Touched by what she’d said, he raised his head to kiss her softly. “Everything in me noticed you, too. It noticed you were alone with my brother and Adam, and I wanted to drag you out of there and claim you in the barn.”

“Oh for God’s sake,” she said with a laugh. “What am I going to do with you? You’re nothing more than a caveman in disguise.”

“Guilty as charged.”

“I feel bad about what happened with Linc before.”

“Why should you?”

“It’s not my way to go around hurting people on the way to getting what I want.”

“He’s not hurt, Jenny. His pride is wounded because a woman he’s interested in isn’t interested in him. There’s a difference between actual hurt and a damaged ego.”

“I suppose that’s true.”

“I didn’t like the way he looked at you, as if he had some sort of claim on you. The whole time we were standing there, I wanted to chant mine, mine, mine.”

“You are a caveman.”

“And judging by the heat I’m feeling down below, you like me that way.” His comment made her blush furiously, which had him laughing.

“Stop it.”

Rather than stop anything, he began to move again, wrapping his arms around her legs to open her to his fierce possession. “Mine,” he whispered. “Mine, mine, mine.”

“Yes.” She pulled so hard on his hair that it hurt, but the bite of pain only made him want her more than he already did—if that was possible. “I’m yours.”

Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Early the next morning, Evan left Grace sleeping on the one morning off she allowed herself in the summer, and headed for the marina on the motorcycle. He hoped to catch his dad before the rush of the day began. At the picnic table outside the restaurant where Big Mac and his friends held their morning meeting, Evan found his dad and Ned enjoying a cup of coffee and a plate of sugar doughnuts.

Evan’s mouth watered at the sight of the doughnuts. “Can you spare one of those for me?” he asked when he took a seat at the table.

Though his father sent him a delighted smile, he moved the plate out of Evan’s reach. “These are all accounted for.”

“He can have one a mine,” Ned said, handing a doughnut to Evan and sending a disgusted look to his best friend.

“Thanks, Ned. Nice to know where I stand with my dear old dad.”

Ned guffawed with laughter that made Big Mac smile.

“Don’t get in the way of me and my morning sugar fix,” Big Mac said.

“My apologies.”

“What brings you out and about so early?” Big Mac asked around a huge mouthful of doughnut.

“I’m looking for a little advice, so I decided to come to the brain trust.”