“You know what?” She pushed to her feet, brushing off her shorts. “I thought we had a connection and we were having fun, but I don’t have the patience for whatever this hot-cold thing is that you have going on. See you around, Tobias.”

“Madigan,” he called after her, but his voice was wasted on another whistle and boom of fireworks as she jogged down the beach toward her brothers. Fuck it. I’m out of here.

Chapter Four

THE RUSTY ANCHOR was a cute pub known for its uniquely named drinks located off the beaten path about half an hour outside Harwich. It was more of a tourist hangout than a local haunt, which meant Madigan didn’t usually know her audience, making it one of her favorite venues in which to perform. It was easier to relax when she didn’t have her brothers or other Dark Knights watching over her, and a new audience meant there were no expectations. Nobody would know if she changed lyrics on the fly, messed up chords…or sang too fast. A wave of heat moved through her with thoughts of Tobias, followed by a sliver of hurt and a dose of longing. She closed her eyes against the unwanted emotions that had plagued her for the last three days.

No. I’m not doing this.

Too late. Just the thought of him brought back the luxuriousness of his rough hands moving possessively over her body, the seductive taste of his mouth, and the cruel ravishment of his kisses. She could still feel the welcome intrusion of his tongue, penetrating, searching, claiming, and the formidable monster in his pants that had been imprinted on her body, turning her into some sort of sex-starved nymph. Tobias’s gruff voice barged into her thoughts—I knew your lips would own me—so real, goose bumps rose on her skin, and she opened her eyes, half expecting to see him standing with her by the stage.

Her cheeks burned, and she looked around, thankful the bar patrons were still eating, drinking, and talking among themselves and hadn’t seemed to notice her momentary lascivious slip. But her thoughts lingered on that night and the man whose mere kisses had awakened something untamed inside her that she hadn’t even known existed. Thank goodness her brothers hadn’t spotted them on the dune. She was embarrassed to admit, even to herself, that the grief her brothers had given her for disappearing for so long had been a walk in the park compared to the sting of Tobias’s proclamation that their wild kisses shouldn’t have happened.