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me? That’s…”
    Andie felt her mouth tighten.
    Ryan’s smile died. “I’m not laughing at you. I only ever have one lover at a time. Before you say anything else, I guess I better tell you right now that Brianne is my younger sister.”

Chapter Three
     
    An ache bloomed in Andie’s chest. A sister . Ryan had a family. Something she didn’t have any longer. Pain lanced through Andie as reality came rushing back in like the tide. After the car ride, she’d still felt sort of disconnected. Like the moment she woke from sleep in the morning and the ghost of dreams still held her in their grip. Before she had to face the cold fact that all of her family was dead. She was alone.
    “Andie?”
    Ryan’s hand curled over her shoulder, the heat of his palm a welcome link with humanity. He was so close she could see flecks of gold in his emerald eyes.
    Andie breathed in the scent of sandalwood.
    Awareness of the room faded. Time slowed then stopped, stilling her focus. Andie’s sorrow shifted, replaced with a calm that soothed. Awareness prickled with a long look at his mouth, spiked with each racing heartbeat. Moving closer, Andie pressed her lips to his.
    As if knowing the route, eager hands clambered up the rock face of his firm chest. Crested the shoulders covered in soft cotton, and linked behind his neck.
    With a sigh signaling surrender, Ryan responded.
    The press of warm lips against hers wove a spell of wonder. Of rightness . Andie’d been kissed before, but never like this.
    It wasn’t enough.
    Andie kissed him fiercely, desperate to replace the sadness swirling inside with new, intoxicating sensations. One step and their torsos touched. The sundress was too flimsy to wear a bra, and her chest tingled at the contact. Her head swam with the awareness that two light layers of cotton formed the only barrier between their bodies.
    She pulled in a shaky breath, feeling light and giddy. Out of control.
    A hand gripped her shoulder.
    Ryan pulled back, breathing heavily. “We better slow this down…”
    Andie came to her senses as if suddenly drenched by a splash of freezing water.
    What was she doing , throwing herself at this man? Kissing him like her life depended on the press of his mouth against hers? She was never out of control. Never . Her few boyfriends had never awakened such a well of passion. It must be the circumstances. She was upset, thrown out of her usual life by recent events. Otherwise she would never act so recklessly. Andie’s hands fell to her sides.
    “I’m sorry.” She took a step away. Needing distance.
    Ryan’s eyebrows pulled together into a frown. His lips parted, and his chest rose and fell in an irregular rhythm.
    It was scant comfort that at least she wasn’t alone in this maelstrom of passion.
    A shiver chased up her spine.
    Ryan cleared his throat. “You’re cold.”
    Andie nodded.
    “I’ll get one of Brianne’s sweaters.” As if he couldn’t get away quickly enough, Ryan turned and walked away.
    Alone, reality hit with the force of a truck slamming into her body while crossing a road.
    Her mother .
    Reporters were clustered around her home, because there was news. In the last few passionate minutes, she hadn’t even wondered what that news might be. Had avoided reality with stolen moments in Ryan’s arms. The thought filled her with self-loathing.
    *****
    In Brianne’s bedroom, Ryan pulled open the drawers and slammed them shut with unnecessary force until he found the one holding sweaters.
    Jeez, Bri’s stuff was a mess. Clothes were rammed in the drawers willy-nilly, making them damn near impossible to close. He couldn’t even identify what she had in there.
    After spending frustrating minutes pulling one garment after another from the bottom drawer, he lost it, pulled the whole damn lot out and threw them onto the bed. Turning his attention to the fabric rainbow, he carefully folded each one in turn. Put the red ones together in a pile, then the peacock blue, and