“For God’s sake.” Cat throws up her hands. “This isn’t the fifties.”
“It should be.” She turns and walks away.
I look at Cat, grinning. “That was a mood killer.”
She blows out an exasperated breath. “Probably for the best anyway.”
“I’ll still give you that orgasm, though.” I give her my most devilish smirk. “All you need to do is ask.”
“Like I’m ever going to have an orgasm again.” She huffs, all adorable.
I laugh. “Challenge accepted.”
16
Cat
The great room is full, the lights blazing, as our guests for the weekend have arrived. The main purpose for this gathering—the tasting—won’t get underway until tomorrow, but there’s been a steady flow of food and wine.
Travel hasn’t seemed to slow anyone down.
But after a long day, I’m exhausted.
I’d love to crawl into bed, but I have to be polite first. Not that they care about my presence, but I want to make sure everyone is taken care of, the rooms have what they need, and I’ve made a proper appearance before calling it a night.
Gwen and Jackson will take it from there.
I have to admit, I admire their seemingly inexhaustible energy. I’ve been around this group before. They’ll go far into the night, and my brother and Gwen will love every minute of it, and somehow be raring to go tomorrow.
Gwen’s best friend, Jillian, and her husband, Leo, are sitting on the couch, their bodies close, across from Gwen and Jackson. Gwen’s sisters sit in chairs opposite each other, flanking the couches. Wyatt’s pulled up a chair from the other side of the room, making them a cohesive little group.
I’ve parked myself in a chair off to the side.
They’ve only been here a few hours, but they show no signs of my fatigue. Their faces are bright, voices excited as they talk all over each other, laughing boisterously, clearly happy to be together.
Even though I’m included, I feel a little separate from them.
Also, I’m disgruntled. I’ll never admit it to a living soul, but I wish Caden was here. I hate that I’m starting to need him, to depend on his company.
It’s ridiculous. He has no reason to be here. It’s late, and this is informal, and he has his own house. But I wish he was. I want his body next to mine, his leg pressed against mine—his warmth, the heavy weight of his arm on the back of my chair that I could lean into when I want to.
I don’t like that I want this, that I miss it somehow.
I’ve resigned myself to the fact that we’re probably going to sleep together, but I cannot accept needing him. Fucking him, taking advantage of that sinful mouth, talented fingers, and hard body might not be the smartest thing, but it’s something I can handle.
His emotional comfort, though? I’ve got to get those thoughts out of my head.
Caden is the guy you have crazy, once-in-a-lifetime sex with. He’s not a relationship guy. I’ve got to eradicate these thoughts as much as possible.
“Right, Cat?” Gwen asks, jerking me back to the group.
I drag my attention back to find them all staring at me.
Gwen’s friends, Leo and Jillian, have their dark heads tilted.
Gwen’s sisters, all blond and fresh faced, looking more like they’re from LA than Chicago, are smiling.
Gwen and Jackson and Wyatt are all looking at me too, waiting for me to respond to a conversation I have no idea about.
I shift in my chair, shaking my head a little. “I’m sorry, what?”
Gwen’s lips twitch. “I was just saying that Caden is like a gift from God, don’t you think?”
I nod. “He’s something all right.”
A gift from God feels like a bit of an overstatement, but the man certainly knows how to grow things. Under Caden, plants seem to thrive in a way they don’t for other people. It’s annoying, but I can’t fault Wyatt, Gwen, and Jackson for thinking he’s the shit.
“He’s got the gift,” Wyatt says, leaning back in his chair and stretching out his long legs.
I shrug. “You can thank Gabe. He’s the one that found him.”
I can’t even really take credit for it. If I hadn’t been desperate, I’d never have hired him. I would have thrown him out and insisted he never darken our doorstep again.
Gwen’s sister Hope smiles at me. “Do you need any help tomorrow? I can go over your marketing plan and give you some suggestions, if you’re interested.”
Hope might be all sweet and innocent looking with her blond hair, blue eyes, pretty face, and curvy body,