He reaches over and grabs my shoulder, giving it a little shake. “Don’t worry, King. You special. Yamada saved you and Dime Piece a room. The rest of the assholes here have to sleep in tents.”
I shake my head at my crazy friend.
The massive main house that we spotted from the helicopter comes into view, and my jaw drops as I take in the crowd gathered around front. Yamada wasn’t kidding when he said he invited everyone. There are bodies wearing only bikinis and swimming trunks as far as the eye can see.
Yamada whips the Jeep into a parking spot right in front of the house and then pops up out of his seat. “Yamada’s back, bitches. Get the music started. Time to celebrate this wedding right!”
The crowd cheers and most of the people hold up cups of beer.
My eyes widen. “What is this, Yamada?”
Yamada jumps out of the Jeep then turns to me and grins. “Best man’s job is to throw parties, and who better to throw you a reception than Yamada?”
I step out of the vehicle and help Margo out. I open my mouth to tell Yamada that we didn’t need a party—that our marriage was a mistake and now it’s part of a business deal, nothing more—but Margo places her hand on my chest, stopping me from saying anything at all.
“That’s very nice of you, Yamada. Thank you,” Margo tells him and then pats me on the chest. “We appreciate it.”
This seems to please him because his smile grows wider. “Welcome. Now, let’s party.”
He takes us both by the hand and leads us into the awaiting crowd. Most of the people among all these dancing bodies are people I’ve never seen before, but leave it to Yamada to throw a rager on a private island.
Some hip-hop song blasts through the speakers, and while Yamada busies himself rapping along to the song, I grind against Margo.
She smiles as she wraps her arms around my neck and swings her hips to the beat. It’s the first time since Vegas that we’ve had fun like this, and it’s nice.
After a few more songs, Margo pushes up on her tiptoes to talk into my ear. “I’m going to get a drink. Do you want anything?”
“A beer would be great. Thank you.” It’s a nice gesture for her to think of me.
I smile as I watch her walk off toward the bar inside the house. Who knew Margo Buchanan would end up being so nice to me. I follow behind her, not wanting her to feel like she has to fetch me a drink like she does at work. I cringe at the thought that delegating that task made her feel like a servant. It was wrong of me, and I won’t ask her to do it again.
When I approach the bar, the first thing I see is a man standing next to Margo a little too close for my liking. He turns toward her and leans his side against the bar so that he can fix his gaze on her. I can tell by the way he’s watching her that he’s thinking about making a move, but what he doesn’t know is that she’s already been taken. By me.
The guy is about my height, with about twenty pounds or so on me, but that doesn’t matter. If he makes a move on Margo, he’ll lose a fucking arm.
The bartender takes Margo’s order and then turns his attention to the guy next to Margo and asks him for his order. “Bud Light, and buy this pretty woman next to me another round of whatever she just ordered.”
“No thanks,” Margo says stiffly.
The guy touches her arm, and I just lose my fucking head. There’s no way in hell I am going to stand here and allow another man to touch what’s mine.
I shove his hand away and step between Margo and him. “She said no, motherfucker. Hit the fucking road.”
The man’s face turns white as a sheet, and he takes a step back. “Sorry, man. Didn’t know she was claimed.”
“Beat it, pussy,” is all I say to cause the man to turn tail and run.
“Aww, shit. Yamada missed another King throw down. Damn, it’s sexy when you get all fired up,” Yamada teases. “Next time an ass kicking is brewing, come get Yamada. We can throw down.”
I laugh. “Next time, they’re all yours.”
That seems to satisfy him because he turns and disappears into the crowd, leaving Margo and me standing there.
I pull her into my arms. “You all right?”
“Never better.” She turns her gaze up to look me in the eyes and smiles. “He cares about you a lot. It’s really clicking why the two of you are such good friends because I’ll admit, I didn’t understand your relationship at first. The two of you are very different.”
“I don’t know how our friendship works, but it just does.”
“Sometimes people have a way of worming themselves into your heart whether you want them to or not.”
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?”