Free Not Another New Year’s by Christie Ridgway

morning.” Now that he thought about it, maybe he could use Dez’s guilt to get him something he really wanted—that how-to-handle-Hannah plan. If he demanded, surely Dez would be his partner in the tour business for the next ten days. If he was never alone with Hannah’s pouty red mouth and those incredible long legs, then maybe he could forget about his hunger to have them both wrapped around certain of his body parts.
    “Well?”
    Tanner blinked at his brother, who was red-faced again. Was that steam coming out of his ears? “Well, what?”
    “Are you marrying the princess?”
    “Am I— no! ” For God’s sake, he was just days away from getting his life back under his own control. He wouldn’t screw up that in dependence for Desirée, or any woman, for that matter. “This isn’t the time in my life for romance, that’s shit for sure.”
    Troy sat back in his chair with a satisfied air. “Just checking.”
    “Do I look stupid? She’s beautiful and rich, but—”
    “Also shallow and spoiled and in need of some discipline.” Troy nodded to himself, and Tanner didn’t forget that his older brother had spent years drilling brand-new Marines.
    He cleared his throat. “Troy. Bro. Dez is not one of your raw recruits. You can’t—”
    A crash jerked both their heads toward the bar. Beside it had stood a six-foot stack of plastic racks holding clean barware, ready to be put away. Nowhalf were knocked over, and dozens of broken glasses were shattered at Desirée’s feet.
    She looked up, her eyes wide and fastened on Troy’s face. “I’m sorry. I was demonstrating to Hannah a new dance move I saw at a club the other night and…” Her shoulders shrugged.
    Troy shot up, his chair legs screeching against the clean floor like fingernails on a chalkboard. He flicked a glance toward Tanner. “What were you about to say? That I can’t whip her into shape? Well, I sure as hell can try.”
    Then he stalked toward the bar, the room heating up as he approached. Tanner followed his brother, taking in Hannah’s expression, which looked as wary as his might be if he didn’t know his brother so well.
    Crossing his arms over his wide chest, Troy came to a halt before the mess of broken barware, his legs splayed wide, his burning gaze trained on Desirée.
    She swallowed hard but stood her ground. “I can pay for the damage,” she said quickly.
    “Oh, you will, princess,” Troy said, his voice deadly soft.
    Hannah looked up in some alarm as Tanner reached her. He tried to reassure her with a smile as he wrapped his hand around her wrist. His orders via her uncle, showing her a good time in good ol’ Coronado, certainly shouldn’t start off with what ever knockdown, drag-out Troy had in mind for Desirée. It wasn’t going to be physical, of course, but it probably wasn’t going to be pretty either.
    “I think that’s our cue to leave,” he said.
    And only once they were out the bar’s door andinto the January Southern California sunshine did he remember he’d already blown his plan.
    They were alone again. And he was going to have to keep control of himself if he was going to regain control of his life.

9
    D espite himself, Troy admired the princess’s courage. When faced with his wrath, many a Marine “boot”—new recruit—had looked like they were one second away from screaming for Mommy.
    Desirée, on the other hand, looked like she had steel in her spine and ice in her heart.
    Then he remembered that her mother would be unlikely to come to Dez’s aid anyway. The once-supermodel, now famous only for her numerous addictions and nearly as many ex-husbands, had never cared a rat’s ass for the daughter she’d given birth to twenty-four years before. When “the Kiss” had first become big news almost a year ago, Troy had read every article and watched each of the tabloid TV stories, wincing for his younger brother all the while.
    But remembering the quotes from Desirée’s mother,his gut gave a