“There are cookies and coffee in the back of the room for those who want to stay and mingle. See you all next week,” the moderator of the AA group announced.
Beside her, Ariadne felt Dio exhale and mumble something under his breath she didn’t catch. “Sorry, what did you say?”
He glanced at her and cleared his throat. “I’ve already had coffee. I’m good to go.”
The pained expression on his face spoke volumes. This couldn’t have been easy for him. Nevertheless, she was proud of him. He really made an effort to please her and listen to her suggestions. Deep down, Dio truly was a good man. Maybe some bad experiences with relationships had made him shy away from her the day after they’d had sex. Could she really blame him? Her own experiences had made her cautious too.
“So, shall we go?” Dio prompted once more. “I can take you to lunch.”
Ari forced a smile and pushed back her thoughts. “That would be lovely.” As she stood, her cell rang. “Sorry.” She fished for it in her handbag and read the display. It was her shop’s number. “Yes, Lisa?”
“Sorry to bother you, Ariadne, but the delivery with the Chilean wines just arrived, and it doesn’t agree with what we ordered. I think you’d better come.”
“Is the delivery guy still there?”
“Yes. I haven’t signed off yet.”
Ari let out a relieved breath. “Good, don’t. And don’t let him leave. I’m only ten minutes away.” She disconnected the call and pocketed the cell, giving Dio an apologetic look.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, his voice laced with instant concern.
“I have to take a rain check on lunch. There’s a problem at the store. I’ll call you later.”
Dio put a hand on her arm. “Why don’t I come with you? I want to see your shop anyway.”
She hesitated for a brief moment, wondering whether exposing him to the wine shop would trigger any memories. But she cursed herself at the same time: she couldn’t constantly prevent him from revisiting familiar places in the hopes that his memory would stay away. It was selfish, and besides, she had no idea how and when his memory would return. It could happen spontaneously and have nothing to do with seeing familiar places and things.
“Sure.”
As they walked out into the sunshine, Dio took her hand into his large palm. The contact was light, but it made her suddenly feel flustered again. Why did he still affect her so intensely?
“This is really a cute town. How long have I been living here?”
Unprepared for his question, her heart raced. “How long?” she stalled. Would it matter what answer she gave? “A couple of years.”
“Where did I live before?”
“You never talked much about that.”
He made a face. “You’re telling me that you’re prepared to marry a man who hasn’t even told you where he’s from?”
Ari scrambled for a believable answer. “No, no, of course not.”
“You mean you’re not prepared to marry me?”
Irritated, she pulled her hand from his. God, how she hated having to lie to him all the time. “Don’t try to confuse me.”
“How do I confuse you?”
“By asking all those questions.”
He blew out a breath and raked a hand through his full hair. “But I have to ask questions. I have to know who I am.” He looked at her then, searching her eyes for approval.
Regret surged through her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. It’s just, all this, it’s … it’s very stressful.” There, that was a plausible explanation, and it wasn’t even far from the truth. Who would have known that constantly lying was stressful? “I don’t know how to deal with all this, with you losing your memory.” With me deceiving you, she wanted to scream.
Dio reached for her hand and brought it to his lips to place a kiss on it. “I understand. But I don’t want you to worry about it. It’ll come back, I’m sure.”
Which was exactly what Ari was worried about. If his memory came back too early, it would be catastrophic. And if his memory stayed away longer? Would history repeat itself? Would she fall even deeper for him? And then, when he finally realized who he was and what she’d done, would he hate her then?
“Don’t look so glum. It’ll be all right.”
Dio cast Ariadne another glance. Something was off. Whenever he asked her about his past, she got nervous. Was there something in his past she didn’t want to share with him? The thought made unease slither down his back like a snake. Perhaps it was better if he tried to figure things out on his own.
Later, he’d continue scouting out the addresses he’d found in his apartment in the hope that some speck of memory returned. But while he was with Ariadne, he might as well use the time to get closer to her. Since he’d bent to her will to deal with his so-called drinking problem, it was time that she did something he wanted. Quid pro quo.
