It took everything in me, and I mean every fucking ounce of willpower I possessed, to break that kiss, when all I wanted to do was drag her into the back seat and fulfill all my teenage fantasies—with the one girl who always starred in them.

Seriously though, what the fuck was I thinking? Kissing her was a dick move, and I’m old enough to know better. I might have been lying when I said it was awful, but I wasn’t lying when I said anything worth doing was worth doing right. But did I really have to kiss her? Fuck no. I wanted to kiss her—wanted to kiss her long before she ever pressed her lips to mine when we were teens. Today, I simply took advantage of the situation. Selfish bastard that I am.

A tortured sound, a half laugh, half moan catches in my throat as she hurries from the car, like she’s being chased by monsters. Perhaps she is. It’s dark, but the floodlight spilling over the huge stone driveway gives sufficient light for me to stare at her sweet ass, so round and firm in those daisy dukes, just begging to be squeezed by my hands, kissed by my lips. I shake my head to get my shit together. Good thing Derek is in New York, consulting with an architect firm for the big project he’d been hired to oversee. Because one look at me, and he’d know what was going through my dirty mind. I scrub my hand over my chin. My best friend has one hell of a punch and I’d hate to be on the receiving end of it.

But kissing Eliza again would be so worth it.

Then again, I can’t risk losing the best friend I’ve ever had, the one guy one who always cared about the real me and not what I had in my bank account. People treat me differently when they find out who I am, that I’m the son of real estate mogul Phillip Freeman, and made it big in the tech world. But neither Derek, nor his sweet sister, ever let my wealth stand between us, or ever judged me for it, and believe me, I’m always being judged.

Eliza hurries to the back of the car, and I catch her reflection in the rear-view mirror as she waits for me to get our bags from the trunk. I slide my tongue over my bottom lip, and still taste her there. Cotton candy and all things sweet. Great. How the fuck am I going to get that kiss out of my head, especially when we’re in the same bedroom tonight, with her using me to catch another guy?

Motherfucker.

My nostrils flare as I think about the douchebag who’s too stupid to see what’s right in front of him. He’d better be worth all this shit. I climb from the car, press the fob to lock it, and pop the trunk. Eliza glances around, quick, jerky flashes of her lashes as she takes in the empty vehicles lit up under the lights. If I had to guess, I’d say that kiss fucked her up as much as it did me.

“It looks like everyone is here,” she says, her chest rising and falling quickly, her expression a mix of nervousness and excitement.

Ah, okay, so now I get it. Jason is here, and that’s why she’s on edge. It wasn’t the kiss after all. Which is a good thing. I am doing her a favor—she doesn’t even like me—and I shouldn’t be thinking about sex.

What do you want in return?

Don’t go there, dude.

I grab her bag and she holds her hand out for it. I snarl at her and toss it over my shoulder. “Lead the way,” I say as I grab my duffle and shut the trunk.

She turns and I follow her along the stone pathway leading to the backyard. Noises and splashes reach our ears as we round the corner. I do a quick scan, take in the people swimming, lounging near the edge of the pool or sitting at one of the many tables with a view of the ocean, sipping champagne. I’d say outside of us there are about twenty people gathered.

Eliza opens the gate and I hold it for her to enter. I step through and when it bangs and clicks shut behind us, a few eyes turn our way. I take in her co-workers. Most are male, which isn’t unusual in the tech industry

“Eliza,” a man in his fifties says as he hurries toward us. Water drips from his board shorts, and he slows when he sees me. The joy in his eyes at seeing Eliza turns to shock when they glance my way.

“Braxton, this is my boss, Richard. Richard, this is—”

Richard holds his hand up to stop her. “No introduction needed, Eliza. I know exactly who this young man is.”

“Nice to meet you, Richard,” I say and he gives me a power shake.

I return it and he winks. “I had no idea you two were…” He pauses, like he’s not sure what to say.

