“Corked wine?” I asked.
“Where the cork has contaminated the wine,” he explained.
“Oh, okay.” I held up the cork. “This does not have that.”
“Next, the sample.” Aiden poured a small amount of the golden liquid into an empty wine glass. “Look at the wine. Look at the color. It tells you about maturity and quality. Color changes with age—whites darken and reds lighten. It should also be clear and not have anything floating in it.”
The wine looked golden and soft. I couldn't see anything wrong so I nodded for him to continue.
“Now, swirl.” He demonstrated the gentle rocking motion with his wrist. “See how it runs down the glass? Those are the 'legs'. The faster they run down the side, the less alcohol and body it will have. Long legs indicate a fuller body and more alcohol.”
“How do my legs compare?” I asked, looking at my wine and trying to decide if the liquid was moving fast or slow. I didn't even think of the sexual implication until he bent to the side and lifted up the table cloth.
“You have short legs, though very nice ones. Much like your wine.” Aiden winked and flashed me a cocky smile that made my stomach flutter.
I blushed, embarrassed that I had walked so blindly into that, but took the compliment.
“Now, the most important part: the smell.” Aiden watched as I put the open glass to my nose and inhaled. “Swirling it helps aerate the wine and increase the smell. Close your eyes and tell me what you smell.”
“I smell... wine.” I opened my eyes, feeling defeated.
“Try again,” he coached.
I took one last look at him and closed my eyes. I needed to concentrate. “I smell... apples. Green apples.” I opened my eyes, surprised at the new scent in my wine.
He grinned. “Good. What else?”
“Citrus. It reminds me of limes,” I said hesitantly. I didn't want to be wrong.
“Perfect. Now taste it,” he instructed. “ Just a small taste, let it run across your tongue and fill your senses.”
I tried not to squirm as I thought of the erotic implications of that sentence. I would like to run him across my tongue and have him fill my senses. I kept my eyes closed, knowing that he would see all my lusty thoughts if I opened them. “It's not sweet, but crisp. I can taste the apple in it. There's no burn at the end like some wines have.”
“Excellent,” he praised me. I opened my eyes to see him staring at me. There was a small pride and a lot of desire in that gaze. A deep need in my core started ache for him.
“Can I try yours?” I asked, setting my glass down.
“Please,” he responded, obviously glad I wanted to try more. “Have a sip of water and then try it.” I sipped on my water to clear the taste of the first wine before he handed me the bottle and a new glass.
My hands shook a little as I poured a small amount and narrated my actions. “The bottle is pretty. The cork looks and smells good.” I set the bottle and cork down and picked up the wine glass to swirl. “Yours has longer legs than mine, which is true it both cases.”
Aiden chuckled and I grinned at him before closing my eyes to smell the wine.
“I smell... pepper. And soil.” I opened my eyes and looked at him. “But it's a good soil smell, not like dirt dirt. It smells drinkable.”
Aiden laughed. “Good. Try it and see what you think.”
I took a small sip, hoping his eyes were on my lips. The idea that he was watching my mouth made my female parts ache for his touch. “It's got a dark, fruity taste.” I scrunched my nose. “And it's got that bitter wine taste at the end.”
“Those are tanins. You'll learn to love them,” he promised. “Do you like it?”
“It's good.” I took another small sip, liking the first part but not the tanins.
“Do you want more?” he asked, watching my face but keeping his laughter to himself.
“No, thank you,” I answered. “I like mine better.”
Just then our food arrived. The waitress set it down in front of us, made sure we were happy and then disappeared to leave us alone once again. I took a bite and instantly found my way to food heaven.
“This is delicious,” I moaned. “How's yours?”
He cut off a small piece, put it on his fork, and then held it out for me to eat. I only hesitated for a second before leaning forward and taking it in my mouth.
“It's perfect. Grandma would be proud,” I told him, enjoy the tender piece of meat.
“I agree,” he said with a grin. He took another bite.
“Why'd you pick the lobster for me?” I asked, taking a sip of wine before going back to my dinner.
He paused for a moment, then shrugged. “I just thought it would impress you. Lobster in a champagne butter sauce sounds fancy and awesome. I don't have a good story for it.”
“What? No story?” I teased.
“I did tell you the origin of the game,” he countered. “That has to count for something.”
I laughed, enjoying his honesty. “Well, it's delicious. Want some?” I held out a my fork with a bite prepared for him. He took it carefully in his teeth. I liked that the next bite I took would have him on it.
“I think your grandma would approve of that as well,” he said quietly. I grinned. I knew she would most certainly approve, and it had nothing to do with the food.
Chapter 11
Aiden took my hand in his as we left the restaurant. The night air was still tropically warm and the ocean breeze ruffled my skirt. This truly was paradise.
“Walk on the beach with me?” Aiden asked, pulling me gently toward the sound of water. I would have followed him willingly into a volcano. A moonlit walk on the beach was better than I could have dreamed.
“That sounds great,” I agreed. It only took us a moment to reach the sand. My heels immediately sank and I knew I would twist an ankle if I stayed on them. “Hold on, I need to take my shoes off to walk in the sand.”
“Barefoot again?” he teased gently as he also removed his shoes. He finished nearly as soon as I did, standing beside me in the sand. “How tall are those heels?”
“Tall?” I shrugged. I had no idea the actual height, just that they were taller than my usual selection of heels.
“I like you this height better,” he told me. A warm flush went through me. No one had ever said that to me before. I always thought I was too short and needed heels.
“Really? I thought guys liked the tall, leggy blondes best.”