My father used to say that love is for the weak, the fools, and the pathetic, and I grew up stonewalling myself, making sure no one ever broke the barriers around me.

Until I see Olivia Lang.

Free-spirited, kind, and always armed with a smile, she foiled my plans from the first time I laid eyes on her. I've seen her photos, yes, but nothing prepares me for what she looks like in the flesh.

How warm and welcoming she is.

How untainted by the world.

How utterly captivating.

I'm supposed to come here and offer her a sweet deal, so our company can acquire her land and a few others and build a massive luxury resort on it.

But… Negotiating with her is the last thing I want to do.

Right now, the deep recess of the animalistic part of my brain screams one thing, and one thing only.

Make her mine.