Under the lights of a beach tavern, I hold Brooke securely in my arms while we slow dance. Just holding her makes me glad I actually listened to her explanation about Carrie. Deep inside of me, I’d known the truth.

Brooke was shy, which she had tried to cover up last night and again this morning. So that spoke volumes to me. Her sister is the one who I should have shown the door to the moment she’d opened her mouth. I’ll know better in future.

But as the soft warm body rubs against my front, I forget about Carrie’s drama and concentrate on the sensation. It’s been far too long since I let anyone close in this way. Because of my work life, it’s always been easier to just date. No commitment, nothing more than a few days of fun here and there...until now. I’ve never had my eye caught and held.

“Michael,” Brooke moans. “What are you thinking about?” Her warm mouth presses through my shirt over my nipple.

“I can tell you where my mind has suddenly gone.” I press against her and there is no mistaking my solid erection pulsing against her belly.

Chuckling, she presses closer. “I thought I’d lost you.”

I kiss the top of her head. “No. I was thinking about you.”

“I can tell.”

“Ignore that.” I laugh as she raises her face to mine. “I’m really enjoying tonight with you. I haven’t done anything like this in…heck, never.”

“So we’re both having a first tonight,” she smirks. “Well, I’m going to be having a few firsts if I have my way.”

My arousal strains between us, at her words, and the promise in them. “You need to be…”

“She needs to be what?” Carrie interrupts.

And like that, the flames of arousal are doused and all that burns inside me is the anger at this woman.

Brooke tries to pull away, but I tighten my hold, and keep her in the circle of my arms as I turn to face the woman.

“Carrie,” Brooke hisses. “I didn’t know that you liked it here.”

“I bet you didn’t,” she replies in a singsong voice, which tells me that she’s had a little too much to drink.

Her gaze rakes across me before she turns back to Brooke, her lips curling into a sneer. “So you’re carrying the dare on for another night, huh?”

Brooke trembles against me, and it takes everything in me not to say something cruel to Carrie. Instead, I cup Brooke’s face against my chest and kiss the top of her head. Carrie’s eyes darken with anger, and her fists clench around the wine glass she holds.

“Carrie, I think you need to go home and sober up,” I suggest, and just catch her wrist as she goes to slap me.

With my other arm, I put Brooke behind me and get in Carrie’s face. “I wouldn’t suggest doing that,” I hiss.

“What the hell does she have that I don’t?” she snarls and that’s when I notice the whole tavern is watching us.

“We’ll make sure you get home safely,” I add, against my better judgment. “But this, whatever is going on with you, has to stop.”

She snatches her hand back. “Don’t touch me.” She wobbles backwards. “I don’t need you or anyone to help me home. I’ve lived here a lot longer than you have.”

Brooke places a hand on my back and moves to my side. “Carrie, please. Don’t do this. Let us walk you home.”

Carrie laughs before her face twists into something evil. Not a nice sight at all. “Not everything revolves around you.” She points with a finger, a lethal looking red nail, inches from Brooke’s face.

“Knock it off.” I tug Brooke away. “You either walk back with us, or,” I palm my cell, “I call your father.”

Her face falls briefly, so I continue, “You don’t want to worry him, right?” I intertwine my fingers with Brooke’s, and say to Carrie, “Just for tonight, let us get you home.”

She blinks back tears and takes off toward the entrance of the tavern. I glance at Brooke, who meets my gaze.

“We’ll walk behind her.” She shrugs. “At least we’ll be there when she falls flat on her face.”

Walking out into the nicely lit streets, we hurry to catch up to Carrie, who seems to be heading in the right direction for home, at least.

The closer we get, the quieter Brooke becomes. Unable to take it any longer, I ask, “What’s going on in that head of yours?” I wrap my arm around her waist, tugging her closer, which is how I feel the heavy sigh she releases.

“I was loving everything about tonight, and then, as usual, she has to go and ruin it. I shouldn’t be angry and upset, but I am.”

Reading between the lines, the reality of what she’s had to put up with hits me, and I find that I don’t like it. The need to protect Brooke overwhelms me and when Carrie stumbles to a halt and nearly ends up falling into the shrubs at the side of the road, I can’t bring myself to move. It’s unlike me, but the girl didn’t want help, and I’m too angry with her that I want to throttle her.

Brooke watches her sister stumble from side-to-side, and then we both let out a sigh of relief when the gate leading into the garden comes into view.

The relief is short lived though because Carrie crashes into the gate and slithers down it into a heap on the floor.

