Seduce Me Sweetly (Heron's Landing Book 1) (26 page)

“Joy McGuire, love of my life, woman of my dreams, writer extraordinaire: will you marry me? I don’t deserve you, but that doesn’t mean I won’t try to get you to be mine anyway.”

Joy’s sleepiness disappeared completely. She stood up straight, staring at him, and her heart pounded so fast she felt a little dizzy. She clutched at the bench. “Are you sure?” she whispered.

He laughed a little, uncertainty in his voice. “Of course I’m sure.” He rifled through his pockets and pulled out a ring box; Joy could see the ring sparkle in the low light. “I bought this, didn’t I?”

“Adam. Oh my God.” And then to her surprise and his, she slid down onto the ground and threw her arms around him. He toppled backward. “Yes, did I say yes? I can’t remember if I said yes. Yes, I’ll marry you!”

“Thank God.” Adam wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. She laughed as he kissed her, and then he set her back on the bench and took her hand. “I hope it fits, and that you like it. I used another ring of yours for the size.”

“So that’s where my silver ring ran off to.”

“Mmmhmm.” He slipped the band onto her left ring finger. She held it up to the light, and her heart pounded even harder.

“I love you,” he added.

She stared at the diamond, and she couldn’t wait to see it in full light. Then, in a saucy voice, she replied, “For this rock? I love you, too.”

When Adam laughed, Joy knew that they only had the best things ahead of them.

***

Grace glanced at herself in the mirror inside the bathroom of River’s Bend, and she took a deep breath.
You can do this. You can do this.
She touched up her lipstick one more time. She made sure she didn’t have anything in her teeth. Then she forced herself to leave and do what she came here to do.

It was Sadie and Robert’s wedding, of course, and Grace had come for that, and to support her brother at his first event at the vineyard. But she’d also made the decision to stop looking at Jaime Martínez from afar and actually make a move. Joy’s happiness with her brother had given her enough of a reason to at least try. It was worth a shot, wasn’t it?

Of course, Jaime could say no. He could say she was just Adam’s little sister and go back to her parents. He was seven years older than her. Fear congealed in her stomach, and she almost chickened out. If he said no, she couldn’t avoid him in a place as small as Heron’s Landing.

Walking outside, she looked at the moon, and took another deep breath.
You can do this. You can do this.

Grace wore her nicest dress, a dark green dress with a boat-neck that showed off the curve of her neck and shoulders. It was modest, but sexy in a way as well. The green set off her eyes, and her hair was braided into a complicated crown. Joy had helped her with her makeup, and if she didn’t look pretty, she at least looked grown up.

You’re not a little girl anymore
, she chastised herself.
You’re twenty-three years old. An adult. Start acting like it.

Grace entered the tent where Jaime had been sitting, but she didn’t see him. Had he already left? Her heart sank. She’d been looking at herself in the mirror so long that she’d missed her chance. She wanted to sink down onto the ground and cry out in frustration.

Then she heard his voice. “How did you like the trout? Aha, I thought you’d enjoy it. I knew I could convert you.” She turned her head, and she saw Jaime doing what he did best: talk about his food. She smiled. He’d cooked all of the food served at the wedding, and it had been a hit, to say the least.

Grace knew Jaime could work anywhere in the world. He was an extremely talented chef. So why stay in little Heron’s Landing and work at a place like River’s Bend? She didn’t understand it, but she didn’t want him to leave, either.

She watched as he moved about the tables, chatting and laughing. His dark hair had grown out lately, and he looked rather rakish. His dark eyes gleaming and looking handsome in his suit, Jaime had been the center of Grace’s dreams for so long she couldn’t remember a time when she hadn’t been in love with him. When he’d arrived in town five years ago, little Grace Danvers had looked on his handsome face and her adoration for Jaime had been cemented.

Everyone seemed to know of her feelings for him—except Jaime.

She watched as he exited the tent, and she left by a side entrance. She followed him, some yards behind, wondering where he was going. When she realized he was going to a secluded patch not far from the vineyard’s main building, her heart leapt. This was her chance.

Grace froze, her feet not moving.
I can’t do this
, she thought.
I can’t. I can’t.

Yes, you can. You can do it.

She didn’t know where she gathered her courage, but before she knew it, she was standing in front of Jaime with her heart in her throat. When he saw her, he looked…relieved?

“Oh, Grace, it’s you. What are you doing out here?” He’d been leaning against the wall of the building, his hands in his suit pockets.

Grace fiddled with her corsage, which had scratched her wrist. “I wanted to talk to you.”

Jaime finally looked at her. “What? Did you say something?”

Raising her voice, she said, “I wanted to talk to you?”

“Oh, okay. What’s up? Is your brother annoying you again?”

She stepped closer. She could make out the small cleft in his chin, how he had stubble already, how there was a smattering of silver in his beard. He was only thirty, but she found the silver attractive. It made him seem distinguished.

She fiddled with her corsage, twisting it around.

“You look like you’re going to be sick. Do you want to sit down?” Jaime glanced around, but there was only grass to sit on. “Let’s go find a bench.”

