Traveling with a cop certainly had its perks. We managed to make it to the Cape in just under three hours. You could smell the ocean water as we turned into the driveway of a very impressive three-story Victorian home. The wraparound porch faced the Atlantic Ocean and the sandy beaches of Cape May. I smiled when I noticed the white wooden rocking chairs on the deck that were practically calling my name. Everything was perfect, from the clear blue skies to the luscious landscaping that lined the front of the house. I couldn’t think of a better way to unwind after a long stressful week.

While stepping out of the car I couldn’t stop myself from checking Brad out. His hair was gleaming from the sun, and I felt my insides grow hot the second my feet hit the pavement. He was perfect eye candy. HIs dark blue t-shirt hugged his muscles so tight; I had to resist the urge to fan myself. The aviators he wore only made it worse, but I silently prayed that I could peel them off of him so I could see those twinkling brown eyes that I loved to stare into.

It worried me that I might be in over my head but yet I’d never felt more comfortable in my own skin than when I was with him. Brad Morgan was everything I could ever want in a man, everything I could ever need. It was as though he was made and put onto this planet just for me. It should have made me anxious about how deep of a situation I was allowing myself to get into. Instead, I felt content and happier than I’d been in a long time. If ever.

“Nice place.” I said, glancing around trying to ignore the flock of butterflies in my stomach.

“It belongs to Sawyer’s family. He has three brothers and they all get one weekend a month during the summer.” Brad replied as we made our way around the back of the car. He picked up both our bags with his one hand and reached out with his free hand to take mine. I tried not to read too much into the small little gesture.

“I can carry my bag.” I said, holding out my arm to take it from him.

“So can I.” He ignored my arm and started walking towards the house. Don’t read too much into this, my brain chanted over and over.

The front door swung open. Sawyer stood there wearing nothing other than a pair of board shorts. It took me a minute to admire him. He was toned and in perfect shape, but his body didn’t hold a candle to Brad’s.

He greeted me with a smile. “Hey, glad you could make it. Faith will be psyched to see you.”

I walked through the threshold, letting go of Brad’s hand so I could take a look around. “Thanks for the invite. What a nice place you have here.”

The entire house was meticulously decorated in soft peaches and coral blues. It was an older home but the white wainscoting and grey walls gave it a modern feel. The bookcases and tables were filled with pictures of Sawyer and his brothers growing up over the years. I could almost hear the laughter of family gatherings flowing through the house.

I grew up having nice things, but that didn’t equal happiness and warm memories. This home reminded me of everything I’d dreamt about but convinced myself I would never have.

The sound of footsteps running down the stairs echoed in the family room. “You guys finally made it.” Faith shrieked, bouncing into the living room. Her hair was a tangled mess and her lips looked red and swollen. I glanced at Sawyer who had a sheepish look on his face, then turned to Brad who was doing a pathetic job of fighting back his smile.

“Yeah, we did.” Brad grinned, “but I’m guessing you guys wouldn’t have minded if we were about 20 minutes later.”

I elbowed him in the side. “Ouch… what the hell was that for?” He groaned looking at me.

“Haven’t you ever heard of the word discreet?” I whispered, glaring at him.

Faith laughed as she walked up to Sawyer and wrapped her arms around his waist. “That’s okay, Lexi, we’re all adults here. Everybody knows we like to have sex.”

Sawyer laughed out loud, pulling her into him for a quick, wet kiss. I shook my head and glanced over to Brad who was trying to hide his amusement.

“Okay, I’m glad we cleared that up.” Brad said. “Which guest room is Lexi in?” He asked, while picking up my bag as he made his way towards the stairs.

“About that…” Sawyer called out. “You guys have to share a room. I completely forget but my mother had the hardwood floors refinished upstairs this week which means we can’t use the third floor bedrooms until the finish is completely dry.”

Brad stopped and looked at me, pausing for a moment. He turned to Sawyer and glanced around the room. “Okay, then the couch it is.”

“Dude, I know it doesn’t look like it but that couch is as comfortable as a bed of nails.”

“Not worried about it.” Brad informed him, holding his hand up to eliminate any further discussion. He turned to walk up the stairs leaving me with no choice but to follow him.

Once I reached the doorway, he shuffled through his overnight bag lying on the floor. His head popped up, sensing me behind him. “Do you mind if I keep my stuff in here?”

I glanced around the room noticing the queen-sized mattress. It certainly looked big enough for two people but the bigger question was would we be able to control ourselves sleeping in the same bed together?

Before I gave my brain a chance to process our current situation and mull over our sleeping conditions, I found myself saying, “We can sleep together.”

Brad’s whole body stilled, while holding his electric razor in his hands. I suddenly realized that my reply came out all wrong.

“I mean we can share the bed.” I corrected myself, hating the way my brain always short-circuited when he was around.

