A Taste Of Desire

Chapter 6

Destin strode to the kitchenette and fired up the hot plate, his mind racing. She wasn’t supposed to get this far. The previous agents had never seen the inside of the cellar—he’d seen to that.

Destin replayed the words his father had said to him at the beginning of the year. Armand Dechamps had stood at the head of the board of directors table, his hair graying, leaning on a gold-tipped cane, but still formidable. His business advisors surrounded him.

“Between your start-up costs, the insurance company refusing to process our claim and the property taxes on idle land, Brazil is financially draining us. We have to sell now, unless you have another idea to make revenue.” Armand had narrowed his gaze. “Are you sure there is no more wine in that cellar, Destin?”

Stunned and speechless at the turn of the discussion, he’d looked at the man who’d taught him how to tell time by the sun’s placement in the sky and simply said no. He’d lied; there was wine, and remembering how his father tried to take it from him, he didn’t feel bad about lying.

Destin knew his father’s techniques like the back of his hand, and he’d applied everything he knew to make the awarding-winning Cab Franc for Dechamps France. But he’d experimented in Brazil, making his own signature Cab Franc—lighter bodied, ruby red, tart berry flavors with ethereal hints of earth, rose and violet.

Dechamps Brazil ended up in Wine Spectator magazine, was featured in blogs across the world and began to win awards of its own. Local businesses were supplied with Dechamps wines at a discount and every week they were sold out at the Saturday market.

Wine was for the people, and they implemented a direct-to-consumer subscription plan. After three years up and running, Dechamps Brazil surpassed expectations.

And that’s when their father tried to shut them down.

His father’s jealousy was a blow Destin hadn’t seen coming. Suddenly he’d found himself in a legal battle with his father over the rights to his own wines. The French team had taken over production of Destin’s signature Cab Franc, and distribution was to be solely commercial—no more direct to consumer.

Destin and Elliot had fought to split from Dechamps France, but under their contract, anything produced under the Dechamps umbrella belonged to their father. Even if they split, they couldn’t take the wine with them. Even Elliot, the one who was so much like their deceased mother, hadn’t been able to reason with Armand.

Destin had been prepared to go to court. He’d never gotten the chance. The fire took everything he’d loved, except the cellar.

For months after Nina’s funeral, he’d eaten little, said little and seen no one. The château where he lived now had originally been a place for their father to stay when visiting. Destin had spent six months on that couch, grieving. Food would magically appear in the kitchen—Elliot’s doing, although they never spoke about it.

One morning he’d walked the three miles to the winery and seen the damage—scorched earth, melted metal and crumbling stone. The air had still smelled charred and ash had still been blowing in the wind. But he’d noted that the outer, more dense foliage had begun to regrow. Shining green leaves were poking out of the wreckage and quivering on shaky new stems. The terroir had lost water and nutrients, but the land still lived.

With renewed hope, he’d run through the thousand vines. Once vibrant, all were broken, wilted and black. As far as he could see, no grape had survived. He’d worked his fingernails into the branches, looking for life on one after another. And found nothing.

Tears had blinded him when his gaze dropped to a dead vine in the very last row. Gnarled and bent, at first glance it seemed to have nothing left, and the vine had somehow twisted itself half out of its planting hole. Destin had run his fingertips down the rough stem, then stopped when they met a yellow, half-gone leaf. Under the leaf had been one small, rotting grape. Again, with his fingertips, he’d picked at the gray bark on the curved underside of the vine and peeled it back. It was green. A healthy, bright green.

He’d checked every vine, marking those with potential to live and immediately replanting them in the untouched soil behind the cellar. There was no man-made irrigation there, and the place had had to be cleared in order to let in the sun. And sixty of the eighty-six vines he’d replanted had survived.

Now, everything was done by hand, from the de-stemming to the bottling. He didn’t even have a label. Only two batches were about to reach maturity. With the help of a few of their old farm hands, they were on track to produce about two thousand bottles this year.

And it was on the strength of those batches that he’d planned to rebuild. But he had to do it alone, since Elliot had moved on to other business ventures, and was afraid of their father’s wrath. His bother had promised to keep Destin’s plans a secret.

It had taken almost a year, but Destin had amassed a small team of investors—friends from school and business contacts who were ready to help—and with a relatively small upfront investment of his own, he could replace the production equipment. He just needed to secure the land from his father.

It was his one shot to keep what was rightfully his. And he wasn’t going to let anyone get in the way.

He had been checking the vines when the sky opened up, and then Nicole had come crashing through the doorway.

The sight of her, drenched and out of breath, had burned itself into his brain. She had been light as a feather in his arms, her skin hot and slippery from the rain. He’d breathed in the subtle scent of coconut from her hair. Her shirt had gaped from a popped button, and he’d glimpsed her full cleavage, which was barely restrained by a brown satin bra. He wondered if she wore panties to match, then pictured her nude, before deciding that line of thinking wasn’t helping.

She was too capable, too unpredictable...too beautiful.

Deep in his thoughts, Destin placed the sandwich on the hot plate and accidentally burned his knuckle. He hissed and popped the singed flesh into his mouth.

“Do you need help back there?” Nicole called out.

Destin realized he had been hiding for several minutes. “No, I just...” Was thinking of making love to you and almost burned off my fingers. Destin spied a lone mason jar of stew he’d left there a few weeks ago. “I found some stew for us.” He grabbed a small pot, emptied the mason jar into it and placed it on the hot plate alongside the Bauru.

