She scowled at her brother. "Everyone dresses like this."

He scowled back. "Not you."

"Well, I do now. So you'd better get used to it."

With that parting shot, she grabbed her bag and headed for the stairs. Something told Roman that if any of them thought her outfits had been revealing so far, they hadn't seen anything yet. If only so that she could turn the screws as tightly as possible on the brothers she was already furious with for hiring Roman behind her back.

Alec turned to Roman. "What's gotten into her? Harry told me she'd forgiven us for hiring you."

"You know Suzanne better than I do," Roman said, "but I'm guessing she didn't care for the way you spoke to her about her outfit. I'd apologize, and soon, if I were you."

"What the h.e.l.l, man?" Alec was known for his fierce look, which he now aimed at Roman. "Whose side are you on?"

"Suzanne's." And not just because Alec and his brothers had hired Roman to protect her. But because he liked her.

Liked her more than any woman he'd ever known.

Maybe Suzanne should have been more intent than ever on getting Roman to resign after the way he'd gone rogue with Craig. When they'd first set out on the drive from the city earlier that day, that was what she'd been working to convince herself to do. Heck, all the previous afternoon and evening, she'd been trying to get herself to see sense. To remember all the reasons she couldn't fall for Roman.

But then, after their talk in the car and the way he'd opened up to her about his childhood, her hard-won resolution had simply disappeared. Right now, she didn't feel as if she needed to dress super s.e.xy to tempt Roman into stepping over the line. But after the way Alec had spoken to her? She was angry enough to up the ante even over her previous outfits, if only to see how mad she could make him.

And if Roman happened to be wowed by the glimmering gold dress that skimmed so tightly over her curves it was almost as if she wasn't wearing anything at all-a dress so s.e.xy even she couldn't quite believe she had the guts to wear it? Well, the truth was that Suzanne wasn't entirely sure she'd mind him noticing her. For real, this time, rather than because she was putting on a faux seductive act to get him to kiss her and then resign.

When he'd opened up to her about his past, she'd felt as if they'd started to become friends. Being able to share things with him-and having him share right back-had filled her with warmth. And tenderness. She'd forced herself to fight her intense attraction to him, but she didn't know how to fight against warmth and tenderness.

Granted, her brothers would freak if they thought Roman was looking at her with interest-and she was looking at him the same way. But she was beyond done with their trying to control her life in any way, shape, or form, all under the guise of protecting her. When would all of them see that she could protect herself just fine?

Head held high, she left the bedroom to make her way down the stairs to the living room. She wasn't surprised to find Roman waiting for her outside the bedroom door. What did surprise her, however, was when he stared at her in wonder.

"You're stunning."

She lost her breath at the heat beneath his words-and in his gaze. Actually had to work to get enough oxygen to say, "Thank you." She looked down at herself, then back up at him. "I was kind of angry at Alec when I headed up here. You don't think this dress is a bit much?"

"There's no denying how gorgeous you are in it," he said without pause. "But what's important isn't what I think. It isn't what your brother thinks. It's what you think. It's whether you like the dress."

After having so many men trying to tell her what to do her whole life, he couldn't know how much she appreciated his support for her decision-whatever it might be. They might just be talking about a dress, but it felt like the first step toward something bigger. Or, at least, something that might become bigger, if only the two of them decided to let it grow.

Looking down, she smoothed her hands over the pretty fabric. "I like it. And it's actually pretty comfortable," she noted with more than a little surprise.

Her jeans and T-shirts were easy to wear, but as they made their way down the stairs, for the first time she wondered if they were also a way to hide. She honestly didn't think that she harbored any issues about s.e.x. She truly appreciated all the things her body was capable of-be it exercise, work, or pleasure.

But maybe one of the biggest reasons she'd never wanted to put her femininity on display was because her fears ran deeper than that. Though she swore she wanted to find love, she couldn't deny that any time things got semiserious or the slightest bit intense with a guy she was dating, she freaked out. Coming from a legacy of love-gone-wrong did that to a girl.

Other women might be looking for a whirlwind, swept-off-her-feet romance, but Suzanne's dreams of finding "the one" had never looked like that. Not when her parents had lived that fantasy romance only to have it all come crashing down in the worst way possible.

Rosa, Drake, Harry, and her father were waiting at the bottom of the stairs, while Alec was out on the front porch making a call.

"What a fantastic dress!" Rosa said when she spotted Suzanne.

Suzanne appreciated the support from her brother's girlfriend. "I love yours too."

Rosa was one of the most drooled-over women on the planet, and anything she wore looked amazing. Though she was wearing a simple off-white linen dress tonight, she absolutely glowed in it. Love, Suzanne had often noted, did that to a person. All her cousins who had fallen head over heels in love now shone even brighter than before.

Alec walked back inside, and his eyes widened when he saw what she was wearing. Suzanne braced for the controlling comment that was sure to come out of his mouth. Instead, he said, "I was out of line earlier."

She couldn't believe her ears. "Are you apologizing to me?"

A muscle jumped in his jaw as if it pained him to admit it, but he nodded.