Brad shook his head, the muscle along his jaw tensed. It was clear he was uncomfortable with the idea. “I’m good with the couch.”

I narrowed my eyes and dramatically parked my hand on my hip, no longer caring how awkward this conversation was. “Brad, this is your friend’s house. You are not sleeping on the couch.”

He turned his head and studied the bed. “You sure you’re okay with this?”

Not really, I wanted to say but instead I told him, “I’m positive.”

He gave me an uneasy smile, turned around and started to unpack his bag. I closed my eyes and tried to ignore the butterflies flitting in my stomach every time his taut muscles rippled beneath the fabric of his shirt. Everything on the outside appeared hard and solid, almost unbreakable. But I knew that underneath the muscular exterior, was a man who had a soft heart, a broken soul and a fragile spirit. Even though he tried to hide it, I could still see right through him.

I peeled my eyes off of him and walked away. I needed a distraction and tried to keep myself busy with getting ready.

After we settled into the room, the guys found a shady spot on the front porch and grabbed a few beers. Faith and I left to run down to the local shopping area in search of a bathing suit for me.

We wandered down the tree-lined sidewalk into a cute and trendy boutique and quickly found the swimwear section. There was a very modest simple white bikini that hugged my butt perfectly, showing off a good amount of cleavage. The material was smooth and silky and would look great once my skin got tanned.

Faith’s head popped in through the curtain, as I turned my body in front of the mirror. “Wow, you look hot. Brad’s going to shit himself when he sees you.”

I tore my eyes away from my reflection and leveled my gaze on her. “Faith, we’re just friends.”

She shook her head while waving a hand in front of her face. “So you both keep reminding me.” She rolled her eyes, like that was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard. “Who are you both trying to convince? Me or yourselves?”

I groaned at her comment. I liked Faith, I really did, but I was starting to get annoyed with how she kept bringing this up. Seeing that I had just met her, I decided it was in my best interest to not offend her. So I chose my words carefully. “We both have a lot of baggage we’re trying to work through. He’s been a great friend who’s only trying to help me out. Neither one of us is ready for anything more than friendship.” I explained, picking my water bottle up off the bench and taking a long sip.

“I see,” she said grinning. “What about fucking?”

I choked on the last sip of my water.

“I mean, that can be pretty casual, right? Sawyer and I started out as friends with benefits and look at us now almost five years later.”

After taking a huge swallow, I screwed the cap back on my water bottle and set it down. “I’ll keep that in mind.” I waved her off dismissively.

When I stepped out of the changing room to go pay for my purchases, I saw Faith winding her way through the racks of sundresses. While scanning the selection, she held up a pale blue, halter-style sundress. “This would look good with your eyes.” She advised holding it out between her fingers for my consideration.

The dress was gorgeous, and it was definitely something I would wear, but I just wanted to get the beach and soak up some sun while it was still daylight.

She lifted a perfectly arched brow. “Do you have something to wear for dinner tonight?”

Her comment caused me to pause. “I was planning on something casual. Is that going to be a problem?” When Brad told me to pack light, I didn’t put much thought into it.

“We have reservations at one the best seafood places in town. Besides, if you want Brad to notice you, this dress will definitely get his attention.” She beamed, holding out the fabric for me to run my fingers through.

“What makes you think I want him to notice me?” I asked, admiring the dress. Seriously, this girl was relentless.

Her lips pulled up into a grin, “I see the way he looks at you and the way your eyes light up as soon as I mention his name.” I blushed as she continued, “Brad’s been through hell. It’s so nice to see him happy.”

I shook my head, “You have the wrong idea about us. Besides, I know he’s still in love with Emily.” I said quietly, hoping to hide the hurt behind my voice. Just saying her name out loud felt like a kick to my heart. I was normally not the jealous type, but it was the only feeling I felt when I thought of the two of them together. It sat there just beneath the surface reminding me that she had him in a way I probably never would.

She scowled at me. “Lexi, I was there through their whole relationship. I watched the two of them together. Did they love each other? Yes. Did they belong together? No. Looking back now you know what I find ironic?” She quizzed, perhaps thinking this was the first time she had ever thought of it. “She was his girlfriend, and they acted like they were best friends. They were always polite, always considerate, they never argued. Everything was too perfect. You know what I mean? You seem to bring out this energy in him that I’ve never seen before. It’s like he’s so attuned to you that he can’t stay away. He’s just drawn to you. I feel the energy emanate from his body the second you’re near him. I never sensed any of that with Emily. They were so plain and predictable. It’s different with you.”

I stared at her in shock. What was I supposed to make of all that? Her comments did nothing but further stir up the battle going on between my brain and my heart. My emotions were all over the place. One minute I had myself convinced that we were better off as friends. Then the next, I was picturing something more. Something the exact opposite of what my head was telling me.

