MIA STOOD AT THE FRONT OF THE BARN AND WATCHED her brother Barrett declare his love for Harmony. She blinked back tears as he recited his vows to love and honor Harmony for the rest of his life.

She’d cried tears of happiness for each of her brothers at their weddings and for the women she’d grown to love like sisters. She loved Harmony just as much and couldn’t wait to welcome her into the Cassidy fold.

Her brothers had all made wonderful choices in women and as Barrett and Harmony sealed their bond with a kiss, she sniffled and smiled.

After the ceremony, they took what Mia thought was about a million photos before they made their way from the wedding barn to the reception barn. She was happy to walk in there first to the cheers of the crowd, then stand in a line with the other bridesmaids and groomsmen as Barrett and Harmony were introduced as husband and wife to wild cheers and applause.

Then they had their first dance, and it was so sweepingly romantic. Harmony looked beautiful. She’d chosen a very simple A-line wedding gown with a sweetheart neckline that clung to her curves and looked stunning on her. She’d worn her hair up, a few tendrils curled around her face. The only jewelry she had on were her mother’s pearl necklace and matching earrings. Simple, yet exquisite. She glowed.

Oh, and Barrett looked nice, too, she thought with a grin.

After the bride and groom finished up, the bridal party danced, which was kind of hilarious since Mia was partnered up with one of the defensive linemen from Barrett’s team who towered over her by at least a foot and a half. But he was so sweet to her and so cautious as they moved around the floor. He didn’t step on her toes once, which was awesome considering he had enormous feet.

“I practiced with my wife,” Jacob said while they danced. “She told me if I crushed your toes she’d never speak to me again.”

Mia laughed. “You’re doing great, so I think you’re safe.”

After the dance, her obligations as a bridesmaid were mostly over. She had to sit at the head table with the bridal party during the toasts, and then there was dinner, which was spectacular. She was happy that dinner was catered, even though Barrett and Harmony had kept the guest list small. Only family and close friends had been invited and it ended up being intimate and sweet rather than ostentatious and crowded.

It was lovely and her brother looked happier than she’d ever seen him.

She got up from the table to stretch her legs and walk off dinner. She made her way to the bar to grab a cocktail.

She’d had champagne for the toast, but otherwise she’d avoided alcohol so she could stay clearheaded today. Now she was ready to party. She decided on a dirty martini. She took the glass and walked away from the bar, wandering about the crowd.

She spotted her uncle Elijah dancing with Diane. The deejay was playing a slow song, and the two of them were bundled up so tightly together that it was like they were one body.

Oh, there was definitely something romantic going on between the two of them.

“I think my mama might be in love with your uncle.”

She turned to see Harmony standing next to her. “I think you might be right. Isn’t it great?”

Harmony’s lips curved. “It sure is. Your uncle is an amazing man. He’s flown out to Tampa a few times and stayed at Mama’s house. They get along well and Mama deserves to be happy. She’s been focused on work and on me and hasn’t taken the time to do anything for herself for as long as I can remember. It’s time she has some romance—some love—in her life.”

Mia draped an arm around Harmony’s shoulders. “I agree. They seem happy together.”

“I think so, too. Mama said Elijah would be willing to move to Tampa. Mama really doesn’t want to leave there. It’s home. And he likes it out there.”

“That’s awesome, Harmony. So maybe before long we’ll have another wedding in the family.”

Mia saw tears glisten in Harmony’s eyes. “Nothing would make me happier.”

She saw Barrett approach and put his arm around Harmony, then glare at Mia.

“Did you make my wife cry?”

Mia rolled her eyes. “I did not.”

“These are happy tears,” Harmony said. “I’ve been crying them all day, in case you haven’t noticed.”

“I understand why you’d cry. It’s pretty magical, being married to me.”

Mia made a gagging motion. “I might throw up.”

Harmony laughed.

“Suzanne said we have to do the flower and garter thing,” Barrett said.

“Oh, okay.” Harmony squeezed her hand. “You’d better be there to catch the bouquet.”

Not a chance. “Definitely.”

She watched them head off, Barrett taking Harmony’s hand. She pivoted and started back to her table, then spotted Nathan standing alone by the front of the barn.

Changing direction, she went to where he was leaning against the double-wide doors. He looked magnificent in his dark gray suit and his burgundy tie, his crisp white shirt making a nice contrast.

Of course, when didn’t he look amazing? Whether he was in jeans or dressed up like he was tonight, Nathan always made her catch her breath.

She shook her head, realizing she had it so bad for that man.

The doors were closed to keep the air conditioning in, but they’d put up clear doors to let in what light was left of the day.

“Pondering great things?” she asked.

He pushed off the wall and turned to face her, offering up a smile. “Nah, just taking a breather. You look beautiful.”

She looked down at her coral dress. She’d been a bridesmaid on more than one occasion. Some dresses she loved. Some she’d hated. This one she loved. It was comfortable and pretty and she could move in it. Both the color and the cut were flattering and she’d wanted to kiss Harmony right on the mouth after she’d chosen them. Every one of the bridesmaids looked like a million bucks in their dresses. What bridesmaid could complain about that?

