Page 80 of Reign of a Billionaire

Nerves vibrated through me. I really disliked my body’s reaction to him. I’d give my left tit to get rid of it. It was so fucking wrong. First, it was clear he was in love with my twin. Second, his morals were questionable. There couldn’t be two of us with questionable morals—it’d be like feeding a serial killer more victims to murder. And lastly, if I didn’t capture his attention before, when he apparently spent ten years as my bodyguard, it was clear he only saw my twin in me now.

“You let me have the manual because you knew it was no use. Damn you.”

A quirk in his cheek. “I did.”

“You fucking?—”

“Better think twice about what you say next.” He drew out each word, causing my nostrils to flare. He thought he could threaten me and I’d cower? He was dead wrong. I’d learned from my dear mother that nobody was to be trusted.

Everyone was out to hurt you, and this man was no exception. My goal was to hurt him first.

“It’s not right to give me hope and then take it away.” I breathed heavily, sweat dampening my temples as I wiped my palms against my tiny denim shorts. “It’s cruel actually.”

He watched me for a beat, his eyebrows pulling tight.

Dinners this past week had been frustrating but… somewhat amicable. Of course, that didn’t keep us from lashing out at the first opportunity. Like now.

“You’re right,” he rasped. “I’m sorry.”

My eyes widened. I tilted my head, studying his expression, but found nothing except sincerity in his eyes.

I dove off the side of the boat into the cool, crystal blue water that only came up to my knees, I waded through and made my way to the shore. The sand felt warm underneath my feet as I made my way to Kingston.

I stopped ten feet in front of him, the air crackling as we stared at each other. I often wondered what he saw when he looked at me. Just a broken woman? My twin? His enemy’s daughter? Or maybeIwas his enemy?

Whatever it was, it set me on edge.

“I have a surprise for you.” His dark eyes cut through me. Something fluttered whenever he so much as glanced at me. I had to pull myself together.

“You’re going to fix this boat and get me off this island?” I asked, squeezing the excess water from my ponytail.

He cleared his throat as he followed the movement of my hands. “You’re smart enough, you don’t need me to answer that.” He stood up, towering over me, and then turned. “Are you coming?”

“Do I have a choice?” I couldn’t help defying him. It was like my mouth moved independently from my mind.

“No.”

My thoughts came to a halt when Kingston stopped, glancing at me over his shoulder. His lips slowly tugged in a smirk, and I hated how it frazzled me.

“I could throw you over my shoulder and carry you,” he said, his tone goading. Was he… Was he flirting with me?

“Fine. I’m coming,” I whispered, shaking my head and averting my eyes.

The rest of the way back to the estate, I followed in silence, careful not to step on sharp stones or branches. To my surprise, he led the way toward the library. The second I entered, a gasp left my lips.

“What—” I shook my head, at a loss for words. “How?”

Barefoot, I padded toward the south wall. Sometime over the last week, Kingston had rearranged one entire wall with floor-to-ceiling shelves. A ladder in front of it, carved ornately from solid wood. And the best part? It was stocked with a wide variety of romance authors—Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, Barbara Cartland, Eliza Haywood, Maria Edgeworth.

I turned to find Kingston watching me, propped against the wall with his hands shoved in his pockets. His stare was edged with something heated and dark—something that battled with my resolve.

“I found them stored away in the attic.” He pushed off the wall and made his way over to me. It felt as if I’d forgotten how to breathe with each step. His long, graceful fingertips brushed over the frayed spines. “There are traditional titles, and some more…”

He cleared his throat, drawing my attention to his face. Was Kingstonblushing?

“More what?” I pressed.

“More scandalous.”