“But you look amazing. Besides, you only turn nineteen once! We need photographic evidence that you can have some fun.” He’s always saying that, so I give in.

  “Fine. But only one,” I concede as I drop the shawl wrapped around my body.

  We were already at the beach, and I hadn’t changed into my suit until we got here, so I didn’t catch how revealing it was beforehand, which is why I’ve been such a pain. But as soon as my wrap drops to the ground, a loud whistle blows through the air, and Sam laughs so hard he nearly falls to the ground.

  With an “I told you so,” he snaps pictures until he cheers, “That’s the one!”

  I never did get to see that picture. But Sam's smile and the twinkle in his eye as he emailed everything to himself before deleting them from his phone is one I won’t ever forget.

  Staring down at my phone, I open the camera roll and pull up a photo I took of us that day last summer. Sam was wearing these godawful orange and pink trunks with blue sharks on them, and little kids kept coming up to talk to him about them. It was the most amazing day.

  Our smiles were bright.

  Our hearts were full.

  The day after is when everything changed, I think.

  Sam had interviewed for a part-time job, and the employer was discriminatory about the fact that Sam was gay and refused to hire him. I was so angry. Sam shrugged it off like it was no big deal, but for weeks, months even, I often wondered how many times that had happened to him.

  “Hey there, gorgeous.” Theo’s soothing voice breaks me from my thoughts as he crouches down in front of me. “You alright?” His steady hand cups my jaw, and I turn my head into his hold.

  “Everything rolled off his back, you know. He never let me see how much certain things bothered him. But today, I get it. I understand, Theo, and I don’t like it one bit.” If I feel this way after just one day, how did Sam feel after a lifetime?

  “Come on. I’ve got someone in the car waiting to give you all kinds of love.” His lopsided grin is contagious as he helps me stand then grabs my books.

  “Hey, Theo?”

  “Yeah?” When he turns to look at me, I lift up on my toes to place a kiss on his full lips.

  “Thanks for coming for me.”

  Brushing a hand through my hair, I feel his comfort. “I’ll always come for you, kitten. No matter where I am or what I’m doing, I will always come.”

  His words reassure the insecurities I’ve been contemplating. Wrapping an arm across my shoulder, he guides me out of the building and through the quad to where his car is parked in a bus lane.

  Theo Burkhart is a rebel who owns me body, heart, and soul.

  Nix

  “When She Cries" by Britt Nicole

  Take care of your sister.

  Those were the last words our parents said to me. Lola, hell, nobody knows that when our parents were about to crash in that plane, they called me. I was away on a mission and couldn’t answer—biggest fucking regret of my life—and they left a voicemail telling me that they loved us and begging me to take care of Lola.

  She was barely nine. I wasn’t even thirty and only starting my career climb. I had no idea what to do with a grieving kid, so I took more missions because I was barely holding it together with my own grief. How the fuck was I supposed to support her in hers?

  So, I worked, and I left Lola with family or close friends. Guilt ate at me every time, too, because she was fucking smart. Not once did she beg me to stay or to grieve with her. She would enjoy the time we had together, then she’d hug me goodbye and tell me to stay safe.

  Until she met Samuel Dane.

  He was a weird kid with a chip on his shoulder.

  Her best fucking friend.

  Sam and his family changed her life in ways I never could. Now, she’s lost him, and I haven’t a fucking idea what to do to help her. I barely even know what to say to her.

  I’m pissed at the kid for breaking her heart. I’m pissed at myself for being pissed at a kid who needed help, and none of us saw it. I’m fucking livid that every time I’ve looked into Lola’s eyes these last three years, all I see is sadness.

  Her heart has been broken for more years than I’ve been aware, and now that she’s vocalized her feelings about what I do, I don’t know how the hell to deal with them. How do I tell the only living family I have that I’ll always come home when I can’t be sure that I will?

