"Come on, sleepyhead. We're here." Joel stroked my cheek.

I opened my eyes and we were inches apart. It was so unfair. I wanted nothing more than to kiss him and forget his brother. Stupid me. "Where's here?"

He leaned back a bit, allowing me to breathe comfortably. "We've been driving for over an hour. You'll enjoy the food; it's locally grown vegetables with locally raised meat and fish. They also have a good draft beer."

"No beer for me. I'm swearing off alcohol."

Snarly Joel came back. "You know I owe my brother a black eye for that, right? He knew damn good and well what he was doing when he gave you too much alcohol. Hell, I might punch out a few of his teeth." His hands held the steering wheel in a death grip, causing his forearm muscles to bulge.

I placed my fingers on one of Joel's fists. "I'm a big girl. The last thing I want is the two of you fighting. Absolutely no black eyes or missing teeth. You will no longer be my friend if you do either. You got me?"

He didn't smile. "We'll see."

Grrr, the man drove me crazy.

"Did you just growl at me?" Now he smiled.

"Yes, and I bite. So stop. Let's eat, I'm suddenly famished."

He dropped it, hopefully for good. The place was packed and Joel had thankfully made earlier reservations. He ordered a Great Lake's Brewing Company draft beer and without looking at him, I did the same. To hell with Van. I enjoyed my beer last night and I could have one today. I had no reason to think Joel would jump in my shorts after a beer or two. As long as he kept his shirt on, I was safe. He didn't order another beer with his meal, choosing water instead. "I'm driving and we still have a ways to go."

I switched to water and enjoyed my Crispy Lake Erie Perch with a house salad instead of the usual side that accompanied the meal. Joel had the Pumphouse Burger with all the trimmings. I could only shake my head when he finished off my fish.

"You could have ordered two meals," I said as he took the final bite from my plate.

"Don't think I haven't before." His smile was so devilish. "I have dessert packed in a small cooler in the backseat. We need to get on the road, and you'll want to use the ladies' room first. There are no facilities."

I gave him an evil look. "Boy are you lucky I didn't have another beer."

He only smiled. "I'll grab the check while you do your thing."

Joel wasn't around after I did my thing, but a minute later he stepped out of the men's room. Forty minutes later we drove onto the ferry that took us to Middle Bass Island. I took my first airplane flight a few days ago and now I was taking my first ferry ride. What an adventure. We left the ferry and Joel drove a little while longer before pulling onto a well-maintained unpaved lane.

"I can't believe you're driving Lola on this road."

"Lola?" He cocked his eyebrow.

"You said I could name her, so now you're stuck with it."

"Lola can handle a little dirt. Not a lot, but I'm moving slow." We drove about fifty more yards and he parked next to a trail. "Come on, let's get down there."

We were on a slight hill. I carried a blanket and my bag while Joel hefted the small cooler and something in a vinyl carrying case. It turned out to be a foldout shade to block the sun. We set up about twenty feet from the water. There was bottled water in the cooler, no alcohol, and his dessert was chocolate chip cookies, which we decided to save for later after our lunch settled. Joel even thought to bring sunscreen. I applied it to my arms, legs, and face. I looked around at the beautiful scenerythe water, trees, an amazing sky and privacy. "How did you find this spot?"

"My realtor did. I bought it."

He always surprised me. "You bought a beach?"

His laughter mixed with the sound of small waves hitting the shore. "I want to build a family home here someday."

"Um, wow. I don't know what else to say. It's perfect."

"I like the island atmosphere, the entire area actually." He rolled to his side so he faced me. "I have a question for you, but I don't want to ruin the mood."

I groaned. "Then don't, please."

"Sorry, but it's driving me nuts. Aren't your breasts hot and sweaty pushed behind that medieval torture device?"

"You did not just go there."

"You can't be comfortable. Come on. I'll turn the other way, you take it off, and we can both relax."

The killer problem here was that the sports bra was wet with my sweat and extremely uncomfortable. If I was busy, I never thought about the material binding me. Lying here, I noticed the scratchy pinch. Did I dare? I groaned in frustration. "You promise to keep your hands to yourself?"

"You're a tough customer," he said with a groan.

"Joel!" The exasperating man.

"I promise not to lay hands on your breasts- today."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"We don't know what the future holds." He sounded so reasonable.

