He winced. She had no idea how close he'd come to losing his agent gig last year. The thought sobered his unrelenting attraction to her. "You wanted to talk to me about something?" His clipped tone left no room for any more ribbing.

A groove drew her eyebrows together. She handed him a neatly folded piece of paper he hadn't noticed she held. Their fingers brushed and he had the urge to grab her hand and bring her flush against him. "Sophie asked me to give this to you. It's a note to Zane and she'd like you to give it to him right before the ceremony."

Bryce looked briefly down at the note. "Did you read it?"

"Of course not. And you'd better not either. It's private."

"Got it. Tell Sophie I'll be sure he gets it."

"Thanks." She swayed like she couldn't decide if she wanted to stay or go. "See you tomorrow."

"You going back to the house?" Jesus. His mouth had entirely disconnected from his brain.

"Where else would I go?"

He shrugged. If he opened his mouth again who knew what would come out. Honor made him completely forget himself.

She studied him like she held a magnifying gla.s.s up to his head and was seconds away from discovering every detail inside his gray matter. A smile bloomed across her face. Yep. Seconds. "You're wondering if I'm going to meet Aiden."

"The guy's had more hookups than a global satellite."

Honor cracked up. "Sounds like he'd be perfect then. The last thing I want is a relationship."

"It is?" he asked surprised.

Further down the patio a couple of teenage boys joked around and tossed a football across the pool, running and bouncing around the perimeter.

"Payton wanted the white picket fence. I don't. But just so you know," she leaned closer, "I told Aiden no thanks. Not because I wasn't tempted, but because..."

Somehow Bryce had moved closer, too, and little s.p.a.ce separated him from Honor under lights nestled in the palm trees around them.

"Because?"

"Because the girls are waiting for me." She gazed at the gla.s.s surface of the pool. "Besides, he's staying in town for a few extra days so there's still time to make something happen. If I want."

In his periphery, Bryce noticed one of the teenage boys had gotten closer to where he stood. Two seconds later, the football came flying, its trajectory in perfect line with Honor's unsuspecting face.

"Look out!" Unthinking, Bryce pushed Honor out of harm's way. And right into the swimming pool.

She cursed and landed in the water with a large splash.

Bryce shot his arm out and caught the football with one hand. The kid across the pool shouted "sorry" while the other one apologized more than once as he retrieved the ball from Bryce.

Honor broke the surface of the water, reached for the edge, and scowled up at him. "What was that?" she demanded.

"Sorry, lady," the kid said. "My friend threw the football at you by mistake."

Her attention moved to the teen. "Oh. I didn't ..." she trailed off and looked back at Bryce. "It's okay."

Bryce kept his eyes on Honor's and knelt, vaguely aware of the boy running off. "How's the water?"

"Tango keeps it heated so it's not bad."

"I'm sorry. Probably should have intercepted instead of shoved." d.a.m.n, she looked pretty wet. His thoughts raced back to them getting caught in the sprinklers and how he'd wanted to kiss her.

"Quick thinking isn't one of your virtues, huh?"

Back to the teasing and he liked it. "Guess not." At least not where she was concerned. She tossed every thread of logic he possessed into complete disarray.

"Help me out?" She gave him her hand.

He took it and catching him off guard, she pulled him right into the water, head over feet. Her laughter rang in his ear as he went under.

"Oops," she said when he popped to the surface. Her grin was about the best shape of happy he'd ever had the pleasure of being close to. "You really should have seen that coming."

"Goes back to that quick thinking thing." He made like he was swimming toward the concrete edge, but instead grabbed her by the waist and tugged her under.

Then he kicked away from her, treading water in the middle of the deep end. His clothes made it a little tougher than usual to keep afloat, but he managed. Honor sputtered and flailed when she came up for air. She sent him a man-eating glare, said "This is war," and swam straight for him.

He backstroked out of her reach, but the girl could swim. She caught his ankle and pulled him under.

Twisting and swimming full tilt, he made it to the shallow end before he let her catch him again. She palmed his shoulders and pressed down but he didn't budge. She tried again, lifting out of the water this time. Her shirt clung to her skin, giving him a view of her rounded b.r.e.a.s.t.s and pert nipples. His mouth watered.

He wanted to touch and lick and suck and see if her b.r.e.a.s.t.s were as sensitive as he'd imagined they were since getting a quick preview all those months ago.

So lost in thoughts of her s.e.xy body, he didn't see the splash coming. Water went up his nose. He choked and coughed before wiping the smirk off her face with his own splash.

