“Jag.” My breathy tone wasn’t what I was aiming for, but I prided myself on at least getting the word out.

The corner of his lips tipped up, revealing the sexiest lopsided knowing grin. He liked the way he was affecting me. “You look absolutely beautiful tonight.”

“Thanks, but I think you already told me that earlier.” Though I was going for teasing, I wasn’t sure if it worked. I hated that I became downright tongue tied in this man’s presence. Hell, I could take him down if I had to, yet there I was, barely able to say a word.

“No, earlier I called you beautiful, and you are very bellissima.” The Italian word for beautiful rolled off his tongue, and I swear I forgot how to breathe. I absolutely loved the way the endearment started something burning inside of me. “But I’m talking about this gorgeous dress.”

I quivered at his words from head to toe. Of course, I’d had many men tell me I was beautiful, but with the way Jag said it, the look in his eyes, I actually believed him.

“Thanks,” was all I could muster.

“Now come on, cara, I know you can speak more than one word at a time.” This time, I got a full smile, one that lit up his face, taking every hard-edged line and turning him into pure beauty. I didn’t tell him this, because no man wanted to be called beautiful, but that was what he was.

He was right; I needed to get my shit together. He was a man exactly like every other, and although my body’s reaction to him wasn’t within my control, how I presented myself was. As a result, I steeled my spine and pulled out my seduction card. He obviously liked what he saw in me, may as well play it up.

“I was just admiring the view.” I shrugged, going for tempting. “Figured you got a good look last night. Now it’s my turn.”

His lips parted, obviously not expecting the bluntness from me. “Baby, you can admire it all day or night.” His gruff voice went down a few notches, and I felt goose bumps rise up my arms and on my lower back. It was that good.

“I’ll think on that.”

Jag pushed me away from him, lifting our conjoined hands to twirl me. It was so unexpected my mouth gaped open as he pulled me back to his body securely. He reached for my arms and wrapped them around his neck. Then he placed his around my back, bringing our faces so close I could feel his breathing becoming more labored on my cheek.

“Yes, you think on that.” He dipped his lips to my ear, his hot breath caressing it. “Bet you won’t have to think long.”

My entire body wavered at his words, and I clutched him tightly so I wouldn’t fall flat on my ass, only adding to the heat between us.

“Excuse me,” My father’s voice came to me from the right, and my head snapped in his direction. His face was tight, brows creased. That little twitch in his cheek began flickering like when he was angry. Oh, no. That wasn’t good.

Jag pulled away and turned to my father. “Yes, sir.” Respect oozed off those words, and I liked it, but also felt a twinge of here we go again, in the sense of another man not willing to stand up to my father.

“I’m dancing with my daughter now.” His tone left no room for argument.

Jag’s chest deflated as he leaned into my ear. “I’ll find you later.”

I nodded as the heat from Jag’s body left mine. I watched him as he left, but he didn’t turn back and that didn’t leave me with a good feeling.

My father pulled me to him, not close, but enough to get my attention. “That one, yeah?” he asked.

I really didn’t know what to say, so I shrugged. “He seems nice.”

My father burst out laughing so loudly it drowned out the music. All eyes in the room snapped toward us, but my father didn’t care and continued to move, his attention solely on me.

“Nice. Sure. He’s a good man, but he lives in California,” my father warned, repeating Val’s words from earlier in the day. “I told you I’d try to give you room, and I shall try. I just want you to go in with your eyes wide open. You hear?”

If my heart could expand in my chest for my father, it would have at that moment. The fact that he was giving me room to breathe meant more to me than I could express.

“I understand, Daddy. I’ve got this.” I liked that my confidence had decided to come back to me now that Jag wasn’t inches away from me.

“I will be here no matter what.” In other words, if shit went sour in any way, he was there for me, and that was exactly what I needed.

“Thanks, Daddy.” My throat closed as tears stung my eyes, but I didn’t let them fall.

The song ended and the other couples on the dance floor began to clap for the band. My father and I stepped away from each other and followed suit.

“I must go now.” He kissed me on both cheeks then was gone.

I again mingled through the crowd, talking to potential clients and old alike. Kiera seemed to be really happy with Mark, not leaving his side. Every once in a while, I would feel a hot gaze penetrating me and looked up to find Jag staring at me. When I turned back to whomever I was talking to at the time, I had a very difficult time following the conversation.

Two hours later, I was beyond exhausted. Grabbing a rum and pineapple juice from the bar, I rushed outside without anyone seeing me. I headed to the small patio just off the main house, hidden behind a bunch of massive shrubs. No one was there except for Scraper following me, but he just blended in.

I grabbed a metal chair with plush pillows and took a seat, kicking off my sexy heels and instantly feeling the relief after they had pinched my feet all night. Wearing them wasn’t the best idea, but they looked good. I hiked up my dress, resting it on my thighs, and plopped my feet into the nearby chair, allowing the cool air to touch every part of my skin.

Lying my head back, I stared up at the night sky. The moon was half full, only showing me part of the man inside. The soft sounds of the music from the party played as I closed my eyes, enjoying the serenity of the evening.

My entire body ached. It wasn’t just from the heels, though. It was from being on my feet all night. That shit took a lot out of a woman, especially when she had to be on her game and make every person she talked to a top priority. It was more than just a physical exhaustion, it was mental as well.

“Stop!” Scraper’s voice yelled from my left.

I jumped to my aching feet, ignoring the throbbing, and looked around quickly, my eyes locking with the beautiful denim ones from earlier. I breathed in deeply, letting the adrenaline of the moment wash through me as I sat back down in the same position I was in before, propping my feet up.

“Jag’s fine, Scraper,” I called out, resting my head back and looking once more at the clear sky again. There was one good thing about being tired—I found myself not being so cautious with Jag. I didn’t know if that was a good or bad thing. I was too tired to evaluate it.

“Your brother said not to allow him near you,” Scraper said curtly, standing next to me with his arms crossed as he glared at Jag.

“Stop it. We had a talk this morning. He’s good. I’m good. All right?” I said all of this with my eyes staring up at the sky, trying to find the stars yet unable to with all the lights. I wished I could turn them all off so I could watch the stars dance.

“I’ll talk to him.” Scraper moved away from my chair. He was talking about getting the okay from my brother? Hell no.

I snapped, getting up from my pseudo-relaxation and right into Scraper’s face. “You do whatever the hell you need to do, but you don’t tell me whom I can see and whom I can’t. Neither do my brothers. Your job is to make sure he doesn’t kill me. Can you just stick to that?” I didn’t hold back a single bit of the irritation I felt. No need. He could probably smell it on me it was so thick.

Scraper grunted in his own irritation. Not once in the years he had been at my side had I spoken to him that way, but he was acting like my father and brothers. I couldn’t take the damn leashes anymore.