Bright, wild colors stormed through her and she matched his hard thrusts. She felt Jason tense underneath her. He gave a long push inside her before he found his release. His guttural moan echoed in her ears as the white-hot climax ripped through her.
Claire tumbled forward and burrowed her head against his shoulder. As she gulped for air, inhaling his scent, she knew she didn’t want this fling to end. She hoped that this was just the beginning.
* * *
THE NEXT AFTERNOON one of the waiters found Jason in the kitchen at Mountain Creek Wine Cellars. “Jason, there’s a customer who wants to talk to you.”
He glanced up from his clipboard and looked at the younger man standing at the door. “Who is it, Ramon?”
The waiter shrugged. “Never seen him before.”
So it wasn’t a local or a frequent customer. “What does he want?”
“He didn’t say.” Ramon rolled his eyes. “But he’s delivered one sarcastic comment after another since I’ve served him.”
Jason stepped out of the kitchen and surveyed the wine bar. All of the tables and bar stools were occupied since it was a Saturday afternoon. “Which one is he?”
The waiter pointed at the small table in the corner. Jason saw the back of the man’s head and instantly recognized the blond curly hair. He twisted his lips with annoyance. It was Max Blair. What was he doing here?
“You know him?” Ramon asked as he watched Jason’s expression.
“Unfortunately,” he muttered as he set down his clipboard. “Nothing is good enough for this guy.”
“Okay, so it’s not just me.” The waiter gave a sigh of relief.
Jason grinned and gave Ramon a pat on his shoulder before he walked to Max’s table. He knew what the waiter had dealt with. Last night Max had been disparaging about almost everything he had seen. The wine, the tasting room and the party. Jason had no idea why Claire tolerated it. Did she want a glamorous job so much that she was willing to put up with Max as her boss?
“Jason!” Max smiled when he approached the table and raised his wineglass in salute. “I must compliment you on your appetizers. The tuna and caviar on a fried wonton is a revelation.”
“Thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed it.” He took a step back, ready to leave.
“Please join me.” Max gestured at the chair across the table. “I have a meeting with Claire soon but I wanted to talk to you first.”
Jason knew he could come up with an excuse but he sensed that Max had something more to say. Was it about Claire? It would gnaw on him unless he found out immediately. Jason sat down and rested his forearms on the table. “What’s up?”
“You know, I didn’t expect to get food like this in the...” Max gestured at the evergreen trees outside the window “...wilderness. Where did you get this idea? France? Italy?”
A sushi food truck in Seattle. Jason had the sense that Max would not appreciate the truth, though, and he chose not to reveal his inspiration. “The chef and I get our influences everywhere.” Jason had been driven to create the flavors in an elegant appetizer, but no matter how much he had played with the idea, he couldn’t make it work. His lack of training and experience had held him back. Once he had asked for help from the chef, the two had created a perennial favorite for the wine bar.
Jason’s eyes narrowed when he studied the wineglass in Max’s hands. It was wider and shorter than the wineglass they usually used to serve the Riesling they paired with the tuna. “Are you drinking the chardonnay?”
“Yes, it’s good for a Washington wine. Your waiter had some other ideas but I knew the Chardonnay would be better with fish.” Max gave him a look of long-suffering. “It’s a classic pairing. Everyone should realize that.”
Jason clenched his teeth. Ramon was training to become a sommelier and was passionate about wine. He wanted to defend his employee but he doubted Max would listen to what he had to say. “We usually recommend the Riesling with that appetizer because the sweetness of the wine holds up well to the spicy Asian flavors. You should try it the next time you’re here.”
“Perhaps.” He patted his mouth with a napkin before he continued. “I’m not sure if I will return. It depends on Claire. What do you know about her? How would you describe her?”
Intense. Wild. Serious. Beautiful. Strong. Wonderful. Loving. Determined. Sexy. The list went on. He would sing Claire’s praises but there were many things he didn’t want to share with Max. Max would not appreciate her strengths and vulnerabilities. He would search for her flaws, real and unimagined.