Free Hen Party 1 (Hen Party #1) by Ashlyn Brady

of his eyes, she saw reflections of a guy with his own demons and fears, but they hadn’t torn him apart because he’d found a way to live with them. She grasped her hands together in front of her body to stop herself reaching out to him while the grief lingered in his eyes.
    “Your temper is a near relative to mine.” His smile was a blend of shy confession and camaraderie.
    The snippet of humor brightened her spirits a little more. “I don’t believe you have a temper,” she murmured.
    “Don’t doubt it, Kyra. It’s the reason why I understand yours,” he said with more spunk.
    A small chuckle escaped from her lips.
    “When you mix fire and passion together, it’s a volatile mix,” he said, knowingly. “Maddy sparked the fire. You safeguarded Elin’s happiness with a passion. Then, boom, there was an explosion of wild forces.”
    Kyra brushed her fingers over her wet cheeks. “I thought I was losing my mind over Maddy’s meddling and acting like a psycho sister to Elin. Tell me more, Joe.”
    He laughed softly. “No, Kyra, I’ve said more than I should. What man wants to be accused of interfering with the guests at a hen party?”
    “I think that if you told me your thoughts, it would be a fair swap of information.” She challenged with her own smile.
    He had tilted his head to listen, and his eyes lightened from the glow of the overhead fairy lights.
    I told you about Elin’s situation with Marco. I leaned into you for your understanding and support. She paused to find the words to tell him what his companionship meant to her. “I thought you were my chivalrous knight-to-the-rescue?”
    He lowered his eyelids to shield his gaze.
    She chomped down on her lip as her suspicions worsened over the mixed messages he was giving her.
    He smoothed down his hair even though there wasn’t a single strand out of place. “Kyra, don’t think of me that way,” he said in a thick voice that sounded like it came from the bottom of his chest. “I’m a black knight, and I’m not here to save you.”
    He was trying to discourage her romantic illusions of him. Shake her off with his claim of being her Mr. Wrong? He was ignoring their mutual attraction and the click of their personalities.
    “Then why have you stayed with me from the moment we first met?” She yearned for his arms to fold around her while he told her she’d done well to protect Elin’s wedding dreams. She curled her fingers until her nails bit into her palms. “Tell me the truth.”
    His face was grim as he looked down at her. There was pain etched into the shadowed contours of his face. It left her breathless. Someone had beaten up his heart and left those wounds.
    “When the party is over, you’ll know whether sticking to your moral code was the right decision for Elin or not. No one can change the outcome of the party but you,” he said with gravity. “You’re the natural leader of the women.”
    “Those are strange comments for a holidaying businessman to make about a group of women he doesn’t know.”
    His face blanched. She watched him a little longer, gathering her thoughts. Yep, she’d hit on the truth—he was hiding something from her.
    “Why are you thinking about the outcomes of the hen night? Why, Joe? Why is Elin making the right decision even on your mind?” Frustration overcame her, and she grabbed his upper arms in a plea for an honest answer.
    * * *
    The touch of Kyra’s hands on Jovanni’s body sent a zap of electricity up his spine. She was crossing a physical boundary and joining them together as a couple. The vibe about her was alive and thrilling as she pounded at the walls in his head. Time came crashing down around him and his thoughts spun around in circles at breakneck speed.
    When the whirlwind slowed, he stopped stressing over the split in his loyalties. The scars on the old Gina wounds were sealed. It was up to him to block out all of the complications that separated him from Kyra.
    The thump of his