“Thank you. You look pretty hot yourself.”

So hot, in fact, she wanted to touch him. But she was also mindful of the fact there were over a hundred people nearby, so she kept her hands to herself.

“How goes the wedding festivities and your duties as bridesmaid?”

“Duties are complete.”

Just then, the deejay announced that Barrett and Harmony would be tossing out the bouquet and garter.

“Shouldn’t you be up there fighting for the bouquet?” Nathan asked.

Mia twirled her olives on a stick around her martini. “Not on your life. What about you? Anxious to grab that garter?”

“Only if you’re wearing one.”

Her nipples tightened at the thought of him lifting her dress in search of a garter. “Now I might have to go steal it from the winner.”

“Yeah? And what if it’s one of your brothers?”

“Well, three of my brothers are now married and therefore ineligible. And if it’s Flynn . . . well, dammit.”

He laughed, then turned his head to the front of the barn when squeals of laughter and applause were heard.

Mia looked, too, as one of the wedding guests caught the bouquet. It was Harmony’s best friend, Alyssa.

Mia smiled. “That should make Harmony happy.”

“Here. Hold my beer.”

“Changed your mind about the garter?”

“You could say that.”

He shrugged out of his suit jacket and slung it over a nearby chair, then headed into the crowd of anxious men waiting for the garter.

Mia made her way to the front of the barn to watch.

Nathan had taken up position toward the back. Not a good sign. The garter didn’t weigh much, and wouldn’t fly like the heavier bouquet. But she mentally crossed her fingers for him anyway.

If anything, it would be fun to watch. She took a sip of her martini and got in closer.

“My money is on Flynn,” Amelia said, coming up to stand next to her. “I told him if he caught the garter I’d set a date for our wedding.”

Mia smiled. “Is that a point of contention?”

She shrugged. “He’s in a hurry. I’m not.”

Mia laughed.

Barrett took the garter off Harmony. She knew that wasn’t Harmony’s keeper garter, it was a spare for the throwaway.

Barrett stood with his back to the crowd of men, who all jostled each other out of the way. Nathan and Flynn elbowed each other, then a few other guys got into the mix.

“It’s a good thing Aubry’s a doctor,” Mia said. “We might need her after this.”

Amelia snickered.

And when Barrett threw it, the damn garter sailed like it had a football attached to it.

That’s when Nathan pushed his way into the crowd.

“Oh, my God,” Mia said.

Nathan caught the garter. And then he was tackled to the ground like he actually had a football in his hand.

Amelia took a sip of her wine. “This is even more entertaining than a football game.”

Mia laughed. “Right?”

Everyone laughed and applauded when Nathan stood, holding the garter up in his right hand.

“Guess I don’t have to pick a wedding date yet,” Amelia said. “Flynn will be so disappointed.”

“You’re so mean, Amelia.”

“Aren’t I? Now I’m going to refill my wineglass.”

Amelia wandered off, and Mia watched as Nathan and Alyssa had their photos taken with the newlyweds. When they were finished, Nathan made his way back to her. She handed his beer to him.

“Nicely done.”

“Thanks. I do like to win.”

“And you can take that winning attitude into this season with the Sabers.”

He took a long swallow of his beer. “Now you sound like my coach.”

She laughed.

“Okay, now come with me.”

She arched a brow. “Where are we going?”

“Someplace where we can be alone.”

She looked around. No one was watching them, so she laid her martini down on the table and followed Nathan outside. He took her to the barn where the wedding ceremony had been held. It was dark in there. The lights had been turned out, but all the chairs were still set up.

Nathan turned on the light switch and the room was bathed in all the beautiful lights from earlier.

He took her hand and led her to the back row of chairs.

“Take a seat.”

She did, and he knelt in front of her.

“You aren’t going to propose to me, are you?”

He laughed. “No.”

Instead, he pulled out the pretty beige-and-white garter. “This belongs on you.”

She inhaled a deep breath as he swept her dress up over her knees, then smoothed his hands over her legs.

“You know, as soon as we started talking about it, I had a visual in my head of you wearing this.” He slipped it over her right shoe then up along her calf, her knee, and slid it just above her knee, his fingers dancing along her skin.

She shivered, passion bursting within her like a newly formed star. Breathing became difficult as he teased her thighs with light touches of his fingers.

“Turn off the lights and lock the door,” she said.

He got up and locked the door, then flipped off the light switch, casting the barn in darkness. She heard his footsteps on the concrete, but she couldn’t see him.

Until she felt his warm breath on her cheek, and his lips brush hers. She reached up to caress his face. He wrapped his hand around the nape of her neck and kissed her, this time more deeply, pressing his mouth to hers.

She moaned, flicking her tongue against his. He pulled her from the chair and put his arms around her, their bodies molding together in a heated embrace. Mia wished they were alone somewhere so she could get naked with him. But even in the main house, someone could walk in, someone could hear them. For now, this would have to be good enough.