I grabbed the dress from Faith; it really was a beautiful dress. Her grin widened when I placed it on the counter with the rest of my items for the sales lady to ring up. “I like the dress. Everything I packed is too casual.” I told her, trying to rationalize my impulsive purchase. I hadn’t treated myself in a while. Buying the dress had nothing to do with wanting Brad to notice me, right? Nope, not that reason at all.

Her eyes sparkled with a silent understanding. “You’re welcome.”

Once Faith and I arrived back at the house, I quickly changed into my new bikini and looked in the mirror, silently reminding myself that I really needed to start hitting the gym again. I pulled my hair back into a tight ponytail as I stepped out of the bathroom to get the cover-up from my shopping bag. My feet came to a complete stop when I spotted Brad adjusting the drawstring on his board shorts. God sure did bless this man. There wasn’t an ounce of fat on his body. Everything was lean, tight and perfect. He must have sensed me gawking at him because he lifted his head with a smile. That smile quickly dropped when he caught sight of what I was wearing.

His throat worked a deep swallow. “Ready?” He asked taking me in with his eyes.

“I’m ready when you are.” I said, trying to seem unaffected by his presence. The way his gaze lingered on my breasts had me suddenly feeling shy and I wished I hadn’t left my damn cover-up in the shopping bag.

“Right,” he sighed, dragging his hand through his hair. “The beach, yeah. I remember now.” He uttered, seeming to scramble for words. “We should probably get going.” He held out his hand for me to lead the way. As I made my way downstairs, I felt his heated gaze on my backside, making my legs feel like Jell-O.

When we made it to the beach, I was relieved to see that Brad and Sawyer had already scouted out a great spot, complete with chairs, umbrellas and towels. A cooler filled with beers and water sat in the shade under one of the umbrellas. Our trip to the store had taken a little longer than I had planned. Beach time was going to be limited, but it was still the perfect way to unwind after a long week.

My body was sprawled out on a lounge chair in full view of the sun, letting the rays start to tan my pale body. I smiled hearing Brad and Sawyer complain about the poor draft picks that the NY Giants head coach made in the off season.

“Seriously!” Faith weighed in from where we sat.

“Yeah,” I chimed in. “It won’t matter anyways because my Packers are going to the super bowl this year.”

Brad looked amused. “You only like the Packers because you think Aaron Rogers is cute. No offense, sweetheart but they don’t stand a chance this season. Your pretty boy is getting too old for the game.”

“Would you like to put your money where your mouth is, city-boy?” I challenged, pretending to know what the hell I was talking about. I didn’t know much of the NFL, but I knew the Packers were a very popular team. That had to count for something, right?

Brad grinned. He was clearly onto me. “That depends. What are we betting?”

I thought it over for a beat and then smiled to myself. “How about your Lexus?”

Brad’s jaw dropped open at the same time laughter rumbled out of Sawyer’s chest. “You want my car, huh?” He was looking at me like I was crazy. Given how knowledgeable I was about football his reaction was justified, but it only caused me to double down.

I shrugged, hoping to sound more confident than I felt. “I am getting sick of the subway. It would be nice to not have to fight for my seat.”

His rich brown eyes challenged me. “And what do I get if I win?”

I chewed on the inside of my cheek and thought it over. “I’ll buy you season tickets to the Meadowlands. I’ll even throw in a few away games and cover the cost of travel.” His eyes lit up with interest, telling me that he was taking the bait.

Sawyer rubbed his hands together and whistled, “Shit’s getting real, Bro.”

Brad worked his tongue in his mouth then stared at me like he was thinking it over. He was so damned adorable and completely irresistible. He folded his arms across his chest with his lips tugging into a grin. “That’s a sweet deal, but my car is worth more than the ticket prices.”

My eyebrows lifted in a challenge. “Afraid you’re going to lose?”

His beautiful brown eyes were sparkling in the sun. He glanced over to Faith who had her sunglasses pulled down waiting for his response. He then turned to Sawyer who was leaning up in his lounge chair with a shit-eating grin on his face.

“You’re on country-girl.”

“Let’s shake on it, then.” I extended my hand outward. Brad leaned in and before I knew it, I was airborne over his shoulder, squealing as he rushed towards the water. He hopped through the hot sand, making his way through the beach-goers acting like a running back on a touchdown run. What was even more impressive was he acted like I weighed no more than an actual football.

“Brad Morgan, you put me down right now.” I screamed hitting his rock-hard back with the palms of my hands. My pleas fell on deaf ears making my high-pitched shout useless.

“Oh, you’re going down alright.” He laughed, as he pitched us both forward, our bodies crashing into the surf. When we returned to the surface, I laughed at all the amused stares from the people around us, especially Sawyer and Faith.