Page 62 of Regards, Mia

My chest squeezes, and a slow hum throbs through my body. Jay can’t keep me safe from my own heart. It was my idea to be a real couple this weekend, but now I’m seeing just how dangerous it’s going to be.

The pad of his thumb traces my lower lip, causing a low thrum of pleasure to radiate through me. “Can I kiss you, Mia?”

I can’t seem to find words, but my body knows how to answer. I lift my face and nod.

“I prefer words, but that’s good for now.” His thumb brushes once more across my lower lip, teasing it open before he replaces it with his mouth. He kisses me softly, the tickle of his close-cropped beard making me shiver with anticipation of it scraping softly over other parts of my body.

His kiss is slow and mesmerizing, heating me from the inside out until I feel smoke in my veins, a furnace building in my chest. His tongue stokes the fire inside me, each gentle glide making me yearn for more.

“Excuse me,” the driver says, opening his door. “We’re here.”

Somehow Jay managed to make one long, languid kiss last the entire drive to the marina. He eases back and looks down at me, eyes dark with desire. “I can’t wait to get you to that private island.”

“Where I’m safe?”

He kisses me with surprising tenderness. “Where I can get you alone in a hotel room.”

My heart launches into a sprint at the hunger in his gaze. “Technically, we have adjoining rooms.”

“Whatever.” He reaches for the door. “Your room, or mine, doesn’t matter.”

I take his hand and let him help me out of the car. “Too bad you have golf and I have a bridal luncheon.”

“Tonight, then.” His arm slides around my waist and he tucks me close to his chest. He dips his chin to whisper in my ear. “I can wait.”

But I’m not sure I can.

As we walk down the dock and board the private boat waiting to take us to Serenade Island, my mind spins, trying to come up with a way for us both to get out of our commitments. Every part of me longs for more of Jay, more kisses, more touches, even more of his rough commands.

On board, we are greeted by a uniformed crew member letting us know we are the last to board and we will be setting sail in a few minutes. He leads us to a covered area where half a dozen passengers are mingling with drinks. I don’t recognize any of them, so they must be Samantha’s guests.

Out of nowhere, a man in a hoodie and sunglasses rushes up and grabs me, lifting me off my feet in a bone-crushing hug.

Jay is on him in an instant, yanking him back by the throat and pinning him to the railing, threatening to throw him overboard with a low growl.

“Wait.” I grab Jay’s arm and try to pull him back, but Jay is about as easy to move as a concrete slab. “This is my cousin. He’s okay.”

Jay shakes his head, slowly backing off and releasing Brad. “Sorry, man.”

Brad yanks off his sunglasses and sizes Jay up. “You’reMia’s boyfriend?”

“Brad,” I say, stepping between the two men. I can only imagine what is going through my cousin’s mind. Jay is big andintimidating, plus he just tried to toss Brad over the side of the boat. “This is…”

“Jay Sanchez,” Brad finishes for me, reaching out to grasp Jay’s hand. “I saw you fight in Vegas for the championship. It was legendary.” He whips out his phone. “Can I get a selfie?”

Jay nods once, his sunglasses hiding his expression. I know him well enough after spending the last month with him to see the reluctance in his posture. He wants to take a selfie with Brad as much as he wants to go golfing with my family. But he’ll do both, because underneath all the gruff, Jay is a big teddy bear.

Brad lowers his hoodie and poses for a selfie with Jay.

“Nice to meet you,” Jay says. “My mom is a huge fan.”

Brad laughs good naturally. “But I guess you’re not, since you were about to toss my ass overboard.”

I step up, taking Jay’s hand. “He was just looking out for me,” I say.

Brad raises his eyebrow at me. “Since when do you need anyone to look out for you?”

I’ve never been the type not to fight my own battles. I give Jay a look that tells him I told him so, and he laughs softly.

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