Quietly, he peered around the corner into the main room. Nicole was checking her ankle, the blanket shoved aside and her lower leg visible. She swatted at Magnus, who was inspecting her every movement with his wet nose. The dog planted his butt on the floor, and she praised him with cute noises as she lightly stroked his head.

She had no gloss on her full lips, and her eye makeup had washed off, leaving small black smudges under her eyes. Her hair was still damp and was transforming into tousled waves. And those legs...even the night before, they’d had him mesmerized. Recalling the softness of her calf and the rip in her skirt, he cursed under his breath. Those legs were going to be the end of him.

Dammit—he had no time for sexual attraction, especially under the circumstances, but there was something about this woman. She was smart, ambitious and knowledgeable about wine, which almost made her a threat.

He just wanted her gone. For the sake of his wine and—he rubbed at his knuckle—his sanity.

* * *

Being trapped in a small space with a handsome man would have been great if that small space had been a hot tub, but the stone walls and the damp, cold air of the wine cellar, although possibly romantic at one time, felt more like a dungeon. Nicole was wrapped in blankets, her bare leg awkwardly stretched out onto the bench. Her tote bag was wet and crumpled in the middle of the table. She’d lost a button on her shirt, and she refused to think about what her hair was doing.

She blew out an annoyed breath. Why was she thinking about her appearance? Destin was her client, not a prospective boyfriend. And he had a girlfriend. She recalled watching Destin and Thereza leave the restaurant, sure they were going to continue the rest of their night naked. But, still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that they were not together. He’d said as much at the bar, and for a split second, she had believed him. What do you care? she chided herself. Guys like him don’t have girlfriends. They had side pieces, probably all models.

Nicole was huddled under her wool blanket when Destin came out of the alcove, three steaming bowls balanced in his arms. Delicious smells accompanied him. Her stomach howled when he placed a bowl and spoon in front of her. Magnus shot from the floor and dug in the second Destin placed the second bowl by his paws. Then Destin set his bowl down, went back to the kitchen and brought out two more plates, each holding half of a sandwich.

He placed one by her bowl, then slid into a chair across from her and gestured at the food with his spoon. “Bon appétit.”

She shifted on the bench and dipped her spoon into the stew. She let out a small sound of pleasure and allowed the tastes to linger in her mouth before scooping up another bite. Her lips pursed to blow a cooling breath across the hot stew, and shifting her gaze, she caught him staring.

“This is good,” she said after several spoonfuls.

“Yes, Lapin à la Cocotte. My grandmother’s recipe.”

She stiffened. “Um, this is rabbit?”

He tipped his head in answer, and she blanched. He snickered.

“I forgot. Americans only eat chicken,” he said with a smirk.

Her eyes narrowed. “You’re hilarious. I’ve had rabbit before. In Paris,” she said defensively, leaving out that she hadn’t finished the dish and ordered chicken. She continued eating, around the rabbit.

She raised her spoon and stared at the little square of carrot submerged in brown broth, then let the liquid sit on her tongue again for a moment before swallowing.

“Tell me,” he said.

“What?”

“The flavors.”

She grinned, then closed her eyes in concentration. “Onion, butter, garlic, thyme, parsley, bay leaves, along with the carrot and potato, of course, bacon—although I don’t see any chunks—and a hint of red wine.”

“You missed one.”

Her eyes widened, and she dipped her spoon again. Then again. She stared into space, took a drink of water and sipped the broth again.

“I can’t believe this, but I taste nothing else.”

A smile played on his lips, and a wicked gleam jumped into his eyes.

“Oh, you’re screwing with me. Cute. Was that to get me to eat more rabbit?”

“I couldn’t resist. You really don’t like it?”

“I do like it. It’s the thought of the cute fuzzy bunny that bothers me.”

“The bunnies around here are not cute. They are wild vermin. And there is no bacon, only drippings used for flavor. Try the Bauru.”

She took a big bite of the sandwich and let out a muffled happy squeal. Then finished it in about five seconds flat.

Destin finished his half quickly, too, except for a small bite he threw to the dog.

“Where in Paris did you have lapin?”

“Café Janou.”

“In Le Marais.”

“Yes.” She smiled, surprised that he knew it.

“The chocolate pudding...” His eyebrows raised in appreciation.

“Oh, my God, yes. It’s so decadent. I feel gluttonous every time I eat it. You don’t happen to have any back there in your magic kitchen, do you?”

“If only,” he said with longing. “Tonight would be the perfect night to be decadent.”

She searched his face, wondering if he was purposely trying to be suggestive. Maybe it was the way he was looking at her. Intense and interested.

He leaned in. “Do the sweets bother you?”

She looked away. Oh, he was interested...in her super palate.

“Only if too sweet.” She pushed her plate away and adjusted her foot on the bench. “Thank you for lunch. I suppose I was lucky you were here. I’d probably be soaking wet and still looking for my car.”

Destin took a sip of water and looked at her for a long moment. “Tell me more about what you do, Nicole.” She liked his accent and how he said her name. Neecole.

“I help sell dreams.” She smiled at his confused look. “Business and investment properties are my specialty. Developers, corporations and celebrities all want a property that will increase in value quickly, or won’t lose value in a down market. This property, for instance, needs work, but the acreage, seclusion and ocean proximity make it very attractive. Property like this doesn’t lose value.”

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