What happens when the masks come off?

When one of the supersexy Gage brothers blows Molly Devaney away with a scorching kiss at a masquerade ball, she thinks she’s met her soul mate. But why does her masked seducer act as if she doesn’t exist the next day? To win him over, she’ll make him jealous, so she turns to his brother Julian Gage, who offers to play the role of her lover.

But Julian is playing for keeps. There’s nothing fake about the way this woman makes him feel, and now he’s going to show her just which Gage brother is right for her….

It was becoming dangerous…this thing with Julian.

It was too fun and too easy. “Is your brother looking this way, Jules?”

“I don’t know. I’m looking at you.”

It was the tone he used, deep and husky as a country love song, that made Molly almost forget that this was just an act.

“I’m pretty sure he’s watching,” she whispered, moving closer to Julian’s ear. She leaned against his chest and whispered, “I’m thinking we could just stroll off somewhere private and return a little disheveled, you know. Let his imagination run wild with jealousy.”

She could feel the coiled tension in the muscles underneath Julian’s shirt as he dropped his head to whisper back into her ear, his lips grazing her earlobe.

“As you wish.”

Wrong Man, Right Kiss

Red Garnier

www.millsandboon.co.uk

RED GARNIER is a fan of books, chocolate and happily-ever-afters. What better way to spend the day than combining all three? Travelling frequently between the United States and Mexico, Red likes to call Texas home. She’d love to hear from her readers at redgarnier@gmail.com For more on upcoming books and current contests, please visit her website: www.redgarnier.com.

Dear Reader,

I’ve always had a thing about connections. Best friends share such special connections that are among the strongest I’ve ever known. As strong as blood ties and sometimes even stronger, for you choose your friends rather than “inherit” them. Friends are with you through good and bad, through heartbreak and tears, through anger and despair, through laughter and fun. Friends know secrets that even lovers sometimes don’t. They see and know you at your best and at your worst. Therefore, I think some of the most amazing love stories in the world are among best friends.

Julian and Molly have been best friends their entire lives. They know everything about each other, things that even their family members don’t know. Seeing how they genuinely care for each other and always protect each other (while oblivious to the extent of their true feelings) has to make this book among the most fun, most heartwarming stories I’ve ever written. I seriously hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

With love,

Red

As always, with my deepest thanks to everyone at Mills & Boon—who make the best team of editors I’ve ever come across! Thank you for making this book shine.

This book is dedicated to my flesh-and-blood hero and our two little ones, who it turns out are not so little anymore.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Extract

One

Molly Devaney needed a hero.

She could think of no other way to solve her dilemma.

She’d been tossing and turning at night for the past two weeks, obsessing over what she’d done, wishing and praying and hoping she could figure out how to fix things and fix them fast.

It had taken fifteen days and fifteen hellish nights to come to the conclusion that she needed some help—and pronto—and there was only one man who could save the day, just like he’d previously saved her on plenty of other days.

Her hero of all times, ever since she was three and he was six, and Molly and her sister, Kate, recently orphaned, had ended up living with his rich and wonderful family in their San Antonio mansion.

Julian John Gage.

Okay. The guy was definitely no saint. He was a ladies’ man down to his very sexy bones. He could have any woman he wanted, in any way he preferred, at any time he felt like, and the stupid meathead knew this. Which meant he was determined to sample them all.

It really rankled her sometimes.

But while he was an incorrigible rake with the ladies, a handful to the press due to his position as head of PR for the San Antonio Daily, a problem to his brothers and a bane to his own mother, to Molly, Julian John Gage was nothing short of the bomb. He was her greatest friend, the reason she’d never really found a man until now and the only person on this earth who would be honest enough to tell her how to seduce his hardheaded, annoying older brother.

The problem now was that Molly could’ve found a better time to expose her wicked plans to him. Bursting into his apartment on a Sunday morning was not her brightest idea. But then she was losing precious time and urgently needed Garrett, his older brother, to realize he loved her before she all but died from the misery of it all.

Now, if only Julian would stop staring at her as if she’d lost it big-time—which he’d been doing for the past couple of minutes, ever since she’d blurted out her plans.

The guy just stood there, easily the most magnificent work of art in his flawless contemporary apartment, his feet braced apart and his steely jaw hanging slightly ajar.

“I can’t have heard right.” When at last he spoke, his husky morning voice was laden with incredulousness. “Did you just ask me to help you seduce my own brother?”

Molly stopped pacing around the coffee table and, all of a sudden, she felt very much like a tramp. “Well...I didn’t actually say seduce. Did I?”

An awkward silence followed as they both thought back to five minutes ago. Julian lifted a lone eyebrow. “You didn’t?”

Molly sighed. She couldn’t remember, either. She’d been a little tongue-tied when the living sculpture—aka Julian—had opened the door, gloriously bare-chested and wearing only a pair of low-slung drawstring linen pajama pants. The pants were so low-slung and sheer, in fact, that Molly could clearly make out the dark V of hair starting just under Julian’s flat, bronzed navel, a tidbit which was playing havoc with her mind since she’d never seen a man partly naked before.

Plus, Julian was not just any man. He looked more like David Beckham’s younger brother.

The hotter one.

Good thing their friendship made Molly immune.

“Okay, maybe I did say that, I can’t remember.” Molly shook her head and fought to get back on track. “It’s only that I’ve just realized I need to do something drastic before some bimbo steals him from me for good. I need to get him, Julian. And you’re the expert seducer, so I need you to tell me what to do.”

His eyes—green like the leaves of the oaks outside—flared slightly in concern. “Look, Molls. I don’t quite know how to explain this to you, so let me just get it out there.” He started pacing. “We all grew up together. My brothers and I saw you in diapers. There’s no way Garrett will ever look at you and see anything else but a little sister, the key words here being little and sister.”

“All right, so it’s too late to do anything about the Pampers issue, I get it, but I have solid reasons to believe Garrett’s feelings toward me have changed! I mean, has he ever even said he only thinks of me as a little sister, Julian? I’m already twenty-three. He may actually think I’ve grown up to be quite a sophisticated and sexy lady.” With really nice breasts that he quite happily fondled at the masquerade, she thought smugly.

But Julian regarded her attire—certainly not one of her best outfits, she’d grant him that—with a look that was the opposite of thrilled.

“Your sister, Kate, is sophisticated and sexy. But you?” He stared pointedly at her boho skirt and paint-splattered tank top, then plunged his hand through his sun-streaked hair as though supremely frustrated. “God, Molls, have you stopped by a mirror recently? You look like you’ve been smacked, kicked, then put for a spin inside a blender.”

“Julian John Gage!” Molly gasped, so genuinely hurt her heart constricted. “My next New York solo exhibit happens to be in four weeks—I don’t have time to care about how I look! Plus I can’t believe you’re giving me crap about my work clothes when you stand there half nak—”

A door slammed shut in the depths of the apartment, and Molly whirled around with a scowl, ready to keep shouting. But she spotted someone approaching out of the corner of her eye and in that instant, she lost all power of speech. That someone was, of course, a woman.

The leggiest, blondest blonde Molly had ever seen was currently stepping out of Julian’s bedroom. She was carrying a gold clutch purse and wearing a pair of crimson stilettos and one of Julian’s button-down shirts, which seemed to barely contain what was easily a set of enormous breasts that made Molly’s girls suddenly shrink before her eyes.

Now that woman looked as if she’d been inside a blender. But at a really marvelous speed. Molly wished she could pull off that tumbled look so well.

