Under A Harvest Moon (18 page)

A vision of her naked under the slicker flashed in his mind.

"Just what are you wearing under that slicker?" he asked, unable to help himself.

"My nightgown." Her tongue came out to wet her lips.

"You shouldn't have told me that."

She dropped the robe.

Nico closed the gap between them, his hands fisting into the front of the slicker. "That's not playing fair, Danielle." He half expected her to shrug him off, but instead she rose up on her toes and kissed him.

And he kissed her back. Her mouth opened to him, sending a jolt of lust through him, making him forget everything but her hot cave of a mouth. His hands tightened on the slicker, and he pulled, ripping the snaps open. He pushed the coat from her shoulders, the raincoat landing in the puddle at their feet.

He broke the kiss, needing to see what the coat had been hiding. A pink nightgown molded to her body -- her naked body, the fabric damp, transparent in some places. The dark circles of her nipples jutted against the gown, hard and ready for him. His stare roved lower, over her woman's place, the gauzy fabric neatly outlining what he wanted to see. And he looked lower still, to her legs, bare and gorgeous.

He wanted all of her, wet and glorious, dirty feet and all.

When he raised his eyes to hers, he saw an answering fire in her eyes, lust, and a desire that equaled his own.

"I have an idea," he said, his hands bracketing her hips. "Let's make some new memories, good memories, right here in the kitchen."

"If you don't kiss me, I'm going to die," she said, the words a whisper.

"Honey, I'm going to do more than kiss you."

He cupped her face, kissing her, doing all the things to her mouth he'd dreamed of since she'd returned to the vineyard. Her hands touched his chest, his back, his butt. She pulled him to her and Nico moved against her, fitting himself to the V between her legs.

At the exquisite sensation, he moaned; and breaking the kiss, he stared into her eyes as his hands moved between them to cup her breasts. The hard nubs of her nipples poked into his palms. Her breasts more than filled his hands. They were round, beautiful, perfect.

He had to taste them.

Nico bent low. Danielle's hands tunneled into his hair as he licked her nipple through the silk of her nightgown.

"Nico," she breathed, his name a caress.

"You're beautiful." He tasted her other breast through the fabric. It wasn't enough. He needed to feel her skin against his tongue, hot skin, and he swore steam rose between them. Straightening, he hooked the thin straps of her nightgown over his fingers, gliding the straps down over her shoulders, sliding them down her arms. Taking the bodice of the nightgown down, he exposed the creamy tops of her breasts, and lower, to her nipples.

"Oh, Lord o'mercy!"

Lola
.

Even fully aroused, Nico knew enough to yank the straps of the nightgown up to cover Danielle.

When he spun around, Lola was gone; the only evidence she'd been there was the swinging kitchen door.

"Oh, no," Danielle said with mortification, but just as quickly, she smiled, a bubble of laughter escaping her kissed lips. She pushed her hands through her hair, trying to restore order. "Do you think she saw anything?"

Nico's sex fried brain tried to focus, but his lower regions were still on fire. "Enough."

She started laughing. When he didn't join in, she said, "What? It's funny. Being caught makes me feel sixteen again."

Her laughter was infectious, and he smiled, his hands on her waist. He gathered her to him. Their foreheads touched, and their laughter faded. Instantly, heat burned between them.

"Let's take this back to my place," he said.

"I want to," she whispered against his mouth, "you know I do, but just knowing that Lola's awake is enough to remind me I should behave. At least for tonight."

He knew she was right, but that didn't make it any easier to step away from her. Heaven help him, he'd never wanted a woman the way he wanted her.

She tried to pass him, but he moved his body to block her. "I'm not ready to let you go yet."

She met his stare then, and he knew she felt the same.

"I know," she said simply.

"Just one more taste, one more memory." His arm snaked around her waist and he brought her full against his body. She met his kiss, giving as good as she got -- she was hot, wet, and wild. As much as he wanted to finish what they'd started, the timing wasn't right. He didn't want her worried about Lola intruding, or the kids. No, when they made love he wanted her to focus on him, on them.

Reluctantly, he released her. "Go back to bed, Danielle."

She nodded before bending to pick up her bathrobe. At the door, she turned and gave him one last look of regret.

Then she was gone.

The only thing left of her, the old, yellow slicker.

Chapter Nine

"Well?" Jacques asked the minute Nico came into the barrel storage facility. "Any damage from the storm?"

Nico had been in the fields all morning, checking the grapes, assessing the possible damage. Thankfully, the sun was back with its healing warmth. Nico prayed Mother Nature would do the trick. He didn't need a bout with mildew, not this close to harvest.

"It's too soon to tell. There are some downed grapes, but things look okay; I'll know more in a few days. It could have been worse." Nico pulled his gloves off and tossed them on the worktable. "What's new here?"

