“So why blame you? Clearly the split with her daughter isn’t your fault.”

“She knows that, but it doesn’t stop her from blaming me. Jess can do no wrong according to her parents, so no matter the situation, it’s always going to be someone else’s fault—never Jess’s.”

“That’s crazy,” I say.

“Agreed, but that’s how things work around here. You know that. Family is always going to defend their blood no matter what.” He kisses the top of my head. “Let’s get out of here. Kissing ass here tonight chapped my lips, and I’ve had enough of these people for one night. Besides, I do believe we’re on a tight schedule for the rest of our plans for the evening.”

One side of my mouth pulls up into a grin as I think about all the naughty things he’s going to do to my body when we get back to his place. Being married to Alexander King does come with some perks.

Alexander

I KNEW MARGO WAS STRONG, but I never realized how protective she was until she stood up to Jess’s mother two nights ago. It felt nice to hear her brag about how much she was into me, even if she didn’t mean it.

Time flew by after that night. It’s been much easier than I anticipated to be happily married to Margo Buchanan. In fact, it’s gotten so easy that the lines of what’s real between us have been blurred. The first word that comes to mind when I think of Margo is no longer hate. I’ve become quite fond of her, and when the time comes for us to part ways, I’ll actually miss her. It’s not just the sex I’ll miss either. I’ll miss how that smart mouth of hers is always there to call me out for being an asshole, and I’ll miss her audacity.

I flip her over onto her stomach, yank her to the edge of the bed, and smack her ass with the palm of my hand. She groans just like she did when I spanked her last time. She’s a dirty girl underneath that tough persona.

She’s the perfect example of the old saying about being a lady in the streets and a freak in the sheets.

I slam my cock back into her tight pussy, causing her to moan. I grip her shoulders and continue to pound into her, searching desperately for my release.

I have to admit that having a bedroom on my private jet comes in quite handy during long flights like this and keeps me from putting on a show for the crew.

She curls her fingers around the sheets as her entire body shakes. “Oh, God. I’m coming. I’m coming. Alexander . . .”

Hearing my name roll off her lips while she’s in the midst of ecstasy never gets old. I love making her come. It’s highly addictive to witness and even more intoxicating to know that I’m the one making her feel so damn good.

It’s not long before every nerve inside me starts tingling, and I explode inside her, filling her full.

I lean down, pressing my chest against her back while I catch my breath. I bite the bare skin on her shoulder and then kiss the exact spot. “I swear it gets better every single time we fuck.”

Margo shakes her head, causing her long dark curls to bounce around. “I wish you wouldn’t refer to what we are doing as fucking. It sounds so . . .”

“So what?” I probe.

“Graphic.”

I pull out of her and then lie down next to her. “What would you have me call it then? Making love?”

She props her head up with her hand and stares down at me. “Don’t be ridiculous. We’re not in love.”

“Exactly,” I say. “Which is why it makes perfect sense to refer to it as fucking. We get each other off. It’s what we do. We fuck.”

She’s quiet for a few moments, but then nods. “I suppose you’re right.”

I pull her to me and kiss her forehead as she lays her head on my chest, effectively ending that topic of conversation.

I trace the bare skin on her shoulder and try to memorize the softness of it because I know sharing moments like this with Margo is a fleeting pastime.

We both lie there in silence—neither of us saying what it is that’s running through our mind—both of us knowing that this thing between us is only temporary.

My cell phone on the nightstand rings, and I debate on whether I should answer the call or stay wrapped up just like this.

“Are you going to get that?” Margo asks as she tilts her head up so she can look at me.

I smile down at her as I pull away and reach for the cell on the nightstand. “King.”

“Where are you, asshole? It’s almost midnight. When Yamada says be here Thursday, it doesn’t mean show up Friday morning.”

I sigh. “I know. We got a late start. I had a few things to wrap up at the office before we headed out tonight. We’ll be there soon enough.”

“Okay, but I don’t want this weekend to turn out like Vegas where you spend the entire time playing eat the cookie with Dime Piece.” There’s irritation in his voice. “Yamada expects a huge party this time.”

“You got it. And I promise tomorrow we’ll party, but just give me tonight alone with Margo when we get there.”

I know that I flew out here to spend the weekend with him and secure the Buchanan deal for his company, but I don’t want to pull myself away from Margo tonight.

“Okay. Yamada will give you your fuck night with Dime Piece, but tomorrow you assholes better be ready because Yamada has a big surprise for you.”

I chuckle. “Don’t worry, buddy. We’ll get it out of our systems tonight. Tomorrow, you’ll have our undivided attention.”

“Oh, sexy, sexy. Can Yamada video you? We put that shit on the Internet and make you famous. Dime Piece could be a centerfold model.”

“Good night, Yamada.” I quickly cut him off before he expands his idea about showing Margo’s body off to the world because I fucking hate the very idea of that.

“Is he upset?” Margo asks.

I stare down at her and run my fingers through her thick hair. “No, just seemed disappointed. I wouldn’t worry too much about him, though. Yamada is pretty resilient. The man loves a good party, and it doesn’t matter who it’s with most of the time.”

“He said you two went to college together.” It’s a statement, not a question. “It’s hard to picture the two of you as such good friends.”

I smile as I think back on the night I met Yamada. “It’s hard not to like the little asshole. He has a way of making you have so much fun that you don’t care how absolutely ridiculous you look while doing it. The first night I met him, he was able to talk me into doing a few keg stands in order to get noticed by a girl.”

“Was it Jess?” she asks, and instantly, my body stiffens.

“How do you know about her?”

It wasn’t a secret. Those who know me well knew I was in a long-term relationship with Jess, but I don’t like to talk about it. Some things need to stay fucking buried because they hurt too damn much.

“Yamada . . .” She shrugs.

Figures. He never did know how to keep his mouth shut. Now, I need to figure out exactly what my friend has been telling her about me.

“What did he say?”

“Not much,” she admits. “He only said that I was the second girl who you were ever able to get before him—Jess was the first, but then she broke your heart.”

I blow a rush of air out of my nose. “I don’t like to talk about her.”

Margo chews the inside corner of her lower lip. “I can respect that. Relationships suck. Promises aren’t always kept and people get hurt, which is why I decided a long time ago that I never wanted to fall in love.”

“That’s good that you protect yourself because love is for suckers.” I trace the contours of her beautiful face and wish that I didn’t believe that. “I’m glad we both can see what we’re doing here for the physicality of it and nothing more.”

There’s a flicker of pain in her expression before she nods. “It’s good we’ve both agreed this is just fucking then.”

My heart squeezes at that thought. Suddenly, I wish I had never said that. I didn’t mean to make her think that what was happening between us didn’t mean anything to me because it does. While I’m certainly not in love, I do feel a definite attachment to her. It would be so easy to fall for Margo if I allowed myself to open up, but deep down, we both know a relationship between us would never work. We’re both too controlling, and when I go behind her back and make this deal with Yamada to tear her father’s company apart, she’ll hate me even more than she ever did. I know it. That’s why this has to be just fucking. That’s why, as much as I want to have her in my bed just like this every damn night, it can never happen. However, I have the urge to at least let her know this time we have spent together meant something to me.