We walked into the Cellar below the main building of the retreat. The dim lights did little to illuminate the endless rows of wine bottles let alone the wooden stair-case pressed up against the stone walls. It was cold down here and I momentarily cursed myself for not grabbing a cardigan on my way out of our hut.

Our flight left in only a few hours and our bags were already loaded in the car while the driver waited to take us to the small airport. We decided to sit down and have some wine before we boarded to take the edge off the tremor in my body at the mention of being trapped in the air tight metal box that flew far too high above the ground for my liking.

All though, let's face it, anything above the second step of a ladder is too high above my comfort zone.

As I stepped off the last step I felt Anthony's hand slip into mine. "It's dark down here." He said as if to justify his reasons for taking my hand. We wandered through the shelves of old vintage wines. Anthony seemed it searching for something in particular, a favourite of his.

He let go of my hand and scanned the rack. "He we go!" He picked up a bottle and turned it in his hands. It was a white wine to my surprise.

"I'm not a fan of whites."

"Trust me you'll like this one." He spoke excitedly as he opened the bottle and poured us a glass each, filling it a little too high to be considered just one glass. "This cost about a hundred dollars a bottle."

My mouth dropped open. "Dear god, what is wrong with people?" I stared into the glass. Was it lined with gold or something?

Anthony chuckled. "My parents had a bottle they were given on their wedding day that they kept down in the cellar under lock and key. When I turned sixteen, I decided to celebrate by picking out a bottle and getting my first taste."

"Oh you didn't?" I put my hand over my mouth thinking about just how those events unfolded.

"Oh I did. The gold ring around the top of the bottle and the fact that it sat alone in a case all by itself just looked so inviting." He chuckled at his own memory. "I downed the whole bottle in an hour. My parents came down to the cellar and found me passed out on the floor. I woke up to a killer hangover that lasted for two days and my parents wrath that lasted until I turned eighteen."

"Throwing up on seafood, sculling expensive bottles of wine. You were terrible youth." I started to laugh.

He shrugged. "I'm an only child, I had to make up for it." He joined in my laughter. "Come on, I bet you were a pain."

I pressed my lips together thinking of my childhood. "Not really. I liked my own company and I wasn't a troublemaker - Well, at least not typically. I mean I did accidentally burn my stepmothers wedding dress, I nearly blew up the kitchen after I put a non-microwavable container in the microwave. Oh and there was this one time I forgot to put the handbrake on the car when I first got my license and it rolled into the pool."

Now it was Anthony's turn to laugh.

"They were accidents!" I defended myself.

"That's what makes it so funny!" His laughter got louder.

I rolled my eyes at him and tried to suppress my smile, raising my wine glass to my lips and taking a long sip. It was a subtle flavour at first, very fruity and sweet that tickled my tongue as I tasted the wine. The after taste how ever anything but sweet with a bitter sting that only made me thirsty for more. I could easily see how many get drunk off such a drink.

"Good isn't it?" Anthony asked taking a small sip of his own glass.

I nodded in answer.

"Nothing will ever taste as sweet." His voice dropped to a husky tone. "Well," he turned his head slightly, still keeping eye contact. "At least nothing in a glass."

I swallowed hard. My cheeks burned partly because of the alcohol and partly because of the sudden shift in Anthony's eyes. The gold flecks in his eyes darkened letting the blackness of his pupil take over, engulfing his eyes like a black hole.

I dropped my head and looked up at him through my lashes. "And what would that be?" I asked him, my voice low.

Anthony stepped forward closing the gap between us. His hand gently slipping into mine and leading it up to loop around his neck while his other hand grabbed my waist and dragged me forward until I was flush up against his chest.

I smiled and pressed my lips to his. His arms wrapped around me and deepened the kiss. The strong taste of the sweet wine on his lips was like drinking it straight from the bottle. It was all too easy get drunk off nothing but the taste of wine on his lips.

His tongue slid along my bottom lip before sucking at it, hungrily drinking the droplets of wine that still clung to my lips.

I pulled back desperate for air, my hands pushed at his chest as I tried to get some distance between us.

"Sky," Anthony cupped my face in his hands and gentle raised my eyes to met his. "What''s wrong?"

His eyes showed everything. Small golden suns boring into me with intensity. They spoke the thousand words his lips could not. So concerned, so intense. It was in that moment that I felt it. I knew that the feeling that had been growing inside me, spreading like warm fire in my chest and clutching me tightly, shaking me and refusing to let me go. I saw the same feeling reflected in his eyes. He cared for me. He felt it too.

A shudder of fear ran down my spine at the sudden thought: if I could read that same feeling in this eyes, in just one look, can he see it in mine?

