I had a hard time looking at him. Drop dead gorgeous wouldn’t even begin to describe the man in front of me. Not too tall, maybe 5’10, with blond hair that seemed to shimmer in the sunlight and blue eyes that I couldn’t look away from. I swallowed hard and stared at the sand at my feet. He was far too pretty, far too dangerous, with his silky voice that made me forget my own name. Ashling had been—to say the least—delighted when she saw him and realized he was our surfing instructor. Flirting and prancing in her little red bikini, she’d been determined to get his attention. But while he was kind to her, he didn’t fall into her arms as she’d been obviously hoping. Secretly, I was laughing. She was so pretty, petite and feminine, she wasn’t used to men turning her down.

I fingered the cuffs on my wetsuit, anxiety starting to build. “I promised her we could do anything she wanted for her graduation gift.”

We were the only ones here on this part of the beach, the early morning enough to scare many of the tourists away as well as the die-hard locals, by the looks of it. From what the brochure had said, usually the beach was flooded, despite the cooler water and the mist that wouldn’t burn off till afternoon. In the distance I could see a few surfers riding the waves, black specks on the water.

“You must care for her a great deal,” Luke said. He sounded surprised.

I frowned at him. “She’s my baby sister; of course I care about her.”

“I’d hoped that wasn’t the case,” he said, his voice soft. My frown deepened and a thrill of alarm started at the base of my spine.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I asked, frowning at him. He didn’t have a chance to answer me.

“Quinn!” Ashling’s call was sharp and far too high pitched. Not her usual light, airy tones. I spun to see her in the water with only her head above the waves as she gripped the surf board. Even from this distance, her pale green eyes were wide and full of fear. I didn’t hesitate—though my body quailed with remembered fear and pain, I didn’t think about anything except getting her out of the water.

I took one step and arms encircled me, holding me tight and stopping me from diving into the surf. “She’ll be fine. Let her be.”

“Let me go!” I yelled, jerking my body left and right, trying to free myself. Luke’s grip only tightened; his arms were like vices around my middle. Damn he was strong.