Heat filled her core. Spread. The solid muscle of his shoulder and bicep pressed against her arm, and even through their shirts, the touch was intense. She followed his cue and looked at his mouth. Firm, full lips with more of a reddish hue than most men. She wanted him to close the distance so bad she nearly begged.

When was the last time she’d been kissed?

Forget that. He had asked her something. A way not to be nervous? “How . . .”

“Distraction is the key.”

He growled, low in his throat. Closer he inched, until his lips caressed hers. A barely there meeting of mouths that sparked an inferno inside her. Slowly, his gaze still pinned to hers, he brushed his lips over hers, side to side, as if trying to get a feel for her.

“You’re an old soul, aren’t you, Faith?” he asked against her mouth.

She shivered. Her mind was a muddled mess. She wasn’t even sure she’d heard him right, or what being an old soul had to do with kissing her. And he needed to. Kiss her. Strange yet not unpleasant sensations took over her body. Her hands trembled, he stomach fluttered, her face heated, and her skin prickled in anticipation of what he’d do next.

Then the ride moved and she yelped. The feeling of falling abruptly cleared her head.

He pulled away until nothing but their thighs touched once more. Surprise was etched into his eyes, in the way his mouth hung slightly open. A second later, regret moved over his features.

A kiss, or an almost kiss, shouldn’t make him feel regret. Unless . . .

Unless he was embarrassed by her.

He swiped a hand down his face and turned straight ahead, the wind whipping his hair into chaos. “Let’s just stick with the view.”

*   *   *

Alec hovered between loathing and self-contempt on the walk back to their vehicles. Attraction was one thing, acting on it was another. After Laura, he’d had his share of partners. But Faith wasn’t some one-nighter or random hookup like those he’d gotten lost in back in New York. A woman like her played by a different set of rules. Like the forever kind. For the past nine years, he’d avoided her type.

He had no business making a play for her. No matter how soothing her voice was to his soul or how adorable he found her freckles or how amazing those honey-brown eyes looked when she stared at him. She smelled so damn good, too. Vanilla and sugar. It made him want to see if she tasted just as decadent.

Christ, he’d kissed her. Pretty much had until he remembered who he was and reined it back.

What the fuck was up with this strange urge to protect her, too? He couldn’t even protect himself. Yet, like a puppet on a string, she pulled him into her orbit. Between her odd reactions to basic situations and her sweet temperament, he had this uncanny desire to know her. And not on the aloof level he kept most people. Okay, all people . . . except Jake.

Something was definitely off about Faith. At first, he had chalked it up to timidity or a discomfort with attention. But she didn’t just hate attention—she flat out didn’t know what to do with it. After tonight, he knew this went way beyond a simple explanation and straight into he-should-mind-his-own-business territory.

Everything about her warranted this barbaric need to defend. Or save. He didn’t do that, either. He wasn’t the hero in his books. He was the villain.

The chatter from the rest of the group came to a swift halt as they neared the parking lot. One look in the direction they were staring told him why.

At least twenty reporters hovered on the edge of the grounds.

Well, shit. So much for a little R & R.

“Are they here for you or me?” Cole asked him, sounding just about as elated as Alec felt. The media followed Cole, too—between his memoir hitting the bestseller list and growing up in a rich, political family, he had his share of notoriety.

Judging by the Goth clothing of a few of the people standing near the press and the fact that Alec recognized one of the reporters from New York, he guessed it was him they were after. “Me. Can you fit everyone in your car?”

Cole nodded. “Sure.”

“Give me a few minutes. I’ll circle around from the other direction and draw them away. You can get out without being noticed.”

“What do they want?” Faith asked, her gaze trained on the reporters.

“What don’t they want?” He turned to leave, but she stopped him.

“You don’t want someone to go with you?”

Rotating back to face her, he almost laughed. Right about now, any other female he’d associated himself with would be checking her hair or fixing her complexion in a compact before supergluing herself to his side for her five seconds of fame. Not Faith. She was ready to stand next to him in silent support of a man she’d known all of two weeks. Because that was the kind of person she was. A fixer. Nice.

The press would eat her alive. They’d be drawn to her quicker than the pop star he’d dated last year for all of three days. Not because she was glamorous or gorgeous. Because she was ordinary. They’d sense something different about her and sink their teeth in.

“I’m fine. Head back to the house with Cole.”

Wasting no time, he circled the dunes and made a show of pulling out his keys when he emerged from the grass. The media honed in like a swarm, as expected. Alec made sure Cole’s car got out of the lot before he signed a couple T-shirts, and drove home.

He decided to have a talk with Faith tonight. Set things straight between them before anyone got involved or feelings got hurt. But the lights in the Covington guesthouse were off when he drove past, and damn if disappointment didn’t fill his chest at not getting a chance to see her again. He wondered who he was pacifying with this plan.

He checked his rearview mirror to make sure he wasn’t followed before driving through the security gate and was satisfied no one was there. When he parked at Lacey’s guesthouse, Jake was sitting on the porch stairs waiting, shoulders hunched and head bowed.

A punch of worry hit Alec in the gut as he climbed out of the car. “What’s wrong?”

Jake shrugged, the hapless gesture belying his expression. “Nothing. Just wanted to talk.”

Alec walked up to the base of the steps and leaned a hip on the rail. “About what?”

“This thing with Faith. How serious is it?” Jake swiped the back of his neck.

Crickets and cicadas chirped in the distance as Alec studied his brother’s face, wondering where the interest came from. A hundred different women had been pictured with him in magazines and literary blogs. Jake had never asked about any of them. “I’ve known her a couple weeks. It’s not serious and nothing’s going on.”

“Lacey and I were behind you on that Ferris wheel. I saw you together. There was something. We’ve never lied to each other.”

Alec shoved his hands in his pockets. Guilt tore at his gut. “Fine. Something’s going on, but it’s all on my end. I don’t plan on acting on it. Again. Why, Jake? You trying to warn me off her?”

A rare flash of anger flared in his brother’s eyes before he dialed it back. “She’d be good for you. Maybe you should see where it leads.”

Alec snorted. “But?”

Jake took his time standing. “Does she know about Laura?”

His molars gnashed. “You know she doesn’t.” No one except the immediate family knew. They kept it that way for a reason. Jake understood the rationale behind the decision as well as he did. Nearly ten years and Jake had never brought up Laura’s name. Why the hell was he doing it now? “Is there a point to this, little brother? If not, I’m tired.”

“How long are you going to blame yourself? Don’t you think it’s time to move on? Faith isn’t like the others. She’s not a distraction.”

“Which is exactly why I won’t be getting involved.” Alec climbed the porch steps.

“Alec . . .”