I needed to set the record straight. "This is just a friendship, remember?"

"Friends, I agree."

I made sure my sigh was long and loud. "Roll over and don't peek."

"Tell me when I can look." His voice had grown husky and I was sure this was a bad idea.

The sports bra was impossible to slip off from under my shirt. That meant going completely topless with Joel's broad back two feet from me. "I mean it, don't look." His chest started shaking. "Are you laughing at me?" I asked while hurrying to get my clothing resituated.

"Yes."

"Jackass." As soon as I had my shirt back on, I grabbed my bag and buried the damp bra in the bottom. I lay back down loving the freedom. "Okay, you're good." Joel did the last thing I expected. He pulled his shirt over his head.

"Not fair," I shrieked.

He looked at me, his blue eyes practically burning. "Why not? You're comfortable now and I'm hotter than hell. I thought you liked man boobs."

I don't know how he kept from laughing outright at the look of shock I couldn't get off my face. I could see his smirk. It took everything I had not to pull my own shirt over my head and give him a little of his own medicine. His muscles were so far beyond fucking hot my rising blood pressure couldn't handle it. I was two feet from the hard cut of his chest, and more than anything, I wanted to lick the line between each muscle. God help me, I wasn't even tipsy.

I lay back against the blanket and closed my eyes tight. It did no good. He was burned into my memory.

"What's wrong, Cami?" I felt him lean over me. This was so not good.

"Let it go, Joel. Stay on your side."

Now he laughed. "My side?"

"You know what I mean. F-R-I-E-N-D-S." I spelled it slowly. "I'm the girl that fucked your brother, remember?"

Again, he surprised me by taking my hand. "You're one in a long list of them and don't get pissed off because I said so. The difference here is that I like you. I could give a fuck about any of my brother's other conquests. My blood boils at the thought of you in his bed." I felt Joel resituate himself, though he kept my hand tightly in his. "I care about you, Cami, so, yeah, we're friends, but don't you ever hide your breasts around me again."

We lay there for a long time without talking. My hand rested in his. There was something special about Joel. There was nothing special about his brother, and, God, I'd done the most intimate of things with him.

"I know I napped in the car, but I'm so tired I can hardly keep my eyes open," I finally said because I was afraid I would just drift off.

"Get some sleep. No one's around to bother us and I need to relax too."

That's the last thing I remember until Joel held a water bottle to my lips. I took it and downed half. "How long have I been asleep?" I asked as I sat up.

"About two hours. It's hotter now and I want you hydrated. You can go back to sleep if you want."

"No. I feel so much better."

"Then let's take a walk on the beach."

"Okay," I said as I grabbed my bag to pull out my bra. "You need to give me some privacy."

He grabbed the bag from my fingers. "Does it hurt your breasts to walk unsupported?"

I needed something to clobber him with. "You jerk, that's not the point."

"It's the only point and the only way I'll let you put that contraption back on."

"It's a damned sports bra. Plenty of women wear them. You're being a douche." I couldn't help my anger. He was asking me to do something I wouldn't feel comfortable doing even with my non-existent girlfriends. My breasts were too big to go flopping around unsupported.

"Come on. I'll carry your bag." He actually slung it over his shoulder.

"You look like an idiot with that." He was so frustrating, but he reminded me of Tyson when it came to my boobs. Tyson didn't understand my need to hide them either.

"You act like an idiot by covering something so tightly they turn into pancakes." He sounded angry now.

"Pancakes? I can't believe you said that."

"You called me a douche. I think pancake is about ten steps up."

I couldn't hold back my scream of frustration. Before I knew what happened, Joel lifted me and almost took down the shade when he stood up. He carried me toward the water.

"No, no, no, you wouldn't." I squeezed my arms around his neck.

"I want to so badly it hurts," he said gruffly as he lowered my legs so my feet landed in the chilly but refreshing water.

I looked down between us where our chests were pressed together. "You said you wouldn't touch my breasts." My voice barely worked.

His was a low sexy growl. "I know exactly what I said. I promised not to lay hands on them today. My hands are nowhere near your pancakes."

I laughed at his stupid name, and my breasts shook against him. A moment later, I gave in and leaned my forehead against his chest. It felt incredible to stand in the shelter of his strong arms. He pulled me a little tighter and breathed against the top of my head as the water lapped at our feet. I wished I'd never heard the name Van Stelson.