Page 63 of My Grape Crush
I twist my face up to his and register he is, in fact, not joking. “I’m sorry, but your feet are perfect. This is coming from the daughter of a podiatrist. Trust me, I’ve seen some gnarly feet.”
“Is that what your dad does?”
“Did,” I correct. “He retired last year. He and my mom are on this wild South American adventure.”
“That sounds cool.” He wipes a slick band of hair off my forehead and smiles a little tentatively. “I’d love to travel with you.” He kisses the crown of my head with such tenderness, I feel an ache in my chest. In the darkness, the sense of intimacy only increases, and a silence descends, heavier than before. “But only if you're up for it,” he adds, his quietest words so far.
I don’t trust myself to say anything. The gamble of blurting out something impulsive seems too great. I’d revealed too much in my office. Or not enough? Perhaps the right amount. We had wandered off track, but bonded. If this is the diversion, I'll happily wander down the path to see where it leads.
Spent but sated, I curl into his warmth. I don’t know how late it is. Don’t really care. At some point, we will make our way back. So I lie crooked in the safety of his arms, where I feel the most incredible sense of belonging, being exactly where I’m supposed to be, contentto bask under the sky thick with stars for just a while longer.
Chapter Twenty
RHYS
“Looks like I’m cooking dinner.”
Dani squints at the tangled undergrowth lit up with my phone’s flashlight. Four sets of eyes glow red. A pack of opportunistic raccoons, busted. Waterlogged crusts hang from their claws, the remnants of our two ransacked pizzas lying mangled in front of them.
“What a bunch of scavengers!” Dani exclaims. “Look at them, all smug.”
The beasts of the wild are indeed radiating vibes ofgive ‘em a reason to stare.
Our laughter seems to run up and down the lake.
We don our clothing, reclaim the wine, towels, and soggy pizza boxes, and head out. Ten minutes later, lungs ablaze from the steps, we slink past Dani’s villa, both of us walking quickly, head down, the pulse of blood blushing my cheeks, darkness our safe harbor.
I doubt Evelyn runs around this late, but Nicole mentioned she has the sleep schedule of a coked-up vampire and regularly wanders the moonlit vineyards. After I braved my nerves and asked Dani to come back to my place, heryesbecame my new mission.
No chance encounters to slow us down, please.
Only an embarrassing fumble for my key card that the underside of the welcome mat seems to have swallowed. My hand finds its way to the small of Dani’s back, guiding her inside. I flick on the lights, dimming them into a less attacking glare. The silence of the villa stretches my nerves tight. It feels strange that everything looks the same, that nothing has changed except me. I feel like a different person entirely.
Dani looks over, and the emotion rushing through me has no name. I’ve never quite mastered the game of ushering a woman straight into my bedroom, so I stand there waiting for her to say something.
“I’m not super hungry,” she admits, her long lashes fluttering against flushed cheeks.
Oh, right, the dinner I promised. Already forgotten.
No surprise, really. Not after how she destroyed me on the raft.
I crossed galaxies and event horizons and crashed into nothingness before Dani worked me into the finale, and I slowly floated back to earth a spent husk, the minutes behind me fogging into nothing.
I am weak for her.
How it feels to want to touch and to be touched.
The heat and prickle of it, the fire.
“I do a mean charcuterie board,” I say. “Why don’t you jump in the shower, and I’ll get busy?”
Dani stares blank-faced at the darkened bedroom I’m pointing at. I take in her expression. Nerves, maybe, entering my personal domain.
“I have nothing to hide,” I assure her, mentally cataloging the toilet seat left down, towels neatly hung, and my La Mer toiletries lined up like soldiers on the counter. (I’m not an animal, even if she makes me feel like one.) “And feel free to use my body wash,” I add. “You can rock Alpine Apex.”
Her mouth quirks into a smile. “Then we’ll both smell terrific.”
“Wild and untamed,” I quote the brand tagline, adopting an over-the-top announcer's voice as I strike a macho adventurer pose.
