“I thought you were asleep.”
“You’d leave a sleeping man in a hot tub?”
Humor was definitely more appealing than grumpy Smurf. She stepped back up on the ledge.
He slid those sensational green eyes over her, eating her up. A wave of heat engulfed her that wasn’t in any way connected with the steam coming off the tub.
He brought his gaze back up to her face. “All set for the event?”
“Amazingly so, yes. Usually I’m crawling into bed at 2:00 a.m. the night before.”
“You seem to have been...supercharged this past week.”
Uh-oh. Irresistible Gabe was back.
He tilted a brow up. “You getting in?”
“I don’t want to disturb you.”
“That’s just baseline with you, Lex. Get in. You look exhausted.”
She thought about how revealing her bikini was. Wished she had something more modest on, but it didn’t exist in her wardrobe.
His mouth quirked. “This isn’t the first time I’ve seen you in a bathing suit.”
Yes, but it was the first time he would do so after propositioning her. And with the location being a steaming hot tub. Still... She looked longingly at the bubbling water. She had knots in her shoulders the size of kiwis. It was an eight-person tub. Surely that was big enough to house their attraction?
Gabe flicked water at her. “Non essere un gatto scaredy.”
“I can guess what that means,” she murmured. Run, said a little voice inside of her. But Alex was all about the challenge, unfortunately. He gave no quarter, keeping his gaze on her while she stepped out of her flip-flops and slid the dress over her head. Lowered herself into the water as quickly as humanly possible.
“Oh.” She sank down slowly into the almost unbearably hot water. “You’ve turned the temperature up.”
“I like it molto, molto caldo. ”
Right. She could have figured that one out, too.
“You speak more Italian when you’re tired.” She wondered if that happened in bed as well. She’d bet it did, and she’d bet it was hot. “So,” she murmured desperately. “How’s your mystery wine coming?”
His face darkened. “Not perfect yet.”
“It will come. You’re a brilliant winemaker, Gabe. Everyone says so.”
“It needs to come soon.”
She frowned. “Why the rush? I thought The Devil’s Peak was your focus.”
“I may need to move that wine up.”
He didn’t look too happy about that. Thus the grumpiness.
“Maybe you need some inspiration.”
His gaze rested on her face, hard and challenging. “Got any suggestions?”
She shifted uncomfortably. “I was thinking about your chemistry explanation. What do you think is missing?”
“If I knew that, I’d be doing it.”
“Oh.” She pointed a finger at him. “You really are a grumpy Smurf.”
He lifted an elegant brow. “A what? ”
“American TV.” She sank back into the jets and stifled a moan as they attacked her shoulders. “I heard you tell Pedro this one is a big risk. Why?”
“It’s a new varietal for California. The market isn’t mature yet.”
“And you’re going to have to fight Antonio on this one, too,” she guessed.
His face tightened. “Antonio, Riccardo, the board. All of them.”
“Will Riccardo support you?”
“I’m hoping so.”
“What was it like being passed over for him?” She had always been so intensely curious about that. Gabe was the brilliant winemaker—but Riccardo had gotten the top job after gallivanting around the world driving race cars.
A shuttered look crossed his face. “I’ve always loved the wine-making part of the business.”
“That’s not exclusionary from being CEO. Some would have said you were the natural fit.”
“My brother is a fine CEO,” he said harshly. “He’s done an incredible job expanding De Campo into the restaurant business and I support him fully.”
“But you must have wanted it to be you?”
A muscle jumped in his jaw. “Don’t put words in my mouth.”
“But you did...”
“Lex.”
She sighed. “I’m a
“You’d leave a sleeping man in a hot tub?”
Humor was definitely more appealing than grumpy Smurf. She stepped back up on the ledge.
He slid those sensational green eyes over her, eating her up. A wave of heat engulfed her that wasn’t in any way connected with the steam coming off the tub.
He brought his gaze back up to her face. “All set for the event?”
“Amazingly so, yes. Usually I’m crawling into bed at 2:00 a.m. the night before.”
“You seem to have been...supercharged this past week.”
Uh-oh. Irresistible Gabe was back.
He tilted a brow up. “You getting in?”
“I don’t want to disturb you.”
“That’s just baseline with you, Lex. Get in. You look exhausted.”
She thought about how revealing her bikini was. Wished she had something more modest on, but it didn’t exist in her wardrobe.
His mouth quirked. “This isn’t the first time I’ve seen you in a bathing suit.”
Yes, but it was the first time he would do so after propositioning her. And with the location being a steaming hot tub. Still... She looked longingly at the bubbling water. She had knots in her shoulders the size of kiwis. It was an eight-person tub. Surely that was big enough to house their attraction?
Gabe flicked water at her. “Non essere un gatto scaredy.”
“I can guess what that means,” she murmured. Run, said a little voice inside of her. But Alex was all about the challenge, unfortunately. He gave no quarter, keeping his gaze on her while she stepped out of her flip-flops and slid the dress over her head. Lowered herself into the water as quickly as humanly possible.
“Oh.” She sank down slowly into the almost unbearably hot water. “You’ve turned the temperature up.”
“I like it molto, molto caldo. ”
Right. She could have figured that one out, too.
“You speak more Italian when you’re tired.” She wondered if that happened in bed as well. She’d bet it did, and she’d bet it was hot. “So,” she murmured desperately. “How’s your mystery wine coming?”
His face darkened. “Not perfect yet.”
“It will come. You’re a brilliant winemaker, Gabe. Everyone says so.”
“It needs to come soon.”
She frowned. “Why the rush? I thought The Devil’s Peak was your focus.”
“I may need to move that wine up.”
He didn’t look too happy about that. Thus the grumpiness.
“Maybe you need some inspiration.”
His gaze rested on her face, hard and challenging. “Got any suggestions?”
She shifted uncomfortably. “I was thinking about your chemistry explanation. What do you think is missing?”
“If I knew that, I’d be doing it.”
“Oh.” She pointed a finger at him. “You really are a grumpy Smurf.”
He lifted an elegant brow. “A what? ”
“American TV.” She sank back into the jets and stifled a moan as they attacked her shoulders. “I heard you tell Pedro this one is a big risk. Why?”
“It’s a new varietal for California. The market isn’t mature yet.”
“And you’re going to have to fight Antonio on this one, too,” she guessed.
His face tightened. “Antonio, Riccardo, the board. All of them.”
“Will Riccardo support you?”
“I’m hoping so.”
“What was it like being passed over for him?” She had always been so intensely curious about that. Gabe was the brilliant winemaker—but Riccardo had gotten the top job after gallivanting around the world driving race cars.
A shuttered look crossed his face. “I’ve always loved the wine-making part of the business.”
“That’s not exclusionary from being CEO. Some would have said you were the natural fit.”
“My brother is a fine CEO,” he said harshly. “He’s done an incredible job expanding De Campo into the restaurant business and I support him fully.”
“But you must have wanted it to be you?”
A muscle jumped in his jaw. “Don’t put words in my mouth.”
“But you did...”
“Lex.”
She sighed. “I’m a
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