Page 118 of Wicked Dares
“It seriously is,” Piper agrees. She closes her eyes briefly, savoring the taste. “I finally understand wine people now. This is heavenly.”
Ellie Mae laughs delightedly. “That’s exactly what I said, sugar.Hea-ven-ly.”
“You certainly outdid yourself, Arthur,” I point out.
“I know I did. This ismylegacy. This blend is the accomplishment that’s different from my forefathers. Now my children can try and outdo me.” He laughs heartily, and the pride in his eyes shines brighter. He holds up the glass. “This is whyyouneeded to be the right guy for my business. That vineyard of mine isn’t just a piece of land. It’s another member of the family.”
As I stare at him, understanding settles over me and I get it. All those weeks—no,months—of back-and-forth bitching at me was about more than just signing with me because I’m the best. I needed to be the bestfor him.
Ellie Mae reaches for her clutch and smiles toward Piper. “Come on, darling. Let’s go powder our noses and leave the men to talk business.”
Piper glances at me briefly before standing.
I nod at her.
The two set off, arm in arm.
The second they disappear around the corner, Arthur leans back in his chair and studies me over the rim of his glass.
“You’ve surprised me, Levi Vale.”
I smirk faintly. “That so?”
“Yes. Wildly so. I definitely misjudged you.” He sets his glass down carefully. “Truthfully, I thought you were selling me some cock and bull story when you first told me you had a girlfriend.”
I let out a low laugh.
God, if only he knew.
Arthur folds his hands on the table. “When you refused to bring her around the press at first, I assumed you were lying.” He tilts his head. “But now I know you just wanted to protect what you have.”
“Yeah.” My voice lowers, partly out of shame, partly from truth.
“The press can be cruel. Especially to women.”
“I didn’t want her caught in that.” That’s the truth, which is why I’ve been careful lately. No more pictures of us.
If Piper and I are going somewhere and I know the press are going to be there, I take extra precautions. As much as I used the story about us living together to my advantage, it showed we needed to be careful. It’s never acceptable to have anyone lurking around my home, invading our privacy.
Arthur studies me carefully now, like he’s seeing something different than before. “I owe you an apology. I thought you made her up to secure the deal.”
I smile nervously. “You can see we’re real.”
“I can.” Arthur swirls his wine thoughtfully. “And that girl looks at you like she trusts you.”
My chest tightens unexpectedly.
“And you look at her,” he continues, “like you’d burn the world down before letting someone hurt her.”
Silence settles between us, and I think about what he’s saying.
He’s absolutely right.
“I would do exactly that.”
He leans closer. “Then make sure you marry that girl before someone else does. Women like that only come around once in an era. I got the last one.” His mouth curves slightly. “This one’s yours.”
Arthur’s words settle in my chest, sparking something I never thought possible.
