Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

AMARA

“Stop making a scene.” Xander’s lip curls, anger radiating through his irises.

“How…” I swallow down the ache in my throat, the gentle wind swaying through my hair. “How can you do this to me? I saw you kissing her.”

There’s no way he can deny it. I’ve seen him with my own eyes.

The betrayal…it shattered me.

He shakes his head, blowing a harsh breath, and once he looks at me, his gaze intensifies. His stare fills with disgust, roving up and down my body.

“Because you bore me.”

Those words bulldoze through the center of my chest, and I fight the tears that come. His cruel laughter only whispers more pain through my already broken heart.

Not sure why I’ve bothered for this long. I knew our relationship was at the end of its rope, but I guess I wanted to hold on. I thought coming to Necker Island for his best friend’s engagement party would be good for us. But I was wrong.

“Did you sleep with her?”

Why does it even matter? He kissed her. That should be enough. But I want to know the truth.

My throat burns as I push down the tears, refusing to cry. Yet they slip down my cheeks anyway, betraying me and the strength I hoped to have through this.

He pinches the bridge of his nose. “I don’t know why the hell I’m still with you. You’re so whiny.”

Your father never loved you. He saw you as a burden. It’s why he left. It’s all your fault.

Those words echo, causing me more agony.

No. Can’t think about that. Not now.

“Pity, probably,” he goes on. “Because no one else would want you. You know that, right? No one would put up with a boring-ass bitch like you.”

People pass by through the outdoor patio of the hotel we’re staying in, glancing at me while I fight not to fall apart. Fight with everything I have not to be weak.

But his words…they’ve dug so deep, every inch of me wishes to die. He knows my every insecurity, and he uses them against me on purpose.

I swipe my fingertips under my lashes. “How can you be so cruel?”

“It’s the truth, Amara. Sometimes it’s good to hear it.” He grabs my hip and pulls me in.

I just want him to finally admit that he’s cheated. Maybe then I’ll finally grow a backbone and walk away.

When I caught him with some blonde an hour ago, his tongue in her mouth, I confronted him after she disappeared. But he denied it. Said the photo I snapped of them was nothing. He forced me to go to this engagement dinner, even though it was the last place I wanted to be.

After I saw the same blonde woman moments ago sitting at another table beside ours, I was sick to my stomach and stepped out here for some air.

Of course, he followed me.

I’d had a feeling he was already sleeping around before we took this trip, but I had no proof, except how secretive he became when I wanted to look at his phone and staying at work later than he normally would. My gut just kept screaming that he was cheating, but I didn’t want to believe it. We were still having sex regularly, and I convinced myself I was just being insecure. I wanted to make the relationship work.

It’s obvious I was the only one who cared. At least he wore a condom every time we slept together. Still going to have to get tested, though.

His mouth falls to my ear. “If you really wanna know, yes, I fucked her. Twice, actually. And I enjoyed every damn minute of it. Happy now?”

I suck in a breath. Backing away, I almost trip in my flat sandals.

“I hate you,” I cry with a whisper, my bare shoulders shaking. “I hate you so damn much.”

He laughs, smiling as a couple passes us, the woman’s brow creasing.

“Stop embarrassing yourself and grow up,” he whisper-shouts. “I’m a man. I have needs. And you’ve never been one to excite me. Gotta think about other women when I’m fucking you.”

I sniffle. “How can you say that?”

He chuckles under his breath, shattering the rest of my soul. “At least that chick can fuck. And she sure as hell knows how to suck dick.”

Fat tears stream down my face. I wish I could leave this island and run far away from him. From my life. From everything that hurts.

“Give me my plane ticket.” I swipe my fingertips under my eyes. “I’m going back home.”

His snicker radiates down my body, digging into my skin. “You’re not getting shit. We’re leaving tomorrow, and not a moment earlier. I don’t want my friend to think we’re having problems.”

I’m the one laughing now. “Why would you wanna be with someone you don’t even like? You’re a joke, Xander. I’m done with you.”

My eyes pop.

I can’t believe I just said that.

Don’t know where that bout of courage came from or if it’s here to stay, but I meant every word.

The tip of my nose burns as I look into the eyes of the man who once swore he loved me.

Now? There’s nothing there. Except lies.

I should’ve ended things months ago. It’s hard to explain why I clung to something that wasn’t there. Will never be there. He’ll never be who I want him to be.

He chuckles dryly, grabbing my arm until I wince. “We’re over when I decide we are. Now shut your fucking mouth and let’s go back inside before people wonder what’s taking so long.”

“Let go of me!” I attempt to fight him off, but he only squeezes his fingers tighter.

