“Jason?” she said softly.
She saw him tense and there was a shift in the atmosphere before he glanced up. His expression was fierce as his gaze ensnared hers. “What are you doing here, Claire? Did you forget something?”
“No, I came back for you,” she explained as she walked toward him.
“I thought you left with Max. Did he offer you the job?”
“Not yet. He got a little tipsy and I didn’t want him to drive.” She now stood before Jason. Claire ached for him to reach for her but he didn’t move.
Jason frowned. “He had only been here for a half an hour. I swore he didn’t have more than two glasses.”
“I think he had a few drinks before he came here. I drove him to his hotel and his rental car was still in the parking lot.”
“How did you get him to surrender his keys?” he asked with a small smile.
“I can be very persuasive.” Claire decided to go for broke and sat on his lap. It felt like an intimate gesture that girlfriends and wives did instead of casual lovers. Satisfaction trilled up her spine when he curled his arm around her waist. “Jason, what are you doing here sitting in the dark?”
“It’s hard to explain,” he said softly as he ducked his head. “The party went well but I felt empty afterward.”
“Why do you think that is?” Claire cupped his face with her hands.
“I’m not sure, but I’m feeling better already,” he decided.
“Do you sit in silence after every party? It doesn’t sound like you.” She was the one who needed to be alone to recharge. Jason was the kind of person who got energized when he was around crowds.
“First time,” he admitted as he absently stroked her bare back. She shifted as her skin tingled.
“You are usually a whirlwind of energy. You have ideas colliding with each other. Last month we were at an event right in this tasting room and you started telling me what you wanted to do at the next event.” She chuckled lightly. “I was ready to do an intervention.”
His hand paused at the small of her back. “This will be my last party for a while.”
“Why?” His serious tone gave her a moment of worry. “As far as I’m concerned, the party was a success.”
“It was, but I was thinking about what you said.” He leaned to the side to set down his wineglass. “I’ve been restless and bored. I kept creating events and projects to distract myself.”
He had kept himself overscheduled and directed his creativity to the wine bar so he wouldn’t feel the loss of not following his dream. But the emptiness crept in at moments like these. “Are you sure you want to take a break?”
“Sure. What’s the worst that could happen?”
The worst? The emptiness could consume him. He could lose his competitive edge over the tasting rooms that lined the street. “Well...”
He pressed his fingers against her lips. “Don’t tell me. Anyway, I’m going to need all that time when I go to culinary school.”
“That’s the spirit. What are you going to do until the next semester? Won’t the boredom get worse?”
He held her chin with his fingertips. “I don’t feel bored or restless anymore. You cured me.”
She pulled away in surprise. “I did? How?”
“Because of who you are,” he murmured as he rubbed her back with his other hand. The motions did little to soothe her. Instead it made her aware of the pulsating ache low in her belly. “You are a constant surprise. I feel like I’ve only scratched the surface.”
Claire bit her lip as she gazed into his eyes. She wanted to know if this meant he was ready to continue the fling. The way he spoke made it sound as if he wanted more. Something longer. Something permanent.
She realized she was getting ahead of herself, but the need to ask burned inside her. She parted her lips and stopped. He had seemed vulnerable a few moments ago. This was not the time to press him.
“I couldn’t stop looking at you tonight,” he confessed as he trailed his fingers down the curve of her throat. “I wanted to drag you to the bathroom and mess up your hair.”
She smiled as she remembered the night he’d done exactly that. “Go ahead.” Her voice was husky.
“Take down your hair for me, Claire.”
She reached up, her arms feeling heavy and awkward as she unpinned the knot. Claire dropped the pins on the floor, one by one. The sound of the metal hitting the wood floor was loud as her hair gradually fell past her shoulders.