Page 76 of Tempted Hearts
“Granted.”
“We shouldn’t be here right now. I shouldn’t have come in this weekend to see you. I’m…” He paused. “What did you call me? Emotionally unavailable. And I have no interest in hurting you. The situation is… complicated.”
And there it was. The quiet part out loud.
“I have no interest in being hurt either. Which is why I would agree that this is a bad idea. Obviously, there’s something between us. And just as obviously, you’re not a relationship guy. At this point in my life, I’m not looking for one-night stands—especially when feelings are involved.”
He took a sip of wine, set the glass down, and watched me. The buzz of other wine drinkers and the peace-like calm around us only charged the conversation. It was as if an imaginary coil stretched between us, and it kept getting shorter and shorter.
“Not to mention, Parker would have my balls as I explicitly promised him not to hurt you.”
That was an interesting bit of news.
“Oh yeah? When did you do that?”
“Probably sooner than you think.”
Sighing, I took my own sip of wine and watched as a group of girls nearby burst into laughter. It was always so much easier with the girls—carefree. Why were boys so complicated?
“So we can agree this is a bad idea, yet here we are. If nothing else, let’s take Parker and Delaney out of the equation. I appreciate them looking out for us, but I’ve got my big-girl pink pants on. I can make my own decisions.”
His smile was downright devastating.
“Big-girl pants, huh? What kind of girl pants?”
And just like that, the tone completely shifted. I squirmed in my seat at the way he looked at me then.
“Why no glasses this weekend?” The question had been eating me alive.
“You know why,monella.”
I did. Or at least, I suspected.
So much for precaution. We had just thrown the doors wide open, and I had no doubt— for better or worse—today we would be stepping through them.
29
COLE
We walked into the brewery, an entirely different atmosphere from the tasting room we’d just left. The siblings were doing one hell of a job carrying on their parents’ tradition. The brewery was a fantastic addition to the vineyard.
Unlike the peace and calm of the deck, this was a lively space. The taps were flowing, Jack played guitar in the corner, and I made a mental note to tell the guys we had to come back here more often.
At the moment, though, I wasn’t with the guys. That fact became abundantly clear the second we walked in.
Jules was someone people noticed. And they did. She attracted attention everywhere she went. She was the kind of person you wanted to settle up to and take a little of her sunshine.
“Do you notice them?” I asked.
We slid into an empty two-top between Jack and the bar that had just cleared. Of course, Jules was the kind of woman who spotted it, snagged the table, and waved me over before I even had a chance to scan the room.
“Notice who?” she asked innocently.
“That every single guy in this place—and probably a few who aren’t single—are noticing you.”
She dismissed me immediately. “If they’re looking at either of us, it’s you.”
“So now that we’ve established we’re a pair of good-looking singles attracting attention, what do you want to drink?”