They paddled water at each other like two kids until a very loud, very deep, "Ahem," caught their attention.

Tango, ex-NFL linebacker and owner of the inn loomed above them, thick arms crossed over his chest. "Pool hours are over you two." He walked away, towels on the ground where he'd stood.

Bryce looked at Honor at the same time she looked at him and they burst into laughter. He couldn't remember the last time he'd laughed so free and easy with a woman. Like nothing else mattered at the moment.

She swam to the side. He followed, reality hitting him as the one big flaw in this escapade set in.

"We've got a problem," he said, coming up beside her.

"We do?" The lilt of her cheerful voice hinted at other shenanigans and he wanted to know what other mischief she'd gotten into.

He took the note from Sophie out of his pocket and placed it on the ground.

"Oh, c.r.a.pity, c.r.a.p, c.r.a.p," Honor muttered. Her lids briefly closed, her shoulders dropped. "It's my fault. Hopefully Sophie doesn't mind writing another one and I'll get it to you tomorrow."

"Partners in crime, Honor. Tell Sophie I'm just as much to blame."

Soft, surprised eyes met his, like no one had shared blame with her before. And her quiet nod of thanks knocked the wind right out of him.

Whatever he thought he saw there, though, he was wrong. They weren't on the same team. And never would be. He'd been abandoned and blindsided by the opposite s.e.x and reminded himself to choose his words more carefully. Because from now on he planned to be the love-them-and-leave-them type, not the other way around

Chapter Five.

Honor wiped away a tear slipping out of the corner of her eye. The vows Sophie and Zane said to each other spoke of amazing love and devotion, and the way Zane looked at his bride made Honor feel like she'd intruded on an intimate moment. She wanted to look away. She couldn't look away. Her heart rejoiced and yearned at the same time.

They couldn't have asked for a more beautiful evening on the beach. Hurricane lamps cast a warm glow, light blue surfboards that said Now and Forever held up the canopy the bridal party stood under. With the ocean as inspiration, the wedding coordinator had drawn from its colors and used sea gla.s.s as the decorative foundation to make everything in and around Zane and Sophie's house look like an underwater paradise. Different sized blue and green gla.s.s b.a.l.l.s from fisherman's nets were strung around the site, and when they caught the flicker from the hurricane lamps, it was magical.

The pastor told a joke about a minister, a surfer, and a beautiful redhead walking into a bar and everyone chuckled. Pastor Michael was about as laid back as they came. He'd even surfed with Zane this morning. Right now, he smiled that warm, you-can-tell-me-all-your-problems smile and declared Zane and Sophie husband and wife.

Amid loud applause from the fifty or so guests, Zane gave Sophie a sweeping kiss before taking her hand and leading her down the sand toward their house.

Honor quickly swiped at another rebellious tear, stepped forward, and took Bryce's arm to follow the procession. Of course she'd been paired with the too-handsome groomsman.

And the man her best friend had said she could see herself marrying. Their romance may have been private and a whirlwind, but Payton always came home from weekends with Bryce with stars in her eyes and her heart full of devotion. Bryce had been committed to Pay. Had he thought about forever with her, too? Honor's breath caught. Payton had been taken in the blink of an eye instead of getting the chance to say, "I do." Honor ached to throw fairness the middle finger, but wrapped her hand tighter around her bouquet instead.

"Nice ceremony," Bryce said. "You look really pretty."

She didn't want him to say nice things to her. After the playful time they'd had in the pool last night, and his kind parting words, her defenses were crumbling. She did love her floor length sea green sheath dress, though, so said, "Thank you. You look very handsome." In navy dress slacks and a white b.u.t.ton down with the top b.u.t.ton open and the sleeves pushed up to his elbows, he got her vote for s.e.xiest groomsman on the planet.

She bit down on her lip. Not for the first time today he stared at her mouth.

Since they'd taken pictures earlier, they were swept right into the house for champagne and appetizers. Honor had never seen Sophie look so vibrant, so happy. Lively conversation and laughter filled the beach house. Soft music played from a sound system.

Honor put down her half-filled gla.s.s of bubbly and snuck into the kitchen. "Hey, Elena."

"Honor. Hi. You look gorgeous. Do not come too close. If anything gets on that dress I'll never forgive myself." Elena was one of the best private chefs on the west coast. On either coast, actually.

