Rare Blend (Red Mountain #1)

46. Marisa

CHAPTER 46

Marisa

CARHARTT TO CUSTOM SUIT

“ W hat’s this thing called again?”

Ethan and I are getting ready for some festival gala thing happening at the winery. With the amount of things this town turns into an event, I’m starting to think Hallmark is a lot more accurate than I believed it was.

“The Winter Wine Fest,” he says, looking at me through the reflection in the mirror as he ties his tie. “It’s another way to generate interest in the slow season, fill the lull between Christmas and New Years. Except this year, it’s a little different, because Elyse is hosting a corporate holiday retreat, so she’s playing double-duty tonight, with the other event happening in the downstairs ballroom. I’m assuming it’s going to be hectic.”

I’m not exactly dying to wear this tight dress and mingle, but any excuse to see Ethan dressed up is a-oh-kay with me. The man goes from Carhartt to custom suit very smoothly. The night hasn’t even begun, but I already can’t wait to come home and peel him out of that—actually scratch that. The suit stays on.

Before we leave, he takes a beta blocker and slips more medication in my purse, just in case. We’re now at a place where he doesn’t hide that side of himself. His anxiety is part of who he is and I would never shame him for it. I feel privileged to be one of the few he trusts. The fact that he feels safe enough with me to be vulnerable, knowing how hard it is for him to let anyone in that way, has made me fall even more in love with him.

We spent Christmas at Ethan’s parents’ house, surrounded by his siblings and extended family. Even my dad, Jenn, and the kids joined in, because a bout of freezing rain derailed their plans to spend it with Jenn’s family. It was just as I predicted it would be, total chaos, loud conversations, and an absolute dream.

It didn’t take me long to realize, though, that even in the presence of his family, Ethan was having a hard time. He was tense and quiet, keeping his fists balled at his sides. And all I wanted to do was fix it. It was such a helpless feeling, but I tried my best to be the calm and steady against his anxious mind. Staying by his side, distracting him with rambling stories, giving him a break by suggesting a walk, it was all I could think of, and it didn’t feel like it was enough.

We agreed not to do presents—well I suggested it and tried to make him uphold his end of the deal. I didn’t want to make the holiday about gifts, not with us. He hasn’t admitted it, but I suspect the tires on my car are new and I miraculously found a brand new supply of all the expensive makeup and toiletries I use on a regular basis. He knew I wanted to be low key and still managed to find a way to make me feel special. I’m not sure how I got so lucky. He didn’t just raise the bar, he made an entirely new one, one no one else could ever reach.

We get to the winery early to help Elyse with any last-minute things she may need, though, upon arrival, she clearly has it all under control. When she sees me, she rushes over to us and wraps me in a hug, shoulder bumping Ethan in the process.

“I’m so glad you made it. I was worried my shithead brother would bail and keep you two locked inside his lair.”

“I’m the boss, I kind of have to be here,” he says to her back.

“Well, you never know.” Her voice is defensively high. “I mean, I’ve barely seen Marisa since you two became official.”

In a shocking, not so shocking, turn of events, Elyse both loves and is very annoyed that I’m officially dating her brother.

Before we can continue dwelling on it, she gets pulled away to the kitchen, and Ethan guides us to the bar, where his parents are. The event doesn’t start for another thirty minutes, so the bar is wide open.

“Don’t you look beautiful, sweetie.” Leanne hugs me tightly and fusses with my hair, like I’ve seen her do for her own daughters. The movement makes my breath hitch, and I clear my throat to mask the emotion I let get a little too close to the surface.

“Me? You’re the one who looks beautiful.” As usual, Leanne is absolutely stunning. She has such a graceful presence. I imagine even a paper bag would look glamorous on her.

“Oh, stop.” She waves her hand. “It’s the Spanx,” she says with a wink.

Jack gives me a hug before taking the stool next to Ethan and talking shop, going on about numbers and distribution and projected sales, none of which holds any of my interest.

“Jack, honey, you’re boring me to tears. These young people don’t want to talk business at a party.”

Jack smacks his head jokingly. “Apologies, Marisa, old habits are hard to break. You kids have anything fun planned during slow season? My son better be whisking you off somewhere.” He turns to Ethan with his brows raised. “Leanne and I used to go somewhere warm and tropical during winter, get away from this bone-chilling cold weather.”

“Actually,” I say. “Ethan tried to convince me to get away, but my best friend Hillary is due with her first baby in a couple weeks and I want to make sure I’m around for that.”

Leanne places both of her hands over her chest. “How wonderful. A new baby.” She looks at Jack with a smile. “We were just talking about how great it would be to have a new grandbaby. Lily is already in first grade. If only our kids would ever settle down.” She pouts, looking at Ethan.

