Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 107710 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 539(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107710 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 539(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Bottom line, he knew in his bones that in fifty years, he’d still want to look at her face.
Pretty sure he’d be starved for the opportunity.
He was protective by nature—and by trade—but the way he felt about Natalie’s safety was on a whole other level. It wasn’t just her physical safety he seemed to worry about at all times, it was the safety of her feelings. Her heart. I’m responsible. But just like any operation, he needed to get in there and find out what he was dealing with. He needed intel.
That was where their path from temporary to permanent needed to start.
And if Natalie knew he’d taken the loan from his CO and was marrying her purely because he wanted her to achieve her goals—and fine, because he couldn’t stand the thought of never seeing her again—she’d stab him to death.
So he’d just leave that a secret for now. At least until she stopped hating him.
Love means letting go of your pride, after all.
Those words circled around and around his head. Was he ready to stop trying to win their ongoing battle of wills? Maybe not completely. Totally letting his guard down around Natalie might lead to his balls being amputated. He could damn well begin making inroads, though.
“August.” She waved her hand in front of his face. “Battle of the sexes. The wager.”
“Wager. Right.”
If the men win, you agree to grow old with me.
Too much.
“If the men win, you tell me what happened in New York.”
Also too much, but his big trap had already released the challenge—and damn, he really did want to know what had driven her back to Napa. If he was being forced to pry the information out of her, it couldn’t be good.
Natalie’s expression had grown shuttered on the heels of his throwing down the gauntlet, but almost immediately, she straightened her shoulders and pinned him with a look. “Fine. And if I win, you have to let me help you with your wine production.”
Oh boy. No way.
Natalie had teased him so brutally about his shit winemaking, allowing her into the inner sanctum of his production line would make him feel like an exposed wound. “Do you actually want to help or are you just trying to one-up me?”
She pursed her lips, pretending to consider it. “Both.”
Let her help. What’s the big deal?
Making the wine was supposed to be his gift to Sam. Not just a gift, though . . . more of an atonement for letting him die. It was August’s penance to serve and he was protective of the job. It was his work to do. His amends to make. No one else’s.
“Pick something else. Anything else.”
Instead of being exasperated by his stubbornness, she seemed kind of fascinated by it. “Um . . . okay, fine. For the entire month that we’re married, you’re not allowed to complain about how long I take to do my makeup.”
“Done.” Thank God she hadn’t made an issue about the wine thing. He didn’t want to explain out loud why he was so defensive about the operation. “But we kiss to seal the wager.”
“You can’t just make up rules as you go, rat king. A handshake seals it.”
He scoffed into his beer. “Someone’s scared.”
“Oh, I’m scared?” Speaking of pride. “Pretty sure I’m the one who climbed into that shower. Or did you forget?”
Tits.
Beautiful, beautiful tits.
“Princess, that is a core memory. It’ll be with me in the fucking afterlife.”
She tossed her sex hair. “Good.” So flippant. Except he caught her blush.
Did she like knowing he’d remember their shower for eternity?
Yeah. She did.
“Get over here and kiss me.”
She snorted, gripping the front of his shirt and pulling him down. But she hesitated before their lips could touch. Wetting hers and staring at his. “Fine.”
As if it was no big deal.
Right before their mouths met, however, she looked up at him and proved herself wrong. It was a very big deal. They kissed in the middle of the bar like they were alone. August absently set his beer onto the closest table so he could finally, blessedly, sink all ten fingers into her hair and go to fucking town on that mouth. Tongue, lips, teeth. He used everything at his disposal to make her moan while they slanted their parted mouths, sampled, took deeply. And deeper still. I’m going to figure us out, he told her with the kiss, meaning it with every breath in his body. I’m going to marry you, make this work.
When they pulled back for air, Natalie looked more than a little startled.
Hell, he was startled, too. Every time they kissed, he needed more. More of her.
She gathered air into her lungs with their lips still only inches apart. “We better stop—”
“Before I carry you into the back alley and rip those panties down again?” He dragged her bottom lip down with his thumb. “Yeah. Guess we better.”