"I know I fell asleep on the plane but did I miss the part where we went back in time?" Abby asked, her eyes busily trying to take in and comprehend the beautiful castle-like structure jutting out of the landscape. It looked like something out of one of those fairytales Jo Jo was always trying to cram down her throat. All it needed was the appearance of a fairy Godmother, a few mice, and a pumpkin to turn into an elegant, gilded coach to whisk them to the ball.

Adam's chuckling had her tearing her gaze away from the fascinating weathered stone structure to one vastly better-looking. The smile on his handsome face made her heart skip in her chest as those whiskey-colored eyes looked at her with such warmth, her whole insides liquefied. His dark chocolate hair was a rumpled mess from not only the windy ride in the Jeep but from his adorable habit of rubbing his palms through it when he was frustrated or deep in thought. A small fissure of guilt cracked inside her gut. She had been the cause of a lot of that stress and disappointment, and because of her, it was surprising he still had any hair left on his handsome head. The memory of the hurt sweeping across his face from her bitter words was something she wouldn't soon forget. She cringed as a wave of shame added to the guilt, making her feel slightly nauseous.

"It does seem that way, doesn't it?" He looked up at the building, before turning his gaze back her way. The pride evident on his face. "But, I assure you, as tedious as the plane ride felt, we didn't break the time continuum. This is my winery, Stonebach."

"You own a winery?" Abby felt her jaw fall open but was too stunned to bother scooping it back up.

A winery? She took in his slightly disheveled, but still perfect suit before glancing up at the structure time seemed to have forgotten in the past. Though it shouldn't shock her, after all, he was a very successful man of means, but somehow owning a winery didn't seem to fit with the man she knew. It was hard to believe the powerful, ruthless CEO from New York who was all Penthouses, luxurious boardrooms, and limousines would own what was basically a farm in the middle of nowhere Napa Valley.

Granted, this was no typical farm. This was a fancy one with its own castle, but, still...it was hard to imagine. Scrunching up her face, she scrutinized Adam, trying to picture him playing the role of Oliver Douglas. She attempted to imagine him sitting on top of a tractor, wearing a pair of bib overalls, tending to his grape vines while getting his well-manicured hands caked with dirt on his personal version of Green Acres. A small shiver trembled down her spine, and a dreamy sigh escaped her lips at the visual. Nothing she envisioned took away from the glory of this man, and it only enhanced his appeal. She suspected she could drape him in a potato sack and he would be able to pull it off with the same sexy debonair ease he did his expensive suits

"Always so surprised," Adam teased, giving her a slight wink. With graceful ease which constantly amazed her considering his size, he exited the Jeep. A few quick, relaxed strides brought him to her door, and he grandly opened it. Bowing deeply at the waist, he brushed a sophisticated hand through the air. "Welcome to my secret castle in California, baby."

Laughing, she daintily stepped out onto the cobblestoned drive. Once out of the car, the sight was even more breathtaking. Stonebach stood in the middle of a small forest of large, ancient looking oaks and redwoods. Their gnarled branches hung and covered over turrets and towers, shadowing gracefully arched windows. It was unlike anything she'd ever seen. She half expected to see knights in shining armor astride magnificent horses receiving some treasured tokens from stately damsels in pointed hats wearing gowns of highly embroidered colored fabric before heading out to slay a dragon to save the kingdom.

"Do you like it?" His arm snaked around her waist, drawing her to the rigid wall of his chest, and out of her daydream.

Abby laid her hand on his wrist where he held her. The one now devoid of the watch which encircled hers. With the tips of her fingers, she lightly traced the pale tan lines glowing white under the sun, allowing the heat of his body to radiate into her skin. A flash of arousal pulsed through her from the combination of his husky voice and simple touch. Closing her eyes, she leaned back into his solid frame, Adam's words from earlier drifting into her thoughts.

"I'm going to get your life back for you, and that entails keeping you alive the best way I know how so you can enjoy it. If afterward, you choose to live that life without me, so be it."

