Vineyard Dreams (Beyond The Red Carpet #4)

Chapter 14

14

E lle pulled up to Harper’s house just after seven o’clock, the rental agreement tucked under her arm. She was tired after a long day at work, and she’d hoped to drop the envelope off quickly, avoiding any awkward encounters, but as she approached the door, it swung open.

Harper stood there in black leggings, her hair pulled back in a pony tail with her face free of any makeup. Her eyes met Elle’s just as she’d started to bend to put the envelope on her doormat.

“Elle, if we’re going to work together, we need to be able to talk to each other.” Harper’s voice was firm, but not unkind.

Elle stood up fully, the contract feeling heavy in her hands. She knew Harper was right, but she didn’t trust herself around Harper anymore, not after what happened the other night. And the only way to avoid another kiss that she’d only end up regretting was to keep her distance from Harper.

Elle held out the paperwork. “Here’s the rental agreement.”

Harper took the contract, her fingers brushing against Elle’s. The brief contact sent a jolt through Elle, and she pulled her hand back quickly.

Harper’s eyes softened. “Why don’t you come inside for a glass of wine?”

Elle’s first instinct was to decline, to maintain the professional distance she’d tried to establish. But as she looked at Harper, Elle found herself nodding. “Okay, just one glass.”

Harper stepped aside, allowing Elle to enter. As she crossed the threshold, Elle took a steadying breath. She knew they needed to talk, to clear the air, but the prospect of confronting their feelings terrified her. Harper led her to the kitchen, where she poured two glasses of red wine.

As Elle accepted the glass, their fingers touched again, lingering a moment longer than necessary. She met Harper’s gaze, seeing a reflection of her own conflicted emotions.

Harper spoke first. “Is it okay if I have my lawyer look over the contract? It’s not that I don’t trust you?—”

Elle cut her off. “Of course. There’s no rush. Take all the time you need.”

Harper held her gaze. “What if I cooked us dinner on Friday? Everything should be in order by then.”

Elle once again found herself hesitating before she agreed. As Harper said, they did need to be able to talk. Dinner was harmless, and then Elle could leave with the signed contract.

“Great,” Harper said, flashing her a charming smile. “Do you want to move into the living room?”

Again, Elle hesitated. “I uh…”

Harper’s lips curved into a smirk. “Elle, I’m not going to bite. And if I remember correctly… I know I had a few glasses of wine, but I’m pretty sure that you kissed me.”

Elle closed her eyes for a second.

“I’m not blaming you for what happened,” Harper said when Elle stayed silent. “Clearly, I wanted it too. But I’m also perfectly capable of sitting beside you and enjoying this glass of wine without anything else happening.”

Elle wanted to return Harper’s smile, to be able to joke around about this, but she couldn’t. Instead, she gently set her glass on the kitchen counter. “I think I should go,” she said, although it came out so softly that she wondered if she’d even said it out loud.

Harper left her glass down beside Elle’s as she took a step closer, her hands sliding down Elle’s forearms to find her hands.

Harper took a deep breath. “As much as I’m attracted to you, I’ve assumed that nothing’s ever going to happen between us, so I promise that I will leave whatever happened between us the other night in the past. We can forget it ever happened.”

Elle bit the inside of her cheek as she tried not to say what she was thinking, but the words tumbled out of her. “I don’t want to forget that it happened,” she said, holding Harper’s gaze.

Harper stared at her for a second, her eyebrow lifting ever so slightly.

“I don’t want to forget it either,” Harper admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. Her thumbs gently caressed the back of Elle’s hands. “But I’m trying to respect your boundaries.”

“Boundaries?” Elle echoed, a wry smile playing on her lips. “I haven’t exactly been clear about those, have I?”

Harper’s grip tightened slightly. “You left,” she said softly, her eyes searching Elle’s.

Elle’s smile faded. “I left because I was scared,” she said, her voice barely a whisper. “Scared of what I was feeling, scared of what it meant.” Elle hesitated, the words catching in her throat. “Of… of letting myself feel something again,” she confessed, her gaze dropping to their intertwined hands. “After Stephanie… after losing her, I built walls around myself. I told myself I didn’t need anyone, that I was better off alone.”

Harper’s thumbs continued their soothing caress. “And now?”

Elle met her gaze. “Now… now I’m not so sure,” she admitted, the words a fragile whisper in the quiet kitchen. “I’m scared of the age difference, scared of what people will think, scared of getting hurt again.”

Harper’s expression softened. “I don’t care about whatever age difference there is between us,” she murmured, her eyes holding Elle’s with a warmth that sent a shiver down her spine. “And who cares what other people think? This is about us, Elle. No one else.”

Elle’s heart ached at Harper’s words, a mixture of longing and fear swirling within her. She wanted to believe her, wanted to throw caution to the wind and embrace the connection they shared, but the doubts lingered.

“You don’t even know how old I am,” Elle said.

“I still don’t care.”

“And if I do?”

Harper searched her eyes. “I’m thirty-eight years old. You’re not going to take advantage of me,” she added with a hint of a smile.

