At some point during the night, Autumn must have fallen asleep, because the next time she opened her eyes and glanced at the clock, it was nearly ten a.m. Damn, she hadn’t wanted to sleep this late. The days were flying by too fast as it was. Before she knew it, her vacation would be over and she’d be getting back on a plane headed for Montana. At the thought of leaving, a knot of dread twisted in her gut.

Was it Balen she didn’t want to leave, or the island? There was something magical about the place. The history and mythology… It was almost like love saturated the air. One didn’t have to believe in such things to become caught up in the culture of it. It could cloud a person’s perceptions, make them feel things, want things. Which left her wondering, was the connection she felt with Balen real or just an illusion?

Sure, they had amazing chemistry, but there were moments that she’d sworn there was something more happening between them. She hadn’t wanted to admit it at the time, and even now the possibility floating around in her mind was making her a little bit nervous, but that damn voice inside her head kept taunting her with possibility of what if... Could this possibly be real?

She pushed the thought away as she climbed out of bed and headed to the shower. When she left her room, she couldn’t help glancing into Balen’s. The door was ajar, the bed made. Even the decorative pillows were propped against the headboard. All signs that he’d spent the night in there were erased. She entered the living room and found it empty. So was the kitchen, but the aroma of bacon was still clung in the air. Disappointment needled her as she foraged the kitchen for something to eat. She’d enjoyed the routine they’d slipped into the last two mornings—Balen at the table with a heaping plate of bacon, eggs, and toast for them to share.

After a less than satisfactory breakfast of peanut butter toast and reheated coffee, she changed into her bikini and headed for the beach. As she made her way down to the sand, Autumn noticed there were a lot more people gathered on the shore than usual. Maybe there were dolphins out there or something. Curious to see what all the fuss was about, Autumn approached the crowd and recognized one of the waitresses from Ambrosia—Rushma, wasn’t it? If she recognized Autumn standing there, she gave no indication of it. Then again, she hadn’t taken her eyes off the water long enough for the girl to notice her. With a clearer view of the water, Autumn turned her attention to the sea and saw what all the fuss was about—or rather, whom.

Well, she’d found Balen. Autumn stood among the spectators, watching him ride those waves like he was a part of the sea. His big, muscular body lay prone on the surfboard as he paddled out, his powerful arms cutting through the waves as he propelled the board through the current only to hop to his feet and ride another wave back toward shore. The waves weren’t very high, nothing like the mavericks he’d told her about, but there was enough roll in the sea to give his fan club a good show.

“You have no idea how badly I want to be a wave right now.”

The woman standing beside Rushma laughed at her comment. “I hooked up with Balen at a beach party a couple of months ago. Hands down the best fuck I’ve ever had.”

All right, Autumn did not need to be listening to this. Nor was she going to hang out here like some love-struck groupie. Honestly, what was the big deal? They acted like they’d never seen someone surf before. She took a step back, about to leave, when Rushma asked the woman next to her, “Are you still seeing him?”

Curious, Autumn paused, waiting for the woman’s answer.

“Are you kidding? Hit it and quit it Kroft? Since Monica screwed him over he hasn’t visited the same honey hole twice. Everyone knows once you give it up, he’s done. The only thing that guy is capable of committing to is giving a girl the best O of her life.”

The women burst into laughter and Autumn’s stomach dropped, nausea churning in her gut. This was ridiculous. She had no claim on Balen and she certainly had no right to be jealous. In her mind, Autumn knew this. It was the cramping ache in her chest that hinted her heart might not have gotten the message. Her suspicion was confirmed when Rushma’s friend added, “If you’re looking for anything more than a good time with that guy, you’re going to get your heart broken.”

“Hey, I’m down for a good time,” Rushma added, and the chorus of laughter started up again as they gave each other a high-five.

A few others in the crowd had their phones out, snapping pictures and recording him as they whispered among themselves, but she couldn’t hear what they were saying—not that she wanted to after listening to those two. It didn’t matter how many times she told herself she and Balen were just friends, or reminded herself the temporary status of even that. It didn’t matter that in two days she’d leave the island and never see him again. Jealousy lit through her veins like a rush of adrenaline—and that emotion was too close to caring, which was something she could not afford to do. With a frustrated sigh, Autumn spun around and marched back to the villa.

