Page 31 of Harmless Scandals

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By the time Serenity returned home that night, her nerves were a jangled mess. Because she was an early riser, she had caffeinated herself to keep alert during the shoot. She had enjoyed it. Nighttime wasn't one of the most popular images to sell of Hawaii. People wanted sun, sand, and seduction. But, there was something about Hawaii at nighttime. The air was at its sweetest, less humid, and it clung to her. It was one of the things she loved about Hawaii, so she wanted to include it in her book. She'd taken the regular pics of the lighthouse and the beach at night. Then, she had driven out to the North Shore to get pictures of the moon dancing over the waves.

With all the driving, she had to make sure she stayed alert. The problem with that was that Adam had her entire body purring like a well-loved cat. Granted, other than that simple kiss a few weeks ago, neither man had made advances. She appreciated it. Now though, she was paying for it. More than likely, she was going to spend the night with her battery-operated boyfriend.

She parked in front of her house and tried not to look over at their house. If she did, and they were awake, she would be tempted to go over there. Just to chat. Just to...

Dammit. She didn't need this complication in her life. She had made it worse by reading a few ménage romance books, and then the inevitable porn search. She knew how all the particulars worked, but it wasn't something she had looked for before now. Now, she was obsessing about it. It had been a problem for her most of her life. Every shrink she had had over the years said the same thing. Her obsession over subjects tended to blur her focus. Up until she had walked away from the mess of her life ten years earlier, men had always been the ones to fill that slot. And, now there were two of them who were occupying her thoughts.

She grabbed her camera back when she heard steps behind her. Dammit. She didn't know if she could resist their invitation tonight. Not when her body wanted to betray her.

“Hey,” Adam said. She glanced over her shoulder and saw that it was both men. They were going to double team her.

Dammit. Now she had that thought in her head and the double entendre it created. Worse, they were both wearing hardly any clothing. Both were wearing tank tops. Even in the darkness she could make out the sculpted muscles both men sported. Or had she just memorized exactly how they looked?

God, she needed help.

“Hey,” she said.

“We were a little worried about you.”

She frowned. “Why?”

“It's late and you were by yourself.”

“Believe me, I know how to handle myself. I don't need a bodyguard.”

The men shared a glance. There was some kind of silent communication between them.

“Yeah, but you're our friend and we worry about you,” Mick said.

It was dark but she could see the sincerity in his gaze. She nodded. “Sorry. I'm just not good company now.”

“Is there something wrong?”

“Something wrong? Naw. I just have you two standing there with tank tops on and board shorts like some kind of surfer wet dream.”

Another shared glance. She ground her teeth.

“And stop that.”

Adam's eyebrows raised up. “Do what?”

“That silent communication thing.”

He opened his mouth but she plowed ahead. “I was up at five this morning and I need to get to bed. I'm exhausted.”

They both nodded.

“Oh, good lord, stop being so accommodating.” Silence greeted that comment. “What? What is it that you two get by coming over here?”

Mick tilted his head to the side and studied her. “Get what?”

“Apparently, it's a woman yelling at us,” Mick said.

“I am not yelling!” Then she realized she was. Dammit.

Mick snorted.

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