It Was Only a Kiss

Jess thought that she could go for that. It was crazy, it was wild, it was... Luke slammed the car door closed and she came back to her senses. Impossible.

She hauled in a breath and found her voice. ‘Hi.’

‘Hi, back. Good to see you.’ Luke ran his thumb across her lips before placing his hand on her lower back and ushering her into the kitchen.

Jess wrinkled her nose when she heard her mobile ringing in her pocket. It was Lee, the five-hundredth cousin once removed, the man her mother had set her up with. They exchanged pleasantries and Jess was deeply conscious of the sardonic look in Luke’s eyes. His eyes narrowed and his eyebrow lifted.

This was stupid, Jess decided. He knew and she knew that she wasn’t interested in anyone else but him, so she quickly ended the conversation with Lee, declining his invitation to dinner as politely as she could. Trying to use him as a distraction was so high school and, frankly, beneath her.

She raised her brows at Luke. ‘Satisfied?’ she asked.

‘Marginally. Take me to bed and I will be.’

Heat arced between them. She could so easily sleep with him and damn the consequences...

Owen rapped on the frame of the kitchen door and ambled inside. ‘Hey, Jess, good to have you back.’

Jess returned his greeting and was amused when his eyes didn’t connect with hers. He was too busy looking for Ally.

‘Ally around?’

Jess grinned. ‘Up the stairs and to your left.’

Owen didn’t need to be told twice. His long legs took him across the kitchen in a couple of strides and then he was running up the stairs. They heard a feminine squeal, a large thump, the slam of a bedroom door...

Jess shook her head. ‘You do realise that she’s going to gobble him up and spit him out?’

‘He won’t have a problem with that.’ Luke sent her a direct look. ‘You ready to gobble me up and spit me out yet?’

He said it with such a mixture of humour and hope that Jess had to smile. ‘Nope. Sorry.’

‘Ah, well.’

Jess leaned back against the counter and cocked her head. ‘So, how was filming today?’

‘Long and tiring. I walked up and cycled down the mountain most of the morning,’ Luke replied. Gloria, one of his dogs, whined at the door, and Luke looked from her to Jess. ‘The dogs want their walk. Want to join us?’

Jess lifted one shoulder before nodding. ‘Yes, let’s do that.’

Luke lifted the heavy jacket of his she’d taken to wearing at St Sylve off the hook at the door and helped her into it. Opening the door for her, he waited for her to walk out before closing it behind them and whistling for the dogs. Two huge canine bodies shot down the driveway like bullets, tails thumping.

Luke jammed his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket, idly noticing that they had a day, maybe two more, of pruning.

Jess picked up his train of thought. ‘Pruning’s nearly over?’

‘Yep. Time for the vines to rest and rejuvenate.’

Jess looked around her, smiled and pulled in a big breath. ‘The air tastes different here.’

Luke squinted at her. ‘What do you mean?’

Jess scratched her jaw. ‘Back home you can taste the soot, the pollution in the air. Here I can taste fruit: the peaches and the plums, the grapes.’ She turned around and walked backwards, looking at the houses in the setting sun. ‘It’s so beautiful, Luke. You are so lucky to own this place, to be this place.’ When he didn’t answer, Jess placed a hand on his arm and made him stop. ‘You don’t believe that, do you?’

Luke looked at St Sylve and then he looked away. ‘No, not really.’

‘Why not?’

He felt his shoulders lift towards his ears and made a conscious effort to drop them. ‘I guess it’s because I was never made to feel welcome here.’

Luke heard Jess’s swift intake of breath and carried on walking, looking for the dogs, who’d disappeared down a bank. Jess’s shoulder bumped his as she fell into step with him.

‘I really hate it when you toss out statements like that and leave me hanging.’

Her grumpy tone made him smile.

‘I’m a girl, and answers like that make me want to ask more questions.’

Of course they did. Luke sighed when he saw the determined glint in her eye and knew that he’d opened the door to a barrage of questions.

He’d expected a question about his father, so he was surprised by what she did ask.

‘Do you love St Sylve?’

He remembered his thoughts the other day, standing in her bedroom. ‘Love it, hate it, resent it... I suppose you want me to explain that too?’ Luke took her hand, threaded his fingers through hers and tugged her along. ‘Let’s keep walking.’