  Trouncing up the steps to Theo’s front door, I knock loudly before turning the knob and entering. Lola is sitting on the floor with Emily, scratching the dog’s belly while Theo is leaning against the wall watching her.

  Now that I’ve accepted what’s been right in front of my face all this time, I can see the depth of emotions Theo has for my sister. I might have been pissed the other day about what I saw when I arrived from Brazil, but I know Theo, and he’s one of the best men out there. He’s perfect for Lola and her wild nature.

  “Hey, Nix.” She smiles up at me, and it’s the first one that hasn’t been forced since I got home.

  “You ready to go?” I ask her, but I peer at Theo. When he nods slightly, I know she’s on stable ground.

  For now.

  Lola

  The silence in Nix’s truck is deafening. The tension between us, for the first time in our lives, hurts. My brother has been my idol nearly my entire life. I’ve always told him everything. Even when he was gone or distant, we still had an excellent relationship.

  “Are you mad at me, Nix?” My abrupt question has him looking over at me sharply.

  “No.” His frown says otherwise.

  “Okay.”

  He sighs.

  “I’m not, Lo. I’m not mad at all.” His answer doesn’t clear things up any. “I’m worried,” he finally says.

  “About what?” I turn my body a bit to watch his face. To anyone else, they’d never know what he was thinking, but I see the tiny ticks in his jaw, the twitches at the corners of his eyes. The pounding pulse in his neck. I can read Nix, and I’ll know when he’s telling the truth.

  “You, Lola. I’m always worried about you. Don’t you know that?”

  “I mean, yes, but I didn’t realize it was so bad.”

  “It wasn’t. Not before. But now? How the hell can I leave and take Theo when I know how much it stresses you out?”

  Placing my hand on his arm as we pass Little Creek Park, I say, “Pull over, Nix.”

  With an odd look, he does as I say. Shutting the truck off and putting it in park, he stays silent as I step out of the confines of the vehicle. Breathing is easier when I’m not feeling boxed in or trapped.

  Hearing him close his door as he follows my lead, I stare off at the park, watching families enjoying picnics. Dogs chasing frisbees. Lovers canoodling on dates.

  “Do you remember the day you told me Mom and Dad were dead?” I look back at him, his stoic features in place. “You didn’t cry, you didn’t seem angry or even sad. I was so mad at you. I was mad at the world.”

  “I remember you cried in my arms for hours until you wore yourself out. I remember watching you sleep every night for a week because I didn’t want to lose you too.” His solemn voice revealing such an intimate secret warms my battered heart.

  “The first time you deployed, I didn’t stop crying for a week. I was terrified you weren’t going to come back. I was afraid I’d lost you.” Facing my brother, his expression has softened, and I see regret flashing in his direct gaze. “Every time you leave, I’m petrified you won't return. That I’ll be burying you with Mom and Dad.”

  “Lola…”

  “I know the intent is to always come back, Nix, but you can’t control everything. Sammy is proof of that.” My eyes are watery as I stare up at him.

  “You know I’ll do everything I can to return home, right?” I nod my head. “I won’t lie to you, though, Lo. Every mission is different.”

  “I know.” I sense something in his tone.

  “There is so much I want to tell you, that you should know about me, Theo, the team.” I've been given the bare minimum on details, just like Codie and Everett, even though we all want more.

  “I know, Nix. And I would never push for more than what you can say.”

  Silence surrounds us as we lean against the hood of his truck and listen to the sounds around us. Our bond has always been resolute and capable of withstanding any type of awkwardness, and right now only proves it.

  “Look.” He clears his throat. “I’m going back to Brazil with Weston tomorrow. I’ve taken the team off rotation for any immediate international missions, but Theo and Foster have a local escort detail next week.”

  “Okay.” I don’t believe he’s ever told me this much at once about an assignment before.

  “I need to know that you’ll be okay while I’m away, Lola. I’ve never stressed about you before, never doubted your love of life, but Sam…”

  But Sam.

