“Look,” said Kaitlin, pulling back and wiping a single tear from her cheek. “There’s a full moon outside.”
He twisted his head to look out the window. “Yeah?”
“You want to go skinny-dipping?” she asked.
“Yes,” he answered without hesitation.
The salt water was chilly against Kaitlin’s skin, but Zach’s body felt deliciously warm. He held her flush against himself, her feet dangling just above the sandy bottom. Over his left shoulder, she could see the distant lights of the Gilby house. And when she turned her head the other way, she could see the Harper castle in all its glory.
The gardens were smaller than they were in the pictures, but they were still lit up at night. And an illuminated path wound its way from the edge of the garden to the sandy beach, where she and Zach had stripped off their clothes before plunging into the surf.
“Lindsay is talking about staying a few more days,” Zach offered.
Kaitlin drew back to look at him. “With Dylan?” Lindsay hadn’t said anything to her. Then again, she had spent most of her time at the Gilby house.
Zach’s teeth flashed white under the moonlight. “I think they have worked out their differences.”
“You mean Lindsay won,” Kaitlin corrected. “Where’s my ten dollars, by the way?”
“Dylan thinks he’s the one who won.”
“He totally caved.”
“I don’t think he cares.”
“By the way, if Ginny asks, they’re not having sex.”
“Ohhh-kay,” Zach slowly agreed.
“She’ll probably ask,” Kaitlin warned. “She’s obsessed with Dylan’s love life.”
“I won’t answer,” Zach pledged.
“Good.”
Neither Kaitlin nor Zach spoke for a few minutes. The cool waves bobbed their bodies, while the sound of the surf rushed up on the sand, punctuating the breeze that whispered through the bushes along the shoreline.
“You want to stay, too?” Zach asked softly, rocking her back and forth in his arms.
Kaitlin stilled against him, not sure what he was asking.
“With Lindsay?” he elaborated. “For a few days? You could work right from here?”
“What about you?” she asked, still wondering what he meant by the invitation. Was he asking her to stay on the island, or to stay with him?
“If you’re staying?” A slow, sultry smiled curved his mouth, darkening his eyes to slate. “I’m sure not leaving.”
Kaitlin’s smile grew in return. “Okay.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes.”
He spun her in a circle, and she wrapped her legs around his waist, her hands gripping his shoulders for balance. His hold was tight under her bottom as she knifed through the water.
The moon glistened high in the sky, surrounded by layers of stars. They were the same stars that Lyndall had used to navigate his way to the island hundreds of years ago. The same stars that Sadie had gazed at as a girl and as a woman, a mother.
Zach slowed and stopped, the waves now the only motion around them. Kaitlin gazed at the lighted gardens that Sadie had so clearly loved. The woman had been the guardian of the castle, the keeper of the family’s heritage. And because of her decisions, Kaitlin had been trusted with the Harper office building.
Zach nuzzled her neck.
The office building was much newer, of course. But Kaitlin couldn’t help but believe the renovations would matter to Sadie. Maybe Zach was right. Maybe wholesale change wasn’t such a great thing. Maybe Kaitlin had some kind of responsibility to his family.
Maybe she needed to rethink her approach.
“Zach?” she ventured.
“Hmm?” he asked, the vibration of his lips tickling the sensitized skin of her neck.
“Could you get me a copy of the Hugo Rosche plans?”
He drew back, brows going up. “Really?”
“Yes.”
“Sure.” He nodded, the nod growing faster. “Of course I could.”
“I’m not making any promises,” she warned him.
“I understand.”
“I’m just going to look.” She had no idea what she was going to do now. She still needed her career, which meant she needed a fantastic project for the Harper building. But maybe there was a compromise of some kind. She just didn’t know.
A smile curved Zach’s mouth. “No problem.”
“I don’t want you to get your hopes up.”
“Oh, Katie.” He planted a long, warm kiss on her damp mouth. He drew back, his grin wide as he smoothed her hair. “My hopes have been up for quite some time now.”
She gave in to her desire for him, tipping her head and giving her lashes a few flirtatious blinks. “And what exactly are you hoping for?”