“I have to go,” the mystery woman told Julian sultrily from afar. “I left my number on your pillow, so...” She made the universal call-me sign and puckered her lips. “It was really nice meeting you last night. I hope you don’t mind me borrowing a shirt? My dress didn’t seem to fare as well as I did.” She released a soft giggle, and when Julian remained unmoved by her sexiness and Molly only gaped, she gracefully crossed the room to leave.

The instant the elevator doors shut behind her, Molly’s gaze jerked back to Julian. “Seriously?” Annoyance flared through her with such force that she stalked forward and shoved his rigid shoulder. That womanizer! “Seriously, Julian? Do you have to sleep with every woman you meet?”

She shoved him again, but his shoulder budged as much as a concrete building would.

With a rumbling chuckle, Julian grabbed her hand and forced her fingers into a fist. “We aren’t talking about my love life. We’re talking about yours.” He frowned down at their fisted hands and briskly released her. “And the fact that you have paint on your nose, in your hair and on your shoes, and this starving-artist look is not going to do anything for my brother.”

Molly shot him a harsh glare, then shoved past him and stormed down the hall. “Oh, just let me grab one of your shirts! I’m sure that will do wonders for my pitifully unsexy and unsophisticated looks.”

“Aw, heck. Molly! Come on, Molls. Moo, baby. Get back here and just let me wrap my head around all this, all right? You know you’ve always been pretty, and I know that’s why you don’t give a damn.”

Julian reached her in three long strides, promptly snatched her arm and dragged her back to the living room. Molly glared at him at first, but when she heard the low, deep sigh that worked its way up his chest, the sigh that said he just didn’t know what to do with her anymore, her anger vanished.

It was just too hard to stay angry with Julian John.

Molly knew he’d do anything for her—and maybe that was why she was here. On a Sunday morning. And why she continued to be a pain in his great-looking butt. Because nobody had ever done the things that Julian John had done to make sure she was safe and protected, except maybe her sister, who had practically assumed the role of a mother when they were orphaned.

Kate had put her through school, coddled her, raised her and loved her every second of growing up without a mom and a dad. So the fact that Julian had been there for her almost as much as Kate said a lot about a man who insisted on pretending he was nothing but a playboy.

Which he first and foremost was.

But that was precisely why Molly was happy that he was just her friend and not the man she had set her romantic sights on.

“Look,” she said as he released her, feeling herself blush as she remembered her and Garrett’s stolen kiss. “I know you might not understand this. But I love your brother so much, I—”

“Since freaking when, Molls? He’s always annoyed the crap out of both of us.”

She stiffened defensively. “True, okay. But that was when he was so rigid, you know. Before.”

“Before what?”

“Before...before I realized that he...” Wants me. Before he said the things he said to me when he kissed me. Her stomach wrenched at the painful memory. Anxiously, she pushed her red tresses back behind her shoulders and tried again. “I—I really can’t explain it, but something has monumentally changed. And I just know he loves me back, I just know it in my soul, Julian—please don’t laugh.”

She couldn’t bring herself to look him in the eyes for some inexplicable reason, so she spun around and slumped down on the leather sofa. The silence ticked by, and within seconds, she became aware of some extremely strange vibes coming from the vicinity of where Julian stood.

The laugh that broke the silence was worst of all. It was anything but mirthful. “I can’t freaking believe this.”

Molly held her breath and peered up at him, finding that a harsh frown had settled on his strong, tanned face. She had never seen Julian truly mad, but if that black scowl was a good indicator, he was getting there, and fast.

Her stomach clenched when she once again took a peek at his flat, muscled navel, the dark V dipping into those superloose drawstring pants and leading into— Okay, enough of that. She had to focus on getting Garrett. Now.

“Julian...” She really had to say something. Sighing, she signaled at that perfectly tanned, perfectly perfect torso. “Look. While we discuss this, can you put on one of your remaining shirts? The chest and the six-pack and all that you’ve got going on are just... Let’s just say it makes me want to go take a peek at Garrett.”

Julian scoffed and flexed seriously impressive biceps. “You know damned well my brother doesn’t have these guns.”

“He does, too.”

He flexed his other biceps. “I may be his baby brother, but I can take the guy down in five seconds flat with these.”

“Oh, puleeze. The only thing you’re probably better at doing than him is screwing around—and you deserve that after saying I look like I live in a blender.”

“Ahh. So once again, you missed the part where I said you were pretty.” Julian fell down on a chair and for a long moment, they sat there, both staring pensively into space.

When he at last spoke, Molly was relieved to hear that his voice had regained its usual playful note. “Yeah. You’re right. I am better at screwing around than both my brothers put together. Not that Landon would ever look at another woman now that he’s married.”

He leaned back and watched her with the beginnings of a smile that carried a hint of danger while he linked his hands behind his head in a deceptively relaxed pose.

“So let’s screw around with Garrett. Why not? He’s always been ridiculously protective of you and Kate. He’d go Donkey Kong if he ever found out you were dating someone. Especially someone with a bad reputation. You don’t even really have to date the guy, just make him agree to play your doting lover for a while, ask him to be convincing enough to yank ole Garrett’s chain.”

Delighted that Julian was at last addressing her predicament, Molly almost jumped out of her seat and found herself clapping twice. “Yes! Yes! He sounds charming. But the question is, do I actually know such a man?”

Julian’s smile was perfectly wolfish. “Baby, you’re looking right at him.”

* * *

His words appeared to strike Molly like an electric shock, and Julian wondered if that was a good thing, a bad thing or totally irrelevant to his newly hatched plan.

“Excuse me?” She jerked upright on his couch and gripped the leather cushions with such force that it looked as if she was on a roller-coaster ride. “I’m sure I heard wrong. Did you just offer to be my boyfriend or something?”

“Or something,” Julian agreed, his lips curling upward.

He knew he looked calm. Collected. But inside his head, the wheels were turning with particularly inspiring ideas. Ideas he might later regret. But they were still damned good.

“Wh-what do you mean ‘or something’?” she asked him.

Julian could hardly get over how adorable she looked sitting there, shocked and disbelieving as if she’d just won the Megabucks.

Her eyes were just so wide and so damned blue you’d have to be made of freaking stone not to be willing to move mountains for her. Honestly, he’d never seen such expressive, genuinely innocent eyes in his life. It was a guarantee that Molly would lose every poker game she ever played, her expressions were so real and so clear. Hell, just the way she looked at him with those eyes made him feel like some sort of superhero. Not even his own mother gazed at him like Molly did.

With an amused smile, one he sometimes found himself wearing when he was with her, he explained, “‘Or something’ means I don’t have girlfriends, Molly. I have lovers. And I’d be happy to pretend to be yours.”

He’d meant to emphasize the word pretend, but somehow when he spoke, the only word he seemed to be able to emphasize was yours.

Because obviously he would only ever do this kind of stuff for Molly.

“You’re kidding me, Jules,” she said as she somberly scanned his face. She was not even moving, had practically become a statue on the couch.

He might have laughed at that, except to his own disbelief and amazement, he was dead serious. Dead. As heck. Serious. And now he needed to know if she was, too. “I may like to kid around, Molls, but I wouldn’t kid you with this.”

“So you’re prepared to pretend to be in love with me?”

He nodded, and his hands itched to wipe away a green smudge of paint from her forehead and a red one from her cheek. “I figure I’ve probably done worse, Moo. Like that girl who just left...not really prime in the head, if you get me.”

He tapped his forehead, but she wasn’t even paying attention.

As though in a trance, Molly rose to her feet, all five feet of chaotic red hair and heavy turquoise necklaces and creamy paint-streaked skin, her eyes shining as his proposal finally seemed to dawn on her. “And Garrett will see us together and be madly jealous! Oh, my God, yes, yes, this is brilliant, Julian! How long do you think it will take to get him to realize he loves me? A couple of days? A week?”