"I - I just need some air." I didn't wait for him to respond before I stepped away from his embrace and pulled his hands gently from my face, dropping them at his sides and turning my back to him. Climbing the stairs as quickly as I could I rushed out of the Cellar and out into the fresh warm air of the beach.

I looked up to the clouds and blinked away the tears that stung my eyes. Why was this suddenly so overwhelming?

I heard Anthony rush out behind me, my body was well aware of where of his presence and the distance between us.

"What's wrong?" He pressed. His tone was no longer as gentle and concerned as it was only moments ago when he had asked me that very same question. Now it was lined with a frustrated and annoyed edge. I couldn't blame him for that. I did just leave him in the dark cellar in the middle of a make out session.

I sighed deeply, frustrated with myself. "Nothing. Something. Everything!"

I could almost hear him roll his eyes and frown at me. "That make no sense!"

"It makes perfect sense." To me.

"Are you drunk?"

I scoffed. "No." A little light headed or tipsy maybe, but no drunk - oh look a bee!

I flinched back at my inner-self's warning of a bee. Okay, maybe just a little drunk.

"Sky?"

I sighed deeply. "Nothing is wrong because strangely, I'm having fun. Something is wrong because this doesn't feel right, I don't feel right. And Everything is wrong because nothing is right with this situation!" I tried to explain thinking that talking to him would be the best way to explain how I was feeling not only to him but to myself.

"Define right." Anthony's voice was low, cautious and calculating.

I turned to him. "A direction that is far away from whatever this is!" I screamed motioning between us.

Anthony took a step towards me, slowly like he was approaching something dangerous or something that would scare easily. "What is this?" He took another step towards me.

I opened my mouth ready to scream my answer at him but quickly closed it as I realised that I had no idea what I was going to say. What could I say? What did I want to say? Was he expecting me to say something in particular? I sighed defeated. My head was ready to burst with everything that was running through my mind. Too much was happening too quickly, my head couldn't keep up.

"I don't know."

Anthony took another step. "Then why try to define it?" Another step. He was standing within an arm's reach away from me now but he didn't make a move to touch me - not yet. I was grateful, I don't think I was ready for him to touch me again - for him to confuse my thoughts even more. It was difficult on a good day to sort through my thoughts with each and every single voice in my head having their own opinions which were conflicting with each other. But when he stood so close, when he touched me, there was another voice that entered my mind and it screamed at me threatening to consume me. "Why keep looking into everything with such a critical edge?"

"That's what I do."

"Then maybe you need a new approach." He suggested.

I frowned a little confused with where he was going with this. "A new approach?"

"Yes Sky." He gently reached out and took my hands in his, his thumbs gently stroking the skin in an attempt to calm me. "Trust me."

I looked at him skeptically for a moment, weary of this new approach of 'trusting him'. It's not that I didn't trust him, because in the majority of ways, I did trust him. It was the way he said it, like there was much more behind his words, where telling him I trusted him and letting him lead me away had a hidden meaning, more than just trusting him.

I nodded my head and agreed despite my concerns. He gave me a small smile and gently started leading me away. I took a few steps towards his new direction when my right foot slipped in a patch of mud on the road by the beach. As my feet started to waver under me and my balance fell off key, Anthony let go of my hand and let me fall.

I was covered in mud in only seconds with the mud puddle being deeper than I first thought. My skin cooled with the cool mud seeping into my clothes and bits of mud hid itself in my hair.

Yeah trust him Sky, what's the worst that could happen? Be careful next time it might be off a cliff!

"Whoops." Anthony said as he looked down at me.

"Whoops? Fucken whoops!"

"Let me help you up." He rushed to my side and quickly grabbed my hand without my permission.

I Pushed his hand away and stood up without assistance. "No I got it thanks." I spoke with as much sarcasm as I could muster up. I faked an innocent smile. "Trust me Anthony." I reached out and pushed his chest, catching him by surprise and making him fall back before he could react. He land with a groan in the middle of a mud puddle just as I had seconds before.

Spinning around, I stormed off headed for the rental car that waited for us.

***

Arriving back home I suddenly missed the sun and the warmth. The weather was cold in comparison to the last few days which made me wish I had bought a sweater or knit with me. By the time we arrived back at the hotel the sun was beginning to set and I was well and truly exhausted. I was ready for bed.

Getting into the apartment on the top floor of the hotel I immediately fell into the couch and pushed one of the small square cushions behind my head and shut my eyes.

"You couldn't at least move your crap out of the doorway?" Anthony ask, his voice sounding just as tired as I felt.

"Hmm." I waved him off and went back to trying to fall asleep on the couch.

"Did your sister bring the rat back home yet?"

