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  He let go and strode away before turning around to face me, a few yards off. His voice lowered to a seductive murmur, though my clit and I heard him perfectly. “You don’t know her that well, but there’s something about this girl—” He paused, during which time I came to the conclusion that breathing was overrated.

  I watched his Adam’s apple bob up and down when he swallowed while staring at me. “She arrives and makes her way down the beach toward you.” He deliberately took long, measured steps toward where my feet were anchored in the sand.

  My heart thumped.

  He’s so fucking beautiful.

  His eyes darkened. “She’s so fucking gorgeous. You know you should look away, but you can’t.”

  He moved closer and liquid heat pooled between my thighs. Again.

  He turns me on just by breathing.

  He grimaced, adjusting his shorts. “Your cock gets hard just watching her.”

  With each step, my clit pulsed and throbbed.

  This isn’t right. I need to stop. Like, now.

  Dominic’s voice sounded pained. “But friends don’t look at each other like that, do they?” He stopped directly in front of me and the fire in his gaze was scorching.

  “How fucked up is that?” he murmured. “Wanting to bury yourself so deep inside her, she screams your name. Wanting to own her every breath, every movement, every sound. Wanting her.”

  I gasped.

  Dominic slowly leaned forward and pressed his forehead against mine. His warm breath caressed my skin as I grappled for something to hold onto, his tank would have to do.

  Mint, sweat, and Dominic. With God as my witness, there was no better combination.

  He shook his head, whispering, “So what do I do, Riley? Because right now, I haven’t a damn clue how to be a friend to her.”

  I closed my eyes and tried to get my shit together. I also tried to stop myself from climbing the man like a jungle gym … and kissing him senseless. Heck, I even attempted to remember what Doctor Powell said about the direct link between previous dysfunctional relationships and my current sense of unworthiness.

  Fucking useless.

  You see, I couldn’t think. At all. My skin burned where he touched me and the heat of our bodies ricocheted and collided until I was certain we were going to detonate then explode.

  I have to get out of this. If I don’t, my tongue will be in his mouth and my hand will be down his shorts within the next five seconds. Followed closely by mayhem … with havoc right behind. Extricate yourself, Riley.

  Now.

  After several false starts, I eventually opened my eyes. He was still staring at me and raw hunger pulsed unchecked in his gaze.

  So it’s true, people really can spontaneously combust. Hope I won’t splatter all over his white tank, he looks good in that.

  Focus, Riley.

  I internally shook, slapped, and then doused myself with a bucket of ice water. After taking a steadying breath, I murmured, “This can’t happen, Dominic. It just … it can’t.”

  He was silent for a long time. Finally, he exhaled, nodding slowly. After gently extricating my fingers, Dominic moved away, raking tense hands through tousled hair. He kept his back to me for what felt like ages while I stood there, staring dumbly at him. I would have given everything I possessed to have seen his face in that moment, however, when he at last turned, his expression was blank, empty.

  My stomach plummeted. Six stories at least.

  What the fuck have I done?

  The remainder of our workout and jog back along the beach was done in relative silence. I kept trying to tell myself I’d done the right thing by asking Dominic to ignore our lust for one another. After all, that’s what it was, wasn’t it? Lust. And what purpose did the emotion serve except to royally fuck up the lives of everyone involved?

  I didn’t want a bit of it.

  No siree.

  It just sucked that instead of feeling empowered, I felt like crap.

  Anyway, as we rounded the stairs to the car park, it took an unexpected sight to snap me out of my reticence—the car park was empty except for my convertible. “Where’s your car?”

  “It’s not finished yet.”

  I stared at him, confused.

  “She’s at the garage. I’m waiting on the last part to be delivered next week.”

  I chose to ignore the fact that he referred to his ride as female, the irony was not lost on me. “So, you’re a car person.” It wasn’t a question.

  “Among other things.” Dominic’s smile was dangerous. “Why? What kind of person did you take me for?”

  “Trouble.”

  He laughed. “You’re not wrong there.”

