I had to force myself to walk away. The last thing I wanted was for her to rejoin a party filled with drunk guys who wanted to see her boobs. My body tensed with tingling awareness as a breeze skirted by. It did little to cool me off. My blood boiled. I barely knew this girl, and already I felt the need to protect her. How did I even know she needed protected?

I didn’t!

I flicked the flashlight off and walked the rest of the way with just the moonlight to guide me. Finn’s house wasn’t far from here. Hopefully, he hadn’t woken up. If he had, and I was nowhere to be found, I would have to endure questions. Many, many questions.

I briskly covered the distance. I couldn’t help but to picture one of those guys groping her, his hand inching its way down her back, stopping just before reaching that sweet round ass. I stopped. My chest noticeably heaved. I glanced back in the direction I’d come from.

It took everything in me not to retrace my steps dug deep into the white grains. Shaking, I forced myself to continue the trek to Finn’s house. I raked my hands over my face, desperately trying to clear the unwanted images. Why had I even walked down there? Stupid. I honestly hadn’t thought I would run into her.

But a small part of me had hoped I would. I had to admit that to myself.

When I reached Finn’s porch, I took three steps at a time. The kitchen light was on. Shit. That wasn’t on when I left, was it?

I grasped the knob but didn’t turn it. Instead, I peered through the glass door, searching for any movement on the other side. It didn’t take long. Finn appeared wearing nothing but a pair of boxers and went to the counter. His face was covered in something white.

I hung my head, dreading going back inside. There was nothing I could say that he wouldn’t see through.

I pulled in a lungful of air and exhaled through my nose before twisting. It didn’t turn. That asshole had locked me out! My keys were still in there. Surely, he would have the sense enough to see them on the coffee table. With my fist, I pounded against one of the square panes of glass.

He jerked, spun on his heels with a butter knife in hand, and stared at the door. He crossed the room, not bothering to leave his weapon behind, and focused on my face. His brows rose together as his head tilted to the side.

“What the hell are you doing out there?” he asked as he unlocked the door and pulled it open.

I pushed past.

“I thought you left. I woke up, and you were gone.”

I spun around, throwing my hands into the air. “My keys were on the table in front of you. How did you not see that?”

He shrugged.

“Dude. Are you wearing a face masque?”

His hand darted to his cheek, touching the creamy substance smeared across his skin. “I— um, yeah.” His back straightened. “You can’t have a face that looks like mine and not take care of it.” He walked back in the direction of where he’d been standing at the counter. Two pieces of bread lay on top of a napkin with a pack of turkey. “And where did you go?”

I ignored him, hoping he would drop the subject if I didn’t answer. For a moment, I thought luck was on my side. That was, until he finished making his sandwich and turned around.

“You going to answer me? Or do I need to guess?”

I crossed my arms over my chest, matching his stare. “I just went out for a walk.” It was the truth. He didn’t need to know the reasoning behind the walk.

Finn squinted but didn’t say anything.

“What?” I finally asked, sighing.

“If you wanted to go to the party, I would’ve gone with you. There could have been some hot girls there.”

I laughed, thinking back to the drunk guys hanging over the railing. “All I saw was a sausage party, completely drunk. But they were the only ones on the porch when I walked Leigh up there.”

Finn’s eyes flashed. “Leigh, huh?” He let out a low whistle. “This just got interesting. Tell me more. Did she ask about me?” He grinned shamelessly and shoved the sandwich in his mouth, bulging his cheek.

I rolled my eyes, not knowing what to even say to that.

“She did, didn’t she? That’s why you don’t want to say anything. It’s okay. I mean, it was bound to happen.”

I shook my head. “You’re unbelievable sometimes. You know that? No. She didn’t ask about you. The only time your name was brought up was when she said that Bri had invited you to the party.”

His brows shot up. “Ah-ha!” His arm flung out, sending a loose piece of turkey flying toward the wall. “See? She was probably disappointed when I didn’t show.” He looked back toward the counter and picked up a Coke. “These girls. They just can’t get enough of me. It’s hard sometimes.”

“Sure. That’s totally what it was.”

He took a big swig of his drink and put it back down. “You know I’m just busting your balls, right? That girl only has eyes for one of us in this room, and it ain’t me. Which makes me question her sanity, but still. If it isn’t me, then it’s only right that it be you.”

“No one has eyes for anyone.” I turned my back toward him and walked through the archway into the living room. I searched the table for my keys within the glow of the TV, which was showing porn. “Dude. Is this what you do at night? Give yourself a facial and watch smut?” I asked, snatching the keys. I looked back behind me.

He nodded, acting as if it were a completely normal thing.

“I’m out of here.” I took a few steps in the direction of the front door. “We still on for the island tomorrow?” Please say no. Please say no, I silently pleaded with him.

He dropped to the couch, his eyes focusing on the two girls kissing on the screen. “Hell, yeah. What time you going to pick me up?”

“I guess around eleven,” I said through gritted teeth. I should have never agreed to go. Tomorrow was going to be a long day. I went out the front door, descended the steps, and made my way over to where my truck was parked. I climbed in and started the engine but didn’t put the truck into gear. My head dropped back, resting against the headrest. Leigh’s face popped into my thoughts. I was thinking about this girl too much. That was for damn sure.

