She'd never been so scared.

"Tyson she said softly, not wanting to startle him when he had an axe in his hands. But he didn't stop slashing at the bush, so she raised her voice. "Tyson?"

"Don't worry, the underwear you left on my bedroom floor will be our little secret."

Every word hit her like a knife. All she could do was apologize. ''I'm sorry:' she said, willing herself to be strong enough to face the man she loved, to tell him that she loved him. She regretted so much, but she wouldn't regret that. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about James. About his proposal:'

Another wall went up in Tyson's eyes, and Carrie hated how

she'd caused him this pain. More pain.

"I don't know what he told you, but I didn't say yes. I said no:' "Most people don't keep a ring they don't want."

"You're right. They don't. I tried to give it back to him, I should have refused to take it. She fought back tears. "You want the truth, Tyson? Here it is. I'm not perfect. Not even close. The ring was big and beautiful and I thought, what the heck, what if I keep it for a couple of days? Who will that hurt? I didn't know I was going to meet you, out here, in your vineyard. I didn't know that you were going to take my breath away, make me forget about everything, including a man who'd just asked me to marry him:'

Tyson didn't say anything, didn't reassure her in any way, but he put the axe down. He looked at her. Really looked at her for the first time since she'd driven into the vineyard.

A small seedling of hope took root in her chest. "I know you're afraid to trust me. I know she hurt you:' His eyes shuttered again, and she inwardly cursed herself for screwing this up so badly.

"But this isn't about your ex-wife. It isn't about my ex-boyfriend. This is about us. Only you and only me." She stopped, took a deep breath. "I love you, Tyson. I love you in a way I didn't know I could love. I know it's completely insane to feel so much after just one weekend, but I feel like you're the other half of me, the one I didn't know was missing. I know I left some things out this weekend, I know I should have come clean about my past, but I hope one day you'll see that that's all it is. My past. You're my future. The only one I want to have:'

She waited there, for him to say something. Anything. But the only sound came from a crow barking on the power line above them.

There was nothing left for her to do now but go.

TYSON PICKED UP THE WOODEN HANDLE Of THE AXE, and it slipped out of his grasp. Love had always been his biggest mistake. He'd thought he'd found it with Kimberly. He'd been a fool. It had never been there. The only thing that had been lost when he'd found her in bed with another man had been his pride.

He didn't want to risk his heart again. But he knew that the pain of losing Carrie would be a thousand times worse than losing his ex-wife ever had been.

Like hell if he was going to let the only woman he'd ever really loved walk out of his vineyard and out of his life. Then he'd really be a fool. It was time for a leap of faith. Straight toward the woman who was worth that faith. And more.

"He called you Carolyn:'

She whipped around to face him. "He didn't like Carrie. His mother didn't like it."

"What were you doing with a fool like him?"

She took a step closer. "I thought he had everything I wanted "And now?"

"Everything I want is standing right in front of me:'

He forgot he was drenched with sweat as he pulled her into his arms. "I loved you from that first moment I held you in my arms when you thought I was a mountain lion coming to eat you. I'd never felt like that, like this, about anyone. I tried to convince myself over and over that you were playing me, some city tourist having fun in the country. But I knew, I always knew, that was a lie:'

Carrie brushed her mouth against his. "You don't need to say anything else:'

He wanted to devour her right there and then, in broad daylight, in his vineyard, beneath the old oak tree. And he would, but first he had to finish what he'd started.

"I know you're nothing like my ex-wife. I always knew it. And when I saw James, if I'd been willing to keep my eyes open, I would have seen that he meant nothing to you. I almost lost you, Carrie." "No;' she said, shaking her head, "you didn't:'

"I've been tempted by you since the first moment I saw you walking through my land.

She jumped up to wrap her legs around him, and his hands came around to catch her, to cradle her butt. "That night on your porch, I couldn't help it;' she said. "I had to give in to temptation. You smelled so nice. Right here. I wanted to bite you:'

He was already hard against her as he carried her into the shade, and she gave in to temptation again, lightly sinking her teeth into his skin.

"I was so wet already, just thinking about you touching me.

You licking me:'

"I've never wanted anyone the way I wanted you, Carrie. The way I'll always want you. Together they dropped to the ground, and he lay back to let her straddle him. "You were so hot. And so well-mannered. Even before you got down on your knees to taste me. May I?" he asked, reminding her of her polite query as he reached for the hem of her tank top.

"You'd better."

She held her arms straight up as he dragged her shirt up and off. He ran his hands over her bare br**sts, watching her breath come hard as her arousal grew.

"Now it's my turn to taste you;' he said as he pulled her down closer and sucked a nipple into his mouth. She moaned. His stubble rasped and scraped against her skin, and she pressed her breast further into his mouth.

Thanking God that she was wearing an easy-access skirt, he ran his hand up her thigh, past the thin barrier of her panties. She was so wet, and he knew all it would take was one small stroke across her clit, along her plump lips, into her tight vagina, and she'd be screaming with pleasure.

But Carrie was a woman with a mind of her own, thank God, and she had already undone his jeans and was sliding them down his hips. He was utterly impressed with her foresight when she pulled a condom out from the pocket of her skirt and slid it down his massive hard-on. But he didn't have time to start listing all the reasons why he loved her-there would be sixty years for that because he was sinking into her wet heat, sliding into his base, holding her there.

"Love me, Carrie:'

Her smile was as good as yes, and then she threw her head back and rode him fast and hard. Her tight muscles contracted around him as she loved him.

Somehow, someway, he'd found his fairy-tale princess.

TASTE ME

ONE

ROSE PUSHED THROUGH THE DOUBLE DOORS of the Napa Valley Hotel & Spa and sighed with pleasure. In contrast to the hot, dry air outside, the lobby felt cool and luxurious. She took in the terra-cotta swirls on the marble floors, the oversized canvases of vineyards on the walls, and knew that a girl's weekend in the wine country with her two best friends, Carrie and Vanessa, was just the balm she needed to soothe her raw nerves.