The Best Man's Bride by LISA CHILDS Page B

had no idea how fiercely Eric would protect Molly.
    If only she had someone to protect her.
    “I’m not worried about the storm,” Colleen assured him. Although the rain clouds lingered, not even a drop had fallen. “I’m worried about you.”
    “Colleen…”
    “I’m like those fireflies, you know,” she mused.
    His brow furrowed, as if he struggled to follow what she was saying.
    “Like no one sees them during the day, no one sees me,” she explained. She’d felt that way when her dad was sick, invisible inside her own home. And in the shadow of her older, more beautiful sister, she’d always been invisible. “No one even sees me at night.”
    He shook his head. “I don’t believe that.”
    “ I’m not lying to you. ” Like he was to her.
    “Then you’re lying to yourself,” he accused. “Because there’s no way anyone could ever ignore you.”
    And yet he had. For years. She opened her mouth to point that out to him, but he kissed her first, his lips moving hot and hungrily against hers. “Your light shines all the time. I can’t stop looking at you, Colleen.”
    But she wanted more from him than desire. She wanted love.
    His love.
    Knowing she had to protect herself, she jumped to her feet and ran. But then her impulsiveness, like the passion she’d long suppressed, surged to life. And she turned and tossed out a challenge over her shoulder, “See if you can find me.”
     
    N ICK COULDN’T REMEMBER THE last time he’d played hide-and-seek. Although Buzz and TJ often begged him to play, he never actually had to look for them. The twins always got impatient waiting and came out of their hiding places.
    Nick doubted Colleen intended to come out of the woods. Something about the forlorn expression on her face when she’d compared herself to thosee fireflies compelled him to search. No one ever saw her?
    Why would she think that?
    He couldn’t imagine that everyone—every man, at least, young, old and probably dead—didn’t stare at her, as captivated by her as Nick was. But more than her beauty drew him. Her vulnerability touched something deep inside him, something no one else had ever touched.
    His heart.
    He groaned but not because briar branches caught at his jeans as he followed a path deep into the woods. He hurt for her. His fingers curled into fists at his sides. This was why he didn’t want to fall in love—love brought only pain.
    “Catch me if you can,” she called, her voice husky as she threw out her challenge.
    One Nick didn’t know if he could, or should, accept. He felt old. Way too old and cynical for her youth and innocence. His feet stopped moving. He had no business chasing after her.
     
    C OLLEEN SLOWED HER MAD dash through the underbrush and listened. Earlier she’d heard him crashing through branches as he pursued her. Now she heard nothing. Only silence.
    Had he stopped? Had he turned back and given up on her? Regret and embarrassment heated her face. She shouldn’t have run. She should have known better; that no one had ever gone after her. But she’d thought he was different. And for a moment, on the blanket when he’d stared at her with such desire, she’d thought he was. That he really wanted her.
    He’d even followed her. But only a short distance. He obviously wasn’t used to having to chase women. They usually chased him, she expected.
    The breeze picked up, blowing briskly. Her skin, bare except for shorts and a sleeveless blouse, chilled. In the distance thunder rumbled, reiterating the threat of a storm. She needed to stop playing games with Nick Jameson and go home—just like she eventually had every other time she’d run away. She edged away from the tree she leaned against and turned. Right into his arms.
    “Gotchya!” His green eyes gleamed with victory. And something hot.
    Colleen’s skin warmed beneath his gaze and his touch. His hands cupped her shoulders, then slid down her arms, pulling her near.
    “You’re not very good at