too sarcastically.

Veronica squeezed her hand once more. Livvie held Veronica’s hands for strength in the same way she had held on to the banister earlier.

“You know, honey, when I heard that my son was allowing a stranger to stay at his sacred castle for the week, I was surprised. But Drake has a good heart, and he’d do whatever it takes for a stranger to have the best care possible.”

“Mother!” Drake was still grinding his teeth.

“And to find out that this lucky raffle winner is a woman as beautiful as you are makes me believe that once again the universe knows better than I do.” Veronica was beaming from ear to ear.

“What do you mean?” Livvie asked.

“Fate, my dear.” Drake’s mom grabbed Livvie by her face and kissed her on both cheeks.

“Enough, Mom, you’re scaring away my little raffle winner, and apparently, she scares easily.”

Livvie glared at Drake. How dare he bring up their issues at a time like this? And she wasn’t easy to scare. Far from it. But he had told her yesterday to guard her heart, and she was sticking to it, regardless of how wet her panties were when she was around him.

“Sexual tension. I love it. This is going to be a fabulous day, after all. I’m glad I arrived early to watch the fireworks.” Veronica clapped her hands.

Livvie, on the other hand, felt awful. Forget about the next three days; how would she survive today?

“Sweetie, what’s that in your hand?” Veronica asked.

Livvie had completely forgotten that she was holding her journal. “Oh, I thought I’d come out here this morning and write.” She hoped Veronica wouldn’t ask more about her writing. She didn’t feel comfortable telling her that she’d been fired from Raven’s Edge.

“I gave her that journal,” Drake added, sounding cocky.

“How lovely, dear.”

“She’s writing a novel, Mother. She’s quite a talented writer.”

Livvie immediately looked up at him. “Thank you, Drake, but how did you know?”

“I know everything that goes on at my winery.”

“What he meant to say, sweetie, was that he knows everything that goes on with you. Now if you two lovebirds don’t mind, I’m going to take a brief nap before the rest of your guests arrive. Don’t worry, Drake, I’ll be leaving after lunch, so you can spend the evening with your little raffle winner.”

Veronica winked at Livvie, which caused Livvie’s cheeks to flush. She hoped they didn’t look too red.

“Stop embarrassing her, Mother.”

“Don’t worry, darling. She’s a strong one.” Veronica kissed Drake on the cheek and then gave Livvie a hug before stepping back inside the castle without another word.

Alone with Drake, Livvie wasn’t sure how to act.

“Thank you for the journal again and for coming to my rescue.” She smiled at him, unsure of how else to behave. A man had never come to her rescue before, and she had no idea how to handle it.

“You already thanked me for the journal, although not as I would have liked,” Drake said with a twinkle in his eyes. “Olivia, you have nothing to feel ashamed about for being laid off.”

“I was fired.” Livvie’s heart sped up, but not because she’d been fired.

“You were laid off. The producers weren’t attacking your talent as a writer. They were just frustrated over the lower ratings, and they blamed it on you. They were wrong, and they’re the ones who should be embarrassed. Not you.”

Livvie swallowed hard. “Thank you. I needed that.” Tears welled up in her eyes.

Drake must have noticed—he seemed to notice everything about her—and he instantly grabbed her in his big, strong arms and held her tightly. Tears began to flow. She didn’t want them to. When it came to this man, she was constantly breaking her own rules. She had never cried openly in front of a man. It made her too vulnerable. Yet she was crying in front of Drake, and he didn’t seem to care. If anything, he was trying to be there for her. Any other man would give her an excuse and leave. Those types of experiences had caused her to become harder, less trustful, and more introverted.

She grabbed Drake even tighter. This was what she had wanted when she had held on to his mom and the banister earlier. This was the strength she craved, and she found it in Drake Morganthal’s arms.

When he started to caress her hair it was almost her undoing. Almost. But she couldn’t stay vulnerable like this forever. He wasn’t her boyfriend.

Livvie inhaled deeply and luckily stopped her tears from continuing to flow. She knew what she had to do. She just didn’t want to do it. Instead of grabbing him even tighter, she stepped away and rubbed the remaining tears from her eyes. She could do this. There was no choice. No way would she be one of his many women, but that is exactly what she would be if she stayed a moment longer in his arms.

“Thank you,” Livvie said softly.

Drake ran his hands through his gorgeous, thick hair, something she had done a few days ago when they had kissed and had been dying to do again ever since.

“What are you thanking me for now?” Drake sighed. “Stop thanking me altogether. You’re obviously not used to a man being nice to you. And with my track record I don’t want to be the one man who changes your opinion of my entire gender.” Drake ran his hands through his hair once more and then walked right past her and into his house, slamming the door.

Livvie ran her hands up and down the journal and then held it close to her heart. She closed her eyes and inhaled the Napa air. She hoped to get strength from her journal in the same way she’d drawn strength from Drake’s embrace. With the journal close to her heart she did find some strength.

“And another thing!”

Drake came back out and slammed the door again, scaring Livvie half to death. She opened her eyes and jumped back.

“If you continue to wear that sundress for the entire day, I’m not guaranteeing that I can hold my end of the bargain.”

Drake looked her up and down then grabbed her from the back of her head and smashed his lips onto hers. He didn’t devour her mouth the way he had the first time he’d kissed her. Instead, he held his lips tightly against hers. Hard. She thought he would release his strong hold, but when she tried to pull away, he only tightened his grip on her. She was forced to breathe through her nose. This wasn’t a passionate kiss, and it didn’t invoke those feelings from her either. This was more of a power play. Drake was used to being in control, and she, Olivia Collins, the little raffle winner, had thrown off Drake Morganthal, the powerful winery owner and one of the wealthiest bachelors in the entire world.

Finally, Drake stepped away. Livvie barely had time to catch her breath before he walked back into his house and once again slammed the door. Livvie’s last thought before she followed him was that she hoped she was making the right decision by staying. Judging by the way Drake had just kissed her, all deals were off. Her heart wanted this, but her mind was still fighting. Right now, Livvie had no idea which one would win.