Julian stared at her in silence. She really sounded...enamored. Didn’t she?

He thought about it for a bit, and with each passing second, he grew more and more baffled. Suddenly all he wanted was for somebody to please tell him what in the hell was going on here. Was this some sort of lame-ass joke? Molly? Dreaming about his older brother? For real?

If the ten-year age difference wasn’t an issue, the fact that the Gages had grown up with strict codes of conduct regarding the Devaney girls should matter. And tons. Especially to Garrett, who never, ever broke a rule. Had his brother done something to give Molly the impression of being interested?

Dammit, this just struck him as so, so wrong, he didn’t even know where to begin.

His brother Garrett was ridiculously overprotective of the Devaney girls. The reason they’d become orphans in the first place was because their only living parent, who had been the Gages’ bodyguard, had died in the line of duty protecting Julian’s father and Garrett from an armed gang hired by the Mexican mafia to murder Julian’s father for newspaper coverage disclosing their names and operations. But the Gages’ bodyguard had died protecting Garrett, too. Though the gang members had been sentenced to life in prison, as the lone survivor of that bloody night two decades ago, Garrett had been sentenced to a life in hell.

Now he lived with a boatload of guilt and regret. When their widowed mother had taken the girls under their wing, Garrett had been rabid to protect them, even, apparently, from Julian—who had liked to tickle the hell out of Molly and make her giggle... Well, Garrett had always ridden Julian’s goddamn back about the rules where the Devaney sisters were concerned. This annoyed not only Julian but also Molly—who loved being tickled by him.

So now, after Molly had complained a thousand times that Garrett never let Julian and her have any fun, it was damned hard to believe that she suddenly had the hots for Garrett.

What in the hell was that about?

Julian and Molly were friends. Honest-to-God, die-for-you, chase-a-killer-for-you and do-all-kinds-of-strange-stuff-for-you friends.

Julian was Molly’s one, two and three on her freaking speed dial. The first number was for his office, the second for his cell phone and the third for his home. Molly even frequently admitted that their friendship was better than a romantic relationship, and it sure as hell had lasted longer than any marriage these days.

But after hearing her profess her love for Garrett several times today, Julian had realized that if she was serious—and apparently she was—he would have to help her.

He was going to “help” her realize that she was not in love with Garrett Gage. Period.

“I think we can get Garrett where we want him in about a month,” he finally assured her, gazing deeply into her eyes in an attempt to gauge how deeply in love she believed herself to be. Knowing what a romantic Molly was, he actually dreaded the answer.

Hell, she was probably already hearing wedding bells; she looked positively love-struck. Which just hit the wrong chord with him. Oh, boy, did it ever.

“Do you really think he’ll go for it? He’s so difficult to read most of the time,” Molly said in a dubious tone.

“Molly, no man in his right mind would stand by and watch his brother put his paws on his girl.”

Blushing in excitement, Molly leaped forward and hugged him tight, kissing his stubbled cheek. “You’d really do this just for me? You’re the best, Jules. Thank you so much.”

As her slim, warm arms tightened around his narrow waist, Julian’s entire frame stiffened as if she’d just zapped him. He was naked from the waist up, and he suddenly could feel Molly everywhere he didn’t want to. Warm and smelling of sweet things.

Worst of all was that she snuggled in comfortably, turned her face into his neck and whispered, “You’re the best part of my life, you know that, Jules? I never know how to thank you properly for everything you do.”

Was she for real?

Because the ideas those words put into his head were so, so wrong, Julian could’ve shot himself.

He tried remembering his past lovers’ names, in alphabetical order, but still could not relax a single inch until Molly extracted herself.

Letting go a long, long breath, he avoided her inquisitive gaze and grumbled, “Don’t thank me yet, Molls. Let’s just see how it goes, all right?”

“It’ll go splendidly, Julian, I just know it. Before the month ends, I’ll probably be wearing an engagement ring.”

He rolled his eyes because he still could not even believe this was happening. “Well, let’s not call the wedding planner yet, all right? Just remember that for this month, you’re with me, and heads up, baby, the rest of my family isn’t going to be too happy about it.”

She frowned in puzzlement and planted her hands on her hips. “Why on earth not? Am I not good enough for you?”

“No, Molls. It’s me.” He turned to gaze sightlessly out the window as a heaviness settled painfully atop his chest. “They think I’m no good for you.”

Two

“You’re jerking me around, toad, I just know it!”

Julian leaned back in his swivel chair and suppressed a smile as he watched his brother pace across the state-of-the-art conference room on the top floor of the San Antonio Daily, a thriving business the Gage family had run since the 1930s.

“Brother,” Julian tsked, “I realize I’m younger than you, but don’t forget I am stronger and I will take you down if you keep pissing me off.”

“So you’re basically admitting that you’re sleeping with our little Molls?”

“I never said that. I said we’re dating and she’s moving in with me.” This last was something Julian hadn’t discussed with Molly before, but it had suddenly seemed like a good idea. And when Garrett’s complexion turned the color of a ripe cherry tomato, Julian knew he’d struck the jackpot.

Garrett was livid.

Julian and Molly had discussed some basic rules yesterday—like no dating anyone else, a good dose of PDA for show when around family and strangers, and how neither would ever, ever disclose to anyone that their romantic liaison had been fake. This seemed especially important to Molly, who seemed to think it of utmost importance to be convincing in their new “relationship.”

Julian was right on board with that.

Hell, he was on board with anything that meant pushing Garrett’s buttons.

Not that he had anything against the guy, except the fact that he was maybe too honorable for his own damned good, and ever since Landon, the eldest brother, had embarked on a much deserved sixty-day honeymoon, Garrett seemed to think he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. Or at least, of the family business.

There was plenty of love among the three, yeah, but Julian had been planning to exact a special brotherly revenge on Garrett for a long. Long. Time.

A revenge made all the sweeter by the fact that Molly suddenly had it in her pretty head to get Garrett’s personal attention.

Hell, Julian hadn’t had a wink of sleep last night just thinking about it.

Now he took a moment to enjoy the fact that his brother’s face was taut with displeasure, his knuckles jutting out as he gripped his coffee cup. He stopped his pacing and stood across from Julian at the conference table, where they’d just wrapped up a meeting with their top executives. “Since when are you two interested in each other?” Garrett demanded.

“Since we started sexting,” Julian returned, unflinching. Then, before Garrett could ask more, Julian lifted his cell phone and read a message. “Damn, this girl turns me on.” He pretended to text Molly back and took his sweet, sweet time about it. Though in reality he was just telling her:

He knows. Guy’s going bananas. Tell you about it @ dinner.

Garrett shot him a murderous glare. “Does Kate know about this sexting/moving-in...relationship?”

“Probably, unless she’s too busy catering for her next event. She is Molly’s sister, after all.”

Just then, Molly’s response popped up:

No wonder Kate and Garrett get along so well.

Julian quickly typed in:

I suppose Kate no longer worships the ground I tread on?

Molly replied:

Affirmative. Be careful, lover. She has a spatula and she’s not afraid to use it as a weapon.

Julian’s lips curled in amusement. Ahh, Molly. Light of his life.

“So which part was it?”

Julian gazed blankly up at Garrett, who almost had steam coming out of his ears. “Which part was what?” he asked.

“Which part of what Mother, Landon and I have been telling you for, oh...say, two decades, did you not get? The part that Molly Devaney was hands-off? The part that you could be disowned if you harmed her in any way?”

Julian nodded to placate him. “I heard you all. I heard you the first time, the tenth time, the hundredth time and I hear you now. Now hear this, bro.” He leaned forward across the conference table and scowled. “I don’t. Freaking. Care. Do you...get that?”