Even now, they had the power to make her draw a sharp breath from the pain. Each one was mercilessly stabbing at her heart. Without him...she would be alone. Something she didn't want to contemplate. She opened her eyes, the castle he brought her to looming front and center. Nothing about any of this made logical sense. Not the castle. Not them being together. And yet...in her heart...when she was in his arms like this surrounded by such old-world splendor...it seemed to make all the sense in the world.

A smile curved her lips. She loved it. She loved him. Not only had she fallen for Adam Steele, but she had fallen hard. She laughed to herself. When she thought of it that way, it sounded like she had tripped or something...that she had somehow painfully injured herself. Which, in a way, she guessed she had. Because, if something happened to him now, she would never survive it. He was the sweet bliss, the fiery passion, the man who could rob her of breath in all the right ways. She couldn't resist him any more than she could stop the marching of time.

"I love it," she said, gazing up at him. She knew everything she was feeling was reflecting on her face, and she didn't care if he saw it. "And, I love you, Adam."

"I shall never tire of hearing you say that," he said darkly, hunger sparking deep in the depths of his eyes, making her whole body tingle.

Gently, but with a firmness that momentarily stunned her, he spun Abby around to face him. She didn't have a second to catch her breath before his lips descended, quickly claiming her own. The kiss was no small peck, but a dark, hungry conquering, flooding her under waves of yearning so intense, she had trouble remaining upright. Wrapping her arms around his neck to anchor herself to him, she opened fully to his plundering. She couldn't seem to get enough of him, of his hard mouth devouring hers. Each time he glided his tongue over hers, she wanted to keep it there, a prisoner of her heated passion.

"Hola, Senor Steele!"

Adam grumbled a curse against her lips before he reluctantly pulled away. His expression thundered with annoyance at the interruption, but his eyes remained blazing, causing flames of desire to lick along her nerves. Abby could barely breathe when he looked at her that way. It was a mixture of all the parts of him she loved. The CEO, the Big Bad Wolf, the dominant assurance of a man who shows her exquisite passion, unlike anything Abby had ever imagined in her wildest fantasies. They were all there staring down at her, along with the side of him who would lay down his universe at her feet if she asked it of him. Her chest tightened, her pulse beat frantically, and her belly clenched with delicious anticipation of that promise scorching down at her.

With a lack of enthusiasm of her own, she withdrew her arms from around his neck as they turned to face whoever was greeting them.

A handsome older Latino gentlemen stood before them. He was wearing a pair of khaki-colored slacks, white shirt buttoned low enough to reveal a broad chest sprinkled with hair and a grin spreading his lips. He appeared to be a few inches shorter than Adam, but thickly built. His dark complexion told a story of many hours spent toiling under the California sun judging by the deeply tan kissing his golden skin. It was a color that reminded Abby of a warm late-autumn day. Letting her eyes drift to the crown of his head, she observed a mass of salt and pepper colored hair which matched the neatly trimmed beard on his angular face.

"Hola, Danté. ¿Cómo estás?" Adam tucked her tight against his side, while he stuck out his hand in greeting. The Spanish flowing off his tongue flawlessly and sexy as hell.

"Good...good, my friend," he answered with a bright smile on his weathered face, wrapping both his hands around Adam's and pumping enthusiastically. "I see you have brought a guest."

"Si. Danté Varela, I would like to introduce you to Abigail Lane. Danté and his wife take care of the day to day running of Stonebach for me in my absence. Thanks to his remarkable agricultural talents, he is responsible for growing some of the finest grapes this side of Spain. In fact, his great, great Grandfather brought cuttings from their homeland vineyards in the pockets of his coat. He and his family are the ones responsible for being the first to cultivate Tempranillo grape vines in this region, allowing us to produce some of the finest traditional Rioja wines."

A slight blush tinted Danté's cheeks. "Mr. Steele is far too gracious with his words. I am but a mere farmer who has a love of great vino." He chuckled with a rich, distinctive laugh that brought a smile to Abby's face. Reaching out, he grasped Abby's hand. "A pleasure to meet you, Abigail," Danté greeted in his thickly laced accent that reminded her of Antonio Banderas while he brought her hand up to his lips. "Welcome to Stonebach, Senorita." Punctuating his welcome with a brush of his lips against her knuckles that made her giggle. The mustache of his beard tickled. "I dare say your beauty pales our humble home in comparison."

