Under A Harvest Moon (13 page)

Danielle set the letters on her nightstand, letting her thoughts roll back to earlier that day. The meeting with Marketing had gone well. They'd backed her label choice with enthusiasm. After the meeting, she'd spent the rest of the day and evening with Kaiden and Maria, first swimming, and then watching a movie. She'd only seen Nico briefly when Maria had gone home. He'd given her a wave from his porch as he'd waited for Maria to cross the yard.

Avoiding close contact with him was a good thing. He mixed her up. She didn't need another hefty helping of guilt or depending on Nico's mood, more mixed romantic signals.

Danielle's mind again wandered to the day Nico's parents had been killed. Even now the details of that day were vivid and bright. She could still smell the rain in the air, feel it on her skin. From her hiding place behind the apple tree, she'd watched her father approach, heard Nico's father accuse Phillip of having an affair with Isabelle.

Over the years, Danielle had replayed that scene over and over in her mind. She'd known enough to understand that Nico's father was drunk, that Isabelle had tried to stop him from driving away by getting in the car with him. The roads had been slick from the rain. If only her father had stopped Nico's parents from getting in the car.

What would have happened? For starters, the Delrosarios would probably be alive. Would Nico's parents have divorced? Would Isabelle have married her father? Danielle's stomach flipped over. She didn't even want to think about that.

Funny, she'd never really considered telling Nico about their parents. The truth was so ugly, and she hadn't wanted him to feel the hurt she'd felt, had lived with for years. But they were adults now. Should she tell him?  Was she being unfair to him by keeping the secret?

Beside her, the phone rang.

Danielle fumbled for the phone, picking it up before the second ring.

"Hello?"

"You're still up," Nico said, his voice warm and just low enough it sent an unwanted tingle of desire through Danielle.

"We seem to have this conversation a lot." Danielle reclined against the pillows, glad to concentrate on Nico, glad for the distraction from her troubled thoughts.

"I can see your bedroom light from here. I kept waiting for you to turn it out, and when you didn't, I started to wonder what you were doing."

Danielle cast a guilty glance at the letters. "I'm thinking about reading. You should try it. It'll make you sleepy."

"I doubt it."

His words held an edginess, implying that it would take more than a good read to put him to sleep. The slow fizz of sexual attraction unleashed in Danielle.

"Meet me outside," Nico said. "Walk with me."

Danger, her mind screamed. "It's late -- "

"I'll be at the back door in thirty seconds."

The line went dead. What was Nico's game? He'd been angry at her after finding the market guide. Had he forgiven her? Did he understand her motives now, or was he hoping to use the Delrosario charm on her? Worse, did she want him to charm her? Maybe. But more than that, she wanted out of Whitney House right now, this minute. She didn't want to think about the past anymore.

Danielle rolled from the bed and stood. She'd gone to bed wearing her panties and sheer white camisole top. After a quick stop at her dresser, she shimmied into a pair of slim fitting black workout pants and a matching jacket with a hood. Satisfied she was well covered, she slid her feet into her sneakers and was at the back door in less than a minute.

***

What the devil was wrong with him?

Nico hadn't meant to call her. His fingers seemed to have a will of their own as they punched in her number. Nico told himself it was part of the plan, that he needed to smooth things over with her, but deep down he knew that wasn't the reason. He wanted to see her again.

The kitchen door opened, and Danielle stepped out onto the back porch.

She was driving him crazy, just like she had when they were kids. She'd made his life hell the summer he'd turned seventeen. How many times had she pranced by, jeans painted on so tight the denim left nothing to the imagination? He'd been warned to stay away from her, even before they'd come to Sun Grove. You didn't mess with the boss's daughter. He'd tried to follow the rules, he'd really tried. It had helped that she was only fifteen. He'd liked his girlfriends a little older, a little more experienced.

Danielle was both older and experienced now -- a fact he couldn't get out of his brain.

The combination kept him awake when he should be sleeping.

"Come on." He extended his hand to her.

Slowly, she came down the stairs. She'd dressed in a

body hugging black outfit, her hair looking like she just tumbled out of bed, which she had. He took her hand, her fingers soft and cool in his, and pulled her into the night.

"You're keeping me awake," he said honestly.

"Why?" she asked as they walked.

"I keep thinking about Lance Fox."

"Oh." Her voice was flat. Had his answer disappointed her? "I'm sorry about that," she offered.

Their feet made no sound as they walked around the back corner of Whitney House, toward the front. The scent of ripening grapes hung in the air, helping to heighten all of Nico's senses. Over the last week the grapes had sweetened, their scent had changed, and he knew the sugar content had gone up, even without the help of a refractometer. He loved this time of year, before harvest, when the air was still hot during the day, but slightly cooler at night.

"Don't apologize," he said. "Just promise me one thing."

She stopped and turned to face him. "What?"

