"Uh-huh." He twirled her in a quick circle and caught her around the waist again. "I know my brother, Liz, and I can assure you that his radar is tuned in on you and no one else. He'll never admit to being territorial, of course, but I'm enjoying the hell out of it. And you," he added with a quick wink. "Now that I've met you, I can see why Steve's so attracted to you. You seem very down-to-earth and genuine, yet open and fun, and that's exactly what Steve needs in a woman."

His sincere compliment warmed her, and since there was no sense arguing her temporary relationship with Steve to his brother, she accepted his flattering comments gracefully. "Thank you."

Adrian's gaze shifted to somewhere over her shoulder, and the gleeful grin that appeared on his face told her something was up. "Speaking of the devil, here he comes."

Seconds later, Steve was bringing their shuffling two-step to a halt and cutting in. "Here's your beer," he said, pressing the bottle into Adrian's hand. "Now it's my turn."

Without argument, Adrian disengaged his hold on Liz and relinquished her to Steve. "Don't worry, big brother, I promise she's unscathed, and her virtue is still intact."

"And not a moment too soon, I'm sure," he grumbled.

Adrian laughed and moved on, heading over to the buffet table and greeting people along the way. The band segued into a slow song, and Steve took advantage of the opportunity to pull her body flush against his and splayed his hand at the small of her back to keep their hips pressed close. She was wearing a sarong-style skirt and cotton top, and the heat of him managed to seep through the layers of her clothes, sending her hormones into a frenzy and accelerating the rapid beat of her pulse. It also made her wish they were alone, because she was aching to kiss him and let her hands wander. And have him do the same.

So instead of creating a public scandal, she let herself luxuriate in the delicious male scent of him and in being the sole focus of his attention.

Entwining her arms around his neck, which effectively crushed her sensitive breasts against his chest, she smiled up at him. "Your brother is quite the…"

"Pain in the ass?" he finished for her.

Seeing the glimmer of humor in his bright blue eyes, she laughed and shook her head. "I was going to say that your brother is quite the charmer."

"Hmmm." He gently tucked her head against his shoulder and stroked his fingers through her hair. "He has his moments, I suppose."

Content with just relaxing against Steve's solid strength, she closed her eyes and let him lead her around the patio to the slow beat of the music. It had been too long since she'd let a man take care of her, longer still since she felt so special. Much too soon the song ended, and instead of another one beginning, Eric's voice came over the speakers to address the party-goers.

"Everyone, I have an announcement to make," he said into the microphone, and all eyes went to where he stood up on the band's platform. "First of all, I want to wish my father a very happy birthday. Steve, Adrian, and I made sure we bought him a present he's sure to get a lot of use out of now that he's retired, but I have a special gift today that's for both of my parents. Where are you, Mom and Dad?" His gaze searched the crowd of people in the backyard until he found Angela and Paul waving from a group of guests they were visiting with.

"Pay attention," he said to his parents with a big grin, and then he crooked his finger toward the table where Liz and Steve had been sitting earlier. "Jill, can you come up here, honey?"

His girlfriend looked momentarily startled to be summoned up onstage, but she did as he asked, her expression reflecting confusion and the slightest bit of hesitation. She obviously had no idea what he intended. And neither did anyone else- except for maybe Steve, who was looking on with a bit of brotherly pride.

Once Jill was standing by Eric's side, and with everyone quiet and watching the couple avidly, he picked up her left hand, held her gaze steadily, and said, "I can't think of a better place to do this, since I'm surrounded by good friends, relatives, and family." Reaching into the front pocket of his khaki pants, he withdrew a small black velvet box and flipped open the lid, revealing a gorgeous, sparkling diamond engagement ring.

"Jill, will you marry me?" he asked, his voice smooth, clear, and confident.

Jill gasped and slapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide with shock and disbelief as she glanced from the ring to Eric's face.

The silence stretched on, and a crooked grin tugged at Eric's lips. "What, is the ring not big enough?"

"It's perfect." Her voice trembled, as did the hand she reached out to touch the velvet-lined box. "Oh, Eric, are you serious?"

He rolled his eyes at the ridiculous question. "Honey, I love you. Of course I'm serious."

