EthanIt was odd to have her taking care of me. I'd long given up on finding anyone other than Deza and Liam that would be something special in my life. She was going to whittle her way down into my heart. I could tell that I wouldn't have a standing chance if she tried."Get out," I groaned again and swatted at them wildly. "Seriously. Fuck.""I'm out. He turns into a diva when he's sick." Deza snorted."I'm not going anywhere, you ass. Just get it out and let me take care of you." Riley's fingernails dragged over my back.I moaned and pressed my hands to my face as I tried to catch my breath. "That feels good.""Good. Just breathe through your nose. Long, slow breaths." Her finger brushed down my spine followed by the cold rag as she pressed it open and coated my skin in its coolness."You're making me want to be nice all the time. Stop." I pursed my lips as my stomach revolted against the peace she was working to help me find."Stop being cheeky and breathe. You can be an ass when

Riley"I'm going to the beach for a while. You wanna come?" Deza stood by the front door with her sunglasses on and towel draped over her arm."No, I'm good. I'm going to read for a while. I'll find you later." I offered her a warm smile and turned onto my side as I pulled up Ethan's bio on my phone. It seemed almost like snooping around, and yet I couldn't help it. He wasn't going to give up too much information from what I could tell. He protected himself almost to the extent that I did."No wonder he doesn't have anyone close in his life but those that work beside him." And his brother. Thinking of Liam brought a smile to my lips. He'd been so entertaining on the boat ride out to Catalina Island the weekend before. He and Ethan had the type of relationship I'd want if I had a brother or sister. The thought of my brother Darek brushed across my thoughts, but as always, I dismissed it quickly. Too much sadness surrounded it to let it penetrate my soul and bring me down.I switched to

Ethan"Kinda, not really." I shrugged. "In all honesty, I might have laid the idea before her just in case she flew off the handle and didn't like it. I was teasing you when I mentioned it, but after thinking it through, I really liked the idea.""Because you want to protect each other." She was leading me down a dark path and looked like Goldilocks doing it. Sweet, innocent, hot as fucking sin. Women like her were the reason most men thought they were going to end up at the pearly gates only to drop down into the smoking section. Trickery had to be her calling card, but regardless... I was in it to win it. At least for a night."Absolutely. You don't want crotch-rot, do you? I hear sexually transmitted diseases are a bitch. Or how about someone starting a fan club and talking about what a piece of shit you are?" I finished off my beer and tried not to dive too deep into my own horror show that played in my head. If I had any piece of advice that I could back up with loads of painful

RileyAfter taking a quick shower, I put on a pair of white shorts and a blue tank top set, strapped sandals on my feet and walked down to the kitchen to find Frank and Deza talking to a guy I hadn't met yet. He had a scraggly beard, but brilliant blue eyes."Riley. Did you sleep well?" Deza got up and walked to the coffee pot."I didn't, actually. Not sure what's up with me." I smiled at the new guy and Frank. "Morning.""Morning, youngin'." Frank pointed to the guy. "This is Paul. He's going to be our head videographer. He's a shy guy, but I'm sure you'll pull him from his shell."The guy laughed and extended his hand toward me. "Nice to meet you, and please leave me in my shell. It's warm and cozy and safe."I smiled and shook his hand. "You got another one of those shells? I think I need one too."Deza offered me a cup of coffee. "Here you go. No shells for anyone. We're all going to gel and have a great time becoming a family.""Hopefully better than the one I already have. If no

Ethan"Get up, buttercup!" Paul shook the bed and picked up my pillow, smacking me on the head with it several times."Get out, or I'll pimp slap you, and you know I'm capable of doing it." I swatted at him as I spoke through the thick haze of sleep."Keep that fire hose to yourself and get up. The girls are already headed to the conference room." He hit me a few more times and jumped backward as I got up and charged him. "Aww... man. You're naked. Really? Shit."I released him and ran my fingers through my hair. "You filming this shit for us?"Paul had to be one of my favorite crew members, but the man had mad skills. He was in high demand, and though we had him on the team for most of the early Bond films, he'd been picked up by several other production companies and we lost out. Frank had promised to work a new deal with him to get him back on the crew.It would seem it worked. "Obviously. Why does it smell like sex and candy in here?" He scrunched up his nose and shook his head a