Did you like the city?”
“Very much. It’s colorful, attractive. I got the sense there’s a bunch of interesting places and activities to discover, beyond the standard tourist stuff.” She reflected. “Well, I guess that’s true of most cities. They put on one face for tourists, but the locals learn a more personal one.”
“Sounds right.”
And that was what she was doing, Suzanne thought. Putting on a sexy face for Jaxon, in hopes he’d never look beyond it to the more personal, boring one.
He sipped the wine. “This is unusual, but I like it. What is it?”
“A gewürztraminer from a winery called Quail’s Gate, in the Okanagan.” She’d wondered if she should buy Greek wine, then decided Cretan wine was great on Crete but Vancouver called for BC wine.
“Okanagan?”
“In the interior of the province. The BC wine industry isn’t as old as California’s, but we have some really good wines.” She wasn’t a connoisseur, but having dinner with the Foursome every Monday had expanded her knowledge of all things alcoholic. “You can visit a number of the wineries and do winetasting.”
“I did that in the Sonoma Valley once.”
“Not Napa?” We can do this, she thought as she spread pepper cream cheese on a slice of baguette, and topped it with a couple of olives. We can make interesting conversation without dragging out the ho-hum personal details.
“Napa’s too touristy. Sonoma’s quieter, and the scenery is . . .”
He paused, considering, then said, “Peaceful. Serene. Makes you feel like you could just sit in the sun, breathe in the air, drink some wine, sit there for hours. Or drift into the sky and see the whole thing from a hot-air balloon.”
Wow! It sounded amazing, but not exactly . . . hot. Out of character, for him. “You did that?”
“Oh yeah.” His expression, in the moonlight, held a strange combination of warmth and wryness, and suddenly she got it. He’d gone wine-tasting and hot-air ballooning with a woman. Just what was he remembering?
“That sounds like fun,” she said, trying to sound carefree, not curious or jealous.
“Maybe you’ll come visit one day, and we’ll do it.” He tickled her arm with something and she realized he was holding the tiger lily. “Ever had sex in a hot-air balloon?”
Was that what he’d been up to? Oh yeah, they certainly were avoiding the prosaic first-date topics. “I have to admit I haven’t, Jaxon. But I’m game to try.”
“I’d have to get my license to fly one.”
Aha! Sounded like he hadn’t actually done it —literally—
with another woman.
“Unless you wouldn’t mind having sex in front of the pilot?” he went on, one eyebrow cocked.
She shook her head quickly. “That’s a bit much.” Oh my gosh, had he done that ? Did she sound hopelessly naïve?
“For me too,” he said, to her relief. “It’s one thing if people happen to wander by on the beach, on a dark night. . . .”
“Exactly.”
He glanced out at the still ocean, then turned back to her, with that eyebrow cocked again. “So, outrageous69, what do you think about going skinny-dipping? This beach is pretty close to deserted.”
“Oh! But Jaxon, the water’s freezing cold.”
“Kids were in swimming earlier,” he teased.
“Kids never notice the cold.”
“I’ll keep you warm. Or are you chicken, Suzanne?”
Those were fighting words. Besides, she couldn’t resist the thought of Jaxon naked under the stars. She skimmed her top over her head and undid the buttons at the waist of her skirt. He gave a startled laugh and she paused. Perhaps he hadn’t expected her to accept the dare?
Her fingers attacked the buttons again. So much the better. She wanted to astonish him, keep him off balance, give him the most erotic, exotic adventure he could ever imagine. He was unfastening his jeans. She stood and let her skirt slide down her hips, wondering briefly where he’d tossed her panties. Jaxon froze in the act of pulling his
“Very much. It’s colorful, attractive. I got the sense there’s a bunch of interesting places and activities to discover, beyond the standard tourist stuff.” She reflected. “Well, I guess that’s true of most cities. They put on one face for tourists, but the locals learn a more personal one.”
“Sounds right.”
And that was what she was doing, Suzanne thought. Putting on a sexy face for Jaxon, in hopes he’d never look beyond it to the more personal, boring one.
He sipped the wine. “This is unusual, but I like it. What is it?”
“A gewürztraminer from a winery called Quail’s Gate, in the Okanagan.” She’d wondered if she should buy Greek wine, then decided Cretan wine was great on Crete but Vancouver called for BC wine.
“Okanagan?”
“In the interior of the province. The BC wine industry isn’t as old as California’s, but we have some really good wines.” She wasn’t a connoisseur, but having dinner with the Foursome every Monday had expanded her knowledge of all things alcoholic. “You can visit a number of the wineries and do winetasting.”
“I did that in the Sonoma Valley once.”
“Not Napa?” We can do this, she thought as she spread pepper cream cheese on a slice of baguette, and topped it with a couple of olives. We can make interesting conversation without dragging out the ho-hum personal details.
“Napa’s too touristy. Sonoma’s quieter, and the scenery is . . .”
He paused, considering, then said, “Peaceful. Serene. Makes you feel like you could just sit in the sun, breathe in the air, drink some wine, sit there for hours. Or drift into the sky and see the whole thing from a hot-air balloon.”
Wow! It sounded amazing, but not exactly . . . hot. Out of character, for him. “You did that?”
“Oh yeah.” His expression, in the moonlight, held a strange combination of warmth and wryness, and suddenly she got it. He’d gone wine-tasting and hot-air ballooning with a woman. Just what was he remembering?
“That sounds like fun,” she said, trying to sound carefree, not curious or jealous.
“Maybe you’ll come visit one day, and we’ll do it.” He tickled her arm with something and she realized he was holding the tiger lily. “Ever had sex in a hot-air balloon?”
Was that what he’d been up to? Oh yeah, they certainly were avoiding the prosaic first-date topics. “I have to admit I haven’t, Jaxon. But I’m game to try.”
“I’d have to get my license to fly one.”
Aha! Sounded like he hadn’t actually done it —literally—
with another woman.
“Unless you wouldn’t mind having sex in front of the pilot?” he went on, one eyebrow cocked.
She shook her head quickly. “That’s a bit much.” Oh my gosh, had he done that ? Did she sound hopelessly naïve?
“For me too,” he said, to her relief. “It’s one thing if people happen to wander by on the beach, on a dark night. . . .”
“Exactly.”
He glanced out at the still ocean, then turned back to her, with that eyebrow cocked again. “So, outrageous69, what do you think about going skinny-dipping? This beach is pretty close to deserted.”
“Oh! But Jaxon, the water’s freezing cold.”
“Kids were in swimming earlier,” he teased.
“Kids never notice the cold.”
“I’ll keep you warm. Or are you chicken, Suzanne?”
Those were fighting words. Besides, she couldn’t resist the thought of Jaxon naked under the stars. She skimmed her top over her head and undid the buttons at the waist of her skirt. He gave a startled laugh and she paused. Perhaps he hadn’t expected her to accept the dare?
Her fingers attacked the buttons again. So much the better. She wanted to astonish him, keep him off balance, give him the most erotic, exotic adventure he could ever imagine. He was unfastening his jeans. She stood and let her skirt slide down her hips, wondering briefly where he’d tossed her panties. Jaxon froze in the act of pulling his
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