“Dating,” I say and step into the role Eliza asked me to play. I put my arm around her and tug her against me. She stiffens at first, but then I gaze at her, a smile on my mouth. “You might have snagged her straight out of Stanford, utilizing this beautiful brain of hers for the better part of the day, which I’m not too happy about, by the way,” I say and we both laugh. I let my chuckle die down, and put my hand on the side of her cheek. “But I get her the rest of the time.” A pause to let that sink in, and then, “I guess we both know a good thing when we see it.”

A warm blush crawls into Eliza’s cheek, and I bend down, press a soft, barely there kiss to her open mouth. It takes her by surprise, so I linger there for a moment, wait for her to pull herself together.

“Good?” I whisper. She nods and I straighten.

“I think I’d better show you to your room,” Richard says with a chuckle. “Eliza, I put you in the same one as last year. You loved the view so much.”

“Thanks, Richard. I really appreciate it.” She jerks her thumb toward me. “And I hope you don’t mind that I just sprung Braxton on you like this.”

“Are you kidding me? Partners and spouses are always welcome, and I am so looking forward to getting to know him, maybe even learning about his business practices. As long as he’s not here to scope out any of my team,” he says teasingly, but with a hint of seriousness. I can’t blame him. Competition is fierce in Palo Alto, but I would never poach from his company. He’s been good to Eliza, which makes him A-Okay in my books.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” I say and he relaxes a bit. “Eliza tells me you have annual bonding retreats for your top-level management. I think it’s a great idea.”

His face lights up. “Coming from you, that’s a huge compliment.”

As he leads us through the crowd, he stops to do a few introductions. Beside me, Eliza shifts from one foot to the other. I follow her gaze, and spot her best friend Valerie talking to some guy who has his face buried in his phone. Jesus, that had better not be Jason. There is nothing I hate more than a guy who pays more attention to his phone than a woman making conversation with him—and that’s coming from a guy who built his own tech company from the ground up. It’s just plain fucking rude.

Richard stops to introduce us to his wife, a very motherly woman with blond hair and inquisitive eyes. “This is my lovely wife, Michelle.”

Richard is about to tell her exactly who I am, when I hold my hand out and say, “It’s just Braxton.”

Richard nods, like he totally gets where I’m coming from and I suppose he does. “My goodness, Eliza,” she says and nudges her. “Where have you been hiding this one?”

Eliza laughs. “Brax and I go way back, actually. It just took the right situation for us to realize how much we liked each other.” She smiles up at me and for a brief moment I almost believe she might actually like me, but I’m sure I’m wrong.

“I can tell how much you do.” She puts her hands up, like she’s warming them near a fire. “I can feel the sparks from here.” She gives a sigh of longing. “There is nothing like young love.”

Richard laughs. “Come on then, let’s get you settled. It’s a warm night. I’m sure you’ll want to go for a swim and have a drink before lights out.”

“Lights out?” I say. “Sounds like you run a pretty tight ship.”

“Busy day tomorrow,” he explains. “Very competitive group here, and we all need a little shut-eye.”

He leads us into his house and I study his mansion. Unlike mine, his has a woman’s touch. There are paintings, and flowers, and floral sofas. Mine, well, it’s decorated in every shade of gray you could think of. Despite what Eliza thinks, I really should sell it. The house would be better utilized by a big family—one I never plan on having.

I might have grown up with two parents, but they were never there for me. Dad was always working and Mom was busy with her charities. From the outside it might have looked like the perfect family, but it was a very different story behind closed doors. I’d been in private schools since I was a child and had a no-nonsense nanny at home before I was shipped off to a boarding school in my teens. I was given opportunities others weren’t, and I’m truly grateful for that. But there is a part of me that missed out on being a kid, missed out on quality time with my parents. How could I ever get married, or bring a child into this world when I have no idea how to be a husband, or a father? Jake and Eliza might have grown up with only a mother, but she gave them—and me—the love of two parents. I’m so grateful for that. And of course, that’s another reason to keep my hands off Eliza. They all deserve that much from me.

