I was lying on the bed in a terrycloth robe, my hair a mess of tangles. I was exhausted, my body aching from head to toe. But it was the happy kind of tired. The kind that comes from a long week of sunshine, sea salt, and mind-blowing sex. Next to me, Bruin lay peacefully. His strong arm was draped over me, keeping me close, as though he was afraid I might disappear into thin air if he let me go for even a second. It was adorable.

His gorgeous blue eyes were closed, his kissable lips slightly parted as he breathed deeply. I could tell he was seconds from sleep. There was something so irresistible about him this way. Calm. Quiet. But with that inner strength still thrumming underneath his skin. I could feel the heat radiating off of him. I snuggled closer, nuzzling my nose against his. He smiled, his eyes opening just enough to look at me. Even though we were drifting on the Atlantic, the waves outside were nothing compared to the deep blue sea of his eyes. He hugged me close and kissed my forehead gently.

“God, you’re beautiful,” he said softly.

“No, I’m not,” I answered.

It was a gut reaction. I got compliments from people often enough, but never from someone like Bruin. It was usually some slimy guy at a bar or some taxi driver shouting at me from his car. Those “compliments” I could deal with. I would roll my eyes, turn away. Sometimes say thank you, usually with varying degrees of sarcasm. But with Bruin, it felt too genuine. Too honest. And it made me blush.

“You are. The most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” he argued.

“Stop,” I laughed, looking away. “I don’t know how to react to how nice you’re being.”

“You could just say thank you,” Bruin suggested, raising an eyebrow. He looked amused.

“Yeah, I guess. I don’t know. It’s weird,” I began, and then stopped myself. He sat up, looking interested suddenly. He began stroking my hair back away from my face as I looked up at him. He cocked his head to one side.

“What’s weird?” he asked.

I shook my head. “Nothing. Don’t worry about it. I don’t know what I’m saying.”

“No, you can’t backtrack now. Tell me what you’re thinking. Whatever it is. I want to know, Jillian,” he pressed. I sighed and sat up, still too bashful to look him in the eye.

“It’s just that… well, I’ve known you for years,” I started, biting my lip.

“Yeah. Since I was in college,” he said, nodding. He looked at me expectantly.

“Okay. Yes. Since you were in college. And I was just a kid. A dumb teenager with braces and frizzy hair,” I said, shaking my head. “And back then, I would have done anything to get your attention. To make you notice me.”

“Jillian, I always noticed you,” he said, furrowing his brow.

“No, I mean… to really notice me,” I added meaningfully. “Bruin, I’ve had a crush on you since the first time I ever saw you. But you were so mean. You used to tease me, remember? And when you were around, even Jeff would tease me. And he wasn’t like that.”

Bruin sighed and ran his fingers back through his dark hair. “Yeah. I was an asshole.”

“I wouldn’t say that…”

“I would,” he said firmly. “Jillian, I’ve changed since then. I mean, I can’t deny there was a time when I was a dick. I was reckless and stupid and selfish. Hell, I might still be that way today if not for my daughter. She changed everything. It’s stupid that it took a little baby to make me change my ways, but that’s the truth. She came into my world and suddenly I didn’t want to be that guy anymore. I needed to be better. For her sake and mine.”

“You’re a good father.” I smiled fondly. “I can tell.”

He leaned forward and kissed me. “Thank you. I hope you’re right. That little girl deserves the world and if I can give her the world, I will.”

“It’s crazy how you can be so different,” I said. “One minute, you’re like this hot, domineering sex god, and then the next minute you’re a sweet, doting father.”

“Duality of man, I guess.” He chuckled. “I can never totally bury who I used to be. I think that side of me only comes out in the bedroom now.”

“And in the shower. And on the beach,” I said slyly, biting my lip. He smirked.

“And anywhere else you want to fuck,” he teased softly, kissing me deeply. I leaned into him as his hands cupped my face.

“With you, anywhere is fine,” I whispered. He pinned me down on the bed, making me laugh. Leaning over me, he smiled.

“God, it’s so hard not to just take you right here, right now. I can’t resist you, Jillian. I think I might be addicted,” he said, shaking his head slowly.

“How long do we have before we get back to port?” I asked, my heart skipping a beat at the thought of going again. I was so tired, but at the slightest insinuation that I could fuck Bruin again, I was ready. My body was his for the taking, no matter what.

Bruin kissed me, his tongue pushing into my mouth. I reached up and ran my fingers through his hair, tugging him down, begging him to stay with me this way. It was crazy. I had started this week-long trip with fear and worry, and now I never wanted it to end. But of course it had to. Bruin and I weren’t together. We came from separate worlds. We both worked so hard and had our own hectic, complex lives to keep up with. I had clients all over the world, and so did he. On top of that, I had to contend with Jeff and what he would do if he ever found out about Bruin and me. And Bruin had his little girl to worry about. No matter what, she had to come first.

“For the way I’d want to fuck you, we don’t have enough time,” he whispered as he pulled away.

My heart sank. I couldn’t believe our week of bliss was already ending. Suddenly, that familiar shadowy darkness was returning to Bruin’s demeanor. The softness, the sweetness was rapidly washing away with every minute closer to the harbor we got.

“Bruin…” My voice was shaky. I was not sure what I even wanted to say to him. There were so many questions in my head. So many things I wanted to tell him, but I couldn’t find the words to string together and make sense. He got off the bed and walked away.

