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He’d been careful to offer me the space I asked for. To keep things friendly. And it was driving me freaking crazy. Even with the jumbled mess that was my life, I couldn’t quite shake the idea that I should hold on to Drew Fenwick with both hands.

Starting something new with him while my past hung over my head was a terrible idea, but damned tempting. Simple moments like sharing our coffee or watching TV with Violet had become our norm. The fleeting, desperate hope that one touch – our one kiss - would ease the gnawing need inside me shattered the night our lips met. If anything, it had only made my yearning forhim worse. One kiss could never be enough. I was fooling myself thinking I could just be his friend.

He deserved better. More than a woman whose past mistakes lurked in the shadows.

Just knowing he was out on the couch at night calmed my nerves more than I wanted to admit. The truth was, when he moved out, I’d miss him. The gentle teasing, the quiet moments when he said nothing, all of it. I was a mess of contradictions, too tangled to know up from down. But one thing was clear: I needed an excuse to see him once he was gone.

“Can we go out to dinner this week?” I blurted out.

“Sunny Girl, you just name the night. I’ll make the reservation.” I could hear the grin in his voice, the soft rumble of his pleasure rolling through his chest, sending an answering ripple of elation through me.

“Before we get too carried away, I’d better ask—can you promise Vi won’t load my car with manure?”

He chuckled, the gentle vibrations sending a delicious thrill through me. I loved hearing him laugh. He was usually so serious, the stoic older brother. Pulling laughter from him filled me with pride.

“She wouldn’t dare,” he promised.

I snorted. “I’ve never seen her that mad. I had no idea Violetcouldget that mad.”

“My sister has a temper. She’s just slow to anger. But Adam absolutely deserved it. He was running his mouth about how he was going to get her alone.”

“And big brother stepped in?”

He shrugged, the move shifting me against his chest. “He was bad news.”

“Did it really kill her dating prospects?”

Drew shifted. “Cole, Zach, Lee, and I may not have been at our most mature back then. But we had help.”

I gasped. “Gran?”

“Where do you think we got the manure?”

“Did you get in trouble?”

He stepped away, grasping my hand as we wandered up the hill, back toward the house. “Vi suspected, but no one could prove it. You only get in trouble if you get caught.”

I wanted to marvel at the protectiveness the Fenwick men showed for their sister, but part of me bristled at their interference. Vi wasn’t weak. She could take care of herself. But it was nice that she didn’t need to. A sliver of jealousy crept in. What would it be like to be protected like that? My family had all but turned me into cannon fodder.

It troubled me that Drew brushed off what they’d done because they hadn’t gotten caught. I wanted someone who would do the right thing, regardless of who was watching. But I hadn’t exactly lived up to that standard myself, so who was I to judge?

“If you had it to do all over again, would you?” I asked.

“I try to stay on the right side of the law. But when family is on the line? Sometimes things get blurry. I’m always going to take care of my own, even if there are consequences.”

“Do you think you get that from your gran?”

His eyes flashed. “Bite your tongue, woman.”

I grinned, a zip of excitement drilling through me at the teasing glint in his expression as he considered me.

“Or am I gonna have to do it for you?”

His playful threat made me laugh, and I swayed closer, tethered by our joined hands. He drew to a stop, pulling me into his arms. Like a flower turning toward the sun, I offered my mouth, sure only that I wanted him to kiss me.

Other thoughts fell away as his lips molded to mine. Gentle and playful turned into demanding in a flash. A car passed, its headlights illuminating us briefly, and we broke apart, breathinghard. Drew’s eyes glittered in the gathering gloom. His chest heaved. He clasped his hands behind his neck, pacing like a winded runner. He chuckled, shaking his head.

“What’s so funny?” I asked.