“Suddenly got a big mouth on you, huh?” His eyes scan my body, covered in a pale blue sundress that hits my knees. “Maybe I should take you back to our room and show you what happens when you talk back to me.” He grabs a single strap and starts lowering it.

I gasp, fear taking hold as I yank it back up. He’s never taken me against my will, but right now, there’s something dark in his eyes. Something sinister.

“Don’t touch me.” Terror crawls up my spine, my pulse quickening. “I’m leaving now.”

“No, you’re not.” His fingers cinch until my skin throbs. “You’ll never leave me. You’re like a leech.”

“I—”

“Get your fucking hands off of her.” The sudden deep, growly voice of a stranger behind him causes me to jerk, my eyes expanding.

When I glance past Xander’s shoulder, I find a tall, intense man. His eyes are so green, I can practically see the ocean if I stare just hard enough.

My stomach flips. Maybe from fear. Maybe from something more I don’t yet understand.

He catches my gaze for a moment, eyes falling to my trembling mouth before he zeroes his irate attention on my boyfriend.

Xander drops his hold on me, looking the stranger up and down. I don’t know why he isn’t afraid. This man is huge, a good seven or eight inches bigger than him. His tuxedo swells with the ripples of his bulging biceps, his chest wide and powerful.

A sudden feeling of protection wafts over me, like a safety net of some kind, though that makes no sense. This man is no hero in my story. No one ever is.

The stranger’s eyes go to mine once again, his thick chestnut brows tight, and for a moment, it feels as though there’s concern there.

My heart lurches.

But before I can wonder if he was worried for me, his expression hardens again.

Maybe it was pity.

“Mind your business, man.” Xander turns back around, grabbing my arm again.

When I wince, the guy grabs him by the back of his neck and yanks him around violently, clutching his shirt in a tight fist.

A muscle in the stranger’s jaw pops as he bores a glare at my boyfriend. “Maybe I wasn’t clear enough. If you touch her like that again, I’ll kill you.”

My stomach clenches, and it’s definitely not from fear.

This man just stood up for me.

No one ever has.

“Who the fuck do you think you are?” Xander attempts to get free, but it’s to no avail.

He’s used to having control over everyone. His family comes from money, and when you have money, you think you own the world.

The veins on top of the man’s hand jerk like they’re attempting to break free and wrap around Xander’s throat.

From my periphery, I find more men in tuxedos walking over, two of them with the same green eyes as the stranger, and another with blue eyes and longer dark hair. Are those two related to him? They must be.

Xander notices them too, and for a moment, his eyes flash with fear. My mouth lifts into a quick grin as I enjoy the look of horror on his face.

He’s afraid. I don’t think he’s ever been afraid.

“I don’t know what the hell you think you saw,” Xander explains. “But that’s my girl, and how I handle her is not your fucking business.”

The man brings his face nearer, glaring down at Xander with an intense, virile stare. “I’ve made it my business. What are you gonna do about it?”

Xander doesn’t relent, his upper lip twitching.

This guy only clutches his shirt tighter. “You’re gonna leave. Now. You’re gonna get your shit and get the fuck away from her before I permanently remove you.”

The warning isn’t idle. He means it.

“Is that a threat?”

“It is. Do you want a demonstration?”

Xander’s eyes fill with passing terror before they grow with disdain. “Whatever. You want the whore, you can have her. She’s boring in bed, anyway. Half the time, I can’t even get it up looking at her.”

My face flushes, completely humiliated, and I can’t help the small sniffle falling from my nose.

This man’s eyes are instantly on mine, and I’m even more ashamed.

Inhaling a deep breath, I hike up my chin. I won’t let this asshole bring me down anymore.

“Maybe it’s your dick.” The guy clenches his jaw. “Because from looking at her, she’s definitely not the problem.”

My vision grows.

Did he just…

Did he mean…

No, of course not. A man who looks like that would never find someone like me attractive. It’s almost laughable to even imagine him liking me. It’s sweet that he’s defending me, but I don’t need someone to say things they don’t mean.

He drops his fist off Xander, but from the looks of him and the way his hands ball at his sides, it won’t last long. “You have five minutes to get out of this fucking hotel. I don’t care where you go, but you’re not staying here.”

Xander coughs up a laugh. “Yeah, okay.”

“I guess you’re hard of hearing.” He draws nearer, until his face almost touches Xander’s. “We own the place. So unless you want to see what happens to people who don’t do what we say, I suggest you get lost before I lose more of my patience.”

He owns the hotel? Holy shit.

Xander glares at me, muttering something inaudible before stalking off.

When he’s finally gone and the stranger’s eyes lock with mine, something passes through me.

Something that makes my gut flip. Something that feels almost like yearning. Or maybe a deep desire to have a man care for me for once.