When Ariadne suddenly stopped in front of a shop, Dio looked up at the sign above the door. In Vino Veritas it said. His mind instantly translated the words for him: truth in wine. He spoke Latin, but he also realized that it wasn’t his native language. Neither was English. He was definitely educated—classically educated, evidently.
Dio followed her into the shop and closed the door, leaving the sounds of the traffic behind him. Hundreds of bottles neatly stacked on various racks and display cases reached out to him to greet him like the prodigal son. A welcoming surge of recognition washed over him and wrapped around him like a warm towel after a cold shower.
His eyes traveled over the bottles, caressing their contents through the dark glass that contained the precious liquid. He felt relaxed and content for the first time since the onset of his amnesia. The wine bottles spoke to him almost in deference, as if they were his subjects and he their king. Dio shook his head at the stupid notion. Clearly, the AA meeting had scrambled his brain. There was no way he was going back there.
He’d never felt so uncomfortable in his life—or the little of his life that he remembered. The thought of giving up wine for good was unfathomable to him. Why would anybody do such a thing? Wine was life, fun, and even healthy for that matter. And besides, why would Ariadne want him to give up drinking when she owned a wine shop herself? No, when the next meeting came around, he’d tell her that he’d go alone so that she wouldn’t realize that he had no intention of attending.
“Hi, Dio, nice to see you again,” a voice behind him pulled him out of his reverie. He turned on his heels and looked at the young woman who greeted him.
“Hi.” He couldn’t put a name to the pretty face, nor could he recall whether they had indeed met.
“Lisa,” she prompted. “You probably don’t remember my name …”
“I’m sorry, but—”
“Lisa, uh, can you help us here?” Ariadne asked, pointing to the delivery man who stood at the entrance to a door leading into the back, a storage area most likely.
“Excuse me,” Lisa said and joined her boss.
Wanting to feel useful, Dio decided to interrupt them before they got too deep into their work. “Ariadne, shall I get us all some takeout food? Looks like neither of you will have time for a sit down lunch anyway.” He pointed at the cases of wine, some partially opened, some still closed, that littered the entrance to the storage room.
“That would be wonderful. Thanks.” Ariadne smiled at him before looking back over the paperwork in her hands.
He found himself smiling back at her, drinking in her sweet features. After lunch, he’d make a play for dessert.
By the time Dio returned from a little Italian restaurant, several pasta dishes and salads in hand, the delivery man had left, and Lisa and Ariadne were carrying the heavy cases into the storage room. He dropped the food onto the counter and rushed toward them.
“Let me do that,” he offered and took the case right out of Ariadne’s arms. “Why don’t the two of you start with lunch and I’ll join you once I’ve put the wine away?”
“You brought lunch for me too?” Lisa asked, surprise evident in her raised voice.
“Of course. We need to put some meat on your bones.” He winked. The girl was entirely too skinny for his taste. Now, Ariadne’s lush curves, they were a totally different thing. When his gaze traveled up Ari’s hips and breasts and landed on her face, he noticed her miffed expression. Had he said something wrong? She couldn’t possibly have taken his comment to Lisa the wrong way, could she? Or was he prone to flirt with other women? “Now, both of you, eat.”
He walked into the store room when Ariadne called after him, “But you don’t know where to put them.”
“Sorted by country, then by varietal, then by year?” It was how his own wine cellar was stocked. His own wine cellar? Where would he have a wine cellar? There was no space in his small apartment in Charleston to have such a luxury. All he had was a wine fridge. Yet he knew with one hundred percent certainty that he had a wine cellar. Somewhere.
“Yes, just like that,” Ariadne confirmed.
The smell of the food wafted into the storeroom as he hefted case after case into it and stacked them up high. Soon, his stomach growled, and he was glad when the last case was in its place.
He emerged from the storage room and stopped for a moment to watch Ariadne and Lisa enjoy their lunch at the tasting counter. While Lisa was a pretty girl, and very young at that, his eyes were drawn to Ariadne and her figure. Everything about her was more mature and riper than the fresh girl by her side. Ripe for the plucking. And what a plentiful harvest it would be.