Garrett clenched his jaw and drew in a breath that inflated his chest. The guy was so rankled, he was probably about a step away from banging his chest like Tarzan. “I’m going to have words with Molly, as I am sure it is in her best interests to reconsider this stupidity. Just know this, Julian...if you hurt her, if you so much as harm a hair on her head...”

He didn’t know if it was the threat, or the possessive way Garrett was acting toward Molly or the simple fact that Molly fancied herself in love with the guy. Worse, he feared it might be due to the fact that Garrett wanted Molly for himself. But Julian’s cool began to fade, and it took an inhuman effort to keep the mask on his face.

Suddenly transported back to his teenage years, he too easily remembered all those damned times he and Molly tried to get close. The special bond you forged with someone, one that is rare and precious and you’d be lucky to find in your lifetime—Julian had always had that with her. But every time their friendship threatened to develop into something more romantic, his family would panic and they’d swoop down like vultures to emotionally blackmail, harass and coerce him to keep them apart. More than once, he’d even been sent abroad for months, the first time apparently because Julian had been “looking” at Molly in a way that neither Kate, Landon, nor their mother—and especially not Garrett—had liked.

Julian had told himself time and again that he didn’t care. And once he was an adult, they’d made him believe he was a playboy until he had no other choice but to play the part. He could have any woman—they always told him—except Kate or Molly. That was the rule.

And every year of his life, that single, simple rule had made him feel tied up, caged like a lion, and as unhappy as a penned-up bull.

Now the command from his brother to stay away from the only woman who truly knew him made a fresh surge of anger rise up from within him. No matter what Molly thought now, or what Garrett planned to do, this was Julian’s future on the line—and he had been planning it for years. No one was going to mess with that future. Or with his red-haired, paint-streaked little gypsy girl. Or with him.

Especially when he intended to use this fake relationship with Molly to explore his very real feelings for her.

Quietly and with deliberate slowness, Julian rose to his feet, came around the table and set a hand on his brother’s shoulder. Then he whispered, very mildly, but with an edge, “Stay out of this, Garrett. I don’t want to hurt you, man, and I definitely don’t want to hurt her. So just stay the hell out of this.”

Then he grabbed his jacket, reclaimed his cool and stalked out of his office.

* * *

“I can’t believe it. I really can’t. I just know you’re pulling my leg, Molly.”

Propped up on a stool by the granite island in the Devaneys’ kitchen while her sister decorated newly baked cookies, Molly focused on filing her nails, her stomach fluttering with excitement over this being her first night as Julian’s fake girlfriend. She could hardly wait to see the expression on Garrett’s dark, riveting face when he eventually saw them together. Hopefully, Julian would drape his arm around her shoulders in that aloof, sexy manner he had, in a way that said she’s my girl and aren’t I the hottest ticket around?

“I’m not pulling anything, I swear,” Molly assured her. “You can totally call Julian and ask him.”

Kate held up her spatula in the air, her auburn-red hair—the same shade as Molly’s—haphazardly knotted atop her beautiful face. She exuded such raw sexiness while wearing that frilly white apron that Molly could’ve hated her if she didn’t love her sister so utterly.

If there was one word to describe Kate Devaney, it would be alive. Kate thrived doing everything and anything, which explained the rocking success of her catering business; she was a killer cook with killer curves, tall and tanned and confident and fun.

The only thing Molly truly had that might surpass Kate in the looks department was her really nice bust, but then she went through so much effort to hide it, in the end it didn’t amount to much of an advantage.

“Julian and you? Together? I just can’t give credit to this. His girls are always so—”

“Don’t say it or I’ll hate you,” Molly grumbled, smacking her nail file down.

Kate sighed, scooped up cookies from the baking sheet and began packaging them in single decorative cellophane wraps. “Fine. I won’t say it. But you know what I mean, don’t you?”

Molly stood and went to look at herself in the mirror by the foyer, trying not to remember how Julian’s words had hurt her yesterday morning. “You’re right, I know they don’t look like me,” she said as she ambled back with an expression of total displeasure on her face. “They’re tall and sexy and sophisticated.” But I don’t care because I don’t want Julian, I want Garrett, she reminded herself.

Her lips still burned with the memory of his scorching kiss, the incredibly sexy rumble of him growling against her mouth, as if Molly’s lips were something to suckle on and bite on and feast on...

Everything inside her turned hot, and Molly shook the images aside.

Kate looked at Molly and burst out laughing. “You’ve really fallen for him, haven’t you? I love Julian, Molls, but even I admit that whoever marries him is a fool. And I don’t want you to be that fool, Moo.”

Molly was about to assure her she would never be so stupid as to fall for Julian John. She had never seen a man so determined to sleep with so many women in her life. It was as if he had an itch he needed to get scratched and none of them seemed to cut it for him. She was about to express all of this to Kate, but then she remembered she was supposed to be his girlfriend already—or yeah, his lover, since Julian was too worldly to have girlfriends—so she clamped her mouth shut and privately thanked her lucky stars that she truly had better sense than to become notch number 1,000,340 on the mysterious and uncatchable Julian John Gage’s bedpost.

Kate paused in her cookie wrapping and lifted two winged eyebrows in question. “So how did it happen? Did he just suddenly—?”

“Did I realize what a fool I’ve been not to finally admit little Molls is the one for me? Yeah. Exactly like that.” The deep baritone that interrupted them startled Molly so much that her arms broke out in goose bumps.

She spun around as Julian shut the front door after him, and her stomach sank in mortification when she realized that once again he would find her in paint-splattered work clothes. Then she remembered she didn’t care. This was Julian John and she didn’t need to impress him. He already thought she looked like a by-product of a blender. Why ruin it for him?

But it seemed wholly unfair that she would be wearing paint marks up to her hair and he would look so clean and male and good. Black jacket slung over his shoulder, his burgundy Gucci tie almost undone, he looked sexily tousled and delicious. Not that Molly wanted a bite of him or anything, but she supposed another woman would. Hell, they all did.

But Molly had common sense in regards to him.

She mentally patted herself on the back once more while Julian stalked forward as if he owned the place, wearing that playful grin he’d given her ever since they were kids.

“Whatever Kate has said about me, Mopey, don’t believe her. It’s all due to the fact that she wanted me first.” His strong arms coiled like a steel vise around her waist while that Beckham-blond head dipped toward hers.

Molly didn’t see it coming. He moved too fast and had incredible strength, and she was only five feet tall and easily handled. Before she could even realize what was happening, Julian had already reeled her in, crushing her breasts against his rock-hard pecs as his mouth settled firmly over hers, expertly, perfectly, oh so hotly.

And ooh. Oooh. A tiny working part of her mind frantically screamed at her to push him away. The only one she should be kissing now was Garrett! But the fact was, Julian kissed like his brother. Except Julian tasted clean and minty and not of wine, and he kissed her as if he had all the time in the world.

Those silken playboy’s lips pressed with painstaking gentleness against hers and moved so languorously that all her senses began to spin out of control. Molly became magnetized. Hypnotized. Almost transported to the night her entire world had flipped upside down, and she’d glanced down to find her heart had been stolen from her chest.

She wasn’t even sure she was standing anymore, but trusted that Julian would always catch her fall. The sudden desperate urge to press closer to him flitted through her, burned through her being as he lingered in his kiss for a thrilling, electrifying second, and then he was gone. Leaving her dazed and surprised and scatterbrained as he set her away—thankfully keeping a steady hand on her elbow until she found her ground.

He said something once it was over. She thought it was hello.