  But then I put my head to one side, scrutinizing him carefully. Yep, there was no denying it, he was the hottest guy I’d ever laid eyes on. I shook my head. “It’s strange, I never took you for a car kind of guy. You look more like a…” My eyes raked him up and down.

  Delicious.

  I cleared my throat. “A musician.” Dominic smirked. “I mean, if you swapped those shorts for some black jeans and that,” I gestured emphatically to his wife-beater, “for a dark t-shirt, then I’d totally think you were in a band. A badass one.”

  “Is that so?” Dominic channeled his inner Cheshire cat and the overall effect left me so disoriented I had to look down at my fingers to gather my errant thoughts.

  Shit, I’d over-shared.

  “For some reason, I say whatever pops into my head around you. Feel free to ignore me.”

  “Fuck no.”

  My eyes flicked back to him. His jaw was working hard, and he took a deliberate step toward me. That thing between us sparked again, it was beyond exhausting. And the worst part was, if I didn’t distract myself soon we would be tonsils deep before he took his next breath.

  I cleared my throat. “How’d you get here, then?”

  “My brother, Levi, drove me.”

  “You mean, there’s two of you?” Yeah, I may have screeched that last part.

  Lord have mercy.

  Dominic raised an eyebrow, amused. “Don’t even think about it, Riley. Trust me, you’re not his type.”

  Huffing, I crossed my arms in front of my chest. It did very little to intimidate but enhanced my cleavage beautifully. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

  His eyes dropped to my breasts as he stepped even closer, lowering his voice until it was nothing more than a seductive murmur. “He likes his women to have … fire.”

  I shivered, before looking away and mumbling, “I’ve got fire.”

  Dominic cupped my face in his strong hands, drawing my gaze back to his and I tried to ignore the way his pulse jumped at the base of his throat before our eyes locked.

  “You’ve got many things, angel, but fire isn’t one of them.” His hungry gaze roved my face, from my eyes, to my nose, and finally, my parted lips.

  I’d forgotten how to breathe—I know, right?—so there was every chance they were blue.

  “Riley—”

  But he didn’t finish because we were interrupted by the arrival of a beat-up old Ford that sounded like the engine was actually scraping against the bitumen beneath it. Dominic stepped away from me and thrust long fingers through his hair. If I hadn’t been so busy eyeing the death trap in front of us, I might have wondered why.

  “C’mon, asswipe, let’s go. We’ve got sound check in an hour and I can smell you from here.”

  I stared at the man in the driver’s seat. I kid you not, he looked like Dominic’s incredibly sexy doppelgänger.

  So, this is Levi. Wow.

  Levi was smokin’ hot, there was no doubt about it. He had the same tousled brown hair, piercing blue eyes and full, kissable mouth as Dominic. While openly ogling him for way longer than politeness dictated, I also noticed he was taller and leaner too. Now don’t get me wrong, if I’d met him first, I’d have thought he was ripped but since I’d seen the alternative in all its sweaty, bare-chested glory�
� I dunno. Dominic struck a fire in my belly, Levi barely lit a spark.

  Strange.

  “Sound check?”

  “He didn’t tell you about our gig tonight, did he?” I just stared vacantly at Levi, surprised he couldn’t hear the roar of the ocean whistling through my ears.

  Dominic and his gorgeous twin brother are in a band. Of course they’re in a fucking band. Bet it’s a heavy, badass band too.

  Sweet. Baby. Jesus.

  “Fucking hell, Dom.” Levi rubbed frustrated fingers across his brow while the other hand gripped the steering wheel until the whites of his knuckles appeared. I had a feeling this was a common physical response when dealing with his brother.

  “I wasn’t going to invite her.”

  I spun on my heel to face Dominic. “Why not?”

  But he ignored me. Instead, he glared at his brother who completely disregarded the pointed stare and turned to me. “We’re playing a show at The Hole tonight. It’ll be the last one we have for a while and you’re more than welcome. A word of warning though, if you’ve got any single friends, keep ’em away from dipshit here.”