Her eyes welled up with tears as she gazed at him with pure adoration. "I love you, too, Eric Wilde."

"Tell him yes and put him out of his misery!" Adrian yelled from across the yard, and everyone hooted and hollered their agreement.

Eric grinned at his sibling's show of support and returned his hopeful gaze to Jill. "Well?"

"Yes," she said in a whisper, then louder, "Yes."

He slipped the beautiful ring onto her finger, making the engagement official. Clapping and cheers ensued, and Paul and Angela made their way up to the stage to congratulate their son and soon-to-be daughter-in-law.

Steve whistled, loud and shrill, adding to the merriment. "Way to go, baby brother!"

Angela hugged both Eric and Jill enthusiastically, obviously thrilled with the unexpected turn of events. Then she leaned close to the microphone, her blue eyes twinkling with delight. "One down, two to go!"

Steve groaned, and Adrian vehemently denied the possibility of such a fate, while everyone around them laughed at Angela Wilde's optimism.

The next few hours passed quickly, and the warm afternoon turned into a cool evening. Still the party continued, now with two reasons to celebrate and party, and the Wilde family did both quite well.

Liz was chatting with Jill and Mia and sharing in Jill's excitement while the men mingled elsewhere, when she realized it was nearly eight P.M. She excused herself and went to find Steve, who was talking to his cousins, Mia's brothers, Alex, Joel, and Scott, whom she'd met earlier. Three more gorgeous, single bad bays to round out the Wilde clan.

She touched Steve's arm to get his attention, and he glanced at her with one of those disarming smiles of his. "As much as I hate to leave, I have to go home and get ready for work tonight. There's no reason why you should have to leave, too, so I'll just call a cab."

"Absolutely not," he replied adamantly. "I'll take you home, then come back for a few hours. It's not a big deal."

She appreciated his offer and didn't argue. She said her good-byes, thanked Angela and Paul for their hospitality, and walked with Steve out to his SUV. Once they were both seated in the vehicle, Steve threaded his fingers through her hair, cupped the back of her head, and pulled her forward so that she was meeting him halfway across the cab. Without preamble, he melded her mouth to his, and her lips parted of their own accord, inviting a deeper, intimate possession. His tongue swept inside, bold and ravenous, and she shivered at the heat and desire his kiss evoked.

He pulled back, much too soon for her liking, and rested his forehead against hers. The interior of the vehicle was dark, but the air around them fairly crackled with awareness and sexual tension.

"God, I needed that." His lips skimmed along her jaw, up to her ear. "I missed you today."

She tipped her head to the side, and he laved the sensitive spot right beneath her lobe. Her nipples pulled tight, aching for the caress of his hands, the tug of his mouth, the wet rasp of his tongue. "Correct me if I'm mistaken, but I believe I was by your side for most of the day."

"Umm, but it would have been tacky to make out with you in front of everyone like I wanted to do," he said huskily. "To touch you intimately and give you my undivided attention."

"Ahhh." Now she understood, and smiled. "In that case, I missed you, too."

His mouth took hers again in a lazy, mindless, tongue-tangling kiss that seemed to go on for long, slow minutes. By the time he let her up for air again, her skin felt flushed, and she was breathing much too fast.

Somehow, she managed to hold on to rational thought. "We really need to go so I'm not late for work."

His thumb dragged sensuously across her damp lower lip. "You can always tell them that you were with a client."

"Ha-ha." She wriggled her nose at him. "We still have to put on a convincing act on the phone first."

"That hasn't been a problem for us yet." He let her go, his reluctance to do so tangible. He started up the truck, and a minute later they were out on the main road, heading back to her apartment.

She rested her head against the back of the seat, wishing she didn't have to go to work tonight. The last thing she wanted to do was field a bunch of sexual calls when she'd rather spend the rest of the evening alone with Steve. But she had a job to do, responsibilities to live up to, and a cousin to track down.

"Did you have a good time today?" Steve asked, gently rerouting her thoughts back to him.

"I had a wonderful time." With the lights from the dash illuminating his face, she took in his strong profile: the slope of his nose, his full lips, his strong jaw. "I like your family." And she envied him the closeness he and his siblings and cousins all shared, since that had always elluded her with Valerie.