Chapter 16

The sun had begun to sink below the horizon when Captain Jim brought them back to the dock. They were slightly sunburned and windblown, and pleasantly buzzed from the wine in the excellent picnic basket. Maggie Thornton had outdone herself.

"Hope you all had a good time," the old man said as he parked the boat neatly in its slip. Kyle leaped down to help secure the ropes.

"I sure did," he said. Then he looked up at Pepper. "Thank you for another great day."

"You're welcome. Glad you enjoyed it." She gave her hand to Kyle so he could help her off the boat.

"You should take your man to the Lighthouse for dinner," Captain Jim told her.

"I'm not sure we're fit company for a public place right now," Kyle laughed, indicating their somewhat bedraggled state.

"You are for that place," Captain Jim told him. "Lots of boaters go there after a day out on the bay."

"Then thanks for the suggestion. And thanks again for the trip."

He kept his fingers linked with Pepper's as they walked to the end of the dock.

"We don't have to go to dinner if you'd rather not," he told her.

"You really should see the Lighthouse. And of course I want to have dinner with my fiancé." She stressed the last word.

He lifted her hand to his lips and brushed a kiss over her knuckles. The gesture made her blood heat and the beat of her pulse accelerate. It amazed her what this man could do to her body with such a simple action. She wondered if when they got back to Hibiscus House, they would have a repeat of the night before. Come Monday, Kyle would be gone and she'd be left to pick up the pieces of this charade. Was it so terrible to want as much as she could get before then?

"Then let's do it."

The Lighthouse was exactly what its name implied - an old lighthouse, out on a spit of land that poked into Hibiscus Bay.

"When it was taken out of service," Pepper told Kyle as she pulled into the parking area, "a couple bought it and renovated it. Their living quarters are on the top floor, but the lower floor is a small restaurant. They added on a big porch to increase seating, including storm windows that can be lowered when the weather isn't so good."

It was a very romantic place, with candles in hurricane lamps on the tables providing most of the light and soft music playing through speakers set high up near the ceiling. Pepper loved the place, but this was the first time she'd come here with a man she actually had romantic thoughts about. And wasn't that such a sad commentary on her life.

No! I have a goal!

She wanted Hibiscus House running at the level she dreamed of. She had an ever-growing list of amenities that she added to all the time. She wanted spa tubs in all the bathrooms. She wanted to enclose the side porch so people could take their tea and pastries or wine and cheese out there if the day turned unseasonably cool. She wanted bigger and better ovens for baking. She wanted...all kinds of things. When she'd made the place a destination spot on every list of bed-and-breakfasts, then she'd think about romance. Besides, this particular romance would be over come Monday.

She noticed Kyle glancing around, taking it all in.

"The owners have done a great job with this," he commented. "Too often people try the conversion from utility to romance and fail miserably."

She cocked an eyebrow at him. "Oh? Have you been to a lot of places like this?" She paused. "For romance?"

Kyle grinned. "Not every converted facility has romance in mind."

"So then how many would you say?"

He shrugged. "A fair number. I run across them in my travels."

Okay, maybe I can get a little more information from him now.

"You travel a lot, then?"

"For business. So." He lifted the menu, subtly changing the direction of the conversation. "What do you recommend?"

The food was excellent, as always. They chatted in a relaxed manner, discussing everything from books to movies to television to sports. At the end of the meal, Pepper realized she knew little more about Kyle Montgomery than when she'd started. The books he read and the sports teams he followed didn't give her any clue as to what he was doing in Bayview. She puzzled over it on the way home then put it out of her mind at Kyle's first words when they walked into Hibiscus House.

"I think I'm ready for a shower." His gaze on her was hot and hungry. "How about joining me."

Pepper checked the downstairs. There wasn't anyone hanging out in the little salon or on the porch. No one to see her climb the stairs with him. Her body sent her major signals.

"Yes," she whispered. "That would be nice."

When her parents remodeled the place they'd made sure each bathroom was as luxurious as possible at the time, including installing oversized showers with rain showerheads. Pepper seemed all thumbs as she jerked off her clothes, hardly a sexy striptease, but she was anxious to be naked with Kyle. To see him naked again. As he pulled off his own clothes and tossed them to the side, she could not take her eyes away from his gorgeous nudity. It seemed only seconds and then they were out of their clothes. Kyle tested the water and, when he was satisfied with the temperature, he took her hand and led her into the shower with him.

He was as magnificent in his nakedness as Pepper remembered from the previous night. Broad-shouldered muscular body, lean hips, flat stomach. The man was seriously ripped. But it was his arousal, thick and swollen, that drew her attention. Without realizing it, she licked her lips.

Kyle's chuckle was low and lusty. "Look all you want."