All About Love

Chapter 10

Pepper gave a sigh of relief that at last she was in the sanctuary of Hibiscus House. To her, the evening had been interminable, the steady barrage of questions from both of her parents like swords falling on her head. And Kyle? Lordy, he had been beyond wonderful. Where did someone get that kind of discipline and charm? Too bad their engagement was only a fake.

She wondered what on earth he did when he wasn't pretending to be in love with her. No doubt he had women falling all over him. She'd certainly been ready to fight them off today as they did their walking tour of Bayview. No matter the age, they shamelessly let their tongues hang out wherever she took him. So much so that she eagerly let him hold her hand in his as they walked along.

Tonight at dinner had been next to unbelievable. Mama had spent half the time waving people over to introduce "Pepper's fiancé" and tell them to watch for the Save the Date postcard. The other half, she joined her husband in giving poor Kyle the third degree. She could hardly believe the personal questions they asked him, but she gave him props. He handled all of them with flare, and she was sure she was the only one who noticed he gave out very little real information.

She had one tiny nervous moment when the bill arrived and he insisted on paying. When he dropped his Black American Express card on the credit card folder, her mother's eyes widened so much, Pepper was afraid they'd fall out of her head. Even in tiny Bayview, they knew the Centurion Card was issued only to the wealthiest of the wealthy. Who in hell had she gotten herself engaged to, anyway?

Then it had been a struggle to cut themselves loose after that, especially when Mama tried to insist they have breakfast. Finally, they managed to make their escape. On the ride home, she had been silent, wondering who Kyle Montgomery was, exactly. How did he make his money? How rich was he, anyway? Not that it would matter after this little interlude.

Something else kept buzzing in the back of her brain. The entire day had been filled with unexpected, unacknowledged s****l tension. She sure hadn't expected it when she practically attacked him that morning, and she'd tried to chalk it up to the weirdness of the moment. But it kept getting stronger instead of weaker. She knew that Kyle was feeling it, too. She could tell from the glances he kept casting her way. The way he made it a point to hold her hand and squeeze it. Other things. She'd had to call on all her discipline just to get through everything.

She definitely needed something to settle the sizzle in her system. "I'm going to have a cup of tea," she told Kyle as they entered the kitchen. "Can I offer you one?"

"Not tea, but I'll take coffee if you don't mind working that wonderful machine of yours."

"Aren't you afraid the caffeine will keep you up?" she asked, as she busied herself with the ingredients.

"Not really. I discovered a long time ago I have a pretty high tolerance for it." He laughed. "Not much help when I need to work late and want something to keep me awake."

She waited until they were both seated at the island counter before she asked the question that had been banging around in her head since dinner.

"So. A Centurion Amex card. Exactly what is it you do, Mr. Kyle Montgomery, that puts you in that elite circle? And feel free to tell me it's none of my business."

He looked at her over the rim of his cup. "Not much to tell. Like I said, I'm in real estate development. Sometimes it can be very lucrative."

"I guess so." She studied him, his lean muscular body with the broad shoulders, his square-jawed face with the dark-chocolate eyes that could hypnotize so easily. "But don't you think we should know a bit more about each other?"

Oh, good one, Pepper. In a few days, he'll be gone and so will this charade. He doesn't have to tell you anything about himself. Why should he?

"Sometimes talking is overrated." He set his mug down, slid off his stool, and came around to where she was sitting. "Don't you think so?"

Ohmigod! He's going to kiss me.

Her breath caught in her throat. She knew she should move away, but she was rooted in place. The increase in her pulse rate and the heat that streaked from her n*****s to her core were significant signs that she wasn't going to tell him no. She wanted him to kiss her. Had, in fact, ever since that surprise kiss when she'd thrown herself at him that morning. She knew with a certainty what had been brewing between them all day was about to explode.

He was so close to her now that she could count his eyelashes. His very clean, very male scent engulfed her, waking up her dormant hormones and sending them on a happy dance through her body. He had yet to touch her, and already the pulse in her core was thrumming so hard she had to squeeze her thighs together.

"I've been wanting to do this since this morning." He stroked his knuckles across her cheekbone. "If you want me to stop, this is your last chance to tell me."

He was so close now she could feel the gentle breeze of his breath on her cheek. She knew she should put an end to this, but her body was yelling Go for it! She hadn't had a serious relationship in forever, focusing everything on Hibiscus House. This man was leaving in a few days, and suddenly she thought, Why not? Why not enjoy myself?

She'd probably never see him again. Maybe she could have a wild fling, enjoy off-the-wall s*x, and not have to worry about repercussions.

Get real, Pepper. He doesn't have to come here for that. That's pretty evident.

But while her mind was in turmoil, he moved his head closer and then his mouth was on hers. The contact was gentle at first, like the touch of a butterfly's wings. But then the pressure became more insistent. Just like that morning, he traced the seam of her lips with his tongue, back and forth, until she opened for him and he thrust inside.