Of all her brothers, Alec was the worst at admitting he was wrong. Which made this a really big deal. She hugged him. "Thank you."

Her brother kissed the top of her head. "I just want you to be happy," he said in a low voice.

"I know you do," she said softly as she drew back. "But I'm not a little girl anymore. You've got to trust me to make the right decisions."

Though he didn't look entirely convinced, he nodded. "I'll try."

"Good," she said with a smile, "because I've just realized I like dressing up and looking pretty sometimes."

"You always look pretty, Suz. If you think you need to change out of jeans to try to impress a guy, he's the wrong guy."

She raised an eyebrow. "Is that your version of trying to trust me?"

He grimaced. "Sorry. Old habits die hard."

"Especially for an old man like you."

"Thirty-four isn't old."

She laughed as she walked away, throwing an, "If you say so," over her shoulder.

As the seven of them left the house to head to the Inn on Main Street for Smith and Valentina's c.o.c.ktail party, Suzanne and Rosa walked side by side in front.

"Alec was so upset with me before I went upstairs," Suzanne mused quietly enough that her brother wouldn't be able to hear. "I wonder what turned him around?"

"Your bodyguard," Rosa informed her in a low-pitched voice.

"Roman? He's the one who got Alec to see the light about laying off on the whole overbearing big brother thing?"

"He flat-out told Alex to apologize to you for acting like an a.s.s."

"Wow."

"I know you didn't want a bodyguard, but if you're going to be stuck with one for a little while, Roman doesn't seem half bad."

Suzanne laughed. "I agree that he isn't hard to look at."

"Not only that," Rosa said, "but he really seems to care about you. As more than just his client, I mean."

Hope fluttered in Suzanne's belly. Trying to act casual, she asked, "Why do you say that?"

"The security details I've worked with before have always kept to themselves. They did their jobs, but there was no connection on either side. Whereas the two of you not only seem like friends, it's also clear that lots of chemistry is there if you ever wanted to become more in the future." When Suzanne didn't reply right away, Rosa bit her lip. "I'm probably totally overstepping. I know we haven't known each other that long, but I feel so close to you already."

"You haven't overstepped at all," Suzanne a.s.sured her. "And we are close. It's just that I've been trying to get my head around how I feel about Roman. I keep thinking I should be keeping my distance, but then I want to get closer too-which doesn't make any sense. And I hate it when things don't make sense!" She looked at Rosa. "Please don't say anything to Drake about any of this. Especially since I'm sure it will all come to nothing."

"Of course I won't say anything. I'm always faithful to the girl code," Rosa said with a smile. "And trust me, if anyone gets what it's like to have nothing feel like it's making sense, I do. The last thing I thought I'd find when I did my runner from Miami was your brother. It wasn't even that I wasn't looking for love. I didn't believe anyone could love me the way he does." She looked over her shoulder again at Drake. "I constantly feel like I need to pinch myself to make sure this is really my life now. I honestly can't imagine life without him. He's my everything, Suz. My whole heart and soul wrapped into one handsome, brilliantly talented, funny package."

Suzanne smiled at the woman she hoped would be her sister-in-law one day soon. "My brother would do anything for you, Rosa. I know you would do the same for him."

"Anything," Rosa vowed in a fervent voice.

Weddings, Suzanne knew, brought out the romantic in everyone. Especially people like Rosa and Drake, who were still in that first sweet flush of falling for each other.

And as she snuck another look at Roman from over her shoulder-only to find him looking at her too-Suzanne couldn't help but wonder what the wedding might bring out in the two of them.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

Roman was one of a dozen security guards working the wedding. Smith Sullivan and his fiancee, Valentina, had a lot of famous friends, more marquee names and faces than Roman had seen together in one place since he'd gone to see the last Marvel superhero movie. Four of the five Maverick billionaires were here as well, with their kids, wives, and fiancees. Roman couldn't even begin to imagine the net worth of this crowd. More than some countries, probably.

Summer Lake was a small town with everything people needed to be happy-water, sun, sand, and mountains. Nonetheless, Roman's previous clients who weren't half as rich or famous as Smith Sullivan would have sneered down their noses at the idea of having their wedding here. Interestingly, though, no one in the Sullivan family seemed at all out of place at Summer Lake.

Smith Sullivan was clearly as happy as a guy could get-all because he was head over heels in love with Valentina. h.e.l.l, all the Sullivans from San Francisco and Seattle and Maine to whom Suzanne had introduced him so far tonight looked absolutely smitten with their partners.

Were they for real? How could so many Sullivans have managed to find true, lasting love when everyone else was a total mess? Especially Roman's parents. It was small comfort to know that out of all the families here, Suzanne's parents had been a mess too. He wished yet again that she could have known nothing but happiness growing up.

Speaking of happiness-while he'd worked for enough A-list stars to know egos often reigned supreme, everyone in this crowd simply seemed intent on relaxing.

And hitting on Suzanne.