“Mom,” he warns.

She puts up her hands. “What? I didn’t say anything.”

“Of course you didn’t. Because you’re a mastermind. But you implied it.”

She shrugs and smiles innocently. “All I’m saying is a new baby in the family would be happy news. Wouldn’t you agree, Marisa?”

“And we’re leaving.” Ethan stands, pulling my hand while I try to hold in a laugh. He guides me until we’re clear across the room.

“We didn’t have to leave. I wasn’t uncomfortable. It’s a mom thing.”

He shakes his head. “We’ve been together for like five minutes, and my mom is already trying to get a grandkid out of you. You don’t need that kind of pressure. Besides, you’re?—”

He doesn’t finish the sentence, but I know what he was going to say. I’m leaving, so there’s no sense in planning for the future. Forcing away the negativity, I pivot the conversation to something lighter, something to distract us from thoughts of the future.

“You know,” I singsong, playing with his tie. “I was thinking it would be fun if we checked out the wine cellar. For old times’ sake.”

“Yeah?” Ethan’s hand grabs at my hip, pulling me closer to him. “I think that’s the best idea I’ve heard all night,” he mumbles against my lips before giving my bottom lip a little tug with his teeth, forcing my mouth to drop open for him. His tongue slides in, lapping against mine, and I feel my feet hover off the ground as Ethan’s arms wrap around my waist and he turns the corner into a secluded hallway. He carries me over to the elevators, and takes us to the cellar, holding me the whole way down.

Once the door pings open, he carries me over to a barrel and sets me on it. I’m already so overheated from his touch, I hardly notice the chill in the air.

“What if someone catches us down here?”

The space is wide open. Anyone coming off the elevator would spot us.

He nips at my neck as his hands grip under my thighs. My legs wind around his waist.

“Let them. But trust me, no one is coming down here.”

“Ethan,” I squeal-whisper as his tongue begins licking the sensitive spot where my neck meets the top of my shoulder.

“Do you like the idea of being caught? If I touched your pussy right this second, would I find you soaked for me? Excited that someone could walk in on us at any moment, maybe even while you’re coming on my cock?”

His words unravel the last of my control, making me want him that much more.

“Answer me,” he says. “Is your pussy soaked?”

“Yes,” I moan. “I’m always wet for you.”

Two fingers push my panties to the side and plunge inside of me. “Baby, I love how ready and wet you always are.”

He angles his fingers, hooking them forward and pushing them in and out of me, the build in my lower belly already growing fast. When I feel close, like I’m just about to reach the edge, he pulls his fingers all the way out.

I whine, slumping against him. “Why did you stop?” I should be embarrassed by my ragged breathing, but my brain is too jumbled to care.

His smile is wicked. “I have a better idea.”

In my fog of confusion, I barely notice that he’s lifted and spun me around, bending me over the barrel.

“What are you doing?”

“Shhh,” he says. Then his hands are under my dress, pulling down my panties. I step out of them without thinking.

He crouches down behind me, and cool air hits me as the hem of my dress is lifted and gathered around my waist. I start to squirm when his breath dusts across my ass.

“I know we’re supposed to be getting dinner right now,” he says quietly against my thigh, his head between my legs. “But I’m in the mood for dessert.”

His hands grip my ass cheeks, spreading them.

“Fuck, I love your ass. You look so pretty like this, bent over my barrel, at my mercy.”

I gasp when his finger trails a line from my pussy all the way to that sensitive spot where he applies a slight pressure. The feeling is foreign and curious.

“You should’ve seen my ass after Goose trampled me. I had such a big bruise.”

“Was it here?” Kiss. “Or here?” Kiss. “Maybe it was here.” Kiss.

He peppers kisses all over my ass cheeks.

“Are you kissing my ass, literally?”

The vibration of his chuckle sends a shiver down my spine. “It’s an honor to kiss your ass.”

I snort, but it quickly morphs into a moan as his tongue draws a languid lick from my pussy all the way to my back entrance.

He does it again, going deeper with his tongue, and it causes my thighs to shake of their own volition. “Do you like it?” Ethan asks, in a low murmur.

“I don’t know,” I breathe. It feels both good and wrong at the same time. No one’s ever touched me there.

He repeats the movement. When he gets to the overly sensitive spot he sucks hard, forcing a cry out of me as my vision fades.

“I think you like it,” he muses. He buries his face between my ass cheeks and loudly, relentlessly, slurps and licks, eating me from front to back like I’m his last meal. In a matter of minutes, I’m coming, riding out the wave of my orgasm.

While I’m still recovering, I hear the sound of his zipper, and he gives my ass a light smack. “This is going to be quick,” he grits.

