"Your home is beautiful, by the way," she said quietly. "You live here all by yourself?"
"Yep. And never once have I regretted the decision. I find that more isn't always merrier. Some people think I'm a hermit or something, but that's not it at all."
"It's definitely a change from living in a house with twenty-three other people, that's for sure. Oh, wow," she gasped as another boom of thunder shook the whole house and a strike of lightning lit up the entire room. "I've never seen a room like this before. It's really coming down fast out there."
The expanse of my circular sitting room was completely surrounded by ceiling to floor windows, which gave the feeling of being inside a music box, especially during inclement weather. I smiled as I watched her walk around it.
After shuffling through the built-in cabinets and finally finding the leftover candles, I stuck them all around the baby grand in the corner of the room. Feeling like maybe now was as good a time as any, I stuck my hand out to Emma, smiling when she looked up at me in surprise. "Would you… care to dance?"
Chapter 3
EMMA
* * *
My hand was already reaching for his before he'd even asked the question, and when his fingers enclosed around mine, another bolt of lightning struck. But this time it was deep inside me, the skin contact sending my blood zinging. His hand was rough and calloused, like a real man's. There was no pretension at all with Cory, and the way his eyes smoldered in the flickering lights as he looked down at me left me wondering if he could tell just how turned on I was already.
Part of me was embarrassed by how good it felt to have him lead me around the room, his warm hand at the small of my back, fitting there like a glove. The music he'd turned on was low and thrumming, and I nearly shivered under his gaze, his blue eyes so intense that it was like looking at the sun for too long. My mouth was drier than a desert, and all I wanted was to see what it felt like to kiss him.
With each bolt of lightning showing off Cory's features, I noticed something new. Like the small mole along his chiseled jawline, and the scar that went through his thick brow. I wanted to stroke my fingers across it even though it had long since healed.
It felt so normal to lay my head against his broad chest, the scent of soap and something earthier clinging to his flannel shirt in a way that reminded me of the woods. The thunder was merely a noise in the background even with how loud it was, with Cory's heartbeat so very closely pressed against me. As anxious as I had been on the way here, it was surprising to realize how much I was really enjoying myself.
"What?" he asked, though I more felt the question rumbling in his chest than heard it.
I shook my head, burying my smile into his shirt. "I'm just surprised is all. Tonight wasn't at all what I was expecting."
A chuckle. "And what were you expecting?"
Good question. What had I been expecting? "Well, nothing, I guess. My dad says to live life without expectations. That way you can never be disappointed."
CORY
I’d never disappoint you if you were my girl. Damn it, what was I thinking. She was ten years my junior. Her whole life was ahead of her… the crazier thoughts faded to background noise when Emma's voice sounded again, this time not so far away, but more urgent. "Your phone."
I raised a brow and realized that lost in the moment, I failed to hear my phone buzzing in my own damn pocket. Emma's phone let out a quick succession of loud beeps from the dining room. We both looked puzzled, and pulled apart as I looked down at my phone.
"Flash flood warning. Seek shelter now," I read aloud. “Huh. Well, I didn’t see that one coming,” I said, pocketing the phone again. “I’m sure everything’s fine. We’re set up on the hill here anyway, so no need to worry.”
Emma shrugged. “Who says I was worried? I get those things all the time. It’ll probably clear out pretty fast. They usually do.”
I realized my hand was still around her waist and withdrew it, much to my dismay. I would’ve been completely fine holding her for the rest of the night like that. Preferably undressed.
She tucked a piece of stray hair behind her ear, clearing her throat. “You know, I have to admit… this is the last place I expected to turn up this weekend.”
“What, you didn’t foresee a delicious dinner in your future?” I teased.
“More like I didn’t imagine I’d enjoy the company so much. Thank you for inviting me to your home, Cory. And most importantly, thank you for helping me out at the winery. I still feel horrible about Lindsey breaking that huge bottle…”
Waving her off, I strolled over to get a closer look out the windows without getting too close. The last thing I wanted was to be struck dead in my own home while I was enjoying my time with Emma. “That sounded oddly enough like the precursor to a goodbye. Besides, Daniel was smart to let me handle it. The wine bottle, I mean.”