Molly pushed her hair back, feeling dazed. “Uh—hi.”

He asked her something, his voice huskier than usual, his eyes at half-mast, and she stared at his mouth. His soft yet strong lips became the center of her attention, for she wondered what exactly it was about those lips that had felt so incredibly good when he’d put them on hers.

Even her knees had taken a hit.

She fought to calm down, but remained so shaken she ended up snapping at him for catching her unaware. “What are you doing here, JJ?” she asked, glaring, using his old kiddie nickname just to punish him.

Julian remained aloof and calmly popped a cookie straight from the baking sheet into his mouth. “Nothing, pumpkin buns. Just wanted to check in on my girl.” He strode over and squeezed her butt, whispering only for her ears, “JJ? You’re going to pay for that, Molls.”

She fake giggled so Kate wouldn’t notice anything strange and pulled away, her buttocks aflame from his touch. How to get back at him? She said the first thing that came to mind when she caught Kate’s confused expression. “JJ loves for me to call him all sorts of pet names when we’re...you know,” she told her.

“JJ?” Kate turned to Julian, hands on hips, spatula held like a sword. “I thought you absolutely loathed that nickname.”

Julian shot Molly a warning look. “I do,” he said, jaw square as a cutting board. “But little Molls calls me JJ exclusively when she wants me to spank her.”

Molly’s satisfaction in getting back at him vanished.

Her cheeks burst into flames. She wanted to die of embarrassment, for now her sister would forever believe her to be into that kind of kinky stuff.

“Baby, its barely afternoon and I still need to make myself sexy and sophisticated for you,” she told him as she went around the kitchen and shot him a scowl from behind Kate’s shoulders. “Not all of us come by it naturally. Now you’ll have to wait for me a bit. I’m sure Kate and her spatula would love to keep you company, though.”

He moved fluidly, nonplussed. “I have a better idea, bun-buns. Why don’t I help you get dressed, hmm?” Before Molly could deny him, he’d followed her into her bedroom and locked them inside while Kate remained in the kitchen, no doubt still wide-eyed.

“Will you puleeze stop provoking me,” Molly hissed, pushing him against the door. “Stop calling me bun-buns.”

He leaned forward with gritted teeth. “Who’s provoking who? You know I freaking hate JJ!”

“And don’t you dare kiss me again without warning like you just did!”

“If you ever call me JJ again, I’m going to kiss you—with tongue. So don’t, otherwise I’ll think you want my tongue inside your mouth!”

He glared at her and she glared back, wishing that a stream of butterflies hadn’t just migrated to her stomach. She couldn’t help but wonder what Julian did with his loathed tongue that drove all women crazy, crazy, crazy....

“Are we clear about this, Molls?” he demanded, using his thumb and forefinger to tip her head back and force her to meet his gaze. She was appalled to realize she had apparently been staring dumbly at his mouth.

She nodded so that he would release her and swallowed, some rebel inside her wanting to test him and say: Yes, JJ.

Then she groaned and thrust him away. “Why, oh, why did you have to tell her you spanked me?” She shook her head and rubbed her temples in complete mortification.

“Because sometimes I swear to God you want me to.” He swatted her butt and strolled to the closet, leaving her to grapple with incredibly strange and powerful emotions and an uncomfortably stinging butt.

“So.” He yanked out a huge suitcase, turned back and cocked a devilish eyebrow at her. “I told the love of your life that you were moving in with me. What do you say about that, my little Picasso?”

“Was he jealous?”

That smile again. “About as close to banging his head on a wall as I’ve seen him.”

Molly yanked her panty drawer open. “Then I’d be delighted.”

Three

“So what else did the love of my life say?” Molly asked as they made a pit stop for food on their way back to Julian’s place. He was always hungry. It seemed that his muscles needed a lot of glucose, all the time. The man had a friends group for every sport he participated in: soccer, basketball, kayaks, zip-lining, even the more extreme hang-gliding gigs.

Those hard, taut muscles on his arms and legs and abs and the magnificent golden hue of his skin obviously didn’t come from being in an office all day.

He was so lean, he could probably tackle a decathlon as easily as he tackled women in bed.... Hmm, she wondered if Garrett would soon tackle her in bed.

“Wait here,” he said as he slid his silver Aston Martin into the only vacant parking slot in front of a frozen yogurt chain.

“Hey will you get me an Oreo milk shake with—”

“Three cherries on top—one for chewing, one for sucking and one to leave at the bottom?”

Molly grinned and nodded, and she could still hear his rumbling chuckle even after he’d closed the door.

Minutes later, he returned, and she found herself scowling down at her milk shake. “Why is there a phone number written on my milk shake cup?”

With an easy flick of his wrist, he turned the key and his car engine roared back to life.

“Julian!”

He flung his hands up in exasperation. “I didn’t ask for it, Molls.”

She shook her head in distaste. But then, could she blame the cashier or whoever had scrambled to write her hopes on Molly’s milk shake? Julian was graced with both a face and body that made women gape, stammer and stutter—then behave like twits. That was a fact. And there was nothing Molly—or even Julian—could do about it.

Still, it rankled, and Molly kept shaking her head. “Honestly. I have no idea who in their right mind would hook up with you.”

He shifted sideways and put the car in Reverse, then reached out and chucked her chin. “Apparently you.”

Molly laughed and started chewing her first cherry. “You haven’t told me what the love of my life has to say about me—his one true love—hanging out with the likes of you.”

Julian turned the wheel, shifted gears and sped onto the highway. “He mentioned guns. At dawn.”

Molly sucked on her second cherry. “Just please don’t make me a widow before I even marry him.”

“Marry. Whoa. Now there’s a big word.”

“There’s nothing wrong with the word marriage.”

“I said it was a big word.”

She stopped sucking on her cherry and stared at him in suspicion, pushing the cherry to one side of her mouth as she talked. “And please don’t tell me when you said guns you were talking about your biceps again?”

He just smiled that sexy smile. As if he knew a secret Molly didn’t. Or as if he’d seen her naked without her knowledge. Oops, where did that thought come from?

Her stomach jittered all of a sudden, and she figured she might be cold. It had started raining when they loaded up her suitcases, and now her clothes were soaked and clinging to her skin. Which was unfortunate, because she’d changed into something Julian might even consider sexy and sophisticated. Not because she cared what he thought, but just to prove to him that Molly Devaney had money of her own, had success on her own and only dressed comfortably because she believed inner beauty was more important than material stuff.

Now as she contemplated her soggy outfit, she didn’t know if her goose bumps were due to her wet tank or the cold milk shake or excitement.

Julian became pensive as he drove, but that was fine with her. Molly chattered on in her excitement about how she was going to get Garrett, how she could use one of Julian’s spare bedrooms if she felt suddenly inspired and had to paint... She did have an exhibition soon and needed to finish two more pieces within the next month.

When they arrived at his apartment building, he asked her if he could show her something and Molly nodded eagerly. Eduardo, one of the doormen, took charge of delivering her bags to the twelfth floor while Julian guided her to another elevator and pressed P. They were carried up to the penthouse.

What greeted them when the elevator doors opened was an enormous white space, with floor-to-ceiling windows in every corner and the smell of fresh paint lingering in the air.

“Wow. What is this?”

He met her gaze, and she was mesmerized by the proud gleam in his eyes, could even hear the pride in his gruff voice. “These just so happen to be my future offices.”

Molly’s eyes rounded in surprise. “You—what do you mean? Is the Daily moving from downtown?”

The Gage family owned the most thriving and successful newspaper conglomerate in all of Texas, which included several print publications, internet news sites and some cable-TV channels, all working under the umbrella of their first paper, the San Antonio Daily. It was a business of three generations and one that gave the family immense wealth and untold power. Their offices occupied an entire block downtown, so Molly couldn’t quite believe the move would be so easy.

