Chapter 2

Together, they waved goodbye to their friends and family and drove away from the Ritz in the Bentley. Jennifer turned towards Jonathan, biting her lower lip, and reaching out to touch the little upward curl of hair off the nape of his neck. "So, my husband, where are we headed now?'

"Mmmmm, I like the sound of that… say it again…"

Laughing, she asked, "Which part? Where are we headed?"

"Ugh," he rolled his eyes at her in mock irritation. "Nooooo. The other part…"

"Ahhhh…" she smiled a crooked smile, part of her bottom lip caught in her teeth, "My husband..."

"Oh, yeah, that's the part…" he drew out his words like he tasted each one of them.

"My husband…" she mirrored his drama, enjoying his antics. Together they broke out into laughter. "Oh, Jonathan… I can not tell you how excited I am to have you all to myself finally."

He looked her over, lower lip tucked under his top, and announced his findings with pride, "You are gorgeous, you know that…" and he turned back to face the road.

"Thank you very much."

"And you know we are headed to Napa Valley."

"Yes, I know that is our final destination. I do not know if you have other stops in mind before that."

"Are you looking for more champagne?"

"Champagne," she sighed. "I only had the one glass we used for our toast. So many people to talk to, I didn't have time to get another glass."

"What a sad story. I thought it would be advantageous to head there and get settled in before dinner. Did you have something else in mind? Do you want to stop for another glass?"

"Nope. Just wondering what your plans were."

"My plans?"

"Uh-huh."

"My plans are to get into our room, maybe drink a little champagne, and… uh… go from there…"

"Oh… I like that plan…"

He grinned, "You do?"

"Uh-huh… I like it a lot…" she giggled.

***

The flight to Napa County Airport was just shy of two hours. They rented a car and made their way to the Auberge Du Moulin Inn. "Oh, Darling!" Jennifer said, grabbing Jonathan's arm as they entered the lobby, "It's like a little French château. It's so quaint and romantic."

Jonathan smiled and lightly kissed her lips, "I'm so glad you like it, Mrs. Hart."

"Good day. May I help you?"

"Good afternoon," Jonathan said, turning to the gentleman behind the counter. "We are the Harts."

"Ah, Mr., and Mrs. Hart. Congratulations on your marriage, and welcome to the Auberge Du Moulin, I am Mr. Appleroth. I believe we have your room all ready. If you would like to step out on the patio, we have a few of our wines available for tasting. I will check on your room and get right back with you. You will be in room seven."

"Lucky number seven," Jonathan grinned, with a sparkle in his eye.

"Jonathan…" Jennifer hissed, a little amused, a little embarrassed, mostly just ready to get him alone.

Stepping out onto the patio, they found a few other guests milling around several small tables set up as wine stations. For the whites, they had white zinfandel and chardonnay; the reds were a merlot and a pinot noir. Jennifer was drawn towards a table, "Look, Darling, a sparkling rosé." She picked up a glass and handed it to Jonathan, before picking up her own. "Cheers, Darling."

One of the servers saw the glass she picked up and began telling her about the grapes and process used to create the sparkling wine she was now drinking. One of the other guests stepped up to listen and started asking questions of the server. Jennifer's attention was caught by some movement in the vineyard across the parking lot. With the sun beginning to set, she wasn't entirely sure what she saw, but she thought, maybe a child running through the rows?

"Mrs. Hart?" Mr. Appleroth had walked up behind her. "Your room is ready," he said with a knowing smile. He had a softness to him Jennifer immediately liked.

"Thank you, Mr. Appleroth," Jennifer said, managing a smile of her own. "Jonathan…" she turned to find he had wandered off back inside towards the stairs and was looking at a suit of armor. "Jonathan?"

"Yeah," he turned back to face her.

"Mr. Appleroth said our room is ready now."

"OH, fantastic."

"This way," the older man suggested, and Jennifer followed him back to the desk, Jonathan met them there. Pulling a brass keyring from a rack on the wall and handing it to Jonathan, he informed them, "Up the stairs, the last door on the left."

"Thank you, sir." Jonathan smiled at him. He reached for Jennifer's hand, "Darling. Shall we?" She quickly took it, and they headed for the stairs.

When they reached the door, Jonathan used the key to open it. Jennifer started to walk in, and Jonathan pulled her back. "Uh. What are you doing?"

"Walking into our room."

"Nope."

"Nope?"

"Nope." She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, wondering what he was doing. To Jennifer's surprise, he reached down and picked her up. "I know it's not our home, but…" stepping into the room, he carried her across the threshold, kicking the door shut with his foot.

"You are full of surprises, Mr. Hart," Jennifer cooed, her arms around his neck. She leaned in closer and brushed his lips lightly with her own. "And very romantic." She kissed him again, as he began to set her down. "And very sexy." Her body now fully against his, she allowed her passion to drive her kiss and began to drink him in. One of his hands held her tight to his body; the other found its way into her hair. Her hands were on his face, then found their way to the buttons on his shirt. She fumbled, and couldn't get the first one undone. "Damn," she said, breaking the kiss. "I'm either more nervous or had more to drink than I thought."

Jonathan laughed. "I think you might be too eager…"

"Is there such a thing?"

He held her hands, "You're shaking."

"I want you," she was not expecting the raspiness of her own voice.

"Good." He put his hands on her shoulders, turned her around and walked her towards the bed. "I think you need to eat a little something." It was then she saw the chilled champagne and tray holding the cheese, bread, grapes, and chocolate-covered strawberries at the foot of the bed.

"What's this?" she grinned at him.

"I figured we wouldn't have much to eat today, so I ordered ahead. I hope you don't mind."

"Mind? I think it's fabulous." She turned to face him again, "You think of everything, Mr. Hart."

"I can only think of you, Mrs. Hart." He picked a strawberry off the tray, and placed it by her mouth, she took a bite, and he followed with a soft kiss.

Something about the act seemed to settle her. She slowed down, took her time unbuttoning Jonathan's shirt, and ran her hands over his chest. Oh, she was going to enjoy this — every moment.

He bent down and began kissing her neck as she was exploring his chest. The touch of his mouth set her nerves on fire, and her knees nearly buckled under the weight of passion she carried. His body guided hers to the bed, and he laid her down on it. She was entirely his, and he was going to take his time proving it.