Nico brought a hand up to smooth the bed-mussed hair from her forehead. "Promise me you'll tell me before you make a final decision. Give me a chance to compete. I can make it happen."

"I hope so," Danielle said. "I keep thinking about Peter, and the more I think about him and his motives, the more I feel that it's the vineyard he's after."

"Let me help. I can look into the legal side of things. I'll call Phillip's attorney."

"I've already placed a call to him," Danielle said. "Thanks for the offer, but there's nothing you can do. Let me take care of my own problems."

"Your problems involve me, Danielle," Nico reminded her.

"Trust me to do the best I can," Danielle said, her eyes searching his. "I'm not going to let Peter win. In fact, it bugs me that we're talking about him right now. I'm sorry I brought him up. I don't want him here with us."

"Then let's make him go away."

Her lips parted, and he ached to taste the sweetness of her mouth. Dipping his head low, Nico kissed her, lightly grazing her lips.

Danielle sighed, the sound so sexy Nico had to have more. Using his tongue, he coaxed her lips apart, slipping inside her mouth. He mated with her tongue, tasting her sweetness, her hot mouth making him forget everything but her.

He moved against her, every contour of her body burning against his, the contact enough to fry what was left of his brain cells. Danielle moaned low in her throat.

And still he kissed her, his hands slipping up under her jacket, finding the silk underneath. Pajamas? He ran his hands up her back, noting the lack of a bra, getting a visual of her breasts straining against the sheer, slippery fabric.

A loud clatter rocked the air, vibrated around them. Nico broke the kiss. Danielle sagged weakly against him, and he used his hands to steady her even while he struggled to return to reality. Where had the sound come from?

"What was that?" Danielle asked, managing to separate herself from him.

He didn't let her go completely, one hand on her arm. "It came from out front. Stay here. I'll check it out."

"No way. I'm coming."

Nico raced around the house, Danielle on his heels. The driveway was clear, except for Danielle's car.

"Something made that noise." Nico left Danielle and took a turn around the driveway, looking for anything that might be out of place.

"Oh, no," Danielle cried.

Nico sprinted back to her. She stared at the pavement next to her car, her hands over her mouth. The words "Go Home" were painted in black letters on the concrete.

He reached for her, but she sidestepped him.

"Now do you believe that this is a personal attack against me?" She crouched down, touching the black paint. The paint came off on her fingers. "It's still wet." She glanced around wildly. "Whoever did this is probably still nearby. Oh, God, Kaiden."

"Go," Nico said. "I'll check on Maria and meet you back here."

With a nod she ran for her house.

Nico sprinted for the cottage, relieved to find Maria sound asleep. "Come on, sweetheart," he said, waking Maria. Used to the nightly shift from the cottage to Whitney House, Maria barely woke up as he placed her in the golf cart and drove her to the main house. He got her inside and settled her on the couch.

He met Danielle at the bottom of the stairs.

"Maria?" she asked in a whisper.

"On the couch."

She nodded.

He motioned her to follow him into the kitchen and closed the door behind them.

"Kaiden and Lola are both asleep," she said, keeping her voice low. "Who would do something like this?"

Again, Nico wondered about Kaiden. The boy had the most to gain, apart from himself, if Danielle left. Kaiden could have easily slipped out the front door, painted the words, then slipped back into bed. He longed to voice his opinion, but one look at Danielle's frazzled appearance and he kept his mouth shut.

Danielle sat at the kitchen table, her head in her hands.

"I'm calling the sheriff." Nico placed the call, his eyes never leaving Danielle. More than anything he wanted to pick up where they left off in the garden. He wanted to comfort her, hold her, and kiss her fears away. She was scared. The person sending the warnings was succeeding, giving her one more reason to go, and while he wanted her to leave, he didn't want her to leave out of fear.

"I think we need a stiff drink while we wait for the sheriff to arrive," he said.

She glanced up at him. "There's wine."

He grinned. "No, wine isn't what I had in mind. We need something stronger." He went to Phillip's office to the liquor cabinet, returning with brandy. Back in the kitchen, he snagged two glasses and poured a splash in each.

"To one heck of a day." He raised his glass.

Danielle raised her glass and they clinked together, before each of them downed their brandy in a single gulp.

The brandy warmed all the way down, landing in the pit of Nico's stomach. "Better?"

"Yes."

"Try not to worry." He moved behind her. His hands closed over her shoulders, massaging them. "You're in knots."

"You would be too if someone wanted you gone." Danielle moaned as his fingers dug into her muscles. "Boy, that feels good."

He wanted to make her feel good, even in the middle of all the upheaval. Nico's fingers worked her shoulders, her arms, her upper back, then moved up and feathered into her hair to massage her scalp. Her exotic floral scent filled his senses, making him forget about the vandalism, making him forget everything but her. He was two seconds from yanking her out of the chair and carrying her to the bedroom when he heard the sound of an approaching car.