  He shook us.

  Everyone.

  “I still love life, Nix. I was mad the other day, and I lashed out. I’m so sorry I dropped that on you when you were only expressing your own pain and concern. I promise, Sam and me? We were two peas in a pod, and I’m going to miss him every day for the rest of my life, but I’m going to live my life. For me, for him, for Mom and Dad. I will survive. And I may not love every moment because nothing’s perfect, but I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere, either.”

  Pulling me in for a gripping hug, I melt into my brother’s embrace. I hold him tight because every second with him is precious, and it could be ripped from us at any moment.

  “So, tell me, big brother, when are you going to make me an aunty?” I’ve teased him at least once a year since I was twelve, and I always get the same answer: When you’re grown enough to take care of yourself.

  That’s not what I get this time.

  “Maybe sooner than you think.” He winks and walks away to the driver’s seat of his truck.

  “You can not leave me hanging like that!” I yell, throwing my hands up in the air. Rushing to join him, I barely have the door closed when I ask, “What’s her name?”

  “Classified.” He smirks as he pulls into traffic.

  I gape at him all the way to the restaurant and drill him all through dinner, but nobody keeps a secret as well as my big brother.

  Lola

  “Queen’s Don’t" by RaeLynn

  “Can you believe the audacity of him? Dropping that bomb and then saying nothing else?” I stare at Theo as he tosses our camping gear into the back of his car. I’ve been obsessing over what Nix told me last night, and I can’t shut up about it.

  Cupping my cheek in his hand, Theo lowers his mouth to mine, and as always, my heart beats so hard I can barely breathe, and I’m completely lost to this man’s power.

  “Let me ask you something, Lo.” He draws back, and I slowly open my eyes. “When are you going to make him an uncle?”

  I blink rapidly.

  He didn’t…

  Did he?

  I think he did.

  “Theo Burkhart, are you asking me to have your babies?” I narrow my gaze, trying to act playful because if he’s screwing with me, I’ll need to have a face in place that doesn’t show my heartbreak.

  “I’m feeling you out for it.” He shrugs.

  “What does that mean?” Now, I’m flustered.

  Closing the trunk of his car, he crosses his arms. “I’m thirty-four, Lo. That’s fourteen years older than you, nearly a lifetime to some.” Stepping forward, he leans into me, trapping me between his buff body and the car. “I want you to have the life you deserve, the one you dreamed of when you were a little girl in pigtails and pretty dresses.” His gaze floats oh so slowly down my body, making my nipples pebble and my flesh tingle with desire. “I also want to be part of that life. But I won’t push you for more than you’re ever ready for. If that means stolen kisses every fucking chance I get, then I’ll take it. If it means hand-holding at sunset on the beach, I’m there. But tell me, kitten, when you think of the future, am I in it, by your side, putting a ring on your finger, holding your babies? Or am I on the side, watching, plotting some other man’s death as he takes what’s rightfully mine?”

  “You had me at hello, Theo. You always have,” I whisper breathlessly.

  “Good.” He exhales the single word as his lips capture mine in an intense, passion-fueled devouring.

  I can’t describe it as anything else.

  He consumes my very essence.

  Our tongues tangle as his hands firmly grip my hips. Pulling my body into his, he lifts me onto the trunk of the car and positions himself between my spread thighs. The imprint of his strength, his longing, as he rubs his hardened cock against my center, has me shivering in his embrace as I fight to keep control of my senses.

  The heat of his hands as they shift up my shirt provokes a primal moan from within me. Fingertips travel up my spine, and he devours my neediness, growling as I press closer.

  “I could get lost in you, Lola.” His groan as he draws back, leaning his head against mine, echoes my sentiments.

  “Are we sure the weather is warm enough for beach camping? Maybe we should house camp?” I wiggle my brows at him, and his lips quirk with amusement, even though his eyes darken with desire.