She was halfway there when she heard Balen calling her name. Autumn stayed her course, pretending she didn’t hear him, but she should have known he wouldn’t be ignored. Before she could reach the sand-dusted patio, she went airborne. Her feet swept out from under her, a startled yelp escaping her throat as she went horizontal in Balen’s arms.

“Oh no you don’t... You’re not getting away from me that easily.” He was out of breath, his smooth, tan skin cool and wet against hers. He smelled like the sea and she couldn’t resist taking a deep breath, pulling his scent into her lungs—fresh and briny with a masculine undertone that was pure male. Despite her ire, her body responded to him. Every place they touched seemed to be connected to the outlet deep inside her core.

“I know what you’re thinking.”

Oh, she hoped not. He’d been clear the other night that jealousy had no place in their relationship. She wasn’t proud of the gnawing emotion, yet there it was all the same, smacking her right in the face. She didn’t have a right to be mad. He wasn’t the one changing the rules of their arrangement. She wanted to pretend the whole thing hadn’t happened, but that was pretty hard with the small crowd of spectators whipping out their cell phones and snapping pictures of them. Honestly, those people needed to get a life.

“Balen, put me down,” she scolded, keeping her voice a hushed whisper. “You’re making a scene and people are watching us.”

“Let them watch.” He turned and started toting her back toward the sea.

He was getting her soaked. Water dripped off the ends of his hair, landing on her shoulder and rolling into the valley of her cleavage. “Where are we going?”

“To the sea for your swimming lesson.”

“You want to do it now? With all these people watching?”

“Would you rather I give them something else to stare at?”

The husky dip in his voice sent a tremor of excitement racing through her. He wouldn’t… Would he? The jealous, irrational part of her wanted to take him up on his offer, or at least call his bluff. But Autumn knew nothing good could come from feeding that green-eyed monster, though secretly she would have loved to see the look on Rushma’s face if Balen did make good on his threat.

She must have taken too long to answer, or possibly he took her silence as a challenge because Balen abruptly stopped with Autumn in his arms and kissed her. It wasn’t a quick peck on the lips either. It was one of those PDA moments that usually ended in someone calling out, “Get a room.” The initial contact with his lips was salty as his tongue dove into her mouth, stroking and tangling with hers. The briny kiss was spiced with a hint of peppermint that made her mouth water.

What was he doing? Trying to give the gawkers a show? Did he want to shock her? Embarrass her? Whatever his intent, she wouldn’t let herself read something more into it, despite the possessiveness in his touch, his kiss. If she didn’t know better, she’d have sworn he was making a statement to all who were watching. One that said, “she’s mine.” But Autumn wasn’t a fool, she’d learned a long time ago not to listen to that small voice. Yet, after all she’d been through, there was still a part of her that wanted to believe in fairy tales and happily-ever-after—a part that taunted her with what could be.

Caught off guard by his kiss, her presence of mind seemed to flee, along with her modesty. This wasn’t her, she wasn’t into PDA. Back home, she never would have been caught dead doing something like this in public. Maybe it was the freedom of being on vacation, or Summer’s continual reminder that she was here to cut loose and have fun, but whatever the reason, Autumn found herself returning Balen’s kiss with equal enthusiasm until some of the guys on the beach began to chuckle, and a few whistles rang out.

She reluctantly pulled back, expecting Balen to put her down. “I can’t believe you just did that,” she scolded, but it was too late to claim impropriety.

Unabashed, he shrugged. “I didn’t realize you cared so much about what other people thought.” He sounded almost disappointed.

“I didn’t know you cared so little.”

“Autumn, I stopped caring what people think about me a long time ago. You should give it a try. It’s quite liberating.”

She glanced up at him, expecting to see a teasing grin on his handsome face and was surprised to discover he was quite serious. “It doesn’t bother you? All these people staring at us? You don’t care what any of them think? What they say about you?”

He glanced at the amassing crowd of maybe thirty people, then his eyes locked back on hers. “Nope. Not in the least.”

“Must be nice.” As the words left her mouth, she tasted the truth. She was tired of caring about what other people thought of her, of putting on pretenses that she was fine when she wasn’t.

“It took me awhile to get there, though. The best day of my life was the morning I woke up, looked myself in the mirror, and said ‘fuck it.’”