His groin tightened at the thought. If he didn’t get his hands on her soon, he’d burst into flames.
“Have you left me anything?” He walked over to them and peered into the cartons.
“You brought way too much,” Ariadne claimed.
“I’m famished.” For more than just food. Dio forced himself to shovel some pasta onto a paper plate and dig into it. The sooner he’d eaten his main course, the sooner he’d be able to move onto dessert. Which wouldn’t stop him from looking at his dessert while eating his entrée.
Lisa cleaned off the last of the pasta from her plate when the little bell over the door tinkled, announcing the arrival of a customer. “I’ll get that.”
“I’ll help you clean up,” Dio offered Ariadne in the next instance.
“I’ve got it.” Ari reached for an empty carton just as he did, their hands touching. She gave a nervous giggle before she tossed the carton into the trash behind her. The remaining containers and paper plates followed suit. “Done.”
“Do you want to check on whether I put the cases in the right place?” Dio asked, a plan already forming in his mind.
“Yes, let me make sure I can find them later.”
He followed her into the storeroom and quietly closed the door behind them. He didn’t need an audience. As she walked between the aisles toward the far wall of the room, Dio admired the seductive sway of Ari’s hips and the elegant curve of her legs. He knew exactly what he wanted her to do with those long legs. They looked strong and well toned, and he could fairly feel them wrapping around his hips as he thrust into her.
Despite the coolness in the room, a thin layer of perspiration built on Dio’s forehead and neck. His heart raced and pumped blood to his cock in anticipation of what his brain was planning.
Ariadne stopped in front of the cases and perused them. Dio approached from behind and placed one hand to the side of her shoulder, touching the box behind her. “Did I do all right?” He purposefully lowered his voice, allowing it to sound more seductive than he’d ever spoken to her.
“Y-yes. It’s fine.” Her voice stuttered slightly, attesting to the fact that she was aware of his nearness and maybe even his intention.
“Tell me, baby, have we ever kissed in here?” He placed his hand on her shoulder and turned her to face him.
“N-no.” Her eyes were downcast as if she couldn’t meet his gaze, too afraid of what she’d see: the lust that was boiling over.
He shelved her chin on his palm and tilted her face up. “Why not?”
“We … we … I don’t know.” Her eyes skidded past him as if searching for an escape. There would be none.
“We’ll have to remedy that.” Without haste, he dropped his head to hers. “We do kiss, don’t we?”
“Y-yes.”
He felt a surge of power at her answer. “Good. Because I have the feeling that I like kissing you. And I’m a little starved for a kiss right now.” Then he crossed the remaining distance between them and brushed his lips to hers in a feather-light touch.
Her breath hitched at the contact, confirming that she was physically attracted to him. He would use this knowledge to free her from the stupid notion of practicing abstinence. In a few minutes, he’d have her panting for release.
Dio slid his hand to the back of her neck and slanted his head, sliding his lips over hers once more. His thigh brushed against her hip, the contact sending a flame of white heat through his groin. Of its own volition, his other thigh nudged between her legs to press against her center.
A sigh escaped her mouth and bounced against his lips. He parted his lips to drink in her scent before pulling her upper lip into his mouth. Slowly, he slid his tongue over the soft flesh and felt her tremble in response.
“Easy, baby,” he cooed and repeated his action.
When Ariadne parted her lips a moment later to take in a breath, Dio pressed his lips against her and allowed his tongue to glide into her. First slowly and with measured strokes, he explored her sweet cavern, tasting, touching, and caressing. An involuntary groan burst from his chest. By the gods, he enjoyed kissing her even more than he thought was humanly possible. As he pressed her against the cases at her back, he intensified his kiss and let all ideas of a slow seduction fly into the wind.
Instead, he captured her, allowing her no reprieve, and issued his demand. With determined strokes, he slid against her tongue, initiating a passionate dance, one she answered without hesitation. This wasn’t the kiss of a woman who didn’t know carnal pleasures. The kiss she shared with him was passionate and all-consuming, and the sounds coming from her body, the soft moans and sighs issuing from her chest, were not those of a shy virgin.