I waved my hand in the air not bothering to give him much attention as I spoke. "She is bring my beautiful bunny over tomorrow since I didn't know what time the plane came in."

He sighed deeply and picked up my feet and sat down on the couch before dropping them back down on his lap. I smiled into my pillow and snuggled further into the couch trying to fall into a peaceful sleep.

A few hours later I jumped myself awake to a loud ringing that disturbed my slumber. Pulling myself up into a sitting position I saw my legs were still sprawled across Anthony's lap as he was asleep on the couch, his head and arms hanging awkwardly across the back of the couch and his legs stretched out.

I groaned and rubbed my face as the obnoxious noise continued. I turned my head towards the noise and narrowed my eyes at the sight of Anthony's phone next to him on the couch. It had clearly fallen out of his pocket and now laid much closer to me than to him.

"Anthony." I shove his leg with my foot. "Your phone is ringing."

His head turned towards me as he opened his eyes and looked at me clearly still half asleep. "What?" He asked sleepily.

"Phone." I pointed to stupid piece of technology.

He dropped his hand to pick it up and rolled his eyes at the caller id. "What?" He answered still tried.

I put my head on the pillow and tried to ignore the sound of his voice as he conversed with the caller.

"Sky." His hand clasped onto my leg and gently rocked me.

"I'm sleeping."

"Not yet you're not." He shook me again, a little more roughly this time.

"I will kick you," I warned him. "And in the place I know it will hurt the most."

"So you don't want a job then?"

I froze and my ears pricked up. Job? Did he really just say that? I reached out and grabbed the back of the couch and pulled myself up into a sitting position. "What?"

"There's a small start up company looking for a new person to join their executive team in an attempt to get some fresh ideas. It is just an interview Sky, I can't guarantee you the position but it would be good opportunity."

I gaped at him, my eyes wide and my mouth forming a perfect o.

"Although with that look I'm starting to reconsider."

"No please don't." I spoke quickly, now fully awake. "Tell me please."

He took a deep breath and leaned his head back, his hands reaching up to rub his face. He was truly exhausted. "I heard through the grapevine that a new start up company is looking for a new executive manager - I thought you might like to apply. All you have to do is think of new ways for the business to expand and help out, manage the workers and stuff."

I frowned a little. "I don't even have a chance at getting that, I've never managed before."

"No, but you could." He took a deep breath. "With one hell of a recommendation from your previous employers you're in for a good chance."

"I don't know."

"Just try it, what do you have to lose anyway?"

Good point.

"And this company has nothing to do with you?" I asked remembering his rules and the long list of companies I was not allowed anywhere near.

"Nothing at all for the time beginning, Mia was actually the one to mention it, she has just finished helping them with their designs for a new office."

I frowned. "Who the hell is Mia?" I didn't want to think about the he sudden punch at my heart that made it suddenly hard to breath. I knew the feeling of jealousy when I felt it and I didn't for one bit like it at all.

He seemed almost confused by the question before suddenly a light bulb went off in his head. "I forgot you haven't met her yet. She's Jordan's girl."

"Oh," I was comforted by the fact that she was his friends girlfriend. "Remind me to thank her when I finally met her."

"I don't think that's a good idea. I really don't think you two will get a long. But don't worry I will send a bunch of flowers from you tomorrow."

"And why wouldn't we get along?"

"I don't know." He answered with honesty. "I just don't see that interaction ending well." He shrugged and moved on.

"Okay, well back to the job. I'll just have to manage right? Oversee everything?" I wanted to know exactly what I was getting into.

"Basically, you will work closely with the owner, CFO, and other executives, since it's only a small company you shouldn't be too over your head."

"Gee thanks Babe."

"I didn't mean it like that," he defended quickly. "Just that it will be better to start here and grow with the company rather than jump into a bigger one with no training."

I nodded, finally finding something I agreed with. "Fair point. They won't have any objections to my last name?" I asked thinking about the last couple of interviews I had.

"They shouldn't, only a few people have heard of the Martin downfall so I think you are in the clear for that, you can use Renner if you want to be sure."

"I want to get this on my own Anthony."

"Your life." He shrugged and shut his eyes trying to go back to sleep.

I looked up at the large clock on the wall and saw that is was only eight o'clock. Moving my feet off Anthony's lap, I stood up from the couch and turned back to Anthony. Leaning down I pressed my lips to his and kissed him, slow and sweet. "Thank you." I whispered against his lips and pulled back.

He opened his eyes and looked up at me.

"I'm headed to bed. You coming?"

I didn't wait for an answer and instead eagerly walked towards the bedroom looking forward to sleep once again. Anthony followed seconds later without another word.

***