“Hi!” She smiles, an excitement sparkling in her I like I haven’t seen before. And as bad as I want to cart her back up the stairs and lay her over my bed, I want to satisfy all parts of Maddie. Mind, body, and soul. And tonight, that means taking her out for a little unadulterated fun.
The kiss she brushes across my lips leaves a question mark at the end of that thought, but I quickly force it away. This is the part of a relationship that might take some getting used to. The fluffy stuff girls love so much.
“Does this look okay? You didn’t tell me what we were doing, so I wasn’t sure what to wear…”
I give Maddie a quick glance, but I don’t dare look at her for too long. I’ve already noticed every delicious detail about her appearance tonight, and if I indulge any longer, I’ll be suffering through dinner with a hard on.
My cock definitely didn’t get the memo that we’re shooting for more than just instant shallow gratification with this one.
“It’s absolutely perfect, Maddie. You look incredible,” I say. “Did you pack a bag like I told you to?”
“I did…Are we staying somewhere tonight?”
“Nope.” I grab my keys and the small backpack she’s got by the door.
“So, why do I need a change of clothes?” She crinkles her nose at me, skeptical of what I’ve got planned.
“Guess you’ll just have to wait to find out.” I smirk, grabbing her hand.
I pretend not to notice when she pouts those full lips at me, because that look might just do me in.
We say a quick goodbye to Ty and the guys, and then I lead her to the truck and she climbs in.
“Would this be a bad time to tell you I’m allergic to coconuts?”
“Not at all.” I rev the engine and pull out of the garage. “I already knew that, so we’re having a coconut-free evening.”
“How did you...” Maddie’s eyes narrow as she connects the dots “Oh right. The background check.”
“To be fair, I ran a background check on you because I was about to hire you as an employee, not because I was interested in you. I had to know you were a good person.”
“Wow,” Maddie quips. “You say that with such a straight face, it’s almost like you believe it.”
I can’t exactly argue with that. There wasn’t anything that scan would have flagged that would have deterred me from her. She could be an FBI informant and I probably still would have been interested.
“Okay, fine.” I chuckle. “Tonight, I promise to answer all of your questions with a hundred percent honesty.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Anything you want to ask?” I might regret the offer, but Maddie deserves full transparency. There’s a lot about me and the life I live that is dangerous, and if this is going to go any farther, she needs to be aware of it.
She turns to me, leaning her head against the back of the seat with a gentle smile. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
It’s a bit of a drive out to the winery, but the conversation comes easily with Maddie. We commiserate about being the youngest siblings and what it was like growing up with older brothers, although our experiences were a bit different. Just as I expected, Maddie was the perfect child, following every rule and never getting into much trouble. I, on the other hand, spent the better part of my elementary career in the principal’s office or suspended.
When I passed the exit to the strip, confusion flickers in Maddie’s eyes. “We’re not going to the Strip?”
“Nope.” I shake my head. “I hate the Strip, actually. It feels overdone. I hope you don’t mind that I picked something a little different for us tonight.”
“Now I’m even more intrigued.”
We drive for a bit longer before I pull into the parking lot at the Vineyard. Right away, Maddie’s eyes light up as I help her out of the truck.
“Oh, wow!” she marvels, looking out over the valley. We arrive at sunset, and there aren’t many things as beautiful as seeing the sun sink down over the mountains and rolling hills of grapevines. The only thing I can think of that’s more beautiful is watching Maddie take in the pinks and oranges of the sky reflecting in her eyes.
Fuck. I am down bad for this girl.
“This is amazing.” She beams, a megawatt smile on her face. “What is this place?”