A second passed before Julian answered, and it was as though he was selecting his words carefully. “No. I’m the only one moving out, Molls.”

Molly stared at his somber expression, loud warning bells chiming in her head. She immediately sensed this development was not a positive thing for the family. “Do your brothers know about this, Jules?” she asked, treading cautiously.

“They will.”

Molly took a couple of minutes to digest this shocking news. Her stomach did weird things at the thought of drama within the family, which had always seemed to revolve around Julian and his rebel ways. She still remembered each one of the times he’d been sent abroad for who knew what kinds of wrongdoing. Molly had missed her friend terribly, like she’d miss a thumb or an arm or a crucial and important part of her. All she remembered about those wretched months was that she’d cried. A lot.

Now she watched him move lithely across his new office area, easily stepping over plastic tarps while he surveyed the electrical wires that stuck out from the scattered pillars, and she wondered why he’d want to bail out on the family’s extremely successful newspaper and publishing business.

As the head of PR and chief of advertising for the company, Julian had the best part of the pie, in her humble opinion. He had the same whopping salary, just as many shares in the company as his brothers but the fewest responsibilities, which allowed him to have the most fun, the most women and the most time for hobbies like flying that Cessna plane he so loved and doing all the sports he enjoyed. Why would he leave the San Antonio Daily?

“I had no idea you were unhappy where you were,” she said as she caught up with him, searching his face.

He stared out the wide windows and the sunlight caught a dozen golden flecks in his green eyes. “I’m dissatisfied with my life, though not necessarily unhappy. A change was in order.”

Her heart clenched with a strange emotion; she supposed it might be disappointment, for she’d believed they were close enough for him to share this important information with her sooner. As in, before he signed the lease for the penthouse. But then Julian was very reserved with his emotions, which was why people thought he had none. “So...” She walked through the space with him, taking in each new desk waiting for its worker. “How long have you been planning this?”

She wanted to know more but also knew Julian disliked being pushed too far, and she sensed that this was all she would get for now.

“A couple of years. Maybe my whole life.”

He smiled down at her, a truly honest and content smile, and captivated by it, she returned it in kind, was helpless not to. But while a part of her wanted to clap and say good for you! there was another part, the one that was also loyal to the entire Gage family, that wished he’d reconsider. For Molly’s entire life, she’d sided with Julian about everything, anytime and anywhere, yet now she felt torn. Because she’d given her heart to Garrett two weeks ago and knew for certain that she’d never get it back. And she knew Garrett would fight tooth and claw to keep Julian in the business.

He was one of their greatest assets and the only Gage brother cocky enough to neither worry nor care about appearances. His suave manner and mysterious ways seemed to both annoy and charm the competition, and made him the best PR person in the state. Molly doubted the Daily would have even half the amount of advertisers it did when Julian no longer had a hand in reeling them in. Maybe he would reconsider in due time?

Continuing their stroll with a sigh, she nearly bumped into a blank wall. “All this white space could use something, you know,” she suddenly said aloud.

From a few feet away, Julian chuckled, and the husky sound created a compelling echo in the wide-open room. “Now, why did I know you were going to say that?” he asked as he came over.

She grinned and wrinkled her nose at him. “Maybe because I don’t like blank walls and you’ve known this for twenty years or more.”

Stopping just an arm’s length away, he smoothed the wrinkle in her nose with one lone fingertip. “Then make a mural for me. This entire wall—make it yours.”

Molly held his penetrating stare, her nose itching where he’d touched it. As the wheels in her head started spinning, she turned to the wall and found that her muse had already jumped with an idea. “Are you high? My individual paintings already command five-figure prices. A mural would run at least 150,000 and it would take me months. I need to talk to my gallerist.”

Her gallerist had once represented Warhol and he was the savviest art dealer around, selling the craziest, most daring and contemporary art in the world. He was also Julian’s friend.

“Leave Blackstone out of it. A hundred and fifty it is.”

She gasped. “Jules, I can’t charge you that, it feels like I’m robbing my best friend.”

“Then it should be fun. A hundred-fifty K, Molls, but make it real pretty for me. As pretty as you.” His smile flashed charmingly, and a bucket of excitement settled in Molly’s stomach until she could hardly stand it. She didn’t know if it was due to the fabulous deal she’d just closed or to being called pretty for once without it being accompanied by an insult to her clothes attached. Perhaps it was both.

“Of course, Jules!” Pulling herself up by grabbing onto the collar of his shirt, she quickly kissed his hard jaw, then wished she hadn’t, because he totally stiffened. “Thanks. When can I start?”

He spun for the elevator and cranked his neck as though it had cramped on him. “Tomorrow if you’d like,” he said.

Molly floated in a cloud of bliss as she followed him. Had she really just landed an enormous work space just upstairs for the time being?

Had she just been commissioned for her first mural?

She could hardly believe her good fortune, although she’d always enjoyed a certain share of luck when it came to her art. The sudden interest from a top New York gallery a couple of years before had placed her works in several important collectors’ homes, and before she knew it her name was being piled up next to contemporary artists like David Salle and Sean Scully; big, big, big names in the art world. Now for the first time in her twenty-three years, maybe some of that creative luck would rub off on her sadly lacking love life. Maybe she was close to getting what she wanted with Garrett.

Thanks to Julian, for sure.

Because she’d suddenly realized that, just as her canvases did not miraculously paint themselves, her love life wouldn’t happen without some encouragement. And that was where Julian’s help making Garrett jealous fit in.

Once back in Julian’s spacious apartment, Molly chose the guest bedroom to the left of his room, a space done in a pastel blue-and-green palette that she’d always found soothing. She retrieved her night creams, day creams, moisturizing creams, shampoos and toothbrush and aligned them all on the sink, then peeled out of her still-damp clothes, showered and slipped into her sleep shirt, which was actually an old T-shirt Julian had used in high school and his mother had sent to the Donation Station. Nobody knew Molly had fished this shirt out of the garbage bag for being the softest and most worn, and Julian would hardly remember he’d ever owned it.

Once ready for bed, she went out in the hall to look for him and hoped to propose they watch a movie, but his bedroom door was closed. Disappointment crept in, so then she went to bed and lay there, gazing at the walls, the curtains and the ceiling fan for hours.

Sleep eluded her, and her thoughts kept drifting toward Garrett. His black hair, those onyx eyes with the sooty lashes, and oh, God, the way he’d kissed her two weeks ago. She remembered that kiss so perfectly that she’d been reliving it nightly, in bed, as she futilely tried to fall asleep.

“I think I’d like to be a spinster,” Molly had told Kate that evening as they stood out on the terrace of the Gage mansion, gazing into the brightly lit masquerade party transpiring inside the sprawling 10,000-square-foot home.

Kate had obviously laughed. “Molls. Why on earth would you say that?” She’d lovingly tousled her hair, which Molly had worn loose for the evening. “You’re beautiful and sweet and any man would be lucky to have you.”

“It’s just that no man seems to live up to my expectations.”

With a dreary sigh, Molly showed Kate the picture of the three Gage brothers she carried in her iPhone. It featured the gray-eyed, responsible Landon, the dark-haired, honorable Garrett and of course the sex god playboy, Julian. As her favorite Gage brother, Julian was everything that a good husband was not.

“I know what you mean,” Kate said softly, staring longingly at the picture.

