Watching Briana's reaction as she boarded the plane we'd chartered to take us to Hawaii was priceless. It made me want to introduce her to all of life’s more elite pleasures, take her to every exotic destination around the world, and shower her in luxury. I'd never seen someone so obviously amazed and grateful to be a part of an experience.

Even though I could see that she wasn't naive, she still had a childlike joy that appealed to me in a way I found disconcerting. It didn't matter how often I tried to harden myself to it. One look at her wide-eyed expression and all my intentions went straight to my cock.

I still couldn't believe that Enzo's stupid plan had worked. Well, part of it, anyway. We'd promised her we'd stay at the Rock Bay next time we were in Vegas, and she'd agreed to come with us, but he was far from getting her in his bed. After all, I reminded myself, she was here as my date.

The flash of possessiveness I felt surprised me, and I found myself mulling over it as we departed the plane and headed for the car waiting for us. I was glad we'd requested a driver. I was distracted enough that I didn't like the idea of driving in Hawaiian traffic.

“Are you ready to meet the rest of the family?” Enzo asked on the car ride to the Wailea. “They can be a bit much to handle sometimes.”

Briana raised an eyebrow. “You mean they're a lot like you, then?”

Her tone was teasing, but I could sense how careful she was being. I doubted she'd found out about the bet, but she wasn't walking into this blind either. I didn't know how deep her suspicions went, or if I was included in them, but she definitely knew that Enzo was trying to seduce her.

Case in point...

“Trust me, beautiful, I'm more than a bit much to handle.” He grinned at her, shifting in his seat until his leg was pressed more securely against hers.

She rolled her eyes, but her expression was still good-natured. “Awfully sure of yourself, aren't you?”

“If you were me, you would be too.”

Even I had to laugh at that one, and some of the tension I'd been feeling eased. We switched over to more innocuous small talk as Briana asked questions about the island and our family.

Since Enzo had apparently called ahead to give our family a heads up that I was bringing a date, our parents were waiting in the hotel lobby. He promised me that he'd told them it wasn't anything special, so they should just be as polite to Briana as they would be to any other date I brought to various functions.

When our mother started gushing over her like a mother hen from the moment we stepped inside, I shot a dirty look his way, and he just grinned. He was lucky I'd catch hell from Mom and Nonna if I gave him a black eye.

“Would you look at you...so beautiful!” Mom kissed both of Briana's cheeks, then engulfed her in an enthusiastic embrace. “My boys never bring me any girls to meet, and it's a crying shame. Bartolo, isn't the color of her hair gorgeous? Oh, Dorian, where did you find her?”

Dad gave me a look that said he suspected either Enzo or I was up to something...and that if we messed things up for our grandparents, there would be serious repercussions.

“Come on, Mom, you're embarrassing her,” I muttered as I put my arm around my mother's shoulders.

I had to lean down to hug her, and the familiar scents of her and home filled my lungs. No matter how much money our family had, Mom always insisted on making her own tomato sauces as well as most of her own pasta, so she was always in the kitchen. The smell of her cooking always sent me right back to my childhood.

I handed Mom off to Enzo and put my hand out for Briana. She took it with a grateful smile, and we headed for the elevators before Mom could come back for seconds. Neither one of us said anything as we rode up to the floor my family had reserved. I wasn't going to apologize for my mom, and I liked the fact that Briana didn't make a big deal out of what happened.

“Your room's across the hall from mine,” I said as we stepped off the elevator.

I'd expected the relief I saw on her face when she realized I wasn't expecting her to have sex with me, but there'd also been a flash of something else. Something that looked a lot like disappointment.

I didn't dwell on it though. She was off-limits, and not only because one night with her would cost me two hundred grand. I stuck with pros for a reason. I didn't want to be responsible for hurting her.

“Go ahead and get settled,” I said as I handed her the key to her room. “I'll come over in a half hour to get you for a late lunch. The rest of the day's going to be packed, so make sure you wear something comfortable.”

She nodded and turned away. As I watched her disappear into her room, I was struck with the desire to follow. Not to seduce her or anything like that, but just so I could keep being around her. From the moment I met her, I'd been intrigued, and it seemed like that only increased the more time I spent with her.

Which was why I quickly turned toward my own door and began running down the mental list of all the things on the schedule for today. Mom might not have been Nonna's daughter, but they did share a love of lists. And right now, that list was going to be my salvation.

* * *

Between catching up with my relatives and the list of activities Nonna and Mom had planned for us all, I barely got a chance to talk to Briana beyond a few niceties. I couldn't figure out why it bothered me so much since it wasn't like I was used to having a date at these things. The events I brought dates to were business affairs, and they were basically well-paid, beautiful, and sometimes intelligent decoration.

Besides, I knew that spending more time with her would only lead to complications, and I needed to avoid those at all costs. Yet, I found myself watching her as the day turned into evening, coveting every smile, every laugh. She charmed her way through my family, talking to everyone who came her way. She was perfect, avoiding any subjects that could cause conflict without being rude or condescending. She shared very little about her personal life, skillfully turning conversations back on everyone else. If I hadn't been watching her so closely, I doubted I would have even noticed.