Elle suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. “Okay, but I’m sixteen years older than you. I just need to say that in case?—”

“In case, what?” Harper reached up to brush a lock of hair behind Elle’s ear. “I’m crazy about you, Elle. I don’t care how old you are.”

“What about the vineyard?” Elle asked, her voice laced with uncertainty, knowing she sounded desperate at this point. “This… us… it could complicate things.”

“It doesn’t have to.” Harper looked away for a second. “The only thing I’m worried about is what happened the day we met.”

“Those photographers?”

Harper nodded. “Not so much them, but bringing you into the chaos of my world. It’s not for the faint of heart. I know I’m thinking too far ahead, but it’s an unavoidable part of my life.”

“I know you’re worried about that, but I can’t think that far ahead. I’m not even sure that I’m capable of being in?—”

“Hey,” Harper said, her hand caressing Elle’s cheek. “Let’s just take this slow and let it be whatever it’s going to be.”

Elle got lost in Harper’s eyes.

“Can I kiss you?” Harper asked after a moment.

The warmth of Harper’s hand on her cheek sent a wave of longing through Elle. “Yes.”

Harper’s eyes, dark and intense, drew her in, and she leaned in, her lips brushing against Elle’s, a feather-light touch that sent a rush of desire through her.

Elle’s heart raced as Harper’s lips gently pressed against hers. It was a gentle kiss, a questioning exploration, as if Harper was giving her a chance to pull away, but Elle found herself leaning in, her hands resting lightly on Harper’s hips.

The hesitation from the other night was gone as Elle’s lips parted against Harper’s, and a low moan escaped Elle’s lips when Harper’s tongue glided over her own. Elle gave in this time, her hand slipping under the hem of Harper’s tank top, her palm splayed across her back as they deepened the kiss.

Elle had thought about it when she couldn’t fall asleep after their first kiss, but it had shocked her how well they had kissed. It was nothing like her other first kisses had been. There was something so intense about being around Harper that it shouldn’t have surprised her that this was happening again tonight.

Elle couldn’t get enough of her. Her other hand slid up the outside of Harper’s thigh, and then before she even realized what she was doing, Elle had backed Harper up as they kissed until her legs bumped against the kitchen table. A small sound escaped Harper’s lips, a soft gasp that Elle felt against her own mouth.

With a gentle nudge, Elle guided Harper up onto the table. She wanted Harper to know, without a doubt, that this was real, that Elle wasn’t going to run away this time. She deepened the kiss again, parting her lips, her tongue searching, eliciting a soft moan from deep within Harper’s throat.

Harper’s hands found their way to Elle’s hair, pulling her closer, and Elle’s entire body hummed with desire. She broke the kiss for a moment, her breath coming in short, ragged gasps. Her eyes met Harper’s, searching for any sign of hesitation, any hint of doubt. But there was none, only a reflection of her own burning need.

She kissed Harper again, this time with a fierceness that surprised even herself. She wanted to erase the uncertainty, the fear, the years of holding herself back. She wanted to lose herself in this moment.

Harper’s fingers tightened in her hair until she broke the kiss, her lips pressing kisses along Elle’s neck and up to her jaw.

A moan left Elle’s lips, and then Elle was guiding Harper’s lips back to her own, hungrily kissing her as her palm slid up Elle’s thigh, moving over the smooth fabric of her leggings.

Harper pulled away. Her fingertips traced Elle’s jawline, her light touch sending a delicious shiver through her. Their eyes met, and Elle could barely think over the pounding of her heart and the intensity with which she wanted Harper.

“Are you okay?” Harper asked, her voice husky with desire.

“Yes.” Elle was more okay than she’d been in a long time, and she wasn’t going to let her own doubts and fears get in the way of feeling something for the first time in so many years.

Harper’s touch was electric, sparking a flame within Elle that threatened to consume her. Elle’s hands trembled as they rested on Harper’s hips, the warmth of Harper’s skin seeping through the thin fabric of her tank top.

Harper leaned in again, her lips capturing Elle’s in a kiss that was both tender and fierce. Elle’s fears melted away as she surrendered to the moment, and Harper groaned as Elle deepened the kiss again. Their tongues danced together, and Elle’s heart raced as she lost herself in the kiss, her body pulsing with desire.

Harper’s hands slid down from Elle’s hair, her fingertips tracing the curve of Elle’s neck. Harper’s hands lingered a moment longer, then she pulled away.

Elle’s eyes fluttered open as she met Harper’s gaze. A playful smile curved Harper’s lips as she took in Elle’s flustered state.

“How about we take our wine into the living room and talk for a while?” Harper suggested.

Elle’s brain struggled to process Harper’s words. She wanted to kiss her again, wanted to tear her clothes off, and feel the warmth of her skin against her own. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

Amusement danced in Harper’s eyes. “I can see what you’re thinking.”

Elle’s cheeks flushed, and she took a steadying breath, trying to gather her scattered thoughts. She stepped back, and Harper slid off the table.

“I was thinking,” Harper continued, her voice soft and reassuring, “Maybe on Friday, after dinner, you could stay over if you wanted.”

Elle pressed her lips together, her heart still racing. “I’d like that.”

Elle picked up her wine glass and followed Harper into her living room, wondering why they’d ever agreed to take it slow.