One look. My hand smacked the back of Bryce's head when I saw her. One look sucked my lungs empty and locked my legs into tree stumps. With long brown hair and brown eyes burning with stubbornness, she wasn't a typical beach girl who tanned her skin to crispy bacon. Her unconventional beachwear included jeans, her lips were dry, and her stringy hair resembled seaweed. Her tiny frame was overlooked unless stared at, but quiet self-assurance was her second skin. Courtesy of the taller girl with dark blonde highlights and giant breasts strapped down with Band-Aids for bikini straps, Mystery Girl fell into my arms. Blondie was my new best friend for that move. Big, doe-shaped eyes blinked at me, the darkest shade of brown shrinking around her rounding pupils. I couldn't tear my eyes away from her. She was one of the prettiest girls I'd ever seen. Touching her was worse than a long-distance look. She was tiny and I squatted more weight than her. Those eyes glared at the last guy I wanted to see today or any day. Wedged between us, her olive skin turned a gray-green, her full lips parted- Wait a second. "Oh, fuck," she whispered. In one lurch, she doubled over and blew chunks all over my feet. A jellyfish exploded from my ankles south. I wore sandals and beach sprayers fixed the squish between my toes, but… gross. Her watery eyes apologized under a curtain of thick lashes. Gone were her furrowed eyebrows and scowl from dragging a paddleboard bigger than her. I was too busy forgetting how to blink and dumbfounded at why I had to know who she was instead of offering help. I palmed her heaving back. "Are you alright?" On a beach filled with almost-naked bodies, this girl wore jeans and a sweatshirt. No wonder she was sick; probably from heat stroke. "As soon as I bury myself in the sand," she whispered with closed eyes. Capitalizing on this… situation, I slipped my free hand into her front pocket. As her hand dragged over her mouth, the pink in her cheeks was adorable. I didn't mean to smile at her discomfort, but it was better than guessing what she'd eaten. She dropped her eyes and offered a wry smile. Embarrassment coated her face and my heart thumped faster the deeper she blushed. Say something charming, something to make her melt. I leaned over and rubbed her back. The hard ridges of her spine slowed their upward pitches. Her hair smelled of ocean remnants and my mouth dried as I whispered in her ear, "It's okay, baby. I was feeling off today too until you came along and turned me on." At my closeness, Jake clenched my shirt, again, and shoved me back. I kinda forgot Harrison was here. "Get the fuck out of here, Hightower!" his sullen voice roared. "If you ever put your hands on her again, bitch-boy, then I'll fucking rip them off your body and beat you senseless with them." Her? He knew her? I gritted my teeth at the tall, dark-haired powderkeg of anger. My mood soured at his forced opinions and 'bitch-boy' slurs. Half-dressed in board shorts and sandals, Jake was bigger since I last saw his arrogant ass. But I'd grown too, measuring one inch taller and ten pounds heavier than him. Yes, it mattered. "Having my arms would improve your accuracy, Jake." Harrison's swagger and sneer were as familiar as the red flush creeping up his neck. His herd of Cardinals minions trailed a hundred yards back. Typical, spineless Santa Cruz pansies. "What the fuck are you doing here?" With a low, steady tone, Jake's jaw ticked and his eyes darkened. I pushed an exhale out of my nose and expanded my arms. "Enjoying the sites in our gloriously free country. Looks are free." "Take your loser valley boys and get lost." I rolled my eyes. Harrison's trademark explosive temper. He flung all of his predictable signs in my face: tight fists, shoulders up to his ears, and eyes dark as night trying to burn me with one look. Not that it was the angry ape's business, but I was visiting my brother. Brody swore me to secrecy, and who could blame him? Jake's reaction to his new wide receiver was enough to keep me up at night. I stole a glance at Mystery Girl. "As soon as I take care of some unfinished business." "Nothing here is your fucking business unless you came to get your ass kicked," he snapped. "Stop!" Again, she charged between us, pretty eyes blazing. Distracted by not getting my handsome face rearranged, I missed her recovery. The little mouse wedged between two elephants, challenging us both with a soft, sweet voice. Her back to me, she faced Jake with her hands on her hips. Up close and in my defense, I would've taken a punch from each of Harrison's fists for… Was she his girlfriend? She had guts; maybe from owning his balls on a leash? Her closeness, along with the random freckles on her neck I wanted to count with my lips, wasn't helping my elevated heart rate situation. Blondie rolled her eyes. "Tuck dick and retreat, Jake." Jake smirked at her. Interesting. In a blink, his trademark death glare focused on me. "If you ever, ever fucking touch my sister, I'll beat you within…" I tuned out Jake's threat and focused on where Mystery Girl's head came to his shoulder. Beneath lowered lashes, a fire burned in her eyes. Who it was directed at fizzled when Harrison's only significant word slammed into my brain. Woah, woah, woah. Sister!? I - oh fuck. Big fuckity fuck, Hightower. The gravity of my rash action hit my gut harder than either of Jake's fists. I clenched my teeth until my molars ground. I shouldn't have looked at her again. Despite my fuckery, I was hooked on whatever raised goosebumps on her neck and called me to give her more. My fingers twitched to touch hers. The question if she was okay, followed by a proposition of whatever the hell time she'd give me, rested on the tip of my tongue. How are they related? She's half his size. Maybe I misheard him. Or, she's a soul sister. Adopted neighbor? Despite the resemblance smacking me in the face, she couldn't be- Jake broke through my thoughts. "I will say this once, and only once, Hightower. Stay the FUCK away from my sister, or I will break every bone in your body."