He reached across the table, grasped her hand, and placed a kiss in the center of her palm. “Maybe.” She gasped softly, and his gaze went to the rapidly beating pulse in her neck. He wanted to place his lips there. To trail kisses there. Their eyes connected, and he saw the same desire he felt reflected in her eyes. Gabriel said she could set the pace, but the only pace he wanted right now was hot and fast.

*  *  *

Serenity had no idea what possessed her to tease Gabriel. She usually didn’t flirt this way with men, and certainly never had with her ex. Maybe she could blame it on the wine she’d drunk, but that wouldn’t be the truth. If she were being honest, she’d admit that there was something about the man sitting across from her that made her relax and lower her inhibitions. The gentle caresses, sweet kisses, and the fact that he’d gone out of his way to ensure she had a good time would challenge the sanest woman to remain unmoved. Plus, he looked so good in the black shorts and short-sleeved pale-gray button-down shirt. Her palm still tingled from the soft kiss he’d placed there, and every time he looked her way, heat thrummed through her body.

By the time the train arrived back at the station, he had her fantasizing about that whipped cream.

“Do you want to go back to the gift shop?” Gabriel asked as they stepped off the train.

“If you don’t mind. There were a couple of bottles of wine I wanted to get.” She hadn’t wanted to leave them in the hot car and figured it would be easier to get them afterward, so she wouldn’t have to carry them around all day.

“Not at all.”

Several other people had the same idea, and it took a good fifteen minutes to make the purchase. “Are we heading over to the hotel now?” she asked as he pulled out onto the road.

“Check-in isn’t until four, but we’ll only be about half an hour early, so I’m hoping they’ll just let us go ahead and do it. It’s a bed-and-breakfast.”

“I’ve always wanted to stay in a bed-and-breakfast just to see if they really do serve those big meals. I’m betting that’s one of the reasons you chose it.”

“You know me well,” he said with a chuckle.

It took them less than ten minutes to get there, and Serenity was immediately entranced by the garden feel and even more by her room, which happened to be a secluded cottage not attached to any of the other rooms. She slowly toured the space with its gas fireplace, king-size bed, sitting area with leather chairs surrounding a small round table, and a Jacuzzi for two.