He set her down but didn’t let go, his arms loosely looped around her waist as he gave her one of those dimple-flashing grins that made her toes curl in the sand. “That’s what you need,” he announced as if he held the answer to all her problems. “You need a ‘fuck it’ moment.”

“Excuse me?” A what? It took a second for her mind to dissect what she heard him say from what she thought she’d heard.

“Think of something crazy, something you’d never do in public, then just say ‘fuck it’ and go for it.”

This was quite possibly the worst advice anyone had ever given her. But then, the more she thought about it, she began to wonder if it wasn’t the most brilliant. A “fuck it” moment, huh? She pondered the possibility, trying to think of something she would never do in a million years. Then she imagined the look on Balen’s face if she could drum up the courage to do it. The shock-factor alone would be worth the embarrassment.

A smile lit her face and it must have been a wicked one because the daring, confident grin slipped from his. “Autumn, what are you going to do?”

He looked a little nervous, which only emboldened her more. Balen cut an anxious glance to the small crowd of spectators that was slowly growing. She took a measured step back, putting a little distance between them, just in case he tried to stop her. Adrenaline pumped through her veins, her heart hammering with excitement as she worked up her courage. She couldn’t believe she was going to do it.

Rallying her last bit of nerve, she gave him a daring grin and slipped a hand behind her back and one to the nape of her neck. Understanding flashed in Balen’s eyes and then something else that gave her pause. It was dark and possessive, and flamed the fire of desire that seemed to have been set on a slow burn since the moment she’d met him. Actually it looked a lot like jealousy as he shot another glance at the crowd and swore. But she wouldn’t fool herself into believing Balen’s feelings for her were anything that deep.

“Autumn, don’t do it.”

The warning in his voice was the last push she needed. Flashing him a wicked grin, she tugged the ties on her bikini top and said, “Fuck it.”

* * *

Ho-ly shit! She did it! Autumn’s top dropped to the sand, putting those gorgeous tits on display for not only him, but a lot of other guys that had no business looking at her. Had it been only for him, he probably would have nutted right then and there. As it was, all he could think about was the show those dickwads were getting. A chorus of cheers erupted and a blast of emotion he wasn’t happy about hit him like a 2x4 in the gut. Jealousy burned through his veins like liquid fire, turning them to ash. He didn’t want anyone looking at Autumn but him, and the possessive fury he felt over her, for her, was an unexpected kick to the balls.

He couldn’t believe she’d done it. And the hell of it was, he had no one to blame but himself for planting the idea in her head. He didn’t think she would take it so far. Not the Autumn he knew—which was a reality check that he didn’t know her as well as he thought he did. But, damn, if she didn’t look hot as hell standing there with that sexy smile on her face. She seemed both shocked and proud at the same time, as if she couldn’t believe she’d done it either.

All right, the show was over. Grumbling a curse, he snagged her bikini top from the sand and stepped toward her. She tensed and countered with one back, the grin on her face turning playful, and all but daring him to come and get her.

“Don’t do it, Autumn…” But his warning only fueled her fire. Shit, she was going to run. He could sense it, and the instinct to chase her was courting the alpha in him hardcore.

He lunged, but she was ready. Her laughter caught in the air and shot straight to his cock as she turned and ran toward the water. Sand kicked up as her bare feet pounded the beach. He took off after her, Autumn’s bikini top fisted tightly in his hand. His heart hammered inside his chest as lust bore down on him like a freight train. The crowd quickly became an afterthought as his primary focus turned to catching Autumn. He tried to stop his thoughts right there, but images of what he wanted to do to her once he had her flooded his mind. Her unexpected playfulness turned him on, as if he needed any more reasons to be attracted to this woman.

Her feet hit the water and he knew he had her. She wouldn’t dare go out far. But the gentle slope of the sand gave her some room to run and splash in the waves. She zigged and zagged, laughing as he chased after her. The sound was the most beautiful melody he’d ever heard and the thought flittered through his mind, I don’t think I could ever get tired of hearing that…

The tide was slowing her down. It was up to her thighs and she could no longer run. She cast a playful glance over her shoulder, gauging her distance as he closed in. She glanced left, then right, sizing him up and no doubt making a plan for escape.

