“What the hell is going on here?” Brooks asks.

I ignore him for a minute, pulling Lexi to my side as I show her through the door and using my body to keep Brooks away from her. I know he won’t hurt her, but I don’t give a damn if he is her brother. Lexi is mine and I just made her come. Her pussy is wet with her climax and she’s my woman. No one but me gets close to her—especially when she’s like that.

“What are you doing here, Brooks? I thought you were overseas. Oh my God! Were you hurt? Are you okay?” Lexi asks, trying to push me to the side to get to her brother.

“I’m fine, little sister. I’m on medical leave for a bit,” Brooks says to Lexi, but he’s glaring at me. There are a lot of unspoken questions on his face.

“Medical leave? What the hell for?” I ask, knowing full well they don’t just pass those out.

“That’s not important right now, asshole. What’s important is you tell me what the fuck you’re doing in my sister’s bedroom, half dressed?”

“Brooks, it’s not what it looks like,” Lexi interjects, trying to move between us. I smirk at her response. I can’t help it. I move her behind me. The day I hide behind my woman is the day they need to just go ahead and chop off my balls.

“Really sis? Because it looks like Beau has had his dick in you!”

I hear Lexi’s gasp and then her muttered, “I guess it kind of is what it looks like,” and any other time I might find that funny—but not right now.

I punch him hard in the face for saying that crude shit to my woman. Sister or not, he needs to watch his mouth. Brooks is a big asshole, but I’m just as big and I’m pissed as hell. He falls back, hard. I hear Lexi cry out, but I keep my eye on Brooks.

“You will not disrespect my woman like that,” I growl, rubbing my fist because fuck, it hurts. I hit him that hard.

“Damn it, Beau. You didn’t have to hit him,” Lexi chastises me and pushes past me to move down the hall. I hear water running and look over my shoulder to see her wetting a cloth in the kitchen sink. She brings it to Brooks and he takes it from her, still staring at me. To prove I really am an asshole, I reach down and grab Lexi’s hand and pull her away from Brooks. He might be her brother, but I don’t want her touching another man right now and helping him.

I’m feeling as possessive as hell right now. My woman’s hair is still messed up from being in bed. I know she’s wet, and I know how her hands feel. Brooks is as safe as any bastard around her. He’s her brother, for Christ’s sake. I still don’t want him near her.

“What is wrong with you?” Lexi growls, swatting at my arm and trying to go to her brother.

“You don’t need to help him,” I grumble, trying not to tell her the complete reason and sound like the asshole I am.

“Of course I do! You hit him!”

“He deserved it and you’re mine. I hurt my hand, you can see to that,” I grumble.

“You hurt your hand?” she asks, sounding shocked.

“Your brother’s face is hard.” I shrug.

“You want me to ignore my brother’s bleeding lip, just to doctor your hand because it’s sore from hitting him?” Lexi asks and, put like that, it probably sounds as bad as it is, but I don’t care.

“You’re my girl. You’re supposed to see to me,” I mutter.

“Holy shit,” Brooks mutters, standing up.

“Shut up,” I growl at him, because I can see the understanding in his face.

“You love my sister.”

“Brooks, we’ve just started dating and I really don’t think it’s your place—”

“Call it like it is, Sis. You’ve just started fucking.”

“Asshole! I told you to keep your tone civil when it came to Lexi,” I yell, and I’m getting ready to hit him again when he starts laughing.

“You’re completely gone on her. You sad sack. When the hell did this happen?”

“I’ve loved her for years; you were just too busy demanding I stay away from her to realize it.”

“Doesn’t look like you’ve stayed away from her at all from where I’m standing,” he replies.

“Because I’m not—not anymore, Brooks. You can get sad or get glad about it. I don’t give a fuck, but I’m not letting Lexi go,” I tell him, throwing it down. Lexi curls into my side, holding me close.

“Beau,” she whispers, pressing a kiss to the side of my neck.

“Well, hell,” Brooks says, looking at the two of us.

“I love her, Brooks. I’m going to marry her. I’m going to raise a family with her and I will kill myself every damn day to make sure she never wants for anything.”

“Beau, honey. I think I’m the one you’re supposed to tell that stuff too,” Lexi says softly. I turn my head to look at her. She’s smiling and there are tears in her eyes. She’s never been more beautiful to me.

“I will tell you, but your brother needs to know this shit, Lexi. I’m not playing here. I’m keeping you, sweetheart. This time, I will not give you up. I want it all with you.”

“Even babies,” she whispers, proving she heard my speech to her brother.

“Definitely babies,” I agree, closing my eyes when she kisses me.

“I can’t wait to have your son, Beau.”

“It might be a girl, you know—one as beautiful as her mother.”

“Jesus. Will you stop getting wood over my sister? At least while I’m here.”

I laugh when Lexi’s face heats and reach down and adjust myself.

“It might be easier to tell the sun to stop shining, brother,” I sigh, giving him the God’s honest truth.

“I’m going to need some coffee if I have to handle this crap,” Brooks complains.

“Grab a seat at the table and I’ll fix us some,” Lexi says, giving me a quick kiss on my lips.

“You all right, brother?” I ask Brooks when Lexi leaves and we walk to the table together.

“Fuck off. You always did hit like a girl,” he mutters.

“It was strong enough to knock you on your ass,” I remind him.

We sit down and stare at each other a moment. I don’t see anger on his face anymore. Unless I’m wrong, I think he’s good with this. If I knew he was going to take it this well, I never would have run from Lexi like I did.

“You and my kid sister,” he says, shaking his head.

“I love her, Brooks. I know I’m not good enough for her, but I meant what I said. I’m going to bust my ass to make sure she never regrets loving me.”

“How the hell did this happen?” he asks as the smell of coffee starts to permeate the room. I feel Lexi’s arms go around me and loop lazily at my neck. Her breasts push against my head. Happiness fills me. My woman and my best friend and this time… I get to keep Lexi. This time I don’t have to rip out my heart and send her away. This time, she is mine. I bring my hand up and lay it over hers, feeling for the first time in my life like everything is exactly the way it is supposed to be.

“That’s easy, Brooks,” Lexi says.

“Easy?” he asks.

“Definitely. We went camping together and I impressed him with just how well I could pitch his tent.”

“Jesus,” Brooks growls, his fist hitting the table.

“I can’t believe you just said that, Lexi,” I laugh, looking up at her.

“What? Are you saying you don’t like the way I handled your tent pole?”

“And I’m out of here,” Brooks growls, getting up from the table.

“Wait! Where are you going?” Lexi asks Brooks, laughing.

“Away from here,” he answers, opening the door.

“But, I was just about to tell you how much fun Beau and I had when we—”

“La-la-la-la! I can’t hear you,” Brooks grumbles, slamming the door behind him. Lexi starts laughing, and I stand up and pull her into my arms.

“I can’t believe you just did that,” I whisper, shaking my head. My hands travel down to her ass, holding her and pressing her against my hard cock.

“I wanted him gone,” she confesses, her hands pushing at my pants.

“Why’s that, baby girl?” I moan as she wraps her hand around my cock, squeezing it firmly in her hand.

“You told me you were giving me babies. I’ve decided I want them now.”

“Is that a fact?”

“Definitely.”

“I guess I better get started, then.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” she says before I take her lips in a kiss.

It’s a kiss full of love, of happiness and promise, and everything good. Because that’s what Lexi is.

She’s everything.