It couldn’t have been easy for her to play both mother and father to Molly while she herself had been barely a teen. Although Eleanor Gage had been a stand-in mother for both of them, she was a stern woman, and as one did when running on survival instincts, both girls had tried to put on their best behavior and their whitest smiles with the person who’d given them food and shelter. But when alone, Molly would seek out Kate’s warmth and support like she’d seek out a pillow and blanket. Especially during those lonely times when Julian had been sent away. Sometimes Molly even wondered if she wasn’t to blame for Kate’s lack of a love life, a husband and a family of her own. The thought made her stomach feel heavy.

“You deserve someone, too,” Molly whispered.

Kate smiled brightly and winked at her. “Then let’s go find one,” she teased and rushed for the double doors that led inside, but Molly groaned and stayed back, loathing her stupid costume.

She had been dared by Julian to dress as a tavern wench tonight. And of course he knew Molly could never ignore a dare that he delivered. Alas, now here she was. In an outfit so tight she was barely able to breathe, which showcased her breasts in a way that made her feel as if she’d just stepped out of a porn magazine.

She had never felt so exposed in her life, and as soon as she saw Julian, probably dressed like some evil creature, for sure, Molly was going to tell him off for being such a cad. “I’ll catch up in a sec,” she lied to Kate before her sister disappeared inside.

Instead of following, she edged farther out on the terrace, where it was dark and the air was fresh from the gardens and nobody would see her in her corseted wench costume.

A silhouette by the banister caught her attention.

Someone was coming toward her. Zorro? she wondered. Or was it the Phantom of the Opera? Or maybe it was Westley, the dangerously sexy man from Molly’s favorite movie, The Princess Bride.

Whoever he was, he was hot. Clad all in black: black cape, a cloth mask covering both his hair and the upper part of his face. Black boots. And that smile. It just had to be Julian. Nobody smiled like Julian. He smiled like a wolf and made you want to be the lamb he was going to eat; it was very, very bizarre how he pulled that off.

She suddenly caught his glimmering eyes straying to her prominent cleavage and she felt something hot coil inside her belly.

“Well, well, well...” he murmured as he continued to approach.

His voice was thick and slurred, and she wondered how much he’d drunk tonight. He didn’t sound like himself at all.

He smiled again and her stomach tightened under his appreciation.

He had a drink in his hand, and when he raised it to his lips, watching her with those eerily sparkling eyes, she noticed that his glass was empty. He cursed under his breath, shook his head and swung around to leave, murmuring something about being crazy.

She frowned when she realized she would not be getting to tell him off just yet. “You’re going to leave me all alone out here?” she playfully called after him.

He paused for a moment, then turned, set the cup aside, and started for her with sudden purpose. With each long, determined stride, he dived deeper into the shadows Molly had been trying to hide herself in.

He was not smiling now. Something in his approach, in the tension in his shoulders, made her heart begin to pound. And pound faster. Faster. The way he moved, the way he frightened her...

It couldn’t possibly, possibly, be Julian.

She began, “What—?”

He pulled her up against him, so fast that her lips flew open and she sucked in a shocked mouthful of air. In one fluid move, he pinned her hands at her sides, then bent his face to hers, mask to mask. Molly had stopped breathing.

It was too dark to make out this stranger’s eye color, but she could still sense that gaze like a laser beam boring into her being. Her heart faltered when he made a sound, low and completely unrecognizable—a rumbling groan that was so hot and so male her toes curled.

His lips touched hers. The lightest of touches. Just a graze. Like the tiny spark that sets loose a wildfire. And Molly exploded with a rush of wanting so powerful it scorched every inch of her insides, infusing every particle of her being with heat.

Her lips opened as though on their own, and her body melted under his as a strange, embarrassing little moan escaped her. He seemed to like it, for his answering growl vibrated in her mouth as his lips latched firmly over hers.

He kissed her so possessively, a tornado of pleasure shot through her veins and her heartbeat skyrocketed to the ozone layer. His fingers bit into her buttocks as he dragged her up against him. Closer. Closest. Thrusting his tongue into her mouth with a groan of pleasure.

She tasted wine and immediately felt drunk on him. High on him. Wild for him. She was lost to a staggering rush of sensations as their mouths devoured each other with wet, greedy licks and suckles, her skin screaming with delicious agony as his hand stroked up her arms, caressing her. She had never felt so alive, so connected to another human being, as though her body were an extension of his larger, stronger one.

It was like being caught in a deluge of rain, and now she could feel his desire pour over her. Swimming in sensations, she felt the warm metal of a ring sliding upward as he stroked her shoulders, and her eyes jerked open when she realized this man kissing her, this man was...

Garrett?

How could it be?

He rarely put so much as a finger on her, he was so protective. Julian was always pawing her and she loved the little ways his touch made her feel. But while Garrett rarely reached out for her, when he did, Molly always felt this thick, smooth ring anywhere he put his hand. When he grasped her hand in his—ring. When he petted the top of her head—ring. When he secured her elbow to keep her from falling—aha. Ring.

Now Garrett was kissing her as if he was eating her alive, his ring almost like a brand across her skin as his hand greedily stroked her shoulders, then suddenly her throat, down her collarbone, to the top swell of her breast, tracing the shape of her.

He mumbled something, but she could hardly hear him through the roaring of her own heartbeat, his voice sounding alien and lust-roughened as he fiercely bent down to lick the exposed skin.

Rocked with the realization that this man, untouchable to her like all the Gages had been for her entire life, had thrown all caution to the wind and was kissing her as if his life depended on it left her knees in such a weakened state that she clung to him even while she tried to edge back to steal a quick peek at his ring.

The platinum band glinted in the shadows as he fondled her breasts, and yes, it was the same one-of-a-kind ring Garrett always wore, with a blue diamond at its center.

It was Garrett fondling her shamelessly.

And it felt so good, his touch so arousing, a rush of liquid heat flooded her between her thighs.

He groaned in misery when she went still with shock, yet he pulled her tighter against him anyway, as though her lips were powerful magnets for his. “Shh,” she heard him say, cooing to her, calming her as if she were both precious and wild. “Shh...”

When he edged his knee between her legs to part them, the skirt of her dress rose, and he expertly eased his hand through the layers of fabric to cup her between her legs, right where she’d grown wet for him. The heat of his palm burned through her panties, and her bones seemed to disintegrate into nothing. Nothing but heat and pleasure and sensation.

“Oh,” she gasped, body tensing as his fingers began stroking in slow, lazy circles, her head exploding in disbelief and excitement as a rush of hot lightning coursed through her.

His touch consumed her.

He touched her as if he owned her. As if he knew and cherished everything about her.

She’d never known she could respond like this to another human being.

She’d tried never to feel anything romantic for any of these Gage men—because they were her protectors and Kate said they were like their brothers and were therefore unavailable. But this one...this one wanted her and clearly didn’t give one whit about what Kate said. What anyone said. And Molly hadn’t realized she wanted him back so much until this very moment, when she was melting in his arms in a way she had never, ever imagined.

Needy sounds bubbled up in her throat as she rocked her hips against him, helpless to stop herself, her body a puppet to masterful hands that continued expertly stroking her. The sensations were so powerful she whimpered in mingled fear and longing, her insides coiling tightly like springs.

He groaned and bent his head to her ear, biting the lobe hungrily, desperately, those gut-wrenchingly sexy noises from his throat shooting arrows of heat to her nerve endings. His hungry mouth traveled all over her neck, leaving a wet path that sizzled as he pressed the heel of his palm seductively between her legs, rubbing and stroking exactly the parts that most ached and hurt and burned.

And then the worst part was that, with one more expert touch, one firm press with the heel of his hand, she’d exploded.

Molly still remembered the way she had trembled with that touch alone, and then she had wanted to cry, because she’d never had an orgasm before. Embarrassed to her core, she’d pushed him away as soon as she was able and gritted, “Don’t touch me. Don’t even talk to me! This never happened—never!”

