Emilee was on a private jet. She’d expected a nice restaurant, not a plane flight to— “Where are we going?”
Drew chuckled. “Dinner.” Damn Drew for drawing out the suspense. But she loved it.
“And we’ll be eating dinner in which city?”
Drew reached out to squeeze her hand. “We have a reservation at Chateau Felicity at seven o’clock.”
Emilee’s skin burned where he’d briefly touched her. Her nerves were on high alert being so near this handsome man.
He expertly uncorked the champagne and poured glasses for them. She accepted a glass when offered and mulled over this new information. She recognized the winery from a recent article in a local LA magazine that profiled the town of Harmony and the family-owned winery. “We’re going to Harmony for dinner?”
“Yes. I went to college with Felicity, whose family owns the winery. She manages the business for her parents, who are semiretired.”
“That sounds like a dream job,” Emilee remarked as she sipped her champagne. Much like this was a dream date.
“It’s Felicity’s dream,” Drew replied. “And most of her siblings have a job in the family business. Except her brother, Foster, who is an executive in New York City.”
Emilee couldn’t imagine a life more different from the bucolic winery than the big city. She leaned back in the luxurious seat, running her fingers along the cool, caramel leather. Puffy, white clouds floated by the window. Emilee felt as if she’d been transported into a different world. She glanced down at her sundress, suddenly feeling underdressed.
“You look beautiful,” Drew said, seeming to read her thoughts.
“I didn’t dress for a private jet…” Or a prestigious winery.
“You’re perfect,” Drew insisted. “We’ll be the only ones at dinner anyway, so you could wear a sack and it would be fine.”
Drew must have reserved a private room. Emilee wasn’t usually impressed by being wined and dined, but somehow, when it was her childhood crush, it felt different. Drew’s attention to her comfort was downright sexy.
Much like the man himself. His brown hair, which in the late afternoon sunlight was more of a mahogany, looked silky and soft. His eyes shone bright with an intensity she’d never felt from him before.
His eyes slid lower, to take in where her neckline dipped to show a hint of cleavage. He caught her watching and glanced away, a flush spreading up his neck. He was checking her out.
Without warning, the powerful feelings of her teen years flooded back. The longing for the boy next door who never seemed to notice her. Except now he was looking at her as if he saw her for the first time.
And Emilee shivered with anticipation for what would come next.
“Thank you for agreeing to this date,” Drew said, his deep voice breaking the silence between them and pulling Emilee from her thoughts. “I know your mom pretty much talked you into it.”
Guilt crept up her neck as she racked her brain for a polite, yet honest reply. “Umm…”
Drew barked a laugh. “No need to pretend. I know your mom has been working on this for a while now. To be honest, I was sure you’d turn me down.”
Emilee felt her cheeks heat at his spot-on assessment of the situation. “I’ve been hesitant to agree,” she conceded.
“I don’t blame you. You only knew me as the awkward guy from next door who had the world’s biggest crush on you.”
Drew had a crush on her?
“I had no idea.” Emilee placed her champagne on the table between them and sat back in her seat, giggles escaping before she could reign them in.
Drew shot her an incredulous look. “No way! You had to have known. I couldn’t even make eye contact with you.”
“I honestly had no clue.” The champagne may have loosened her tongue because before she could think better of it, she blurted out, “I wish I knew. I had a crush on you, too.”
Emilee covered her eyes with her hand as she confessed, peeking through her fingers to gauge Drew’s reaction. He leaned back in his seat, stunned.
He opened and closed his mouth a few times before he spoke. “I could have asked you out in high school,” he breathed. His husky voice stirred up those butterflies again.
“Yes. We wouldn’t be here now, though.” Emilee had no doubt they wouldn’t have lasted past high school as their lives went in such different directions.
“I could have taken you to prom.”
“I wish you would have. My date got so drunk he puked all over my designer shoes.”
“The current me would have had the guts to ask you. High school me was too insecure.”
“What changed?” Drew was a totally different person than he’d been in high school. Emilee had recognized that the moment he stepped onto her porch.
Drew shrugged. “I grew up. Pushed myself out of my comfort zone. Learned I could do whatever I wanted as long as I was motivated. And—” He gave her a crooked grin. “—it didn’t hurt that I was a billionaire before I turned twenty-one.”
The sip of champagne she’d been drinking spewed out of her mouth in an unladylike move. Emilee watched helplessly as liquid landed on his expertly tailored shirt, leaving splotches on the obviously expensive material.
“I’m so sorry!” She grabbed a cocktail napkin and reached across to blot at his shirt. She only spread the liquid around to make a more obvious stain.
Drew placed his large hand over hers, sending electricity flooding through her. “No worries, I can dry clean it.” He balled up the napkin and tossed it on the table with his free hand. He kept his grip on her wrist, gently tugging her until she landed next to him on the loveseat.
Breathless, she waited for his next move. This take charge side of Drew was her favorite yet. Her lips parted, and Drew closed the distance between them. His kiss was soft as he explored her mouth as if he had unlimited time and wanted to savor each slide of their lips.
He kept the kiss light as Emilee reveled in the sensations. Her hand cupped his slightly scruffy jaw. The texture on her sensitive fingertips sent a shiver through her.
Emilee moaned and the sound broke something loose in Drew as he angled his head to better capture her lips and slid his tongue across her mouth to encourage her to open to him. She granted him access and he plundered her mouth with his own, his arms coming around her to pull her closer to his chest.
Kissing Drew felt…right. She’d imagined this kiss a million times as a teenager, though never in a private jet on the way to a romantic dinner—her teenage fantasies had been a bit more subdued.
Drew was leaning over her, which pushed her further down onto the leather loveseat. She shifted so he could settle between her thighs and they both gasped at the contact.
Ding, ding, ding. “Please put your tray tables up and your seatbelts on in preparation for landing.”
Dammit. They scrambled to right themselves, rushing to refasten their seatbelts. Moments later, the flight attendant entered the cabin to retrieve the remains of their champagne and appetizers. She kept her eyes on her task, discreetly ignoring Emilee and Drew’s efforts to right their clothing and hair.
The captain’s voice came over the loudspeaker to announce the local time and weather. Emilee watched as the plane slowly lowered in elevation and the landscape came into focus—lush farmland in the valley, surrounded by mountains on all sides.
Emilee’s breath caught at the beauty. Drew reached for her hand and squeezed it. “Just wait until you see Chateau Felicity.”
She glanced at Drew out of the corner of her eye. He was smiling, which lit up his entire face. He was the kind of handsome that sucker punched you in the gut. Emilee had thought her teenage crush was gone, but the butterflies dancing in her stomach called her bluff. She was head over heels for this man.