  “Fuck off.”

  Like Levi, I also ignored Dominic. “Don’t worry, Grace would tear him a new one if he tried anything.”

  “Not likely,” Dominic muttered.

  “Yeah?” Levi seemed interested.

  “Yeah,” I replied, disregarding the obscene rumblings on my right. “She doesn’t take shit from anyone.”

  He nodded his head, thoughtful. “Is this friend of yours hot?”

  “Stunning.”

  “I’d like to meet her.”

  I looked Levi up and down. He was genuine, I could tell. There was a steadiness of character I registered immediately and if he was anything like his brother, he was honest and trustworthy. Well, maybe not with certain female parts but I knew Grace, and that woman could hold her own. What I really liked about him though, was the mocking humor in his eyes that had been lost to my best friend for well over a year. The cogs in my brain began to whirl as a slow smile spread across my face.

  “I’d like to introduce her to you.”

  Chapter Four

  Our emotions colliding,

  The ocean’s too wide,

  Keep my head above water,

  Breathe for me, love.

  —MONDEZ, “Awake”

  It only took thirty minutes of outright begging to talk Grace into seeing Dominic’s band, Mondez. Apparently, all the guys were related and shared the same last name so they just went with it as a band title. Anyway, I was pretty confident my puppy dog eyes finally sealed the deal. Grace could never say no to my entreating expression or the lingering threat of my academy award-winning sulking skills.

  I could mope for days.

  Easily.

  It was a gift.

  But I only brought out the big guns when desperation called for it and this was one of those times.

  I tried telling myself we were going to watch them play because I wanted to do right by my best friend. I wanted to get her off the couch, out the house and into the arms of a good man. Like me, she was a homebody who preferred spending time in solitude rather than being surrounded by a sea of faceless people. I could even count on one hand the number of times she’d left our apartment to socialize in the last twelve months. It wasn’t healthy. Bottling up that much bitterness and resentment over a broken heart was a recipe for disaster.

  At least, that’s what I kept telling myself.

  As I showered, I tried to ignore the anticipation bubbling up inside me at the thought of seeing Dominic again … and watching him play an instrument like the sex god he was. I shook my head. That guy was the whole package. Okay, except for his gutter-mouth and womanizing ways but I decided to ignore those minor details because it was no business of mine what he said or who he hooked up with.

  Truly.

  To be honest, a part of me—the rational bit—didn’t even know why I wanted to go to The Hole in the first place because he clearly didn’t want me there. I wasn’t going to let that stop me though, my stubborn streak tended to override logic at times. I guess I just wanted to prove to him that even though we were never going to be anything more than friends, at least I was a friend worth having. After all, who wouldn’t want me? I was intelligent, trustworthy, sincere, compassionate—I was best friend material, damn it.

  Why doesn’t he want me to go?

  With that nagging thought in my head, I shimmied into a light blue sleeveless dress. It was one of my favorites, being both comfortable and flattering. The clingy fabric hinted at a modest cleavage without being too revealing, it hugged my ass and hips and was short enough to emphasize toned legs without exposing the lady downstairs. Perfect.

  Maybe I said something to offend him?

  I slipped on my black ankle boots and carefully thought back over everything which came out my mouth during our run earlier but couldn’t remember anything he would have been pissed at. Well, except reminding him to stop thinking with his penis, though that seemed to be the standard topic of conversation where we were concerned.

  Maybe he’s given up on us being friends?

  I wrapped a black plaited leather bracelet around my wrist and began applying some light makeup, hoping fervently that wasn’t the case. I’d come to enjoy spending time with Dominic; he accepted me for who I was and seemed to genuinely like my company. Except when sporadically going all weird on me, of course.

  Maybe he thinks I’m boring?

  I stopped and my mascara dropped to the tiled bathroom floor, instantly forgotten. That was it. He thought I would be a dead weight so didn’t invite me. I gripped the basin, angry. I had been living with this doubt my whole life—plain, boring old Riley. As a teenager, I was the one who sat in the corner at parties, the one who watched other people having the time of their lives because I was so crap at putting myself out there. Turned out, after years of practice, I melded so well into the background, people forgot to invite me at all.

