I continue to gaze into her eyes, and I can’t help but feel a little hopeful that she means me even though I shouldn’t. It’s wrong of me to want her to feel something for me because I know that I’m about to break her heart. But I’m a selfish bastard and I’ll hope for it anyway.

I lean in and press my lips to hers. “I’m glad we’re here together.”

“Me, too,” an all too familiar voice purrs from behind me.

I whip around just in time to see a blast from my past standing there in nothing but a black string bikini.

“What are you doing here?” Even I can hear the shock in my voice as I drop my hands from around Margo’s waist and pull away from her.

“I had to come and see for myself if the Naughty King is married.” Jess tilts her head, swinging her long, blond ponytail. She looks just the same as the last time I saw her—drop-dead gorgeous. But that wicked smile of hers doesn’t fool me. This woman broke my heart—she taught me that no woman could be trusted.

Her presence reminds me that I’ve been allowing Margo inside my heart too much. I have to get back to being an asshole. I’ve already lowered my guard too much around her, and it’s caused me a lot of fucking trouble.

My back stiffens. “So you’ve seen it. Now, fucking leave.”

Jess smirks. “Oh, I’m not going anywhere. Not until I’m convinced the two of you are in love and it’s not some fucking charade. Daddy says that he and the rest of the board could take full control if they can prove you were out making careless decisions with your personal life.”

“Fuck your father,” I snarl. “I’ll fuck Margo right here in front of you to prove that we’re married for real.”

Jess shakes her head. “Fucking her won’t prove anything. I need to be convinced you love her. Who better to judge if Alexander King is in love than the last woman he asked to marry him?”

Margo gasps next to me and then turns to storm off. I snatch her wrist, halting her in place. “Now is not the time for a temper tantrum.”

She jerks out of my grasp. “Don’t tell me what to do, King.”

“Margo. Come back here.”

She doesn’t look back as she storms away.

I scrub my hand down my face. I don’t know what in the hell she’s mad about, but I decide not to chase her down and cause a scene, especially not in front of Jess.

“Looks like trouble in paradise,” Jess says in a singsong voice beside me.

My nostrils flare as I turn my heated gaze on her. “Shut the fuck up, Jess. I don’t know why you feel the need to interfere with my life. You left me, remember? Leave me the hell alone.”

Jess steps up to me and grins. “I can’t leave you alone. This time, it’s not personal, baby. It’s business. My daddy needs me to expose your little lie, and I need to prove to everyone that it’s me who you still really love, not that uptight feisty princess.”

“Stay. Away. From. Me,” I say my words slowly with enough intensity so she knows how fucking serious I am.

She lifts one eyebrow and then walks away.

When she’s out of sight, I set out to find Yamada. It doesn’t take long to find him by the pool with a girl on his lap and one on each side of him.

I storm over to him, seething. “What in the fuck is Jess doing here?”

“Calm down, King. I told you everyone was here. Besides, Jess knows you with Dime Piece now. She’s just here to party with Yamada like old times and help break in Yamada’s new island.”

I rake my fingers through my hair. I love Yamada, but sometimes he can be so blind to the ulterior motives people have. He’s too quick to believe the good in people even when they don’t deserve it.

“That’s not why she’s here. She’s here to spy on me for her father who sits on the fucking board of my company. She’s trying to prove that my marriage is a sham so the board can overthrow my power.”

“Then just show her that you in love with Dime Piece. Everything fixed.”

“It’s not that simple, and you know it.”

Yamada pushes the girl off his lap, and he stands. “Course it is, King. You are in love. Yamada knows it and so do you. You just won’t admit it to yourself.”

I flinch. “I don’t—”

“Okay then, Yamada is going to go in there and try to get into Dime Piece’s panties.”

I throw my hands up, palms out. “Whoa. Let’s not get crazy.”

“See!” he exclaims. “You only get jealous when you care. You. Are. In. Love.”

My lips pull into a tight line. No. That can’t be right. Can it? Me? In love? That’s preposterous. I don’t do love, or at least I thought I didn’t. But I do know that I care about Margo. A lot. I care about hurting her, which is why I’m wrestling with the plan I have to betray her when it comes to the deal I made with her.

Yamada gives my shoulder a firm pat. “Go talk to Margo. Tell her you love her. It make things better. You see.”

He’s right. I do need to speak with her, but I’m not ready to admit that I feel something for her. I’m not even sure about my own feelings at this point.

“I’m going to go,” I tell him.

I turn on my heel and set out to find Margo. The crowd is thick, but I know she won’t be in the middle of it, so I begin checking every secluded place I can find. When I round the outside corner of the building, my eyes land on one of my very best friends and my baby sister. They are sitting too close for my fucking comfort on a bench built for two. Jack and Diem sit side-by-side with their heads lowered, talking privately. My sister glances over at Jack and smiles. I don’t like that smile. It’s too flirty, and I’ll be damned if I allow anything to happen between the two of them.

“What the hell is this?” I ask, not moving my eyes off them.

Diem jumps up instantly from her seat. “Hey! Alexander! Some party, right?”

I narrow my eyes. “Don’t change the fucking subject, Diem. Why are the two of you doing that?”

“We weren’t doing anything, Alexander. You are too damn paranoid. Nothing is going on.”

My eyes flick to Jack for a second before they return back to my sister. I don’t have time for this bullshit. I have to find Margo. “Squash this shit. Now. It’s not happening between the two of you. Ever.”

I curl my fingers into fists, and I feel the need to lash out. Everything feels like it’s coming down on me at once, and I feel like I’m about to lose my goddamn mind.

Jack pushes himself up off the bench and approaches me slowly with his hands up in surrender. “What’s wrong, man? You look panicked.”

I rub the skin on the back of my neck, willing myself to calm down and refocus on the major issue at hand. “Jess is here to spy on me for her fucking father, trying to prove that my marriage is a complete fucking fake.”

“I spoke with the board, Alexander. I don’t think you have anything to worry about. Everyone seemed really pleased with your marriage to Margo after the King Gala, which tells me they all are buying your story. We just need to ride this out for a few more days, and then we’re in the home stretch. So do the best you can to stay away from Jess until then.”

“Okay. I have to find Margo and make sure she’s still on the same page. I just pissed her off. I have to make sure she’s okay.”

Jack nods. “She actually just passed by here. She was on her phone. You better go find her in case she was arranging a flight back to New York.”

“Shit. All right. I’ll see you two in a bit,” I tell them before I rush off in search of Margo.

Panic sets in. I can’t allow her to leave here mad at me. I need to find her and apologize.

That last thought stops me dead in my tracks. When in the fuck did I start having the urge to tell someone I was sorry? I’m Alexander King. I’m not supposed to be sorry for anything I do, but this time I am. I don’t like the idea of hurting Margo in any way.

It’s not until I walk down to the beach that I find her. She’s staring out at the sea while the waves crash around her ankles.