His mouth was on hers, his hands roaming her body, and nothing was going to stop this runaway train of hot passion. Not if she had anything to say about it.

So when he sat her down on the chair and spread her legs, she was on board. He lifted her dress and smoothed his hands up her legs again, taking his time to map every inch of her, his fingertips making their way along her thighs. She leaned back in the chair as he swept his thumb over her, rubbing back and forth over her sex. He gently removed her underwear and she had no idea what he did with it.

She didn’t care. Not at the moment. She wanted an orgasm. She wanted his mouth on her pussy. That was her need and only Nathan could give that to her.

Now all she heard was her own labored breathing. And Nathan’s, too. And when his mouth took over for his fingers, she gasped, gripping the back of the chair next to her like an anchor in a storm-tossed sea.

He bathed her sex with hot, wet licks of his tongue, making her writhe in the chair until she twisted upward, gasping as sensation overcame her.

“Nathan. You’re going to make me come.”

She felt out of control as a blast of orgasm slammed into her so fast and furious she grabbed on to his arm for balance. Nathan stood, pulled a condom out of his pocket and unzipped his pants. He knelt and cupped her butt, then slid inside of her while she was still quivering from her climax.

His cock swelled within her, sending her into a wild spiral as he tunneled in and out of her. She dug her nails into his shirt and held on, her eyes adjusted to the darkness enough to soak in the passion in his eyes.

He kissed her. She tasted herself on his lips, which only made her arch against him, wrapping her legs around him so he could drive deeper and harder within her.

She came again, and this time, he groaned and went with her, both of them shuddering against each other.

He laid his forehead against her, then kissed her, this time a gentling kiss.

Mia trailed her finger along his jaw. “This is getting to be a habit with us.”

“What’s that?”

“Hiding out in locked rooms having sex.”

He laughed. “At least this time the room was bigger than a coat closet.”

“True.”

They disengaged, and Nathan found some paper towels for them to clean up. It was the best they could do for now since there wasn’t a bathroom in the barn.

Nathan went over to the door and flipped on the light switch.

He handed her her underwear and she slipped it back on, then straightened her dress. “How do I look?”

“Like I want to undress you and do this again.”

Her lips curved. “Good enough, then. I’m going to head over to the house.”

“I’ll go with you.”

He unlocked the door and inched it open. “No one’s out here.”

They walked outside and toward the house. Nathan ducked into the downstairs bathroom, and Mia went up to her room. She brushed her hair and fixed her makeup, then went back down. She noticed Nathan was nowhere to be found, so he must have gone back to the reception.

But as she was heading toward the door, she heard her mother’s voice in the kitchen.

“You two aren’t fooling anyone, you know.”

She halted mid-stride, winced, then turned and walked into the kitchen. “Oh, hi, Mom. Were you talking to me?”

Her mother was sitting at the kitchen island sipping on a cup of coffee. “There’s no one else in here, Mia, and you know damn well I’m talking to you. I saw you and Nathan sneak in here.”

“You did, huh?”

“Yes, I did. So what’s going on with you two?”

“Nothing’s going on.”

Mia got the infamous Lydia Cassidy “Don’t Bullshit Me” look that had always been typically reserved for Mia’s brothers when they’d tried to get away with something.

“Okay, fine. We’re . . . hanging out. Having fun together. It’s nothing more than that.”

“Uh-huh.” Her mom continued to sip her coffee, which irritated Mia, so she came over and pulled up a chair on the island next to her.

“What do you mean, ‘Uh-huh’?”

“It means that I’ve watched you two over the past couple of days. I’ve been watching you two for years. It’s more than just hanging out. It’s always been more than that.”

“Mom, we’re friends. We’ve always been friends. And, trust me, it’s nothing more than that.”

Her mother took another sip of coffee, then said, “Uh-huh.”

“Dammit, Mom. We’re friends.” Mia looked around before continuing. “We just happen to be friends who are currently having sex.”

Her mother shot that all-knowing look across the bow of her coffee cup. “And that doesn’t complicate your friendship at all, does it?”

Mom was the second person who’d brought that up this week. “I don’t know. Maybe. We’re trying not to let it get complicated. Why does it have to be complicated?”

Her mother shrugged. “I don’t know. Because sex is a complicated thing, and because it’s impossible to mix sex and friendship without it getting emotional?”

Mia frowned, irritated by the cross-examination. “Quit getting all lawyerly with me. It is not impossible. We’ve been handling it just fine so far.”

Her mother smoothed her hand over Mia’s arm. “I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I am not going to get hurt.”

“Okay. You’re a smart, capable woman, Mia. I believe you know what you’re doing.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

“But if you ever need me—for advice, complaints, a shoulder to cry on—anything at all. You know I’m always here for you.”

Mia wanted to object, to tell her mother that her life was going just perfectly and she had nothing to complain about. She wasn’t going to screw up her friendship with Nathan. She had this totally under control.

Mia laid her head on her mother’s shoulder. “I know. You’ll always be in my corner, no matter what. I love you, Mom.”

“I love you, too, Mia.”