got wet with the idea of his manly fingers moving her undies to the side and exploring the soft folds of her most intimate area. She looked over at Antonio and guessed that he was thinking of a similar scenario, too. But instead, she floored it, eager to reach Baracoa before she found herself doing something equally as reckless as two nights before.
When they pulled off the highway, Antonio directed her through the side streets until they came to a series of buildings in an open field that looked more like ancient ruins than a working rum distillery.
“This is it,” Antonio announced, stepping out of the car and gesturing toward—well, to be honest, Kenzie wasn’t a hundred percent sure what she was looking at.
“Is it still operational?” she asked in a more sheepish voice than she normally used. She was definitely out of her territory here. Her domain consisted of yoga mats, asanas, breathing techniques and meditation. The rum business was as far from her own business as she could possibly imagine.
“It’s a working distillery, yes,” Antonio answered, “but on a very small scale. Here,” he said gesturing toward what looked like the main building. “Let me show you around.”
Kenzie’s thin white outfit was already sticking to her skin as the hot sun beat down on them. “Okay,” she said, following right behind Antonio, which gave her a chance to wipe some of the perspiration on her face and chest with the back of her hand. How did Antonio manage to look so cool and collected? She wondered. She definitely wasn’t used to such intense heat.
Inside the main building there were a few huge metal fermentation tanks where Antonio explained that sugar cane was turned into molasses. They walked past the distillery tanks and into a huge, cool open area where the barrels were stored.
“Some of these are aged,” Antonio explained, “which affects how dark the rum will be.”
Antonio waved at a worker driving a utility vehicle who was transporting barrels which were presumably ready to be stacked and aged. Apart from him, Kenzie saw no other people and it seemed like there was very little activity going on.
“They’ve been doing things the same way here for a long time,” Antonio explained. “We have a much more intricate process at our Little Havana locations. Our master blender is always coming up with new flavors, new processes.”
Little Havana—Kenzie knew the name from some quick internet research she had done on Antonio after, ahem, they had gotten acquainted, so to speak. Apparently, his family was the owner of the largest rum distillery outside the Caribbean, and also had a hand in several smaller operations. Judging by a “Millionaires under 40” article she had come across in Forbes, this little distillery was definitely off his radar.
“We would have fully acquired this distillery a long time ago, and absorbed it into our main businesses, but the previous co-owner held on.”
Aunt Lilly. Kenzie still wasn’t exactly sure who she was, and why or how she had become involved in the liquor business.
“Some people like holding onto things,” Kenzie whispered. Suddenly her thoughts shot back to Cole—to the last time she had seen him alive, barely breathing in a sterile hospital room. It was liquor that had destroyed their relationship, destroyed both of their lives. Kenzie suddenly felt queasy, and her breath was short.
“Excuse me, I need some air,” she apologized, and darted out the double doors straight ahead of her.
When she reached the outdoors, Kenzie noticed out of her haze that she was standing in the most serene, run-down little courtyard. Pink and red azaleas bloomed out of the crevices of the rocks and the sound of birds was audible from the palm trees.
“Are you alright?” Antonio had raced after her and now had a protective arm around her waist.
“Yes,” Kenzie answered, composing herself as best she could. “This is all just a little...overwhelming.”
Antonio frowned, and she was touched that he seemed so seriously concerned about her well-being. Kenzie did her best to shake off any bad feelings the sight of those rum stills had stirred up and instead decided to focus on the beautiful, tranquil surroundings.
“It’s like an oasis here,” she commented.
“It is quite beautiful,” Antonio agreed. She noticed that he still had his hand on her. The warm pressure on the small of her back radiated up her spine and made every inch of her skin feel more sensitive.
“Believe me, I would love nothing more than a beautiful partner in the operations here,” Antonio said seriously, turning to face her. “But you have no use for this place.” He said it so firmly that for a moment, Kenzie believed it. “Why not make a deal? Let me do what I do best. You’ll walk away with a lot of money and then...” he boldly reached out and moved a curl off Kenzie’s face, “then we can celebrate both of our good fortunes.”
Kenzie smiled tentatively and assessed Antonio. His words were so commanding, so smooth, it was hard not to be persuaded by him. But something in his eyes betrayed this extreme confidence. She thought maybe it was a hint of vulnerability. He was looking for something, just like she was, too.
“I don’t know...” said Kenzie, allowing herself to think out loud. Antonio’s face was so close to hers, she could easily lean in and feel the stubble on his face, rough against her soft skin. She took a step back.
“Something tells me that this place has potential,” she said, looking around.
Okay, so it was probably ill-advised, but when Kenzie got one of those feelings, she knew there was no stopping her. It was the same feeling she had when she saw the abandoned warehouse space that was now her thriving yoga studio. She had a way of seeing beyond what things were and envisioning a greater end result. Maybe there was something great to be brought out in Baracoa. She just needed to uncover it.
“I have a proposition,” she said, looking at Antonio pointedly. “If I can get this distillery on its way toward turning a profit in a week’s time, you give me all of your shares and I own it outright. If I fail, then it’s yours to keep.”
Antonio shook his head. A bemused smile played across his lips. “Kenzie... I know you are a smart businessperson.” Antonio spoke slowly, and it seemed like he was trying to choose his words carefully. “But you don’t know anything about running a distillery. I don’t want to rob you of your inheritance.”
“Don’t worry about me.” Kenzie reached out and touched Antonio’s bare forearm in a gesture to drive her point home—and maybe as an excuse to have physical contact with him again. “I’ve gotten this far by trusting my gut.”
Antonio grabbed Kenzie’s arm and pulled her close to him. The electricity ricocheting back and forth between their bodies was undeniable.
“I’ve wanted to do this again since this morning,” Antonio whispered, leaning his face in toward Kenzie, ready to kiss her. Oh, how she longed to feel his mouth pressed against hers again, to bite his lips and allow his tongue to penetrate not just her mouth but all of her orifices. She wanted to feel those strong shoulders again. She needed to make sure they were really as solid as she remembered from the first time she had allowed herself to touch them, to let her hands linger over the muscles just long enough to get totally turned on. Taking a deep breath, the kind she instructed her students to do to begin their yoga practice, she collected herself and held him back with her hand placed firmly against his muscular chest.
“You’re
