Read Always My Girl (The Shaughnessy Brothers) for Free Online Page B

spent too much time together and he knew everything about her; he knew what she was thinking even before she did. There was no way Anna saw him as anything more than a friend.
    Looking across the yard, he spotted her. She was wearing a nearly nude-colored dress that hugged her like a second skin. He couldn’t help but frown. For years, Anna had favored jeans and T-shirts. Ever since she left the pub and started working in real estate, she was changing. And he didn’t like it. Her clothes…her hair… Clearly he hadn’t been paying attention because the woman walking around the yard right now bore little resemblance to the girl he’d grown up with.
    In some ways she was the same, but he was beginning to feel like he was losing her—like she was slipping away. And he wouldn’t be able to tolerate that.
    Anna Hannigan was beginning to make him crazy in ways he’d never fully imagined, and if he didn’t get a grip on it soon, Quinn wasn’t sure what would happen.
    “From the look on your face, I can see this may be brand-new information to you,” Riley said from beside him, humor lacing his tone. He clapped a hand on Quinn’s shoulder. “Just remember this, big brother—she’s a beautiful woman and she’s only going to sit around and wait for your dumb ass for so long.”
    Quinn wanted to argue, but he didn’t know what to say. Up until today, he had never even imagined the possibility of him and Anna being anything more than friends. But after the whole bikini incident and now seeing her in that dress…well, he wasn’t so sure he’d be able to think of anything but.
    But the thought of losing her as his best friend? He wasn’t sure he could handle it.
    “Fine, stay there and think, Romeo,” Riley said with a smile. “I’m going to go over and get reacquainted with the lovely Anna.”
    It would have been easy to grab his brother by the scruff of his neck and haul him back, but what was the use? There was no way he was going to make a scene in the middle of the party. And knowing Riley, his bodyguard would be all over Quinn in the blink of an eye and that would really ruin the party.
    With nothing else to do, Quinn walked over and got himself another beer and sat in the corner.
    * * *
    Anna couldn’t sleep. The whole night had been a bit weird. Everything suddenly felt different, and for the life of her, she couldn’t figure out why. Well, that wasn’t completely true—Quinn’s behavior was the real reason why. She just wasn’t sure what to do about it.
    Watching him flirt with Zoe’s friends bothered her. But then again, it always bothered her to watch him hit on anything in a skirt. It was almost comical when he realized none of them were single. It seemed like he didn’t know what to do with himself—other than glare at Anna.
    She was getting pretty tired of Quinn’s glare. Like it wasn’t bad enough he didn’t want her, was never going to see her as anything other than a friend…did he have to give her the kind of look that was pretty much killing her self-confidence too?
    It was late and everyone had already gone to bed, but Anna knew she would only make herself crazy if she tried to force herself to go to sleep. Kicking the blankets off, she stood and decided to go and get some fresh air. Deciding to forgo a change of clothes, she quietly padded out of her room in her oversized T-shirt, down the stairs, and out to the back patio and the pool.
    It was so peaceful and the sky was full of stars. There were a couple of small lights on around the pool to help her keep from tripping. At the water’s edge, Anna crouched down until she was sitting on the concrete and then lowered her feet into the water. The pool was heated and the water felt good and she let out a small hum of delight. With her palms flat on the ground and her feet slowly swaying in the water, Anna threw her head back and sighed, finally feeling the tension leaving her body.
    “It’s a little late for a swim, isn’t