“No, I don’t need a bench,” she blurted. He looked at her. “I mean, I don’t need to sit down. I’m all right.”

He didn’t seem convinced. “What did you want to talk to me about?”

“I wanted…” Grace came closer. She forced her hands behind her back so she wouldn’t keep messing with her corsage. “I wanted to tell you…” The words stuck in her throat, like a thorn, and she couldn’t speak.

“Wanted to tell me what?” He peered at her, his eyebrows furrowed.

Just say it. Say it. Say it.

SAY IT!

“I like you!” She blurted the words, almost shouting them into the darkness. At his blank look, she blushed so furiously she probably looked like a tomato. “I mean, I find you attractive and have for some time.”

He didn’t say anything. Then he laughed—laughed! Grace’s face burned so hotly now she was surely on fire.

“Grace, you’re sweet. You are. But you’re my boss’s little sister. You know we couldn’t ever be a thing, right?” His voice was kind, conciliatory, like an older brother would to soothe a younger sibling.

It was, in a word, humiliating.

Tears sprang to her eyes. That was it, then, she thought glumly. He thought of her as a little sister, and not as a grown woman. She glanced down at her dress, and it suddenly seemed girlish and silly.

“Oh geez, Grace, I’m sorry. I’m not good at this.” Jaime stepped toward her, but didn’t touch her. “Please know that I care about you very much. But not like that. Thank you, though, for telling me.” He smiled a little and then chucked her on the chin. “You’ll find someone—I know you will. It just won’t be me.”

Grace almost stumbled, she wanted to run as fast as she could. She wanted to hide under a rock and never face the light of day again. But as she was about to leave, she looked at Jaime one last time. And her heart lurched.

A courage she hadn’t known she possessed filled her. The words she said next were calm, assertive. “I’m not a little girl, Jaime Martínez.”

His eyes widened a little.

She stepped closer. And then closer. “I’m not a little girl. I’m not your kid sister. I’m a woman. I might be younger than you, but this isn’t some silly infatuation. I wouldn’t have told you otherwise.” She stepped so close that only inches were between them. She breathed deeply, and she saw Jaime’s nostrils flare.

She didn’t know who this person was, this woman who talked like she was some enchantress. But when she placed a hand on his chest, feeling his heart pounding, the power of that moment thrilled her. Had he been bluffing when he’d said he wasn’t interested in her?

“Kiss me, Jaime,” she murmured. “Kiss me and tell me you feel nothing for me.”

He stared at her. She could see a pulse beat in his throat. She bunched her hand in his shirt, reveling in the warmth underneath her palm.

“Don’t do this,” he growled. “You don’t know what you’re doing.”

“I know exactly what I’m doing. And I want you to kiss me.”

She licked her lips. His eyes darted to that movement, and then as if surrendering to the inevitable, he leaned down and pressed his mouth to hers.

Then he kissed her like a man possessed.

Grace had been kissed a few times, but never like this. She’d never known this kind of kiss existed. She gripped his shoulders because her knees were about to collapse. He licked at her mouth and then murmured, “Open,” and she obeyed.

He could do whatever he wanted to her. The knowledge of that sent a shiver down her spine, and she held on tighter.

He kissed her until they gasped for air. He kissed her and swirled his tongue in her mouth, and then he kissed her jaw and kissed down the length of her neck. He inhaled. Nipped at her.

And then he shoved her away.

“We can’t,” he said. “We can’t do this. You need to leave, Grace.”

She touched her fingers to her kiss-bruised mouth. Her entire body was trembling. She couldn’t speak.

He gazed at her as if she represented the worst kind of temptation—the kind of temptation that would damn a man to hell. “We can’t do this.” He wiped his mouth, his eyes so dark Grace could barely make out the irises. “I have to go.”

As she watched Jaime stalk off into the darkness, she could only think two things:

One: Jaime kissed me.

And two: All I want is for him to kiss me again.

A note from Iris Morland

Thank you for reading
Seduce Me Sweetly
, book 1 in the Heron’s Landing series. If you’d like to be kept up to date with all of my releases and want to know when book 2 will be out, be sure to sign up for
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. If you’d like to contact me, you’re welcome to email me at
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. I always love to hear from my readers.

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Seduce Me Sweetly
, if you have the time. Reviews are so important to indie authors, and any reviews posted are much appreciated.

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Cover art designed by
Florette Covers
.

***

Want more Heron’s Landing? Keep reading for a sneak preview of book 2 in the series,
Tempt Me Tenderly
!

Read on for a sneak preview from
Tempt Me Tenderly
, book 2 in the Heron’s Landing series.

***

When Grace Danvers saw Jaime Martínez for the first time since they’d kissed, she almost fell out of a window.

Before her near defenestration, Grace had been having a fairly good day. It was lovely and warm for November, as two days prior it had been in the thirties, while now it was edging into the upper sixties. Grace had forced herself to go to the vineyard, River’s Bend, that morning to drop off a cell phone charger for her brother Adam, who was the vineyard’s owner. River’s Bend had just hosted its first wedding and was currently working to expand into events after it was hit with three bad years of harvest.