Dio ground his hips into her, letting one hand travel down her torso. As he caressed the outside of her breast with his thumb, Ariadne’s arms went around his neck, one hand burying itself in his hair. He relished the feeling of her fingers digging into his scalp to hold him closer to her.
Encouraged by her reaction, he moved his hand over her breast, feeling the outline of her bra. The heat under his palm burned into his skin, but he needed more. Before she had a chance to stop him, had she intended to, he pulled her blouse out of the waistband of her skirt and tunneled underneath it. His fingertips met naked skin, soft and warm.
He moved his hand upwards, connecting with the underwire of her bra before he slid over the gauzy fabric and found the hard peak that had formed there. When his fingers brushed over it, a strangled moan issued from her lips together with a protest. “Stop.”
But the word was so soft and accompanied by a thrust of her hips against his that he couldn’t take the demand seriously. He could already smell her arousal, the sweet scent drifting into his nostrils, turning his entire body into a single-minded machine wanting only one thing: release.
“Shh, baby,” he whispered against her lips, briefly interrupting the kiss. But a moment later, he was back, taking her lips more fiercely so she wouldn’t be able to think of resistance.
His hand slid under the fabric of her bra and captured the ripe peak. Her flesh was firm and warm and more responsive than he’d dreamed. As he kneaded the globe that fit his hand perfectly, his cock turned into a rod so hard it could have been used as a crowbar. The charges of heat and energy racing through his body made his skin perspire and his heart beat in a frantic rhythm. His breathing was as labored as if he’d been running a Marathon, but he couldn’t let that deter him from his goal. He had to have Ariadne, now, here. No matter what. Standing up, pressed against cases of wine, he’d fuck her until she admitted freely that abstinence had been a silly idea. And then he’d take her home and make love to her properly like a fiancé should.
Dio ripped his mouth from hers at the same time as he gripped the bottom of her blouse and pushed it upwards, exposing one breast. Then he pushed the bra aside, freeing one beautiful tit and dropping his lips to it. Capturing the hard nipple in his mouth, he sucked it.
Ariadne’s head dropped against the cases as she let out a surprised gasp. But he wasn’t about to give her a chance to pull back. As he sucked greedily and teased the nipple with his tongue, his hand went to her thigh. He found the seam of her swinging summer skirt and slid underneath it, moving his hand upwards toward the ultimate prize.
She wore no pantyhose, leaving her thighs bare to his touch. He caressed the soft skin and moved inwards, sliding his hand between her legs which she so obligingly parted wider. When his fingers connected with her panties, he realized that they were already soaked.
Her nipple popped out of his mouth. “Oh, baby!” Did she want him as much as he wanted her? Dio sucked her breast back into his mouth and slid one finger along the outside of her panties. The heat that greeted him was almost unbearable in its intensity. Once he buried his cock in her, he’d flare up like a single sheet of paper carelessly thrown into the fire, burning out just as quickly.
But not even that knowledge could make him slow down. He was past the moment of no-return, unable to control his urges any longer. Nothing could stop him from making Ariadne his now. Her response to him was unmistakable: she was aroused by his touch and wanted more. He wasn’t going to deny her, and he for sure wasn’t going to deny himself.
Dio pushed her panties lower and slid into them, passing the nest of curls until he felt the warmth and wetness that oozed from her core. His finger rubbed against her moist entrance, then pulled farther up to find her clit. He pressed against it with his dew-covered digit and heard her moan. In a few minutes, he’d breach her delicious portal and slide home.
“Ari, did you …” The voice in the background trailed off just as Ariadne jolted under his hold and stiffened.
“Sorry,” Lisa added before the door was shut loudly.
Shit! The girl had terrible timing.
Ari pushed against him, making him release her. When he noticed her flushed face, she avoided his look and instead hastily adjusted her clothes. “I have to get back to work.”
A second later, she brushed past him and left the room without a backwards glance.