I abruptly leaned up, wrapping both my hands around the wheel. It needed to stop. I jerked against the shifter, throwing it into drive. Gravel flung out the back as the tires spun against the asphalt. She wasn’t a girl that I could mess with. No matter how many times I repeated that to myself on the drive to my house, I kept trying to come up with reasons why it wasn’t true. She was here for a good time. I could show her a good time without her getting too attached. But the better question was, could I do it without me getting too attached? I tossed that question back and forth until I stopped in front of my house.

I came to the conclusion that I could do it. No girl had ever managed to get me attached. She wouldn’t be any different. She was a nice girl who was obviously dealing with something major. It was clear that she was wound up so tight she was miserable. I could help. So, if I just happened to run into her again, I might ask her to do something. Might. In the morning, I could see things in a different light. It was late. The thought of her was still fresh on my mind. A few hours to sleep and really think this through was what I needed to do.

I climbed from the truck and headed toward the front door. Once inside, I went to the bathroom and hopped in the shower. I closed my eyes, letting the water run over me.

I’m not going to think about her. I’m not going to think about her.

Too late. The image that popped into mind was one I didn’t need to have. Skin. Her sexy-as-sin skin across the top of her thighs when the wind blew that dress up just enough for me to catch a glimpse of hot pink panties. Blood rushed to my dick, which stood on command a second later.

“Fuck!” My voice bounced off the walls of the shower, practically laughing at me. I yanked the handle of the cold and turned it all the way on. Freezing cold water would help. Why should the sight of pink panties work me up? It wasn’t like I had never seen a girl’s underwear. Shit. I was getting worked up like I had when I hit puberty.

Think about anything else. Flowers. Leigh naked in a big batch of those flowers. Shit! Sunsets. Her ass glowing against its golden rays. I growled. Finn and his masque. I breathed a sigh of relief. Finally. I got out and stared at my reflection in the mirror.

“Stay the hell away from that girl.”

* * *

The next morning I still agreed with what I had said last night. She was getting in my head too much, and I didn’t even know her that well. What if it got worse the more I got to know her? I couldn’t have that. So staying away from her was the best thing for the both of us. It wouldn’t end up well if I didn’t.

I stopped in front of Finn’s house. He came out with a towel draped over his shoulder and an oversized cooler in tow.

“You think you got a big enough cooler? We’re only going out for the day.”

“I don’t want to run out of beer. If that happens, the whole day will turn to shit. The people that are usually only funny when I drink will start getting on my nerves, and more than likely I’ll end up in a fight with one of them. No one wants that. Not me, 'cause my hand will hurt. Not them, because, well, they’ll have the shit beat out of them.” He lifted the orange container and put it on the back of the truck before climbing in.

“Maybe you shouldn’t hang out with those people if you only like them when you’re drunk.”

“Nah. They’re funny as hell—”

“When you’re drunk,” I interrupted, still trying to get my point across.

He laughed. “Exactly.”

Turning on the main road, I pressed the volume-up button on the radio. Traffic was heavy for a Sunday morning. Darting through it, I cleared a pack of slow cars and increased my speed as I drove in the direction of the marina where my boat was docked.

“Whoa!” Finned screamed.

Panic raced up my back, and I slammed on the brakes, assuming Finn had seen some life-threatening hazard I’d missed. This earned a long honk from the car behind us as they dodged their Kia into the other lane and whipped around us.

“What?” My chest heaved.

“I need to stop by Surf Style.”

For a moment, I wasn’t sure if I’d understood him correctly. Surely, I was hearing things. “Huh?”

His gaze swung in my direction, his expression innocent. “Surf Style. I need to stop by there.”

I shook my head, angrily flicking the blinker up, and barely made the turn into the parking lot. “You do realize you almost killed us, acting like stopping at this damn shop was life or death.”

He chewed his lip and gave me a solid nod. “It was.” After jerking the door handle, he jumped out before I even had the truck settled in a parking spot.

I joined him at the front of the store. He tried to seem as if he were browsing some floats lined across the wall, but it was blatantly obvious his line of sight was focused on two giggling girls in bikinis walking along the sidewalk.

“Why are we here?” I asked through clenched teeth.

His attention snapped to me and winked. “Why do you think?” There was no need to ask. His oversized grin said it all. A girl was the involved. It was bad enough he was dragging me to this thing; now I had to deal with him trying to bone some chick on the boat with me. Finn apparently had charm. To girls, at least. To me, he sounded like an idiot, and it was nearly impossible not to laugh at him.

A cool blast of air hit me as I walked in a few feet behind him. He cut through the women’s section, leaving me behind. I glanced around, not really sure where to go. This was the first time I had ever been in one of these stores. They were usually filled with tourists. They loved them — all of the beach essentials and airbrushing needs located in one place.

I picked up a figurine that read Destin across the bottom. Why would someone want this? I shook my head and put it down. Walking farther down the aisle, I stopped, looking at bags of seashells. Through the gaps in the glass, a flash of goldish-colored hair caught my eye. I stood, frozen, watching her body move as she shifted from foot to foot near the changing rooms. She turned in my direction.

I ducked out of view. What were the chances of running into her here?

I peered through a gap in the shelf. Leigh picked up a string bikini and held it close to her body. Her cheeks turned an adorable shade of pink as she replaced it on the rack. I swallowed hard at the thought of her in it. Fucking hot was what it would be. Her attention snapped at the direction of the entrance of the dressing room. Bri’s head came into view as I moved down some. She said something I couldn’t hear. Leigh nodded. Turning, she slowly began walking toward my hiding spot. Run. Run now before she gets too close.

But my feet wouldn’t budge.