Read Summer in Napa (A St. Helena Vineyard Novel) for Free Online Page B

didn’t open, he teased it across the seam of her lips until she parted them on a gasp. He slid the chocolate in and she nearly moaned, because of the chocolate or the fluttering going on in her girly region, she didn’t know.
    Marc reached behind him, and when he turned back around, he stared down at her with those intense brown eyes and cocked a brow. She figured
what the hell
and opened.
    “Oh my God,” she moaned, savoring the bitter and tart and dissecting each individual taste. “Is that a kumquat? I never would have thought to add that. It’s incredible.”
    “Yes, you would have. You made me a chocolate cake with these things on the top for my eighteenth birthday.”
    She had. How had she forgotten that? And why had he remembered?
    “How many do you need?” he asked, smiling smugly.
    “About twenty, I guess. They’re so small.”
    Marc bagged her citrus and dropped it in her basket. Bending over, he grabbed the handles and strode off—with her groceries.
    “What are you doing?” She followed behind him.
    “What else do you need?” He didn’t slow down.
    “What I
need
is to carry my own basket to the counter and pay so I can get home.”
    “Great, checkout it is.” He never broke his stride and wouldn’t give up the basket.
    “Fine,” she conceded, looking at his groceries, “but I need a few things first.”

CHAPTER 3
    M arc smiled as she led him around the store, those heels of hers slapping the ground and a delicate, feminine scent lingering behind her. “A few things” didn’t even begin to describe what she was buying. She loaded up the basket with a loaf of herbed focaccia bread, a block of wasabi gouda, adding an apple and some kind of bone that Biff wrapped specially for her. He had no idea what she was going to use it for, a broth maybe, but the way she carried it instead of dropping it in the basket told him that it was important.
    Then she added in a jar of fig preserves, and Marc wondered what he was doing. He had run into the store to grab a quick lunch, which he’d done. And now he was good to go.
    Hell, he needed to go. Needed to get out of this store. Away from Lexi before he did something that he wouldn’t be proud of—like break man law and kiss his best friend’s ex-wife.
    Plus, instead of playing “carry the hot girl’s books to class” he should be in the truck, halfway out of town already.He’d promised a buddy in Sonoma that he’d drive over the hill and pick up ten cases of wine slated for the Showdown wine tasting.
    He’d been looking forward to getting out of town since last week. No office meant no e-mail, no phone calls, no BS. Just him, his dog, and a winding country road.
    Then he saw Lexi in that sundress and those shoes, looking frazzled and adorably irritated, and his plans changed because she appeared as though she needed the time away as much as he did.
    Maybe more.
    He’d overheard Nora giving her a hard time. Saw the look on Lexi’s face when she was trying to figure out what was wrong with her dress. And wanted to tell her she was perfect, that nothing was wrong. Hell, Lexi could be inspiring in a freaking potato sack. Then he’d touched her hair and, Christ, all he could think about was touching her more.
    “That all?” Marilee asked, snapping Marc out of his daze.
    Mrs. Craver was glaring at Lexi, who was too busy repacking what the bag boy had already packed up to answer. She carefully separated everything in two bags, so intent on her project she didn’t realize they were holding up the line.
    “I think so,” Marc said, taking out his card and adding his items to the total.
    He signed the receipt and grabbed the bags when Lexi looked up. “I have to pay.”
    “Already did, cream puff.” And with a “good day” to Marilee, he ushered her out the door.
    They were halfway to his truck, Lexi digging through her wallet and following him blindly, when Wingman spotted them.
    “Wingman, stay,” he commanded, and like any good dog,