"That shrimp prosciutto appetizer was to die for. And you know I can't get enough of your mini duck tacos." She gave a little wave to the two women helping Elena prepare the evening's dinner.

"Okay, come a little closer. We've loaded one last tray and you can snag one."

"I totally came in here to snag." And escape. Everywhere she looked she made eye contact with Bryce. It seemed impossible not to notice him.

When she wasn't caught in Bryce's gaze, Drew kept her attention with sweet words and interesting thoughts, but there was no zing of attraction. No uncontrollable awareness that made her crave to be touched and check one night stand off the list. Same with Aiden, who'd whispered in her ear that he'd love to see her later tonight.

She picked up a taco, took a big bite, and moaned as it made its way down to her stomach. "I want to marry this taco."

"Lucky taco."

Honor stilled. That voice. That one-of-a-kind masculine scent. Bryce stood right behind her. She put the rest of the taco in her mouth, chewed without sound effects and turned. "Have you tried one?" She snagged one more before Elena's a.s.sistant picked up the tray. "Here." Her fingers grazed his lips as she held the taco to his mouth and he took a bite.

Big mistake.

He watched her watch him, the connection making her hot. She pushed the rest of the taco in and pulled her arm back. He caught her wrist and brought her hand back up toward his mouth. Eating had never been so s.e.xy before. Well, except for the other day when he'd eaten the fritter and she'd wanted to lick him. The way his throat moved, holy three alarm fire. She wished she had another taco to give him.

The sips of champagne, romantic atmosphere, and stolen glances were obviously working against their restraint because neither of them seemed overly concerned with the electricity crackling between them. The intense feelings that had overcome her the night they'd met and that she couldn't extinguish no matter how often she told herself it was wrong, were back in full force.

He chewed and swallowed and then with a very slow, deliberate motion, he licked her index finger, then her middle finger. Any coherent thoughts she had spiraled into the abyss. She had no idea the tips of her fingers could send a rush of pleasure between her thighs. When his lips wrapped around her thumb her legs shook and she moaned an entirely different kind of murmur than the one a few moments ago.

"I see the attraction," he said, his voice husky.

"It's hard to deny."

"It's hard all right."

Honor snapped her eyes shut and pulled her hand back. "This is not okay," she said, hoping to extinguish the flirtatious flames raising her body temperature. She brushed by him in a rush to get out of the kitchen and put some much needed distance between them.

He grabbed her hand and tugged her through the sliding gla.s.s door that led outside. "We need to talk," he said.

"No, we don't." Her bare feet happily met the sand, though, the cold, soft grains between her toes cooling everything warm inside her.

He shot her a heated look that erased the whole cooling thing. "Fine by me. We'll talk after."

"After what exactly?" Because being alone with the guy she couldn't get out of her head on a beach under the stars meant one thing. Kissing. Touching.

Or so her renegade body hoped.

"That's up to you." He plowed through the sand like it didn't take any extra effort.

"Me? You're the one dragging me out here like he's about to go off." She would not admit she felt the same way.

"You're right." He came to an abrupt stop, wrapped his arm around her waist, and brought her flush against him. "I can't think straight when I'm near you."

Neither could she. Pressed against his solid chest, his muscled thighs, and the hardness in between, the only thing on her mind was getting skin to skin. The sounds of the wedding party were somewhere behind them, the ocean lapped leisurely at the sh.o.r.eline. In their secluded spot in the sand, nothing seemed to exist but the two of them.

"I have that affect on people," she said.

"Yeah? And what do you do about it?"

All she had to do was lift up on her tiptoes and her lips could touch his, but there was only one move to make if she had any hope of salvaging her resistance to him. "Let me show you."

She squeezed a hand between their bodies and pushed him in the chest to knock him off balance. Caught unaware, he wavered before shifting with a step back, eyebrows arched in surprise. She put all her weight on her left leg, smiled, then used her right foot to sweep Bryce's foot out from under him at the same time she lifted and pulled him by the shirt. A split second later, he had no choice but to go down when she let go of his shirt.

Only he grabbed her by the arms and in a surprise move, brought her down too, cushioning her fall with his.

"Hey! Let go of me."

He rolled her right over, covered her body with his. "Judo Foot Sweep. Nice."

Honor blew a strand of hair away from her mouth. He had her pinned in the sand, and she didn't like it. Mostly. She wiggled in hopes of jostling him off, but he barely moved. "My dress is getting ruined."

"Is that really what you're worried about?" He settled on his elbows, his warm breath tickled the side of her neck.

"Yes."