And then he’s inside of me, fucking me rough and fast, another orgasm building with each thrust. Soon we’re both coming, and I feel exhausted, completely spent, my limbs like jello.

He slumps his weight over me, his ragged breath fanning the back of my neck. “We’re going to look so obvious when we go back up,” he mumbles.

A giggle escapes me. “It’s your fault.”

“Worth it,” he groans, standing and giving my ass another smack before he works at fixing my dress.

My dress is barely put back into place when the elevator pings. Our heads whip to see who has arrived. Footsteps sound and then stop, stayingout of sight.

“Who’s there?” Ethan says in a deep, commanding voice, already standing in front of me, concealing me from whoever exited the elevator.

“It’s Shane. Chill with the Batman voice.”

Ethan’s shoulders instantly relax. “What the fuck do you want?”

“Mom wanted me to let you know dinner is being served, and I saw you and Marisa sucking face before you two snuck off down here. Didn’t know you had it in you. I feel like a proud father.”

“Get fucked.”

“You know, I lost my virginity down here.” He snickers.

“Why do you fucking talk?” Ethan groans.

“Hi, Marisa.”

I clutch onto Ethan’s back, shaking from silent laughter. “Hi, Shane.”

“We’ll be up in a second. And I’ll kick your ass if you breathe one word of this to anyone. Got it?”

“Sheesh, so sensitive.”

“Shane!”

“Alright, alright. Might want to remove that stick up your ass.”

His footsteps fade into the distance and the elevator sounds, but Ethan doesn’t move until he’s absolutely sure we’re alone.

“That little shit is going to tell everyone.”

When we get back up to the party, the ballroom is packed.

We join Ethan’s siblings, parents, and my dad and Jenn for dinner, which is several courses, each with a wine pairing from this season’s release. Shane keeps shooting looks our way, and I try my best to avoid his stare. If he and Ethan didn’t look so alike, I truly would not believe they’re brothers.

“I’m going to go freshen up,” I tell Ethan, rising from my seat.

He nods, mid-conversation with his dad, and gives my hand a light squeeze before I leave. I love that he does that; small little touches to make me feel seen even when his attention is elsewhere.

As I weave through the ballroom, I spot my coworkers, Raquel and Suzy, and give them a wave as I pass. I round the corner toward the ladies’ restroom. The line is so long it’s filtering out the door. Lucky for me, I’ve become quite familiar with the winery and know there’s another set of restrooms downstairs.

The staircase is vacant, and the click of my heels echoes with each step I take. On the first floor, the corporate holiday retreat is in full swing, with loud conversations and laughter mixing with a strange techno sounding jazz song playing in the background. Pieces of conversation come at me, mentions of “AI framework” and “infrastructure strategy.” It’s enough to make my skin crawl. A reminder of my life before coming to Red Mountain.

I notice Elyse standing against the wall, ferociously typing into her phone. She looks up at me, and her eyes shift from stressed to relieved.

“Oh, thank God. A normal person.” She pulls me in for a tight hug. “This crowd is full of pretentious weirdos,” she whispers in my ear, snickering.

“What are you doing down here?”

Her shoulders rise, and she rolls her eyes. “The douchebag president or manager or whatever he is made Bella, my intern, cry, so I came down to smooth things over.”

“Sounds like a sweet guy.” I laugh. “I came down to use the restroom. The one upstairs had a really long line.

She nods. “Good call. This thing is a sausage fest. The ladies’ room should be wide open.”

“Marisa? Marisa Castilla?”

My body freezes.

“It is you,” the man’s voice says. The very familiar man’s voice.

I turn slowly, my chest already sinking, and come face to face with Aaron.

“I thought that was you,” he says with the audacity to smile at me as if we’re old friends.

“Aaron.” My voice rises. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, you know how Brandon is. He loves a fancy shindig. We’ve had a bunch of turnaround recently, so this is kind of like a get to know each other event.”

My head whips to Elyse. “What’s the name of the company this retreat is for?”

Her eyes stare at me, bulging. “Beaker Innovations.”

This has got to be a joke.

“Is the guy you’ve been dealing with named Brandon Beaker?”

She nods, putting the pieces together.

“I should go,” I tell her, already sprinting away. It’s not that I’m worried about seeing Brandon again, it’s that I don’t want to see him again. How dare he show up in Red Mountain and encroach on my life here. Did he know? There’s no way he could’ve known. But he knew my dad lived here. I punch the button for the elevator repeatedly, as if that will make it come faster. I’m too frazzled to walk back up the stairs without falling on my ass, and embarrassing myself.

Come on, come on, come on!

It dings loudly, and relief immediately floods through me.

That relief is short-lived though, because when the doors open, there’s Brandon. He recognizes me immediately, as if he were expecting me to be there.

“Risy, what a nice surprise.”