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Chapter 14
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All About Love Chapter 15
Kyle wondered if he was having too good a time with his erstwhile fiancée. This was all make-believe, right? He was doing her a favor, helping her out. And helping Pepper was not any kind of hardship, especially after last night. Oh, yeah. Last night. He couldn't remember the last time he'd enjoyed sex as much. Or been as affected by it. The emotional impact of it was throwing him for a loop, something he had been unprepared for. How was it possible that, in less than twenty-four hours, he was falling for a woman he'd just met?Yesterday, Pepper had given him a tour of the little town of Bayview, a town that in spite of himself he found charming and appealing. Today, they'd be out on the water, one of his favorite places to be. He already itched to head to the marina. When he and his brothers were kids, his parents had bought a home on Lake Forth, about ninety minutes from Dallas. All of them were free to use it whenever they wanted. Kyle had a boat he kept there, a boat he hadn't see
All About Love 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
All About Love Chapter 17
Remembering the way it had felt the night before, Pepper reached out and closed her fingers around it, stroking the soft skin and feeling the steel hardness beneath it. Kyle groaned and clamped his fingers gently around her wrist."I should have said look, don't touch. Damn, Pepper. You see what you do to me? Let's not rush things."She licked her lips again and nodded. What would he think if she told him she'd never made love - had sex, Pepper; but this isn't just sex - in a shower before?He cupped her breasts in his large, warm palms, squeezing them gently then catching her sensitive nipples between thumbs and forefingers. He locked his gaze with hers, desire swirling in the dark-chocolate pools of his eyes as he teased and toyed with her hardened buds. When he bent his head and pulled one pebbled tip into his mouth, sucking deeply, she felt the tug all the way to her core. The pulse between her thighs thundered in response, and she pressed her legs together to contain it.How d
All About Love Chapter 18
Kyle woke to an empty bed, already missing the warmth of Pepper's body and the feel of her nestled into him. He knew she'd probably gotten up while it was still dark to get ready for breakfast. He smiled as he remembered the soft feel of her, the touch of her lips on his, the feel of her luscious breasts in his hands. And, most of all, her wet warmth when he buried himself inside her.He had two more days here and already he hated the thought of leaving. The last thing he'd expected when he took this trip was to find a woman he could fall in love with. Could? He was already more than halfway there. But what good did it do? They lived worlds apart. She would never move to Dallas, and he certainly could not see himself living in Bayview. Maybe spending some weekends here, but Pepper was obsessed with Hibiscus House, so prying her loose was most likely impossible.He tried to study it the way he saw other problems, weighing pros and cons. The trouble was, with other problems, he was not
All About Love Chapter 19
Kyle followed Pepper out the back door, across the rear lawn, and down to the water's edge where she had lawn chairs set up for guests to use. He hoped they could sit down, but the moment they reached the chairs, she turned and faced him and crossed her arms across her chest."Okay, talk."He explained about his parents, about wanting to open a new division, although he was beginning to think the whole thing was nothing more than a ruse to get him down here to meet Pepper. About his promise to keep this under the radar until he evaluated the situation."But my game plan got a big kink it in right away." He rubbed his jaw. "I wasn't prepared for you.""Really?" She glared at him. "You must have been so excited when I introduced you as my fiancé. The perfect cover. Tell me, was being with me all part of the game, too? Because you were very realistic.""Pepper, no." He spread his hands. "My game plan went out the window the moment you jumped on me and kissed me. I never believed in l
All About Love Chapter 20
"Honey, I only had your best interests at heart," Maggie Thornton repeated yet one more time. She sat at the island counter in the kitchen of Hibiscus House, drinking coffee and trying to explain why she'd set everything up the way she had."Mama" Pepper set down her glass of iced tea and stared at her mother. "I am thirty years old. I can handle my own life.""But you weren't settling down," Maggie wailed. "I wanted you to have a home and children before it got too late.""And you didn't trust me to find someone on my own?""Not as long as you were burying yourself in Bayview with Hibiscus House."Pepper chose her next words carefully. "You can't arrange love, Mama. It either happens or it doesn't.""I'm sorry, honey. I just wanted for you what your dad and I have.""Let me also point out," Pepper added, "that Judd Wallace is not the answer, either. I wouldn't give the man house room.""He's president of the local bank," Maggie pointed out."He could be president of the Unite
All About Love Chapter 21
Pepper sat behind the carved desk in the lobby, studying the registration list on her computer."Hey, Cilla?" she called."What's up?" Cilla hurried in from the kitchen, carrying two iced teas.Breakfast was over, the kitchen cleaned, and Mary Tierney was working her way through the bedrooms and bathrooms. The weekend guests had all left, and the next group wasn't due to arrive until the next day."When did all these reservations come in?" She continued to scroll through the program."Oh." Cilla read the screen over Pepper's shoulder. "We had a slew of calls yesterday afternoon while you were out. Did I do it wrong?""No. You did great. I'm...I don't know where they are all coming from all of a sudden. Can you believe it? We're booked up for the next four months.""Isn't it exciting?" Cilla laughed and squeezed Pepper's shoulder. "Word of mouth, I guess. Or maybe those listings you've been placing on travel sites are finally paying off.""Maybe. It just seems so weird, you know
All About Love Chapter 22
Pepper was up early the next morning. She wanted to go through the guest rooms and make lists of what she needed to jazz them up before the television people showed up. Flowers in vases on all the dressers. Special sachet packets in the drawers. Crystal dishes with those special peppermint candies people loved so much. She'd make sure the bathrooms were all stocked with the full complement of special toiletries. She'd have Cilla work on the downstairs. The woman had a great eye and knew exactly what to do to make a room "pop," as she was fond of saying. She was suspicious that she hadn't heard a word from her parents for a while but she decided not to worry about it for the moment.She had just fixed a mug with coffee when she heard the front door open. Tony Rosen, the local UPS delivery man, waited for her in the lobby. He was wearing a big smile when he greeted her."I got an envelope here for you, Pepper. Says I have to get your signature." He looked at it as if it was a foreign o
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