For the past several hours, Roman had employed great self-control in order to keep his hands from fisting-and messing up the pretty faces of the movie stars who had been chatting her up one after the other. He belonged over in the corner of the Inn's main room watching over his client like the other bodyguards. He should stay out of the way and un.o.btrusive. But she'd insisted he remain in the middle of it all with her.

"This is my family," she'd said before they'd walked inside the Inn. "I'm safe here, which means you can relax. And since Alex, Harry, and Drake are your friends, they won't expect you to be on every single second while everyone else is having a good time."

"Of course they do," he'd replied. "Regardless of the event, I've still got to do my job. I've still got to protect you."

She'd dug her heels in, like he'd known she would. "How can I have fun with you scowling at everyone? If I promise that I won't sneak away and get myself into any trouble during the wedding, will you at least try to enjoy yourself?"

How could he say no to that? How could he say no to her about anything, when all he wanted was to see her smile, hear her laugh?

d.a.m.n it. He needed to get a grip on himself. Suzanne Sullivan was meant for a movie star like Buck Elroy, who was currently flirting with her.

Unfortunately, Roman couldn't figure out how to take that much-needed step back as the guy said, "I hope you'll save me a dance tomorrow."

She c.o.c.ked her head in surprise, as if she'd only just realized she was being flirted with. "You want to dance with me?"

G.o.d, she really didn't have a clue, did she? She still saw herself as a nerd girl, rather than an exceptionally lovely, intriguing, enticing woman who had the eye of every unattached man in the room.

"Of course I want to dance with the most exquisite woman here," Buck replied.

Her laughter rang out, attracting even more male attention. Despite the fact that Roman didn't want anyone to guess that his feelings ran deeper than merely a bodyguard's looking out for his client, he couldn't keep himself from scowling at them all.

"That's nice of you to say," she said, as if she didn't believe a word out of Buck's mouth. "I'm sure I'll have plenty of open dance slots tomorrow if you want one, and it's been really nice talking with you. I should go check with Christie, who runs the Inn, to see if she needs help with anything."

Though the movie star looked a little flummoxed at Suzanne not falling all over herself to spend more time with him, he played it smooth. "The pleasure's been all mine."

A woman with long, golden-brown hair waved at Suzanne from the door to what looked like the kitchen. "There's Christie," Suzanne said. "Roman, did you mean it when you offered to help earlier? I'm sure there are a million last-second details to take care of."

"Of course I did," he said, working not to feel too smug at the way Suzanne had already forgotten Buck was there.

The smile she gave him could have lit up the darkening sky outside. They left the main room and headed into the Inn's kitchen, where the two women hugged. "Christie, it's so good to see you again. This is Roman. Roman, Christie runs the Inn along with her fiance, Wes." After they shook hands, Suzanne said, "I haven't seen Wes yet. Is he busy setting up for tomorrow?"

"Unfortunately, he had out-of-town plans he wasn't able to change. He's really sorry to miss this wedding. He'd be here if he could."

"Which is where I come in to save the day," a man with dark hair and broad shoulders joked as he walked into the kitchen from the door on the other side of the room.

Suzanne went in for another hug, one that twisted Roman's gut up even tighter than it had been out in the main room when the movie star had been trying to make his moves on her. Because she was clearly close to this guy. And he wasn't wearing a ring, which meant he could very well have his eye on Suzanne.

"Roman, this is Calvin, Summer Lake's esteemed mayor. Saving people in town is what he does."

Suzanne grinned at Calvin as she made the introduction, treating him like nothing more than a buddy. By now, however, Roman knew better than to think any of the guys she spent time with felt the same way. Just because she was blind to her own irresistible beauty didn't mean anyone else was. Roman silently told himself to prepare for Buck Elroy, part two.

Strangely, though, the smile Calvin gave her didn't have any more heat in it, any more longing, any more sparks than hers did for him. And he definitely wasn't looking at Roman as if he were a potential rival.

"It's great to meet you, Roman. I always wondered when Suzanne would find a guy who could keep up with her."

"Oh no," Suzanne said, her flushed face only making her prettier. "We're not dating." When both Christie and Calvin looked confused, she clarified, "He's my bodyguard."

All night long they'd been having this conversation, one that was always awkward for Suzanne, while also being extremely worrying for the people who loved her. Smith had grilled her for a good thirty minutes before accepting that Suzanne and Roman had things taken care of.

"Tell us what we can do," Christie said.

"How can we help?" Calvin asked at the same time.

"Please, don't worry." Suzanne held out her hands to touch each of theirs. "Everything's fine."

"We've got everything under control." Roman put in to further rea.s.sure her friends. "Suzanne is perfectly safe." He wanted to reach for her, wanted to put his arm around her and pull her closer. Instead, he stuffed his hands into his pockets while working to divert any further discussion of Suzanne's problems. "We'd like to help with the wedding preparations. Please tell us what we can do."

Though both Christie and Calvin still looked worried, thankfully they took Suzanne's and Roman's rea.s.surances at face value, at least for the time being. "The flowers just came in for the gazebo," Christie said. "The florist guaranteed that they'll look good for the next thirty-six hours, so I was trying to figure out if I could sneak away tonight at some point to begin decorating the gazebo."