“Don’t worry,” he said suddenly, “I’ll keep up my end of the deal. The yacht is yours. Well, Jeff’s. I’ll sign the papers as soon as I get back to my office.”

“I wasn’t going to—” I protested.

“I know. But let’s not pretend this was anything more than the deal. Okay?” he said, and the cruelty, the coldness of his words made me freeze up. Who was this Bruin Kincaid? A different man than the warm, passionate man who had been sailing with me this week.

“Bruin, what’s going on?” I asked, sliding out of bed and walking over to put a hand on his shoulder.

He flinched slightly, like he wanted to pull away, but then he just reached up and took my hand. He held it in his own, stroking my fingers with his thumb. I could tell he was thinking, but I had no idea about what. He slowly raised my hand to his lips and kissed it softly.

I could feel somehow that it was a silent apology.

But for what?

“We need to keep a clear head about all this,” he said softly. “This week has been… fantastic. Your body is fucking amazing, Jillian. The two of us together, it’s like magic. I’ve never fucked anyone the way I fucked you. It felt… different, somehow.”

I stepped closer, my heart pounding. “I know. It felt the same way for me. Like we were meant to do this. Like we were made for each other. Uh, sexually, I mean,” I added quickly.

Bruin smiled, and there was that softness again in his eyes. But only for a flickering moment. He nodded. “Yes. Sexually. So, what have you got planned for when you get back? Going straight to meet up with your brother and tell him you sealed the deal?”

I blushed, misunderstanding what he meant at first. He seemed to catch on.

“I mean that literally. As in, he’s getting Mirabella,” he explained. I nodded.

“Yeah, yeah. I know what you mean. Of course,” I said hastily. “I’m sure he’s probably worried sick about me. He calls me almost every day.”

“Same protective older brother, isn’t he?” questioned Bruin, a little sadly.

“Yep. I think after Mom and Dad died he took it upon himself to be my guardian. I was already a teenager by then, but he stepped up anyway,” I remarked. “He’s been looking after me ever since. Sometimes it gets a little annoying, but I know he means well.”

Bruin nodded, a faraway look on his face. “Even before your folks passed, he was like that. I remember if I so much as mentioned your name, he’d get this fire in his eyes. Like he was ready to punch me in the face,” he said.

“Oh. I never knew it was like that,” I murmured.

Wow. How long had Jeff been shielding me from Bruin? Was it more than just the regular brotherly instinct? Why was he so aggressive about Bruin, in particular?

“He’s a good brother, Jill. Now that I’m a father, I get it. He wants to protect you from everything. From the whole world. Especially from guys like me,” he added, shrugging.

“What do you mean? Guys like you?” I asked, frowning. “You’re a great guy.”

Bruin chuckled. “You’ve seen a side of me most people never even glimpse.”

“But it’s the true part of you, right? The real Bruin Kincaid is a sweetheart. You’re not the guy Jeff made you out to be,” I commented. For some reason, this seemed to bother him. He pulled away.

“All of this, all of me, is the real deal. I’m authentic all the way, baby,” he said, a warning tone in his voice. I backed off a little.

“Yeah. No, I get it,” I said quickly.

“No. You don’t,” he said, gritting his teeth. “Look, I need to go talk to Miguel about the plans when we reach port. I’ll be busy for the next hour or so.”

“Oh. Okay,” I murmured, confused. Why was he acting this way? Hot one minute and cold the next? What did I do wrong?

“Listen, Jillian. You may think you know me, but you don’t,” he began. His tone was less cruel, more matter-of-fact. “Nobody knows me. You can’t just sum me up in a couple of adjectives. I’m more than that. This week was fucking amazing, but it was just part of the bargain. You held up your end, now it’s time for me to do the same. It was great seeing you again, but that’s it. Okay?”

I had to bite my lip to stop the tears prickling in my eyes. I’d be damned if I let Bruin Kincaid, or whoever the hell he was, see me cry over him. Screw that. My feelings for him had to stop here. Sure, my affection for him was years in the making, but I was putting them to bed. I had to. He didn’t want me. That much was clear. Or at least, if he did, he was denying it even to himself. And I, Jillian Hargrove, businesswoman and bad-ass, was not about to beg him.

“Fine,” I said firmly.

“Goodbye, Jillian.” That flash of sorrow in his eyes before he turned and walked out of the room was enough to shake me. What was going on? I couldn’t figure him out. All week we had been so hot for each other, nearly on fire. Had we really burned out that quickly?

And I knew I was right. Bruin was more than just the cocky, womanizing image he put out into the world. I had seen his softer, kinder side. I knew about his daughter, about how much he adored her and doted on her. That wasn’t the same Bruin who teased me years ago. He was more than that. But why did he turn away? Why was he so offended when I looked at that softer side? What was he so afraid of?

And then it hit me. Everything was fine until I’d mentioned Jeff.

Was that it? Bruin knew how important family was to my brother and me. Maybe he was worried that his presence in my life would piss off Jeff. Drive a wedge between us. And why the hell was Jeff so against the idea of Bruin being in my life, anyway? He was the one who pushed me to make this deal, after all. Did it have to do with Bruin’s daughter?

The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. I was a grown-ass woman. I could make my own decisions about who I slept with, who I loved. By the time Mirabella came to dock, I was on a warpath. I needed to talk to my big brother.