Chapter 1

1

Finding my boyfriend in bed with another woman one day into our seven-day cruise was not on my Bingo card for this year.

But honestly? It's about par for the course these day.

"We haven't even been on the ship for thirty-six hours, Chad," I say as calmly as possible, keeping my eyes averted from the naked limbs sticking out from under the white and turquoise bedspread. "How are you already cheating on me? When did you even have the time to find—I'm sorry, sweetie, what's your name?"

The woman who'd just been riding my boyfriend—excuse me, ex - boyfriend —like she planned on taking him all the way back to shore cleared her throat and says softly, "Hannah."

I glance at them and then away once more when I catch sight of her bare chest, the poor thing fumbling to get her clothes back on. "Hannah, right." I swallow and face Chad, straightening my shoulders. "I've been gone two hours. What the hell ?"

"Ginny, baby, I know this looks bad…" He climbs to his feet, letting the bedding fall away and stepping between me and Hannah.

I stare at his still half-hard dick.

He's not wearing a condom.

Clenching my teeth, I spin away and march over to my open suitcase. I slam it shut and rezip it, muttering under my breath. "I knew this was a bad idea. How did I let myself get talked into this?"

"I'm going to go," Hannah says, rushing toward the door. She's only wearing a tank top and thong, her shorts clutched in her hand.

The back of my eyes burn at the sight of her tiny butt barely jiggling. I know it shouldn't matter, but I wish she was my size. Somehow, that'd make the whole thing less humiliating. Because let's be honest—if I were to run from a room in my underwear, everything would bounce around.

I heft my suitcase off the rack and head for the door.

Chad grabs my arm before I reach it. "Where are you going? We're on a ship in the middle of the ocean. You can't just leave."

He's right. Of course he is, because I'd let myself foolishly believe that I could have this one nice thing. And instead, I got to walk in on the man who'd brought me on the cruise while he screwed some other woman without bothering to use protection.

I have nowhere to go.

I doubt the staff will let me sleep in some unoccupied room, not that I could afford to pay for it if they did.

"I don't know," I say honestly, jerking out of his hold. "But I can't stay here. I can't even look at you right now."

"Come on, Gin. Don't be like this," he says, giving me that same charming smile that had first worked to convince me to go on a date and every time afterward including talking me into coming on this damn ship.

But now? It just looked slimy. Contrived. Manipulative .

I shake my head, so completely done with this man and jerk open the door to the suite. "Stay away from me."

He follows me out into the hallway—because of course he does, and I look left and right. There's another person halfway down the long hallway, letting himself into his room and not paying any attention to us. I have no idea where I should go, but the idea of being anywhere near Chad is making my skin crawl.

Had this been the first time or has he been sleeping with other women the whole six weeks we've been together? Annabeth—my sister and best friend—had told me going on a cruise with a man I'd been dating for less than two months was a terrible idea, but I'd so desperately wanted to believe it would be fun. It didn't matter if Chad and I were long-term material; it was the only way I'd ever be able to go on a trip like this.

So I said yes, and now I'm standing outside our suite with my suitcase and nowhere to go.

"Ginny, get back in the room," Chad says, voice rising.

The back of my neck flushes with embarrassment. When the man going into his room looks over at us, I give him a smile and then turn so my back is to him as I hiss at Chad, "Lower your voice. I don't want the entire ship to know about this."

He rolls his eyes and crosses his arms over his chest. "Then stop being ridiculous and get back in the room."

Anger bubbles to life inside me. Up until this moment, I'd pretty much just been in shock mixed with a healthy dose of embarrassment—mostly for me, but some for poor Hannah.

But as it starts to wear off, fury begins to take hold. How dare he call me ridiculous. How dare he act like I'm the one who's ruining things between us while his dick is still wet from another woman's pussy.

Before I can put my jumbled thoughts into words that aren't simply curses and insults, the door next to our suite opens and my stomach drops with humiliation when I see the gorgeous, stubbled face of Chad's brother, Patrick, better known as Trick.

Trick is at least ten years older than Chad and some wildly successful entrepreneur—as well as drop-dead gorgeous.

And I know for a fact, the only reason Chad and I have a suite is because Trick had paid for it. Their mom had mentioned it yesterday, and Chad had gotten so flustered I'd let the subject drop. According to their mom though, Trick had upgraded their parents and Chad's rooms.

Luckily, their parents' room is on another part of the ship so there isn't much of a chance of either her or their dad popping out to see what the disturbance is about.

Trick's dark brows furrow as he glances between us, taking in the towel that Chad had grabbed before following me out into the hallway and how he's only holding it together in front of himself. Then his gaze turns to me, and just like every other time, silly butterflies erupt in my belly. My skin heats where his dark brown eyes touch as he quickly gives me a once-over and then locks onto my suitcase.

"What's going on, Virginia?"

Virginia .

He always calls me that. Everyone else calls me Ginny, and I don't know why, but I like that he doesn't. It gives me a secret sort of thrill that he has a special name for me, even if it's just my full name.

I hesitate, unsure if I want to air my humiliation in front of this Greek god of a man.

"It's nothing," Chad says, anger in his voice. "Go back inside."

Instead, Trick opens his door the rest of the way and steps out, casually crossing his arms over his chest and leaning one shoulder against the jamb. No matter how relaxed he looks, I'm not fooled. The intensity in his eyes gives him away. They always do.

No matter what's going on around him or how little he showed, it's obvious to me that there's always something bigger—maybe even more volatile—happening just behind his brown eyes.

"I think I'll stay," Trick says easily, then turns his gaze back on me. "Answer my question."

I rub my teeth over my bottom lip, weighing my options.

I have none.

"I walked in and found him with another woman," I say softly, eyes on the tacky carpet beneath my feet.

My face feels ruby red. As much as I keep telling myself it isn't about me, that there's something wrong with Chad that he would betray someone like this, I keep seeing Hannah's tiny butt running away. Not an extra ounce of fat on her.

Trick's brows go up, betraying his surprise before he gives his brother an assessing look and then sighing heavily. "Are you going to stay with me or our parents then?"

Chad scowls. "What are you talking about?"

"Not even you are a big enough asshole to make her try and find somewhere else to stay after being the one to cheat. So are you going to stay with me or our parents?" he asks again, slower and not as nicely.

My heart's in my throat, the back of my eyes burning with gratitude, but it's short-lived when Chad barks out a laugh.

"I'm not going anywhere. If she wants to throw a tantrum, then she can go sleep on a pool lounger, for all I care."

He gives me a dirty look, then steps back into the suite and slams the door behind him.

I stare at it for a long moment, feeling Trick's eyes on me. "He's right, you know," I say, still not looking over at the handsome man. "I don't have anywhere else to go. Not until we get back and I can fly home."

With my tail between my legs and pride thoroughly bruised.

Trick sighs again and steps right in front of me, blocking my view of the door.

I get caught in his eyes, unable to look away as it feels like he stares into my soul.

"You're not going back in there," he says, like it's obvious.

"I'm not?"

"No. You're going to stay with me."