"Thank you," Abby mumbled bashfully, feeling a warm blush creep into her cheeks. He was being far too kind. She knew she must have looked like something an ally cat dragged in after a long night of carousing.

"Silly Gizon. You are embarrassing the girl."

A lovely woman with the hair the color of midnight streaked with silver walked up to Danté and playfully slapped him on the shoulder. She wore in a bright, red broom skirt and a white off the shoulder peasant type blouse with beautifully embroidered roses which only intensified her exotic beauty.

"Forgive my husband." She laughed, her vibrant amber eyes crinkling at the corners. "He has spent far too many days out in the sun without his hat." Taking a few steps towards Adam, she laid her palms on either side of his face and brought his head down so she could place two soft kisses on both sides of his cheeks. "Senior Steele, it is so good to see you again." Turning to Abby, she repeated the warm gesture, giving her a hug when she finished. "Welcome to Stonebach, Senorita," she said kindly, releasing Abby to loop her arm through husband's.

"This enchanting woman is Danté's better half, Juanita," Adam introduced with a chuckle, throwing an arm over Abby's shoulder. "She is the one responsible for keeping everyone in line and does it with a finesse I can only dream of possessing."

"Dios mío." Juanita fluttered her hand over her ample chest. "You have not changed, Senor. You can still woo the grapes into ripening faster on the vines."

"If only that were true, Juanita." He gave her a tender smile that made Abby's knees wobble. "Speaking of vines," he turned his attention back to Danté, "how are those cuttings doing I brought back from Portugal?"

The old man's eyes widen with excitement. "They are growing exceptionally well!" he said, clapping his hands, and rubbing them together gleefully. "Wait until you see them. For a while, I did not think they were going to make it, but with a little coaxing, they have now taken root."

Adam raised his eyebrows and grinned in pleasure. And just like that, the conversation turned to the susceptibility of pests and the new worry of possible mildew. It was utterly fascinating, if not a bit daunting to follow. The amount of knowledge Adam possessed on the subject awed her.

"Come, Senorita. Let the men talk of their vines. They will be at it for hours, and you look like you could use a good meal and perhaps a hot bath. Si?" Juanita took her by the elbow, gently leading her towards the high arched door that lead into Stonebach.

As much as she wanted to stay with Adam, Abby had to admit; it sounded divine.

Seemingly sensing her hesitation, he turned to her. "Go," he encouraged softly. "I need to check on a few things with Danté, and then I will join you shortly." Lifting his hand, he gently traced her cheek with his fingers before leaning down to place a tender kiss on her lips. "Oh, and Juanita?"

"Si?"

"Cuida la ella. Ella no lo sabe, pero día pronto, va a será mi esposa." The deep gravel of his tone mixed with his powerful stare never wavering from Abby's made heat whoosh over her, confusing her senses, and leaving her trembling with want.

"I will as if she were my own daughter," Juanita answered, giving him a gentle smile. Her eyes suspiciously watery when she took Abby's hand.

The warmth of his touch and the scent of his cologne swirled around her, making her head swim as she followed Juanita into Stonebach. He never failed to leave her breathless. She wanted so badly to reach out and brush the errant curl that always fell over his forehead, to run her hands over the stubble of growth of beard on his chiseled face. To feel that same beard scratch over her breasts and the inside of her thighs.

She bit her lip to contain the moan rising in her throat. Abby knew exactly how all of it would feel. How his hands were able to control her body with their touch. How utterly, deeply, passionately and completely he affected her.

Shaking her head to quell her libidinous thoughts, she concentrated on the beauty of her surroundings as she entered Stonebach. And it was absolutely stunning. From the richly colored terracotta tiles beneath her feet to the hand painted frescos adorning the walls. It was simply indescribable. Everything about it completed the impression she had somehow managed to step back in time. But when Juanita took her to the kitchen, it was if the old-world collided with something straight out of one of those high-end catalogs.