Stupid Amara. Conjuring up fairy tales in your head. Don’t you know by now? Fairy tales don’t exist for girls like you.

His eyes scan my body, but not in a gross way. Like he’s assessing me for injuries. When his attention lands on my arm, his nostrils flare. My eyes round when I remember the fading black and blue from another time Xander grabbed me.

“He did that to you?” A flash of rage passes through his features.

I shrug. “It’s okay. It happened a while ago.”

My gaze darts to the ground, unable to look at this man anymore. Too embarrassed from it all.

He approaches, hand lowering to my chin, and I break out with goose bumps when he lifts my gaze up to meet his. The raw intensity there, the way he looks at me—not at my body or my mouth, but at me —causes more tears to come.

When has anyone ever looked at me with such care?

I know it’s pathetic to think I matter to him. We just met.

Xander was nice at first too. But they change, don’t they?

“It’s not okay.” His smooth, raspy baritone causes me to choke up on my emotions even more. “No one has a right to put their hands on you.” He glances at my trembling lips. “How about I get you some food?”

“Uh, no… You don’t have to do that.”

Wiping at my lower lashes, I think of ways to get away. It’s not good for me to be around him. To be so inexplicably drawn to this man.

The last thing I need is another man to complicate my life.

I don’t want to leave, though. I want to stay right here. With him.

Because for the first time, I feel safe. He makes me feel safe, as stupid as that may sound.

It makes no logical sense. No way to explain why I feel this way, but I do, and I want more of it.

“I know I don’t have to.” A gorgeous smirk tugs on his cheeks. “I want to.”

Warmth cruises down my limbs, like a blanket I want wrapped around me on a blistering cold night.

“Okay.” The word slips out before I can stop it.

But it’s too late to take it back, and I’m glad.

It’s like my mind is warring with itself. On one hand, I want to get to know him better. On the other, I don’t want to grow attached.

Even if Xander and I are done, it’s too soon for someone else. And more so, this guy is way out of my league.

“Do you have the keycard to the room you two were sharing?”

Oh, no.

My pulse jumps. I completely forgot that Xander has our room key. What the hell am I going to do? I don’t have a penny to my name. Every dime I make at the coffee shop goes to household expenses and rent.

Shaking my head, I say, “He kept everything.”

His chiseled jaw tightens, that emerald glimmer turning darker. “Alright, don’t worry. What’s your room number?”

“6693.”

“Okay, I’ll get you a suite and move all your things to it.”

I hit him with a wide-eyed stare.

A suite? I’m sure he misspoke.

“I don’t have money.”

“You don’t need money.”

I almost cry, and I swear, my heart skips a beat. A half-smile curves one side of his face, and it becomes harder to breathe.

I shouldn’t be feeling anything for him. Nothing at all. Not this attraction, nor this need to spend more time with him.

He could be dangerous, for all I know. But he doesn’t seem dangerous. Not to me, anyway.

“Why are you being so nice to me?” My voice drops.

“Because someone has to be.”

Emotions hit the back of my throat. Why does his voice calm me so much? And why does it feel like I’ve known him all my life? It’s weird, really. To meet someone and feel like you’ve always known them.

When his full mouth twitches, I wonder how it’d feel to kiss him. To run my hands through his hair.

My God, this needs to stop.

He’s gotta be thirty. Doubt he’d be interested in a nineteen-year-old anyway. He probably dates older, more sophisticated model types. I definitely don’t fit that mold. Though I try to look away, I can’t seem to untether my gaze from his.

Someone clears their throat from my left, and I suck in a breath, finally remembering we aren’t alone. The other men he’s with are still right here, not saying a word.

I give them a quick glance, and a chill runs down my arms. Their expressions are tight, their stances exuding power and superiority.

Who are these people?

“Come on, let’s get you settled into a new room.” He breaks through my thoughts, waiting for me to follow him.

I glance at the men again—who are now falling further behind us as we walk away—and keep pace beside the man whose name I don’t yet know. Only a hand’s length remains between us; I’m nervous to get nearer.

Even this is too close. Though I want more.

My heart grows frantic.

But when he cuts the distance between us until his arm almost touches mine, the warmth of his proximity makes all the nerves sizzle beneath my skin.

“Do you like weddings?” he asks out of nowhere, staring at me with that awfully sexy smirk. “Because one of my brothers back there is getting married in about three hours, and I could use a date.”

My eyes flicker to his. I hadn’t expected that.

I shouldn’t go. It’d be stupid to risk growing more attracted to him when I’m already feeling all these things. But I could use a little bit of fun. Something to help me forget all my problems before I have to return to the hell that awaits me back home.

“I think I’d like that.”

His grin spreads.

What’s the worst that could happen?