“I suppose the least I can do is feed you.”
She turned back to him. “What?”
“Saturday.” His smile was slow and devastating. “If you’re giving me your weekend I should at least take care of dinner. I’ll cook something.”
She blinked. An invitation to his home that wasn’t work related? They were entering uncharted territory.
“I don’t think—”
“Come on. While we are unfortunately culinary equals I’m sure I can put something together.” He flipped another page. “Say, eight o’clock?”
She opened her mouth to refuse, but the words stalled. Why not accept? Hell, by Saturday he might have completely forgotten his offer. And even if he didn’t, hadn’t she always been curious what lay beyond the tiny bit of his house she’d seen? This was her chance. Any other woman would jump at it. Why couldn’t she?
Why indeed?
There was really only one thing to say.
“I’ll bring the wine.”
…
Darian stepped out of the car, still wondering what phantom had possessed his body and invited Allison to dinner. Not that sharing a meal with her was an unusual occurrence, but never at his home.
Maybe he could take her out to dinner instead. He didn’t deny he owed her that and more. But having her to his place seemed…
Intimate.
“Oh, Darian.”
The breathy sigh shot straight through him, sending his blood rushing in the opposite direction of his brain.
Christ, he thought, pulling his coat tighter around his body. What the hell is wrong with me?
He turned to admonish her and froze.
Allison stared up at the building before them, with rapt pleasure on her face. Her eyes sparkled with delight, her lips parted on a silent breath. She looked…
Beautiful.
He blinked. Surely not. She was his right hand. His dependable assistant. He actively avoided thinking of her as anything else.
But right now they weren’t in the safe confines of his business, and the woman at his side was smiling at him like she’d discovered magic.
“You can’t say this isn’t perfect.”
What was perfect? The landscape? Or her?
Dangerous thought.
Tearing his gaze away from his assistant, he turned to see what had made her react with such wonder.
And felt his eyes widen.
They stood before what appeared to be a modern fairytale castle. Stone walls sprawled out in both directions, curving around grand windows that would be more at home in a church than a vineyard. Jet black roofs stretched beneath twisting chimneys that looked like miniature medieval turrets.
Given the size of building, he doubted they’d have trouble accommodating a large function. This place practically screamed wedding venue.
“Jenny will love it,” Allison said.
She wasn’t wrong. His quirky sister would appreciate the uniqueness of this location.
“Let’s go inside and see the rest,” he said.
As they stepped forward he placed his hand on the small of her back, the gesture automatic.
She tensed under the touch but made no move to shrug him off. Together they walked into the beautiful mansion.
A reception desk waited just inside the doors, with a beaming employee. “Welcome to Sahra Vineyards,” she said.
“Hello,” Allison said, taking the lead. “I called earlier from King Enterprises.”
“Oh yes. Just a moment and Sam will be with you. He’s very excited about the prospect of working on your event.” She picked up the phone as Allison turned to face Darian.
“Look at those coffered ceilings,” she whispered, staring up. “The wood is so shiny it gleams.”
Despite the darker exterior, the inside of the winery was all white walls and glossy chestnut wood.
Even he had to admit it was a stunning setting.
“Ms. Reed.”
They turned to see a smiling older man striding toward them.
“I’m Sam Lewis. We spoke on the phone.”
“Of course,” she said. “Darian, this is the owner of the vineyard.”
“You have a beautiful property,” he said, reaching out to shake the other man’s hand.
“Just wait till you see our gardens.”
“We appreciate you taking the time to meet with us today,” Allison said.
“You had excellent timing. We had a cancellation on the weekend you were requesting.”
She smiled. “Trust me, I know just how fortunate this was.”
“Are you two the happy couple?”
He watched a blush stain Allison’s pale cheeks. Usually she was unflappable no matter what situation she found herself in. He rather liked that the question had her flustered.
“No, not us. We’re not together,” she said. “Well, I mean we are physically together, but not in that way. Work. We work together.”
Her blush intensified.
Biting back his smile, he placed his hands on her shoulders and took over. “We’re trying to book a venue for my sister’s wedding. She’s currently out of the country, so all final decisions fall to us.”
“Ah,” Sam said. “That’s wonderful. Well, let me give you the tour so you can see exactly what we have to offer.”
“Please.”
As Sam turned away he leaned down until his lips were an inch from her ear. “Deep breaths, sweetheart,” he teased, a true smile on his lips.
Moving around her, he followed Sam deeper into the building.
…
He didn’t mean it the way it sounded, she told herself. Darian liked to tease. It was as normal to him as breathing.
All the romance nonsense they were dealing with was throwing them both off.
Rolling her shoulders back, she followed the pair through the beautiful winery. Already she could see them lining the hallway with peonies and ushering guests to the ceremony. This was the place they needed.
“This is our reception room,” Sam said, opening a set of double doors. “Of course, we could also do the wedding in here, though October should be nice enough to do it outside.”
She stepped into a stylish hall that could easily handle a large wedding party. Cathedral windows allowed natural light to pour into the room, and she tipped her head back to see the exposed beams rising toward the arched roof.
“Perfect,” she murmured.
“And we have the gardens.” Sam ushered them through the hall and passed an open set of French doors that led to a wide patio.
“Impressive,” Darian admitted.
Before them, manicured lawns stretched outward. Stone walkways were carved into the greenery, snaking toward a white gazebo that was obviously used as the alter space. Vineyard rows stretched behind the gazebo, creating a postcard perfect setting for the wedding pictures.
“We do a number of weddings here throughout the year, so our staff is fully trained,” Sam said. “We can line white chairs on either side of the path to accommodate your numbers.”
“And if it turns cool?” she asked. An outdoor wedding might be their only option given the time constraints, but she didn’t trust the weather to help out.
“If it’s cool we have temporary fire pits we can wheel into place along both sides of the guests. The gazebo can also be equipped with heat lamps so that everyone is toasty.”