  I gritted my teeth. Just because I grew up in a conservative family, didn’t drink often, smoke, take illicit drugs or sleep around, didn’t mean I couldn’t party. Much.

  I hung my head.

  Fucking hell.

  ****

  Grace hated The Hole. From the moment we walked through the front door, I could tell by her face she wanted to be anywhere else.

  Too bad, G. This is for your own good.

  Maybe if I said it often enough, I’d start to believe it.

  The first thing I noticed about the place was the music. It was loud. Like, residual ear-ringing loud. The pounding drumbeat and edgy guitar riffs pulsed through me like the reverberations of a shockwave.

  I loved it.

  The second thing I noticed was the clientele. Wherever I looked, darkly clad, intricately tattooed and heavily pierced band-goers were drinking, yelling, laughing—I craned my neck to see them surrounding a small, raised stage in the corner—thrashing, jumping and moshing.

  So this was where the enigmatically beautiful people hid.

  My mouth watered.

  Thirdly, I noticed Grace’s blatant displeasure. Sadly, she hadn’t experienced the same overwhelming sense of belonging upon first entering the live music venue as I had, so after looking at her closely and carefully weighing up the pros and cons, I came to a decision. “You need a drink.”

  I only hoped I wouldn’t regret it.

  That afternoon, I’d sent a text to Brea informing her that we were going to see Mondez play. She worked part-time at The Hole and her shift finished after their set so we were going to hang out later. I couldn’t wait. Well, provided Grace behaved herself and we didn’t get kicked out beforehand. Apart from G, Brea was one of my oldest friends. Sadly, between her hours spent studying art design or working and mine spent at the hospital or exercising, we hardly got a chance to catch up anymore. But when we did, it was awesome. That girl was a pocket-rocket, she had energy to burn.

  “Ri
ley, you made it.”

  I gazed down at the pint-sized brunette working behind the bar. With a red and white headscarf tied into a knot at the top of her head, dramatic black eyeliner and a colorful sleeve tattoo, she totally owned the rockabilly style.

  “Wouldn’t miss this one for the world, Brea.” I smiled and gave her a wink. Okay, so I may have mentioned something about Dominic too.

  Grace shook her head, that girl could read me like a book. “Now I know this is all a ruse. You dragged me out tonight because you’re interested in a guy.”

  Nope.

  No one was offering what I wanted just now and I wasn’t about to settle for second best. Heck, I’d even refused the offer of a casual fuck with a man who could win a panty decimating competition through smoldering look alone. Doctor Powell would be proud of me even if my own pussy was presently giving me the cold shoulder. Anyway, there was no rush. I’d meet my soul mate, eventually. If nothing else, being single for the last few months taught me to be unswerving and patient.

  What Grace didn’t realize, however, was I’d found the perfect man for her—Levi. I knew it as soon as I met him. So, wanting to talk up his many positive attributes I gushed, “He’s not just some guy.”

  Grace actually took a step back, a look of pure disbelief plastered all over her gorgeous face.

  Has the woman no faith in me at all?

  “Really?” she countered. “How is this one any different to all the rest, Riley? Does he have a chocolate flavored dick or something?”

  Now was not the time for crass rhetorical questions, I had to press my advantage while she was still sober. “He’s amazing, G. He’s talented and funny and clever and—”

  “Sexy as hell, or so I’ve been told.”

  I spun around, relieved that it was Levi standing behind me and not his brother. It took me a couple of breaths to get my blush back under control and a few more to drum up the courage to say something, after which time I simply threw my arms around him, exclaiming, “Levi.”

  There was no denying it, being wrapped in Levi’s embrace felt good. Really good. He was tall, solid, strong. His body surrounded mine in a way which made my five-foot-nine frame feel petite and delicate—a refreshing change, let me tell you. But I couldn’t ignore that there were no electromagnetic forces drawing me closer, setting me alight, burning—