I groan and releasing Brooke, hurry to help the idiotic woman.

With some maneuvering, and Brooke’s help, I get Carrie into my arms and follow Brooke through the garden, into the house, and up to Carrie’s bedroom. Brooke covers the bed with a blanket so releasing my load, I stand back from the bed.

“What’s going on?” Adelaide comes into the room and asks, looking between Carrie on the bed, Brooke and me.

“Too much alcohol, Mom,” Brooke says with a shrug of her shoulders.

Adelaide rushes to sit beside a passed out Carrie and brushes the hair back from her forehead.

Brooke turns to look at me and it kills me seeing the sadness in her eyes. So regardless of who’s watching, I gently tug her into my side. “Let’s go,” I whisper.

“She crashed our date, Mom.” Brooke turns into me and let’s me walk her from the room.

We both let out a relieved breath as the door shuts behind us. “Recently,” she whispers against my chest, “I think they actually forget they have another daughter.”

Having witnessed it first hand, I believe that.

Heading downstairs, I happen to glance over the top of Brooke’s head and spot her father standing at his office door with an unreadable expression on his face.

I’m hoping it’s because he heard Brooke’s words and not because I have my arm wrapped around her waist.

“She always has to interfere.” Brooke kisses my chest and moves slightly away, so I sling my arm around her neck, needing to keep her close. “The only peace I get is when we’re in two different cities, or countries.”

“I think she’s jealous of you.”

Brooke pauses and I feel her gaze on me so, holding her gaze, I continue, “Think about it Brooke. Why does she always have to be there and in your face? If she weren’t jealous, then why would she do that? It doesn’t make much sense.”

“Her being jealous of me doesn’t make much sense either.”

“You are beautiful, inside and out, so why wouldn’t she be?” I counter. “I don’t think you see yourself the way that others do.”

She sighs. “If you say so.”

“I do say so.” I get her walking again. “Do you think we can forget about her for the rest of the evening? I’d really like to spend the time we have left tonight thinking about you.”

She chuckles. “I’d like to spend it touching you, which I think would be a good distraction.”

Her throaty confession does things to my body that would be embarrassing if we weren’t alone. “I’m up for that.”

“I bet you are.” She slips directly in front of me with her arms going around my neck.

My hands grip her waist but soon, that isn’t enough as I drop them to her round bottom, and squeeze before lifting her up against me. “You’re not close enough,” I hiss when she’s completely wrapped around me.

Taking the few steps to the door of my villa, I press her up against it, thrusting into her. “I wanted to have a few dates before we got this close and personal.” I nuzzle into her neck and, when she arches in my hold, I feel the tight buds of her nipples pressing against me.

She laughs. “You’ve already seen me naked,” her voice is sultry. “Already come...over me. I think we’re,” she gasps as I thrust between her legs, “passed the dating-getting-to-know-you stage.” She throws her head back against the door and moans. “I didn’t know it could be like this. Like it is with you.”

I drop my face into the curve of her neck and breathe in her scent while I try to get myself under control. My cock isn’t helping as it’s rock hard and throbbing, leaking, desperate for the woman currently rubbing herself on him.

“Brooke,” I moan.

“I don’t want to stop. I’m not sure I can.”

Her confession sends us crashing into my villa and then she’s under me on the sofa.

I still can’t catch a proper breath, but I know I can’t take her like this for her first time. I can, however, ease her ache, and pray that I hold it together.

As her fingernails dig into my back, I feel myself losing control. My hips rock and thrust between her legs but when I feel her hands slipping beneath the back of my jeans, I quickly grab her wrists and hold them above her head. “I need for you not to touch me right now.” I pant. “I want you too much.”

“Then take me, Michael.”

Her words send shards of pleasure down my spine. Even with my eyes tightly closed, I can still see our bodies entwined. I can still feel the torturous thrust of her hips against my hard flesh.

Inhaling deeply, I peer through my lowered lids and see the need in her eyes. “Stay.”

Her eyes follow me as I kiss along her neck, cupping her breasts as I move further down toward my main goal. I roll the hard buds with a thumb and finger, and smile when she wiggles and gasps. Her hands slide through the strands of my hair, holding tight, as I get closer to where I’m about to place my mouth.

The skirt of her dress is already around her waist so as I drop to my knees on the floor, I tug her closer and rub my nose against her pink panties. They’re wet with her arousal, something that I’m desperate to taste.

Quickly removing them, I toss the scrap of fabric over my shoulder and catch my breath at the sight of her swollen lips.

“So damn beautiful,” I mumble as my mouth descends.