We head up the wide stairs, and when we reach the top, Richard points the way, then leaves us to get settled.

“I like him,” I say to Eliza and that seems to make her happy.

“I really like the culture at Exact. It’s a great place to work.”

“Doesn’t sound like I’ll be stealing you away anytime soon,” I say, and give her a little nudge. Okay, now who’s the one doing all the touching?

“You weren’t serious about that anyway,” she says, as she opens the door.

“Hell yeah, I was. I won’t poach, but I would have hired you in a minute.” I snap my fingers and follow her into the room. She glances at me over her shoulders. “You’re brilliant,” I add, and mean every word of it.

“Is that a compliment?”

“Just stating a fact,” I say and that brings on a grin, but her grin fades as she glances around the room.

“One bed,” she murmurs under her breath. I’m about to tell her I’ll take the floor when someone screeches from outside. We both walk to the window to see Valerie break through the water, coughing and sputtering and shoving her wet hair from her face. Her eyes are murderous when she glances at some guy standing on the edge of the pool laughing.

“I think someone just dunked her,” Eliza says. Her head jerks my way. “Promise me you won’t do that?”

I take in her big brown eyes, the panic backlighting them. I step closer to her, and my knuckles brush hers. “Eliza…” I begin, as her chest rises and falls rapidly. “You know I wouldn’t.”

She looks back out the window again. “I don’t like…”

“I know.” I still feel like shit for the time I tossed her into my pool when we were kids. We were going through a heat wave, and Derek brought her to my house one Saturday afternoon, after they’d both gotten off work. She was wearing a cover-up over her bathing suit and for a long time she just watched us in the pool. I was in the house grabbing us all drinks when she finally took it off and decided to have a swim. She was testing the water, when I spotted her in this cute one-piece that showed a curvy body. Fuck, she was hot. My dick grew as I watched her, and I knew if I didn’t do something soon, get Derek’s attention off me as I handed him his drink, he’d see my erection. So in a dumb, juvenile stunt, I picked her up and tossed her in.

Bad move.

She didn’t come up right away, and I jumped in after her. Little did I know she hit her foot on the side of the pool going down. Fuck, I still hate myself for that. She spent the rest of the summer in a boot, all because I was trying to hide a fucking boner. Now she has a fear of the water.

Well done, dude. Well done.

“Come on, let’s get changed and get out there before we give everyone the wrong idea,” she says, breaking the quiet.

“Or the right idea,” I say and put our bags on the bed. She stands there for a moment, hands on her hips, lips puckered.

“I’ll get changed in the bathroom.” She points to the closed door.

“Okay, but knock before you come out, I might not be decent.”

What the hell are you doing, dude?

“I will,” she says quickly and unzips her bag. She pulls out her suit and a cover-up and darts into the bathroom.

I tug off my t-shirt, and pull on a pair of board shorts. Eliza might not be planning a swim, but I sure as hell need something to cool me off. I sit on the bed and wait for her. I bounce a little on the comfy mattress to test it. Nice. Not that I’ll be experiencing a good night’s sleep tonight. No, the only place I’ll be sleeping is on the floor. If I have to share a bed with her, it’s game over for me. A guy only has so much willpower.

“Brax,” Eliza says, followed by a knock, through the closed bathroom door. “You decent?”

My body is but my mind is far from it.

“Yeah, I’m good.”

The door creaks open, and Eliza comes into the bedroom dressed in a knee-length bathing suit cover-up. It hugs her curves and hides her gorgeous body. Goddammit, who’d have thought that I’d be jealous of a cover-up. Needing a distraction before I grab her, toss her onto the bed and climb on top, I clear my throat and walk back to the window. I stand there for a moment, let my gaze rake over her co-workers.

“Which one is Jason?” I ask.

