Come To Me (Dare With Me #3) - J.H. Croix Page 0,11

they served as a way to show off Jessa’s artwork, which she sold out at one of the galleries near Otter Cove Harbor.

“I need to get out to the galleries one of these days,” I commented.

“You should. Would you like coffee or some food? I even have wine and hard cider tonight,” Cammi said with a smile. “And it’s all on the house.”

“I’ll take a few of those,” I said, pointing to a cluster of pastries on a tray. “A small glass of the cider would be nice too. I’m driving, so I can just have a taste.”

One of Cammi’s staff poured me a glass and passed over a small plate. Cammi was already swept into another conversation. I was scanning the room to see who else I knew when I heard a voice low at my shoulder. “Hey, Gemma.”

A prickle raced down my spine the second I recognized Diego’s unmistakable voice—warm with a hint of gruffness. Turning, I found him looking his usual delectable self. His dark hair was slightly rumpled, but then that always seemed to be the case. His green eyes stood out against his sun-kissed skin. The man’s chiseled jaw and cut cheekbones were too much.

His eyes searched mine briefly, and I thought I recognized an answering flare of heat in his gaze. “Hey,” I said, a little breathlessly.

“You tasting Delia’s cider?” he asked

I peered down at the glass in my hand. Looking back to him, I replied, “Um, I’m not sure.”

“It must be hers. Cammi’s serving from the brewery tonight, and they only bottle Delia’s. You’ve been up to the Lodge restaurant, right?”

I shook my head and took a swallow of the cider, savoring the fresh apple flavor that slid across my tongue. “I keep meaning to get up there, but I haven’t yet.”

Diego held my gaze for a long moment. “I’ll take you then. The food is excellent, and you can meet Delia. The lodge gives you another pool of customers for your yoga classes. There are plenty of staff between the restaurant and the lodge itself.”

“Is it busy during the summer? I thought it was a ski lodge.”

Diego held his finger up when a waiter passing by with a tray asked if he wanted anything. He took several of the small finger sandwiches and his own glass of cider before returning his focus to me.

“It’s primarily a ski lodge,” he explained after a swallow of cider. “During the summer, they run hiking trips and function as a regular hotel. They send us plenty of business for our flight service.”

“Aren’t they your competition?”

I took a bite of a pastry, closing my eyes and letting out a little moan at the flavor. It was filled with brie and a burst of cranberry flavor. “Oh, my God, that’s good.”

When I opened my eyes, he was staring at me intently. “You could do that again,” he murmured.

While nothing he said was inappropriate, there was a naughty hint to his words. It felt as if sparks scattered over the surface of my skin. Trying to play it cool, which I was utterly terrible at, I commented, “You should taste one.”

He took one, while I enjoyed another. After a moment, he nodded. “Very good. To your question, the ski lodge isn’t really competition. They cater to a different type of tourist. Sure, they are Alaskan tourists, but the people that book there want to be close to town. The people that stay with us are more after the pretending as if they’re in the middle of nowhere vibe.”

I couldn’t help but giggle at that description. “Pretending? Aren’t you all pretty far out there?”

Diego finished another bite, and I found my eyes lingering on the motion of his throat when he swallowed. Good Lord. I even thought this man swallowing was sexy. This wasn’t even sane. Heat prickled over the surface of my skin, and my pulse hummed along.

Oblivious to my internal state, he stayed on topic. “You’ll have to come out there. It’s only twenty minutes away from town. It does have the feel of being isolated though. More than half the drive is on a gravel road. It’s pretty high end and a really nice place. Plus, we have Daphne’s cooking. As you can see from her sandwiches, we’ve got it good.”

“Oh, is there a restaurant there?”

Diego chuckled. “No. That would be nice though. It’s a restaurant grade kitchen, but we only serve the guests there.”

Elias, Cammi’s boyfriend, approached. He appeared to hear the tail end of our