The modern appliances gleamed against the rustic stone. Wood ceiling beams, time-worn wood cabinets mixed seamlessly with granite countertops, a professional-grade six burner stove, and stainless steel appliances any chef would drool over. The knots in the wood showed where tree branches once grew, giving off a warm glow only old wood could. The deep grooves in the ceiling beams told of blistered hands scraping the logs clean of bark and muffled the sound of footsteps on the aged earth colored tile beneath her feet. It was an intimate kitchen, with elements of nature that radiated warmth, making anyone feel right at home.

"Senior Steele remodeled many areas of the home, and updated it for our convenience," Juanita told her, lightly laughing at Abby's slacked jawed expression. "As much as I adore everything he has done, I still use the old fireplace from time to time. You know, for the tradition. I find cooking over a nice hot fire adds a certain flavor to my stews you cannot get on a fancy stove."

Abby's wandered over to the huge stone fireplace, which indeed had a crackling fire and a time-worn black pot simmering away. The smell made her mouth water and tummy grumble. Loudly.

"Ah, you are hungry. You poor dear." Juanita busily started digging through a refrigerator large enough to house a mammoth family. "I hope this will tide you over until supper." She placed a large tray of different cheeses, fresh bread and butter, crackers and, of course, grapes onto the highly polished granite island. "Please, please, pull up a stool and help yourself," she coaxed, indicating one of the wooden stools.

Not needing to be told twice, Abby sat and snagged a piece of crusty bread. Slathering it with butter, she took a bite, groaning happily as it melted in her mouth. "This is wonderful," she sighed around another mouthful.

"Thank you, Senorita." Juanita gave a little bow, blushing slightly. "Would you care for some wine? Sangria perhaps?"

Abby shook her head, feeling slightly guilty not accepting the offer of what probably was the wineries best vintages. "No, thank you," she said hesitantly. "Just water will do. And, please, call me Abby."

She smiled at her, not seeming offended, and Abby heaved a sigh of relief.

Filling a glass with water, she set it on the table. "Here you go, Abby."

"Thank you." Lifting the glass, she took a long cooling drink. "How long have you and your husband worked for Adam?" Abby asked, taking a bit of cheese and placing it on a cracker.

Juanita was silent for a moment as she thought. "For the past eight years now, but Stonebach has been in my husband's family for generations," she said proudly.

The information startled Abby. "If your family had owned it for so long, why would you decide to sell?" The question tumbled from her lips before she could stop it. It really wasn't any of her business, but she couldn't help but feel the nostalgia of the place seeping into her bones, even with the short time she'd been here. It saturated every nook, cranny, and stone of the home. She couldn't imagine selling something that seemed to mean so much to them; it would be like selling off a piece of their soul.

A frown wrinkled Juanita's lovely face. "That would have been because of my son, Eduardo." She turned away and headed to the pot hanging over the fire, but Abby caught the sadness that flashed in her eyes. Lifting the heavy lid with a hook, she grabbed a ladle and gave the mouthwatering stew a stir. "He was a good boy, but then, as children have a tendency to do, he grew up." She smacked the ladle on the side of the pot before replacing the lid. Setting the spoon on the rest, she took a towel off a hook hanging next to the fireplace and wiped her hands. "His father wanted him to take an interest in the grapes, like him and his father before him. But Eduardo would have none of it." She shook her head sadly. "He was always looking for adventure, and wanted more than the life of a farmer."

Pulling out a stool next to Abby, she gracefully sat. Plucking a grape, she popped it into her mouth, chewing thoughtfully as her mind drifted back. "Itchy feet his father had called it. Never happy to settle and stand in one place. Oh, how they fought. It was a terrible time, for all of us. One day, Eduardo left home, swearing never to return. It broke his father's and my heart." She heaved a heavy sigh as she buttered a piece of bread. "He took off across the country to New York. We are not certain what he did there to make a living for the longest time, but one day, he showed up back on our doorstep wearing a fancy suit, driving an expensive car and told us he was becoming wealthy trading the stocks."

"So he was a stockbroker?"