She pads quietly across the room, and I listen to the way her breathing has changed at the mention of Jason. Her body brushes mine as she stands at the window, and I swallow down the moan rising in my throat. She scans the pool area, lit by a dozen lights, and then she points.

Son. Of. A. Fucking. Bitch.

“Right there. He’s doing something on his phone.” She gives a strange little laugh. “Always working. I guess that’s why I can’t get his attention.”

Her eyes dart to mine, and that’s when I get it. Little Eliza—Lizard—still feels like that overlooked girl from our youth. Jesus fucking Christ, she doesn’t get it. Doesn’t get that she’s the most beautiful woman at this party and a guy like Jason isn’t worthy of her. I said it before and I’ll say it again, she needs a guy who’s going to worship the ground she walks on.

A guy like me.

Whoa, don’t go there.

“We’d better get down there and see what we can do then,” I say, and try not to sound as pissed off as I feel.

“Game on,” she responds, her eyes wide.

I follow her out of the bedroom and we retrace our steps until we’re outside. More introductions are made and when we reach Jason, who still has his nose in his phone, it’s all I can do not to knock his teeth out. Eliza is speaking and he’s completely fucking ignoring her.

“Jason,” she says again, and I slide my arm around her waist, pull her against me, mainly to occupy my hands before I do something I can only regret later.

“What?” he finally asks and looks up at us. He runs his hand through his mess of hair. When was the last time he used a comb? Then again, with a scrubby beard and baggy clothes, he has that shabby look going for him that the girls seem to love. Personally, I prefer to keep my hair short and wear clothes that fit. Still, even I know a good looking guy when I see one. I’m just finding flaws because I don’t like him.

“I’d like you to meet Braxton, he’s my—”

Before she can finish the sentence, Jason is on his feet. “Everyone knows who Braxton is,” he says, cutting her off, and it pisses me off a bit. I know her boss interrupted her, and not in a mean way, but I would have liked for Jason to at least let her finish speaking. She is, after all, here to get him to notice her.

He holds his hand out, and his impressive height allows us to stand eye to eye—his are the same color of blue as mine—and I take that moment to size him up. He obviously works out, and under those loose clothes, he’s probably cut. I suppose I can understand Eliza’s attraction to him. Truthfully, if he shaved his beard, and dressed properly, we could easily pass as relatives.

“Braxton Freeman. In the flesh,” he says, a huge smile on his face as I shake his hand. “I can’t believe I’m breathing the same air as you.” He shakes his head. “What are you doing here?”

As we shake, I lecture myself on playing nice. I don’t want to mess this up for Eliza. Right? “I’m here with, Eliza,” I say. “She invited me for a weekend getaway.”

For one shocked moment he stares at me, disbelief written all over his face. Then he shakes his head, and turns to Eliza. He gazes at her, giving her the once over, looking at her in a whole new light. Shit.

“Eliza, I had no idea you knew, Braxton. What other connections have you been keeping from me?”

“I’m not keeping anything from you,” she says.

“Do you know how long I’ve been wanting to meet the Braxton Freeman?” He turns to me. “You’re a legend in this industry. Started your own business from the ground up. Forbes Top 30 Under 30.” He wags his brow. “San Francisco’s Most Eligible Bachelor.”

I hug Eliza tight. A possessive move, I know. If I keep that up, no one will believe the breakup. “Brax and I go way back,” she says and puts her hand on my chest. Her fingers splay, and I place my hand over hers and hold it there.

It takes Jason a second to put it together. “Oh, wait you two are a—”

“Couple,” I say, and lean in and give her a kiss right on her open mouth.

Jason clears her throat. “Wow, I had no idea.”

“How about a swim?” I ask Eliza.

She smiles up at me, and I keep one eye on her and one on Jason. “Love to.”

“Talk to you later, Jason,” I say and lead her away.

“Yeah, I’d love to talk to you,” he says eagerly. “Let’s get a drink later.”