And she’d yanked off her stupid mask, flung it aside and left.

The next day, Garrett had pretended that nothing happened, just as she’d told him to. And when she’d gone to talk to Julian about it, he’d been too hung over to focus and in a pissy mood. So she’d kept it to herself for over a dozen nights, her sexual siren having been awakened, now hungry for more and determined to do something about it. Once again, Molly wanted to weep in her bed in silence.

She wished she hadn’t kissed him.

She wished she hadn’t stopped.

She wished she hadn’t pushed him away.

She wished she’d had the courage to face the music, so that he would have done the same.

But more than anything, she wished to feel again like she’d felt that night.

Garrett had broken down and revealed his feelings for her in an unmistakable way, and though Molly had gloried in his intimate touch and his incredible kiss, she’d gotten scared in the end.

She wished she hadn’t given out the message that she wasn’t receptive to more of his delicious kisses and touches. Because the more she thought of and relived that kiss, the more she was convinced that unique connection wasn’t typical and that she’d just found her soul mate.

Without words, she’d been able to feel his love so powerfully that her own heart had sung inside her chest, and she ached desperately to be with him again.

Swallowing back a lump in her throat, she pounded the pillow and shifted to lie facedown on the bed. Go to sleep, Molly, and tomorrow you can show Garrett what he’s missing.

But rather than give her comfort, the thought only made her realize that the one person who had been missing out on the best things in life was Molly.

* * *

Julian knew exactly why he couldn’t sleep, why he was feeling so cranky and why everything felt like crap lately.

It was all Molly Devaney’s fault.

She was driving him crazy in every possible way he could imagine.

First with the Garrett thing. And now just thinking about her sleeping next door made him toss restlessly in bed, frustrated beyond measure.

Tonight, it had been raining outside when they loaded up her suitcases. By the time Molly had stepped into his apartment, she’d looked so...wet. God, he’d really tried not to look at the way she needed to peel her shirt back from her breasts, but he lacked the willpower.

Lying back in his bed, he tried to cool down his roiling blood, his head swimming with the sight of her breasts, perfectly round, with those pointy nipples straining against the fabric of her top.

And when she’d kissed him upstairs, so happy to be painting the mural for him, it had taken all his willpower not to turn his face and capture that kiss with his lips, kiss her long and hard as if he’d wanted to back in her apartment—where she’d been flushed and gasping for breath after the silly little peck he’d given her. And those cherries. Goddamn the sounds she made as she ate those miserable cherries!

It had been a miracle Julian hadn’t lunged across the seat of his car, taken her face between his hands and suckled each and every cherry from her cool and sassy mouth.

Hell, this is the worst idea I’ve ever had in my life.

For years, Julian had grown up with rules that he’d tried to follow, knowing the only girl he’d ever respected and admired was out of his reach. Molly was the one woman Julian would want to be locked in a closet with. Stranded on a deserted island with. She was the only good and pure thing in his life, and despite some failed efforts, he’d tried to keep it that way. Unsullied and unsoiled, happy and protected.

Growing up, he’d always imagined they would have each other. Molly had never liked to date, and she’d always needed Julian. Julian had kept his hands off her and on just about anyone else in his efforts to keep busy, stay focused and more importantly, stay away from Molly.

But now—she wanted Garrett.

A Gage.

Julian’s stomach roiled with nausea at the reminder. God. He’d never imagined this could ever happen.

At first, he’d thought she was pulling his leg, or trying to make him jealous. In the back of his mind, he’d always imagined that if Molly ever fell in love with one of the Gage brothers, it would be...him. Dammit, him and only him. Because she sure as hell never seemed to look at anyone else.

Even his family had thought Molly wanted him, which was why every time he got close to Molly, all hell would break loose. His mother, Landon, Garrett, even Kate would pounce. Julian had suffered endless lectures from them all about being good to Molly, staying away from Molly, respecting Molly or finding another home. For the most part, he had been good. Really good.

But now, years and what felt like aeons later, the fact that Molly wanted his brother was a game changer. Julian had been living in this hell long enough, and he could no longer kid himself that the magic, the pull, the impossible chemistry between Molly and him was only due to friendship. He knew full well that when she made his groin throb with her smiles, they were not friendly feelings. Much less brotherly ones.

He’d been dreaming about her for years. Powerful dreams. Sexual dreams. Dreams that left him drenched in sweat and groaning in pain and reaching for the first pair of female legs that passed him.

Yeah, he’d thought if he’d had sex more often, his powerful reactions to her would diminish. But all it did was make him want her more—because none of those women were Molly.

No. No one could ever even compare to that effervescent little bombshell—no one.

Now he just needed to play his game right. Julian might have a long comfortable fuse where his temper was concerned, but when it came to Molly, his fuse had run damn short. If she kept this up he was going to do something reckless and stupid.

And he didn’t want to be reckless and stupid.

He’d been moving his pieces all in the direction of one goal so he could stake his claim on her once and for all.

Now he’d prove to his family that he did not need them, and that he would never hurt a single hair on Molly’s beautiful head. He needed them to see that he was worthy of her, that he wanted her for real and not just for sex—though of course when that happened, it was going to be damned amazing, too. But more importantly, he needed to show them that he would do whatever it took to have her. Even cut his ties with them all.

If Molly was ever going to settle down with a guy, she was settling down with Julian. Whether they liked it or not.

And as for Molly...

He had to make her see that he was the man for her and always had been—and once and for all, he had to finish what he’d started the night he’d kissed her heart out at the masquerade party.

Four

Something about sleeping in Julian’s apartment made Molly restless.

Well past midnight, still tortured by the memory of Garrett’s kiss, she found herself tiptoeing down the hall toward the kitchen in the hopes of finding some sort of sleep aid in his cupboards. She had her heart set on Sleepytime Tea, but valerian root or chamomile would do, too. Hey, at this point, she’d take anything as long as it meant quieting her troubled brain and getting some rest.

But what she found on her way to the cupboards was a beautifully sculpted, seminaked man instead—and the sight of him was sure to give her permanent insomnia.

Wearing only a pair of white cotton briefs that hugged his buttocks perfectly, he leaned against the open refrigerator door, his head stuck inside as he surveyed the food.

Molly stopped in her tracks, her heart flying to her throat.

The warm fridge light silhouetted Julian’s magnificent form, shamelessly caressing every dent, every shadow and every sharp rise of lean, ripped muscle. Her breasts pricked unexpectedly. And suddenly he was not just Julian.

He was every inch...Julian John Gage.

Sexy playboy, dangerous male.

Not a hero, not harmless and definitely not just a friend.

A tremor rushed down her legs as her eyes helplessly drank up what was so blatantly on display, aided by the moonlight that filtered through the windows; she took in the sinewy arm folded above his head as he leaned forward, the broad muscled back, the lean hips and...the rest. His long, muscled calves and hamstrings, his hard buttocks under that snug white cotton.

Her temperature skyrocketed. Not because he was utterly sexy in a way that made her want to swim in ice right now, but because she was here. With him. At midnight. And he was about 90 percent naked. When it should be Garrett here, Garrett almost naked, Garrett in her head.

Her hormones clearly knew nothing of reason. They burst into action until she could feel the hot little pinpricks all over her body, to her utter confusion and despair.

Even her fingers tingled at her sides with a painful itch to trace the muscles on his back, determine the texture, the hardness, paint the thick ropes straining in his forearms. For a wild moment she kidded herself that it was the artist in her; it had to be. For she felt the same fever she did when she was gripped with the need to paint.

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