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CLAIRE MILLER’S CHEST tightened with anticipation as she turned her car into the parking lot “Stop it,” shemore”

Her body wasn’t listening It never did when Jason Strong was involved The town’s golden boy now operated his fa room He was also the star of her wildest fantasies—and her wicked thoughts had becoether It was getting e

The one fantasy that kept replaying in her head was inconveniently set in his office During s, Claire’sher ar to the floor She would then lay Jason on the desk and rip open his shirt before she licked a path down his rock-hard abs

He, of course, would then not be able to keep his hands off her It was her fantasy, after all In her dream, the man was overwhelmed with desire and stripped her bare before she straddled his hips and rode him hard Yet somehow the fantasy ended with her bent over the desk as he took her fro in protest frohted moans

That was one of her ta in her head every time she visited him at work It orse when they actually met in his office Last week she had been in there with hiht up in the fantasy that she actually pushed a pile of folders off his desk

Claire felt her face turn red at theaway from his office

Still, her pulse skipped when she saw the sign for Mountain Creek Wine Cellars Stay focused No , she reminded herself fiercely as she parked her car

She grabbed herthat she was a little too eager to see Jason again, Claire stumbled to a stop and took a deep breath The Septe leaves and chi to cal, it made her think of Jason sprawled on top of her next to a roaring fireplace

Be professional She pulled her blazer closer to ward off the breeze and looked out into the distance at the snowy cap of Mount Rainier The wine bar had a great view and location, but so did all the other tasting rooe of town At thethere would be groups of wine enthusiasts walking fro room to the next

Claire frohen she noticed yet another winery shop had opened up across the street She recognized the name and shook her head No wonder Jason had asked her to drop by Tasting roo business and she was Jason’s secret weapon

As she strode to the entrance of Mountain Creek, she spotted a few of her neighbors sitting on the patio and enjoying the rare Pacific Northwest sunshine She waved and they saluted her with their wineglasses As she walked past them, she heard one of the women ask the others, “Who was that?”

Claire sighed as weariness settled in her chest but she didn’t turn around She was used to that response It was the disadvantage of always flying under the radar Claire kept walking so she didn’t have to hear how the others would answer From experience she already knew: they’d say she looked familiar but none of them would be able to place her

Which should h school She’d grown up in the small and rural town of Woodinville but her former class other than “nice” and “sweet”

Claire was good atherself But for now, it was better if she worked in the shadows and behind the scenes It was safer No one looked at her too closely or sensed the tension that resided in her every moment She had hidden it well

She stepped across the threshold of Mountain Creek Wine Cellars and was iy The dark wood floors and red walls seemed almost too modern for the sleepy town The wine bar was on the first floor and a large spiral staircase that wrapped around a huge wine rack led custo roonificent views of thestuffy and pretentious as some wine bars could be, she found Mountain Creek Wine Cellars war

There were a few custo the start of happy hour Claire saw Jason walk out of the kitchen with a tray of appetizers Her breath hitched in her throat as she studied him