"I'm working on a new cold filter technique, looking for a purer taste." Jacques pushed his research across the table to Nico. "Take these with you, look them over. I'd value your opinion."

"Okay." Nico gathered up the notes. He'd take them to his office and read them there. The slam of car door pulled him around. A dark sedan was parked in the drive at Whitney House.

A middle-aged man wearing a gray suit rapped on the front door. The door opened, and Danielle appeared. She talked with the man. He passed her an envelope, then went back down the steps, got in his car, and drove away.

Danielle moved to the porch swing. She worked to open the envelope. What was inside? Had Danielle's wildest fears come to pass? Had Peter served her with some type of custody papers?

"What's going on?" Jacques asked, joining him at the doorway.

"I'm not sure," Nico said. "I'll check it out."

"Good idea," Jacques said. "Let her know you care." He winked.

Damn it, he did care. More than he wanted to admit. He wasn't about to sit by and let Peter walk all over Danielle. He crossed the drive.

"Everything okay?" he asked, taking the porch steps two at a time.

Danielle glanced up, worry in her eyes. She held the papers in her hand out to him. "It's Peter. He's gotten a court order for visitation with Kaiden for this weekend."

"I thought you contacted your attorney?" Nico glanced at the paperwork she gave him. It was all there, the date and time for visitation.

"I did." She leaned back in the swing and sighed. "He's working on the parenting plan. Peter told me he'd wait, but in my heart I knew he'd pull something. I'm sure he had this in the works before he showed up here the first time. He's such a rat."

"How upset are you on scale of one to ten?" he asked, trying to gauge her mood.

"A seven." She set the swing to rocking with her foot. "I can't keep them apart. Kaiden wants to see his dad. At least these papers give me dates and definite times for visitation. If Peter violates these dates and times he'll have to answer to a judge."

"Scoot over."

Danielle moved to make room for him.

"Okay," he said. "You'll survive this. You're a great mother. And speaking from personal experience, mothers usually get custody. Liz did. Try not to worry."

She frowned. "I'm trying."

Wanting to change the subject, he asked, "Did you survive Lola this morning? Did she give you an earful about being half-naked in the kitchen?" He grinned.

She gave him a small smile. "We didn't talk about what she saw, but she kept this silly grin on her face all during breakfast, and she was actually humming. I'd say she liked seeing us together. I didn't have the heart to burst her bubble and remind her that I'm leaving here soon."

Her words hit him like a bucket of cold water. Of course she wasn't staying on. He didn't want her to, yet to hear her say she'd be leaving didn't sit well with him and he wasn't sure why.

"I owe you an apology for last night," Danielle said her expression serious now.

"An apology? No way."

"No, I'm serious," she said. "I was so needy. I shouldn't have bothered you. My life is such a mess. I don't know what I'm doing. My number one priority is Kaiden, and I need to remember that. It's not the right time to fool around."

"Fool around?" He arched one brow. "We've fooled around more than once now. We're both divorced. It's okay to fool around. We both know the score." Nico's fingers closed around hers. "And you didn't bother me. Do you know how it made me feel when you came to me last night?" He kissed the back of her hand. "I felt honored."

He expected her expression to soften, but instead her eyes narrowed. "Why?" she asked.

"Because I think you're starting to trust me a little." He reached for her hand again, threading his fingers with hers. "Stop fighting me, fighting us." He kissed her hand again. "Let's enjoy our time together."

"I can't," she said, but she didn't pull away. "I shouldn't. A relationship with you is just one more thing Peter can use against me. If anything, I should be behaving like a nun."

"You have a right to a love life." He kissed her wrist, then let her go. "Peter can't tell you what to do anymore."

"You don't know him. He can be ruthless when he wants something."

"So can I." He locked his stare on her. At last he saw the heat he was looking for, the passion, and he knew she wanted him as much as he wanted her. At this moment, he'd take her however he could get her. He didn't want to think about the future, about the vineyard; he only wanted to feel, to have her in his bed.

"You're doing it," she said.

"What?" he asked.

"Looking at me, the way I always wanted you to."

"I've always looked at you this way, I was just good at not getting caught," he said.

"I should go." She stood. "I've let you distract me long enough. I need to find Kaiden and tell him about the visitation."

Nico rose. "Let me know if you need help with anything."

"Thanks. I will."

He watched her go into the house, and then turned, seeing Jacques watching from the barrel storage facility.

Jacques held up two fingers in the victory sign.

Victory. Hardly. If Jacques only knew.

He was in real danger of falling for Danielle. Could he give up the vineyard for her, or could he find a way to have both of them? Did he want a relationship with her, or was his infatuation with her purely sexual?

Danielle had a lot on her plate right now, and so did he. Maybe the timing wasn't right for them.