Emma’s eyebrow rose and I smiled as a small wrinkle appeared on her forehead. “Daniel?“
“Oh, the manager who uh, spoke with you earlier. He works for me. Actually… they all do. The Shire Hills Vineyard is one of my businesses.”
I liked the way every emotion was so clear and easy to read on her face. “You? You… own the winery? Wow, I had no idea.”
“Didn’t know a cowboy had it in him, huh?” I winked at her.
But she shook her head. “You seem very intelligent and I just remember how you looked so… different from everyone else there. Maybe that’s why.”
Just as I was about to tell her that it was because I didn’t consider myself to be very much like anyone else, my phone buzzed yet again. Instead of the emergency alert, though, it was my driver, Beckett.
“Yes?”
“Sorry to bother you, Mr. Shire, but I wanted to let you know that Highway 49 and all the off-shooting roads are completely impassable. Just heard on the news, sir.”
“Dammit,” I muttered, running my hand through my hair as I began pacing back and forth, Emma watching me. “Is the system very big, you think?”
“It appears so, yes. Slow-moving too, so we’ll probably be dealing with these road conditions well into the night. I would have to caution against driving through it until the morning.”
Sighing, I nodded, even though Beckett couldn’t see me. “All right then. I’ll just have to make arrangements then. Thank you for the heads up, Beckett. Let me know if anything changes. And get some sleep while you’re at it.”
“Yes, sir. Good night.”
I hung up the phone and looked at the dark screen. I knew this was probably a huge inconvenience to Emma, but the part of me that couldn’t stop thinking about what I’d like to do with her, wondered if maybe Mother Nature hadn’t just intervened on my behalf. I wasn’t a believer in all that kind of nonsense, but my luck seemed to be getting better by the hour.
“Is everything all right?” Emma asked, her arms wrapped around herself.
“Loaded question, right there. Nah, everything’s fine but we’ve hit a snag.”
Worry clouded her warm brown eyes. “A snag?”
“According to my driver, all the roads, including Highway 49, are flooded over. And this storm isn’t going anywhere in a hurry. He thinks it’s going to be lingering very late tonight. So…” I let my voice trail off as the realization clearly dawned on her.
“So, I’m stuck here, then?” she finished quietly.
I pretended to clutch at my heart. “Ouch. You say that as if it’s secretly your worst nightmare. I am sorry though, Emma. I mean I’m sure you were looking forward to going to sleep in your own bed tonight,” I added, although the blush creeping across her chest told me maybe she wouldn’t miss that part so much.
“Are you sure we can’t just wait it out for a while and see if the roads get any better?”
I nodded. “Of course we can, I’m just telling you there’s no use in holding your breath.”
Tapping her fingernails along her upper arms, Emma looked around as the lightning seemed to dance all
around us, the lights flickering every couple of minutes. She slid her feet out of the strappy heels she was wearing, effectively shrinking her at least an inch or so. “In that case, I might as well get comfortable.”
“This is gorgeous,” Emma whispered more to herself than to me as I showed her one of the guest suites where she would be staying. The storm hadn’t let up in the slightest, just like Beckett said, and by the time midnight rolled around, Emma looked pretty tired. I, on the other hand, was never more awake.
“Thank you. I picked out everything in here myself.”
Emma wrapped her arms around herself, her gaze falling back on me. “Really? You’re full of surprises. It’s so pretty,” she said, gesturing to the décor.
“What can I say? I may be a cowboy but I still have good taste.”
Another bolt of lightning tore through the open sky and with the resounding thunder came the eerie sound of total quiet as the power went out inside the house.
I groaned. “Shit. I knew the generator thing would come back and bite me in the ass. Just a second,” I said.