“Give up,” he taunted, tucking her bikini top in the waistband of his board shorts so he’d have full use of both hands. “You’ve got nowhere to run.”

He closed in, trapping her between him and the water. She turned around, giving him a full, uninhibited view of those gorgeous breasts. His mouth began to water at the memory of her raspberry nipples pebbled against his tongue. His hands ached to squeeze the soft, decadent flesh…

Taking advantage of his distraction, Autumn tensed to bolt. Balen feigned left, she cut right, and at the last second he dove for her, hooking his arm around her waist and hoisting her high in the air and over his shoulder. She squealed, her laughter ringing out, and something in his chest tightened, refusing to let go of his heart as he joined her, his own laughter a deep, throaty chuckle. She flailed to get free but her effort was half-hearted and he playfully swatted her ass, hard enough to sting but not quite hurt. He wasn’t expecting a soft moan to answer him and the lust already thundering through his veins turned into white-hot, unadulterated need. Her breasts were crushed against his back, her hands braced against his waist to help hold herself up as the energy in the air suddenly charged with something less playful and a lot more dirty.

He slowly slid his hand up and over the curve of her pink, palm-printed bottom. His fingers slipped beneath the hem of her bikini, skating temptingly close to the satiny flesh between her legs. She gasped at the near miss of his touch.

Her grip on him tightened, the cusps of her nails digging into his back. The erotic bite and pounding of his pulse became an echoing throb resonating in his shaft. A pained groan escaped him on exhale.

“Balen…”

Autumn sounded as breathless as he felt. He set her down and noticed Autumn’s cheeks were flushed. Balen wondered if it was desire or exertion that put the rosy hue there. He needed to get some distance between them before he gave those spectators on the beach some real video footage—again. Bradford would have a goddamn coronary if he saw this. And Autumn…the last thing he needed was her tits popping up on YouTube. Wouldn’t that be a hell of a way to discover he wasn’t who she thought he was? Talk about your deal breakers.

All things he probably should have thought about before he gave Autumn that wonderful advice. But in his defense, the last thing he’d expected was for her to take her top off. He’d tried to stop her, and in hindsight, maybe he should have tried a little harder, done or said something like “You don’t know this, but I’m a famous surfer and these people are probably filming every move you and I make right now.” Yeah, that probably would have kept her from taking her top off—forever.

He angled them so his back blocked the public’s view and pulled her bikini from his board shorts, letting it dangle from his finger. “I think you lost something. You might want to put this back on. Some of those guys had their phones out. I’m pretty sure you’re on candid camera, sweetheart.”

Her eyes grew wide, as if the realization hadn’t occurred to her before now. The thought of these guys having new repertoire for their spank bank didn’t sit well with Balen, but then he didn’t want to shit on Autumn’s “fuck it” moment by pointing that little tidbit out. It took a lot of nerve to do what she just did. And there was no taking it back. What was done was done and he had to give her mad props for having the guts to do something like that—even if the idea of some other guy seeing her topless pissed him off way more than it should have.

Her impulsiveness was fading by the second and the blush staining her cheeks told him he’d better do some damage control quick. “Turn around.” Before she could comply, he took her shoulders and spun her to face the sea. He slipped the string of her bikini around her ribs and began tying it while she lifted the cups, holding them in place.

“I gotta say,” he teased, “I’d much rather be taking this thing off than putting it on.”

“Ha-ha.” She shook her head. “I can’t believe I did that. I’m not sure what came over me. It seemed like such a good idea at the time.”

Stuffing his jealousy, because it had no place between them, he chuckled. “Are you kidding me? You’re personally responsible for making the day of at least fifteen guys back there and it’s not even noon yet. I’d say you’re off to a great start.” He finished tying the bow and went to work on the strings around her neck while she held her hair up. His gaze was drawn to the long, graceful curve of her neck and the urge to kiss the fading mark he’d left there was nearly too much to resist. “That ‘fuck it’ moment definitely deserves a page in your book.” He pulled the ends of her bow tight and she turned her back around. “You want me to see if I can get one of the guys to forward me a pic?”

“Stop it!” She playfully cuffed his shoulder and he began to laugh. “It’s not funny.”

“It’s a little funny.” He pulled her to him and placed a chaste kiss on her cheek. “You ready for that swimming lesson now?”

“Do I have a choice?”

“Not really.”