Back in Vegas, it'd been fairly easy to pretend that my focus on her was because of the role she played. Here, I could have used a similar excuse. She was my date, so why shouldn't my eyes follow her pretty much everywhere she went? But if I was being honest with myself, I knew that wasn't the case. I wasn't trying to sell my relationship with her to my family. That was actually the last thing I wanted, them to get the wrong idea and think that Briana might be a part of the family.

I didn't want me to get the wrong idea either...but even that couldn't make me stop watching her.

I often had trouble sleeping when I was in a new place. That was accompanied by another, more troubling kind of restlessness tonight. The kind that kept images repeating in my head. Things that had really happened – the smile she'd given me – as well as things that hadn't – her body beneath mine.

Every inch of me was tense. My cock had been hard for what seemed like years. I'd been running my hands through my hair so much that it was standing up all over the place. I'd already drunk enough of the Corzo from the mini bar to know that if I took any more tequila, I'd regret it in the morning.

Not knowing what else to do, I decided to head outside for a walk, hoping the night air would help me out.

Without any intention on my part, I found myself outside her door, hand already halfway to knocking. I stopped before I made contact. It was past midnight. She was probably sleeping. And besides, what would I do if I did knock? Ask her if she wanted to go for a walk on the beach? Ask if I could come inside for a nightcap? She'd get the wrong impression.

Or maybe she'd get the right impression, though not one I should have been giving.

I headed down to the beach alone. I'd missed the ocean while we were in Vegas even though there was a huge difference from the Atlantic Coast I was used to and the Pacific here. It was even different from LA to Hawaii. But it didn't matter where I was. The ocean soothed me.

Here was no different.

The frothy waves tumbled as they neared the shore, hissing and spitting in an endless cycle of approach and retreat. The sand was still warm, and it felt like absolute heaven against my bare soles. I held my shoes in hand as I walked down the sandy stretch, thinking about everything from the business to what time I had to get up in the morning. All of these mundane thoughts were designed to keep my mind from where it really wanted to go – Briana.

I turned my attention to the sky as I made a loop to stay on the hotel's private beach. The lights from the hotel cast an odd sort of glow over everything, different from anything I'd seen aside from here.

It wasn't until I was halfway back that I realized I wasn't alone. A figure just ahead of me, silhouetted by the distant lights of the resort, stood and looked out over the breaking waves. My heart skipped a beat as I approached, some deep part of me knowing that it was Briana before I could see her.

“What are you doing out here?” I called out when I was close enough.

No point trying to avoid her, not when I'd been secretly hoping for this moment all day. Hell, before that. I'd been waiting to get her alone from the moment I first met her.

Her head came up, surprise on her face for a second before she smiled. “I don't sleep well in new beds.”

I laughed, the sound coming much easier than I expected. “Me neither.”

I stopped when I was close enough to reach out and grab her if I wanted. And I wanted to. Fuck, I wanted to so badly that it hurt. But instead, I turned and stared out at the waves again.

“I suppose this must be a welcome change from dusty Las Vegas.”

“You have no idea.” She took a deep breath, closing her eyes.

The blissful smile that crossed her lips made me wonder how old she really was. Some moments, she seemed to be around my age. Other times, I wondered if she was even old enough to work in a casino. And how much had she been through in her short life? It couldn’t have been easy, being a single mom, especially at her age.

“I grew up in Tulsa,” she said. “Moved straight to Vegas from there, and I've never been anywhere else. The air tastes different out here.”

I let my gaze trace along her features. “I know exactly what you mean.”

She opened her eyes and caught me staring at her. I forced myself to look away.

“You're enjoying your stay so far, then?”

Fortunately, she let the subject change. “It's been a bit of a whirlwind meeting all your family, but they've been nice.”

“But are you enjoying it?”

“I am.” There was truth in her tone. “I have to admit that I was a bit relieved when Enzo didn't try to put me in the room next to his. I thought for sure it wouldn't matter to him that I was supposed to be your...date. That he'd expect...more.”

Her eyes widened, and I thought she was probably surprised that she'd revealed so much. But I laughed it off.

“I enjoy your candid moments,” I admitted. “Especially when they involve my brother.”

A gust of wind picked up her hair and sent the strands skittering over her face. Without thinking, I reached out to smooth a lock behind her ear. My fingertips brushed her cheek. It was soft and cool despite the heat of the day. I couldn't resist running my thumb over it when I was finished.

Her eyes caught mine, blue as dark as the ocean in front of us. I couldn't have mistaken the desire there if I'd been blindfolded. And I couldn't have resisted if my hands were tied behind my back.

I caught her wrist and pulled her to me. She let out a surprised gasp, which I quickly muted by crashing my lips down against hers. For a moment, her body went stiff, and I waited for her to push me away.

Instead, she melted in my arms.

Her lips were cool, with just a hint of sea salt from the mist blowing inland. I teased my tongue against the seam of her mouth until she sighed and granted me entrance. Her arms snaked around my neck, and she pushed up on her toes, straining to get more of me. I moaned as I pulled her lower lip between my teeth. She tasted heavenly, and the way her body pressed against mine made me want to throw her over my shoulder and carry her back to my room where I could devour her completely.

But that little voice of common sense in the back of my head wouldn't shut up, and it convinced me to stop. It was one of the hardest things I'd ever had to do, but I knew it was right.

Still, I couldn't look at her as I walked away. I knew if I met her eyes, I wouldn't be strong enough to keep going.