  “That depends.”

  “On what?”

  “What you want to happen this weekend, kitten.”

  Oh my.

  What do I want to happen?

  We came together out of my grief. But I don’t believe, for a second, that there wasn’t a mutual attraction and desire for each other before now. There has never been a doubt for me that our futures would be tied together, and after what Theo just said, I believe it’s what he wants to.

  Well, what are you waiting for, Lol? Sam’s voice in my head as he asked me that same question every time he caught me looking at or daydreaming about Theo is the kick I need.

  “Nothing,” I whisper to Sam, even though he’s not here.

  “What?” Theo looks puzzled.

  “I have a confession.”

  Stepping back, he says, “Okay.”

  “I’ve been in love with you since I was sixteen and Sammy, the ass, would ask me what I was waiting for every time you walked in a room.”

  A coy smile creeps up his face as his eye light with an emotion I’m not sure I have enough experience to read. “Works for me.” His rushed words are barely out before he’s lifting me over his shoulder and carrying me back into the house.

  “Theo!” I giggle, pressing my hands against his firm ass as he strides inside and sprints up the stairs, straight for his bedroom.

  Plopping me down on the mattress, I screech as my hair flops everywhere, covering my vision. Once I’ve got the strands under control and out of my eyes, I see Theo is already shirtless, and his jeans are unbuckled. His sexy trail of hair leading to the promised land is exposed, and I lean my head to the side for another view.

  Dropping to his knees in front of me, I remain silent as our gazes clash, and he watches me for any discomfort as he slips off each sandal.

  Leaning forward, he places a kiss on my jaw, moves to my cheek, then down to my lips as his fingers trail up my legs tenderly. I can feel goosebumps rise along my body when his fingers play under the hem of my shorts, rubbing along the sensitive flesh that's never been touched by another.

  Straining backward, away from his caress, is difficult, but I’m excited to see what he does next as I lounge onto my elbows.

  The cocky man smirks as he lowers his body to kiss the exposed skin between my shirt and shorts. His lips are soft and warm as I feel him flick the single button of my shorts open and glide the zipper down excruciatingly slow.

  My whole body freezes as Theo’s eyes roam across my flesh, and I feel every new discovery like a touch. My head drops back, and I hold my breath when I feel his hot, breathy air against the tiny piece of flesh he’s exposed from opening my shorts.

  I may die of anticipation if he doesn’t do something soon.

  Theo

  I’m not a religious man, but I’ll fucking worship at the temple of this woman’s beauty for the rest of my life if she’ll allow me to.

  The way she sighs and moans my name with every soft caress, each harsh burst of air blown onto her skin. It makes me want to stand up and pound my chest like King fucking Kong so the world knows she belongs to me.

  My body vibrates and ripples with anticipation as I grip the edges of the scrap of denim she calls shorts and begin to pull them down her legs, exposing her body to my sight. Black silk is revealed, and I groan so deeply, Lola shivers.

  “Sensitive?” I whisper, and she shakes her head, not opening her eyes.

  Tossing the garment behind me, I reach for her shirt next. She moves effortlessly with me, sitting upright so I can pull the scrap of material over her head. I unhook her bra and tug it off at the same time.

  Her delicate gasp makes me grin like the Cheshire cat at what I've revealed. She’s the perfect shape for me to hold in the palm of my hands and flick my thumbs across her engorged nipples.

  Christ.

  Tasting her, discovering every secret place Lola has to offer is going to be a pleasure unlike any I’ve ever known. Shifting to kneel between her legs, my cock pounds with the need to claim my girl.

  Pushing my pants down, I free the damn thing from the confines of my boxers, and it springs forward like a fucking Mack truck, honing in on where I want to be planted most right now.

  “You know,” Lola purrs as her gaze darts down to stare at me. “I’ve had many fantasies about what you taste like.” She licks her lips as her eyes lazily meet my shocked stare.