Mr. Intoxicating by Lori Wilde

Author:Lori Wilde
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Epiphany Orchards Press

Chapter Seven

Dinner with the Romanos was a lively affair.

It was a true celebration in every sense of the word, with Kiara’s father, Gino, present and his cancer in remission. Kiara’s mother, Beth, stayed by his side the entire night, holding her husband’s hand and reaching over from time to time to pat his cheek as if unable to believe their extreme good fortune.

Wyatt dressed for dinner, putting on the only decent clothes he’d brought with him on his undercover assignment—a pair of simple khaki slacks and a button-down white shirt. He left the top two buttons undone and wore a plain brown belt with brown deck shoes. Hoping he didn’t look too put together for a winery intern, he’d gone to the house feeling more nervous than he’d felt since that first morning in the tasting room.

Kiara seemed genuinely surprised when her grandfather led Wyatt into the kitchen, but she hadn’t commented on him being invited to dinner, had simply greeted him with a subdued hello and gone back to putting platters of food on the table. Had she forgotten he told her that they needed to have a long talk?

One glimpse of Kiara and he felt a hot rush of desire so intense he had to school his features into a mild expression for fear the astute people in the room would see exactly what he was feeling.

She wore slim black jeans—a sexy change from the shapeless dresses—and a long blue V-neck tunic that molded softly against her breasts and showed off her amazing cleavage. Her hair was down for once, tumbling around her shoulders in a fiery cascade instead of pulled back into a ponytail. She’d even put on a bit of makeup—lipstick, mascara, and blush—and had exchanged the gold studs for dangly crystal earrings. When the light caught the crystals, it sent a halo of tiny rainbows dancing around her ears. She looked like some mythical fairy princess.

He thought about that morning in the wine cellar. Had it been only such a short time ago? It felt like eons since he’d touched her bare skin, kissed those sweet lips.

The big oak table was laden with delicious homemade Italian fare—stuffed mushrooms, lasagna Bolognese, eggplant rollups, pasta with sausage and tomatoes—all served family-style. They started the meal with antipasto of Genoa salami, kalamata olives, roasted garlic, pepperoncini, artichoke hearts, mozzarella and provolone sprinkled with olive oil. There was tiramisu and gelato for dessert, and wine flowed freely.

Having spent most of his adult years in Europe, Wyatt felt right at home.

Kiara was in rare form. She laughed and made jokes and hugged her father every time she hopped up from the table to retrieve more wine or tea. She ruffled the hair of her young cousins, teased Maurice about the Janet Hampton incident, and girl-talked to her cousin-in-law Trudy, her mother, and her grandmother.

He’d never seen her so relaxed and wished he could help her feel like that all the time. He was just beginning to fathom the scope of

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