Since he’d actually been looking for Mia, too—even from the far end of the pew he’d thought something hadn’t seemed quite right about his sister during the ceremony—he said, “I’ll help you look for her.”

The two of them headed toward a grove of oak trees, where the bartenders were doing a steady business in Marcus’s wine. A light breeze over the vineyard blew Tatiana’s scent to him. It was fresh, sweet, and so mouthwateringly tantalizing that he had to work to push back his arousal at simply being near her.

“Mia said you flew in from London for the wedding. When do you need to go back?”

“First thing tomorrow morning.”

“I only have today away from the set in Boston, too. But next time I’m in London, it will be nice to know there’s family there. Well, almost family, since as soon as Valentina and Smith say their own I do’s, you and I will be...” She scrunched up her gorgeous face and turned to him to ask, “What exactly will we be since I’m Valentina’s sister and you’re Smith’s cousin?”

It was hard to think of this gorgeous woman next to him as family. Just as hard as it was to remember that she was even younger than his sister. Both really, really good reasons for Ian to have absolutely no business mentally stripping her dress off her.

But, Lord, even those extremely rational reasons couldn’t stop him from wondering just how soft her skin would be...and if she would taste as good as she smelled.

“We’ll be cousins by marriage.”

They’d made it to the grove of oak trees by then, but neither of them could spot Mia. Ian looked out over the rolling, vine-covered hills. “She’s been to enough of these weddings to know pictures are about to be taken,” he mused aloud. “Where could she have gone?”

Tatiana touched his arm to get his attention. Their eyes met as undeniable electricity rushed between them. With the sun shining down over her, he could see her pulse beneath the skin on her neck. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d wanted a woman this much. Not even the woman he’d so foolishly married.

Pulling back her hand from his arm, the heat from her touch remained as she asked, “Do you think she could be with Ford Vincent?”

“Ford Vincent is here?”

“He slipped in the side door right before the ceremony started and sat next to Mia. Didn’t Marcus mention he was coming?” When Ian shook his head, Tatiana said, “Nicola seemed pretty thrilled that Ford was able to rearrange his schedule to make it. I kind of figured he might come in incognito like that—with a hat on—since people can get weird about musicians.”

“Don’t people get weird about actors, too?”

“They do, but even the other engaged and married girls were freaking out last night about Ford coming today. He’s really popular. Even more than Smith is, I think.”

Worry for his sister was the only thing that could possibly have made Ian forget his attraction to Tatiana. Because, damn it, Ian could only imagine what moves the really popular rock star was trying to pull on Mia. He knew his sister wasn’t exactly innocent, but though Ian had taught her enough martial arts as a teenager to make sure she could fend for herself, he couldn’t risk leaving her alone with some guy who thought he was God’s gift to women...and likely acted accordingly.

Where, Ian asked himself, would he go if he were a rock star intent on getting some from a pretty girl he’d just met at a wedding? Especially if he wanted to get her alone before the rest of the guests discovered that he’d arrived and started making a fuss over him?

Ian scanned the grounds with narrowed eyes. It didn’t take him long to realize that the outbuilding beside the barn would be the perfect place for an impromptu post-wedding tryst.

“Over there.”

His long legs ate up the distance between the oak grove and the barn, but though Tatiana was at least a foot shorter and was wearing heels, she kept up with him. “Why do you think they’re in that small building?”

“I’m a guy. I know how to think like scum.”

She reached for his arm again as if she were trying to slow him down. “Wait. What if she is in there with Ford? Maybe we shouldn’t just barge in on them like that. I mean, if I were trying to steal a little private time with someone, I know I’d be upset if my sister interrupted us.”

It didn’t even occur to Ian that Tatiana could have a point, or that Mia could have made the choice to fool around with the rock star today. He yanked open the door to the storeroom so hard that it slammed back against the wall...to find exactly what he’d feared.

The bastard didn’t just have his hands all over Mia, but his mouth was on her too. Ian immediately saw red as any appreciation he might have had for the guy’s music disappeared.

“Get your filthy mouth off my sister.”

Chapter Fifteen

Clearly, neither Mia nor the scumbag who was holding her had heard the door open or Tatiana’s gasp of shock at finding them wrapped around each other like that. The horrible picture of the guy pawing and drooling all over his little sister was seared into Ian’s brain. He didn’t think he’d ever be able to forget it.

“Ian? Tatiana?” Mia’s skin was flushed, and her eyes remained slightly unfocused. Until, suddenly, she seemed to realize just how bad things looked.

He was halfway to lunging across the storeroom to wrap his hands around Ford’s throat, when Mia pulled out of the guy’s arms and grabbed Ian. With surprising strength, she dragged Ian away from both the storeroom and the guy whose face he wanted to rearrange with his fists.

“I can’t believe you just did that!”

She looked furious and embarrassed, but Ian was so lost in his haze of fury that he couldn’t stop himself from shooting back, “I can’t believe you were in there with that scumbag!” He worked to pull away from her grip. “You and I are going to have a long talk about just what the hell you were doing later. After I tear him to pieces.”

“No!” She yanked harder on his suit jacket, until they both heard a seam begin to tear. “I can handle him myself.”

“That was handling him?” He cursed, one harsh word that landed between them like a stone. “Did you want him to kiss you?”

She paused just a little too long before sighing and saying, “You know what, I actually think I did.”

“Damn it, Mia, it’s my job to protect you. You’ve got to let me—”