I lower my voice and put my mouth near Eliza’s ear. “So that’s him, huh?”

She nods. “He seems to really like you.”

“And his phone,” I say. Shit. I’m here to help Eliza win the attention of this douchebag, not point out all his flaws, or come right out and tell her he’s not good enough for her. She’s a grown woman who can make her own choices and that would be a dick move on my part.

At the edge of the pool, Eliza peels off her cover-up and I nearly bite off my fucking tongue. I glance around, take note of the eyes on her. Jason’s gaze slowly lifts from his phone, and they move over Eliza appreciatively. Anger flares through me. What? She wasn’t good enough for him until he saw her with me.

Cool it, Brax, that was the whole of idea of the ruse.

Yeah, but that still doesn’t mean I have to like it. I dive straight into the deep end as Eliza finds the stairs and wades in. I swim the length of the pool under water and when I come up, I find her talking to Valerie. I have no idea what they’re saying, but from their glances I’m guessing it’s something about me.

I swim over to them, catch the last of Valerie’s words. “Use him.”

“Hey, Valerie,” I say. “Nice to see you again.”

“It’s been a long time. I’m so glad Eliza invited you.”

“Yeah, me too,” I say and step behind Eliza. I slide my hands around her body and clasp my fingers around her stomach.

Eliza cranes her neck and whispers, “She knows.”

I still don’t let go of her. “It’s almost like you two really are lovers,” she says with a wink.

Eliza breaks from my arms. “We’re not.”

“I know that.” She splashes water at Eliza, then turns to me. “Hey, Brax, I have to go to my cousins’ wedding next month. My parents are driving me crazy about getting a guy and settling down. Maybe you could do me a solid and step into the role of loving boyfriend to get them off my back. I mean, you two will be staging a breakup at the end of the weekend and you’ll be single again.”

My gaze slides to Eliza, who is staring at her best friend. Her eyes are wide, her mouth dropped open. “Valerie, you can’t be serious?”

“It’ll cost you,” I say.

“Oh, and what is this costing Eliza?”

I step back into Eliza. “We haven’t negotiated that yet.”

“Oooh, Eliza. You should have gotten those terms settled before you started this.” She puts her finger on my chest and give a little push, but I don’t budge. “Don’t you know he’s a skilled negotiator?” She grins at Eliza. “Brax always gets what he wants.”

My gaze moves over Valerie’s face, examining the small smirk turning up the corners of her mouth. She’s right, of course. I’m an expert negotiator and always get my way. I’m also able to read my opponents, which gives me the edge up. As I read Valerie’s body language and expressions, I can’t help but wonder what kind of game she’s playing. She doesn’t want me at that wedding any more than I want to be there. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was trying to get a rise out of her best friend, a reaction of sorts. But Valerie and Eliza go way back and she of all people should hate me as much as Eliza. Should want me as far away as possible—from both of them.

A splash sounds and Jason surfaces close to us. I move close to Eliza, and she brushes a wet strand of hair from her face as Jason zeroes in on her.

“Brax, come on out and have a drink with me,” Richard says, from the outdoor bar area.

My fingers curl under the water when Jason says something stupid to Eliza and she laughs in return. Fuck, I hate that guy. And why the hell is she so nervous around him? I’ve never seen this side of her before. She’s a confident woman with a beautiful brain and body, a girl who can hold her own in an organization filled with men. She must really fucking like him if she’s acting all weird and out of sorts. Wait, has she never been intimate with a guy before—is she completely inexperienced when it comes to dating? Has she never been touched? The vision of another man putting his hands on my sweet Eliza sends rage through me.

My Eliza.

Jesus, get it the fuck together, all ready.

“Coming?” I ask Eliza.

“I…” she begins, but Valerie waves me away.

“Why don’t you go ahead. Eliza is in good hands here,” she says with a grin.

And therein lies the problem, because the only hands I want on Eliza are mine.