"In a sense," she said cautiously. "He made it sound wonderful, and convinced us to let him help the farm. You have to understand; we had been suffering through some very bad times. The vines were not doing good with the drought. Things for Stonebach were looking bad. Money was tight, and we did not know how long we would stay afloat. When he proposed a plan to turn things around, his father and I agreed." She turned her face away from Abby and busied herself with straightening the food on the tray. "It turned out he had been lying to us. The suit was borrowed, the car a rental..." she leaned both arms against the counter, fidgeting with her wedding band, "and he used us to gain access to Stonebach for...what do you call it?" Her brow crinkled as she searched for the word. "Collateral," she finished at last.

Abby gasped, her heart breaking and going out to the woman. "What happened?"

"Eduardo had gotten mixed up with some very bad people, and made terrible investments. Most of the money he made, went up his nose." She made a disgusted sound in the back of her throat. "Drugs. That was what had become important to him. Not his family. Not his home. Before we understood what was happening, a businessman came to collect Stonebach."

"Adam." Abby didn't even question it, somehow, she just knew.

"Si." She nodded her head. "I will never forget that day. This dark, long car pulled into our driveway, and I thought for sure the devil himself was going to appear and rip away our heart," she said, clutching the towel to her chest. "But, instead of bringing us more pain, he offered us what we had not expected." Her butterscotch eyes began to water as she twisted to face Abby. "He helped us. Not only saving Stonebach but allowing us to remain in our home."

Abby sucked in a breath, her throat growing tight at hearing about the capacity of Adam's caring heart and how it had stretched to include these wonderful people. "He is a very special man," she whispered.

Juanita patted her arm. "He is a great man. Not only did he save our home, but he helped get Eduardo into a place to get clean of the drugs." She sniffed delicately, dabbing at her eyes with the corner of the towel. "Now he is well again, and doing great work."

"What does he do?" Abby asked, swallowing back tears of her own.

"He manages a camp for inner city children who are underprivileged and in danger of following the same wrong path in life Eduardo chose. He and Senor Steele save many, many children through their good works."

Juanita's story continued to play in her mind, even after she left Abby alone in the master suite. As she suspected all along, there was so much more to Adam than what hid behind the business suit. Just when she thought she couldn't love him more, she found out something else about him that managed to double her feelings towards him. Mindlessly, she made her way to the bathroom, opening the door to a massive Jacuzzi tub and separate shower the size of Texas. Her eyes widened when she took in the huge tub on an elevated platform. It was the centerpiece of the entire bathroom and could easily fit a half dozen people. This one was even grander than the one in his penthouse, especially with all the stonework adding to the impressive visual.

She laughed softly. Adam must have a thing for bathtubs that a flock of geese could frolic in. Starting the water, she spotted several candles placed randomly around the bathroom. Quickly digging through the drawers, she found a long-handled lighter and lit each one. The smell from them was earthy and masculine, which suited the outdoorsy ambiance of the room. Finding a bottle of expensive bath oil, she tipped a generous amount in, letting the steam carry the wonderful aroma through the room. It was a smell she knew all too well...it smelled of him.

Watching the water grow higher and higher, she stripped out of her clothes, relishing finally being free of them after wearing her uniform for what seemed like ages. Carefully, she eased herself into the hot bath. Relaxing against the porcelain edge, she closed her eyes and let the warm scent of Adam carry her away.

Author's Note:

Hello my darlings,

Sorry about the delay getting this posted. I had some technical difficulties today which meant I spent a great deal of time smacking my head against my desk. LOL!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this installment of Bending Steele, and if you liked it, you will consider giving it a vote. I do enjoy your comments, so keep them coming. They put a smile on my face, and at times, you have no idea how precious that is. :)

Updates are going to be rather wonky for a while, though I am still managing to keep on the general schedule. I just want to keep warning you, I may not always make it. With yard work and gardens to tend to, it takes more of my time away from writing. Plus, some of these books are getting towards the end, and need a lot more attention to detail to make sure I wrap things up completely so that it tells a full and satisfying story.

But hang in there, we'll make it to the end together eventually! As always, I want to thank you for reading! You guys are the best, and the rock my foundation is built on.

Sincerely,

K