or a minute, her eyes assessing. His dark hair gleamed beneath the low lighting of the rickhouse. The curve of his jaw twitched as though he was pressing his teeth together.
Equals. They were equals. “Okay follow me.” She turned on her heel, heading toward the stairs.
Neither of them said a word as they walked, the only sound was the clack of her heels on the wooden floor. Daniel kept his eyes ahead, not looking at her, though she saw a flicker of surprise in his eye when she didn’t turn left toward the vintage barrels that had been there since his father’s time. Instead, she headed up the stairs to the second level, never once looking behind her to check if he was following.
There was something different about him. He was being less abrasive. She tried not to let it unnerve her.
When she turned left down an aisle, she saw him biting down a smile as if he knew where she was going.
The 2012 Small Batch Select. Her very favorite GSC whiskey. She reached out to touch the barrel, aware of his eyes scrutinizing her. Weird how much she liked that.
Holding the stem between her delicate fingers, she lifted the glasses to the barrel tap, filling them with the scantest of amber fluid before turning it off.
Her neck was straight, her jaw set, as she handed him a glass. Their fingertips barely touched but it was enough for her to feel it.
The pulse of electricity rushing through her body.
She looked up to see if he’d felt it, too, but his expression was unreadable.
He took a deep breath in, lifting the glass to his nose. “Tell me about your choice.”
She ran the tip of her tongue across her bottom lip, her gaze catching his. “We had a lot of storms in 2012. I remember it well. I was seventeen at the time and every outdoor event at school was called off.” Her eyelashes flickered. “How old were you then?”
“Twenty-four.”
“Were you working here in 2012?”
He glanced down at her lips, as though they held all the answers. “Yeah.”
“Then you should remember how humid and steamy that summer was. When you stepped outside it was like walking into a hot shower. The creek was so clear and pure. I guess all the water around here was like that.” His eyes were still on her lips. Unmoving.
“I guess it was.” His voice was low. Thick.
“And the crops grew like crazy. I know a lot of people were worried they might rot it got so wet. But when it wasn’t raining the sun was blasting down. And they kept on growing.”
“What was your favorite subject at school?”
She blinked at his abrupt change in topic. “I liked practical things. Chemistry. Cooking. I even took Shop. I don’t like sitting around that much. How about you?”
A wry smile pulled at his mouth. “I didn’t like school very much. I spent most of my time working out how to get out of there.”
“Did you go to a rich boy’s school?”
“How did you guess?”
She lifted an eyebrow but didn’t reply. She was supposed to be impressing him. Proving that she was the right choice for the job. “The rain is what made the 2012 batch so special.” Her voice was low. He had to lean closer to hear her. “Along with the attention the distillers gave the small batch when it was created. Maturing it on the second level means it’s had some temperature extremes, but not the intense heat and cold you get on the higher floors.”
“Which means?” He tipped his head to the side.
Her lip quirked. “Which means it smells and tastes fucking fantastic.”
Daniel blinked as though her words shocked him. And then he laughed. Not just a chuckle, but a full blown, head back laugh that completely changed his demeanor. The corner of his eyes crinkled, and his lips were turned up.
She wondered what kind of kisser he’d be. Soft and gentle or hard and demanding? Maybe both, enough to keep her on her toes.
What the hell was going on? Why was she thinking about him kissing her?
Becca took a deep breath, pulling her gaze from his lips. This was stupid. It was the atmosphere in here that was making her feel weird. The lights were low, the air was gentle and silent. It felt like they were the only two people in the world.