“Taste it,” he murmured. This was a bad idea. She knew it as soon as his gaze caught hers. She slowly lifted the glass to her lips. He held his breath as she tipped it back, her mouth parting to allow the whiskey to flow over her tongue. She closed her eyes, her jaw moving as she savored, her cheeks pulling in as she swallowed. When she opened them, he was still staring at her.
His gaze dipped to her throat, watching it undulate.
“Tell me what it tastes like.”
“It’s soft. Not too delicate but not too overpowering. There’s hints of vanilla. Not too sweet, just enough to make it feel like the whiskey’s dancing on my tongue.”
“Can you taste the almonds?”
“At the very end. It has a long finish. There are almonds and salt there. They’re sticking to my tongue. It’s delicious.”
“Yeah. It is.”
Every time their eyes clashed it felt like her skin was on fire. This weird, sensual connection between them was so much stronger than before. It felt like it had been distilled until it was almost overpowering.
Her breath caught in her throat, making her chest lift up with the need for air. Daniel’s piercing blue eyes flashed like there was a fire igniting behind them. Neither of them said a word – she wasn’t sure she could speak even if she wanted to.
There are moments when your body knows things that your mind isn’t ready to consider. When every cell in your muscles ache to do the one thing your rational thoughts are screaming against. Becca’s free arm slowly lifted up, reaching for him, her fingers desperate to feel the roughness of his jaw.
In an instant, his own hand shot up, fingers curling hard around her wrist, making her stop an inch short of his face. His grasp burned her, so tight it felt like a vice.
“Don’t.” It was somewhere between an order and a plea.
What the hell had she been thinking? She tried to pull away, but his fingers were unyielding. His jaw was hard and set, his eyes darker than she’d ever seen them.
When she tugged again, he released her, stepping back as though to put distance between them. Becca desperately tried to find the words to explain why she’d tried to touch him. But they weren’t there. All she could see was a fog of panic. Because she’d ruined any chance of getting the job.
So much for cool, calm, and collected. She’d just acted like a damn school girl.
Daniel looked away, his profile illuminated by the soft lights above them. “This is my favorite whiskey, too.”
“I…”
“Why don’t you take me to the next cask? I want to taste the one you think is most overrated. The one everybody gushes about but you think tastes ordinary.”
Becca inhaled a deep breath. His voice was completely unaffected. As though the last two minutes never happened. Okay then, two could play at that game.
“It’s the GSC Vintage Gold,” she said, keeping her voice even. “On the bottom floor.”
He still wasn’t looking at her. Almost certainly because he thought she was a complete idiot. “Okay. Let’s go try it.”
She swallowed hard, straightening her shoulders and walking back toward the stairs, not bothering to see if he followed.
The quicker she did this, the faster she could get out of here and pretend nothing happened.
And on the positive side? At least she wasn’t going to get this job.
Chapter Nine
Daniel grabbed his keys and switched the lights off, leaning his head against the warehouse wall and taking a deep breath.
What a mess that was. He’d been inches from pulling her toward him and kissing the hell out of her. It had taken every ounce of willpower he had to release her arm and turn away.
So much for professionalism. At least it was the weekend. He’d have two days without having to see her. Two days of running, of beating the hell out of his punching bag, of doing whatever it took to wipe the image of her out of his mind.
But right now all he could see was the hurt expression in her eyes when he stopped her from touching him.
What had she been thinking? Had she even intended to touch him? He’d never know because his hand had shot up by instinct, in a desperate move to protect himself.