Free Love on the Boardwalk by Christi Barth Page A

front. Or maybe it was that touching Brad fired her up from the inside out. Every kiss scorched her. Every lick seared nerves up and down her torso. Every pulse beat seemed to notch her center closer to Brad.
    Trina swirled her way into Brad’s mouth. A serious, hard, tongue-thrusting kiss that let him know she meant business. Hopefully, one that showed him just how much she wanted this. Wanted him. From the growl he let out, her message got through loud and clear.
    Oh they’d have fun, all right. Serious fun. It was obvious that Brad didn’t just need cheering up. He needed a rebound fling. The kind that would recharge him. Trina didn’t know where she’d be in a month, or what she’d be doing. A relationship was the last thing that would possibly interest her right now. But she did know that a passion-filled week at the beach sounded like perfection for both of them.

Chapter Five
    For the second time in less than twelve hours, someone was pounding the hell out of Brad’s hotel room door. At least this time he was wearing more than a towel. He buttoned his dark slacks and fastened his belt as he crossed the room. The undoubtedly drunk idiot on the other side of the door would have to deal with him being shirtless while he yelled at them for disturbing the peace. The day of fun with Trina had wrapped up with a late lunch after their visit to Lucy, and now she was back doing a shift at Club Eden. So he knew the knocker couldn’t be for him. Nobody else in the whole town knew Brad was here.
    “You’ve got the wrong room,” he said as he yanked open the door.
    “Really?” asked the dark-haired woman beaming at him. “Because you’re hunky, blond and already half-undressed. It sure looks like the right room to me.”
    “Darcy? I can’t believe you’re here.” Brad pulled her in for a tight hug. Noticed that her stacked heels brought her tall frame almost even with him, height-wise. Quite a shift from hugging her petite best friend.
    “Yeah, and she’s not alone, so how about you get your hands off my girl?”
    “Possession
is
nine-tenths of the law,” Brad said as he laughed over her shoulder at his cousin loitering in the hall. Seeing Cooper was like looking in one of those funhouse mirrors he could probably find on the Boardwalk. Just enough differences to make someone blink twice at Brad’s longer hair and darker eyes. Coop was the same height, same build. The DNA they shared from their mom’s side of the family ran strong. Lots of people assumed they were brothers instead of cousins. Brad didn’t mind a bit. They were brothers in all the ways that counted.
    With a frown, Coop said, “You and I are sworn to serve and protect all ten tenths of the law. Don’t think for a second that you’re keeping Darcy on a technicality.”
    Brad released Darcy and pulled him into a back-slapping man-hug. Despite having planned to spend this week alone, he was damn glad for all this surprise company. Running into Trina had turned out great. Add in his best friend and a girl he already loved like a sister, and this was suddenly turning into a far better vacation than he could’ve imagined. Hell, at this rate, maybe he’d even have a run of good luck at the tables.
    “Come on in,” he said, with a wave at the room.
    Coop planted his feet and pulled Darcy further into the hall. “No way. You’ve been here two days already. I don’t want to imagine what’s gone on in your room so far, and I sure as hell don’t want to see the wreckage left behind.”
    “What do you expect? That I stuffed a pillowcase with used condoms and left-behind panties?” He grabbed his vintage black and tan bowling shirt off the chair—covered in the same blue and white seersucker as his grandpa’s good summer suit—and shrugged into it. All it took to finish getting ready was to pocket his room key and wallet.
    “Yeah.” Coop shuddered as they all headed toward the elevators. “That’s pretty much exactly what I