He smiled down at me. “Where have you been?”
I patted my cooler bag. “Collecting contraband.”
“You are a goddess. I’m starving.”
I took his hand. “Then follow me.”
He laughed. “Are we going back to the bus?”
“Nope.”
“Oh? Care to give a clue?”
“Nope.” I zig-zagged through people. A few offered startled glances when they recognized Ian, but I dragged him through and around so many different groups of people, they couldn’t tail us for long.
“Zoe, where are we going?”
I hung a sharp right as we got out of the main winery and ducked under a low tree branch with a lantern hanging off of it. I counted until we reached the fourth tree full of fairy lights and found the secret path my little waitress friend h
ad told me about.
“You aren’t pulling me into some secret place where you’re going to leave my body, are you?”
I glanced over my shoulder on the dimly lit path and laughed. “Have you been listening to those true crime podcasts too?”
“Definitely not.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to push you off the cliff.”
“What cliff?”
I tugged him after me. “This one.”
“Holy shit!”
The ocean opened up in front of us. The moon was bright enough that it showed the silvery crests of waves crashing up against the cliffside. Monterey’s coastline was unlike any other.
Ian came up behind me and curled his arms around me. “It’s gorgeous.”
“Yeah. I saw some of it from the bus ride, but you were out like a light and missed it all.”
“Gonna have to say it’s way better with the current company.”
“Yeah?” I peered up at him. It was too dark to see much of his features beyond what the moonlight highlighted. But damn, he was the most beautiful man I’d ever met. I reached up and cupped his cheek, drawing him down until our mouths met. The kiss was far sweeter than we’d ever shared before.
I shivered and he pulled me closer.
“There’s a blanket in the bag.”
He let me go and found the blanket. I heard the hollow pop of a cork and laughed when his arms came around me with a blanket tucked in his long fingers, along with an open bottle.
“There’s food too.”
He enveloped me in his warmth, tucking me even closer. “I have everything I need right here.”
I took a sip from the bottle and handed it to him. Instead, he lowered his mouth to mine again. His tongue snuck in for a taste of the wine.
He made a low humming moan. “Delicious.”