Page 99 of Reign of a Billionaire

My body started trembling. Memories, moments—history, written and unwritten—stuck between us, and I wasn’t sure where it’d take us. All I knew was that I was coming undone, every fragile thread of me ripping apart, bit by bit, losing myself and my twin.

Silence.

The air shifted and a soft breeze caressed me. His cologne wrapped around me, sending a shiver down my spine. His warm, strong arms scooped me up, and it felt like my heart stopped.

“It’snotyour fault.”

I brought my palms to his hard chest, his body hot like the sun. I didn’t dare open my eyes. Not when his soft lips brushed against my cheek. Not when they met my own. My fingers curled into his chest, as if I could claw my way through him and bury myself deep inside.

I parted my lips and he captured my bottom one, sucking it lightly. Savoring my mouth as if memorizing every dip and curve.

Before hebitme.

My eyes snapped open to find his brimming with an inferno. The air between us crackled, electricity sending my heart into overdrive. At this rate, I’d end up with a heart attack at the tender age of twenty-six.

“I thought you didn’t like to be touched?” I rasped.

The fire faded from his eyes, turning into sharp black diamonds. His grip tightened on my hips, and then he dropped me, my butt hitting the soft sand.

He left me without another glance, and as he disappeared from view, I couldn’t help but note the irony.

I was the one left with sand wedged in my ass.

Chapter 48

Kingston

Iwasn’t going to last long with Liana in a tiny bikini. The image of her like that was now seared into my brain, and there was no cure for it.

I thanked all the fucking saints there were no other humans on this island, or I’d have to blind a lot of innocent people. And that would make a hypocrite out of me.

Slowly but surely, Liana was getting under my skin.

It caught me off guard. Or maybe I saw it coming a mile away but was unwilling to admit it. Every passing hour around her made me feel hot and edgy. It started with our rendezvous in my penthouse, the taste of her arousal, a drug that had me needing more. And then that kiss happened. The library kiss was an innocent preview, but yesterday was a game-set-match for her.

And she didn’t even know it.

I ran my tongue across my teeth. Now that I’d touched her, tasted her, and seen a glimpse of the woman she was underneath her perfect femme fatale exterior, I couldn’t resist her. I wanted to go find her and fuck her,now.

The real Liana was tormented by ghosts just like I was. She was vulnerable, yet a fighter. Soft but also strong. It was impossible to resist her.

But guilt was a powerful thing. I made a promise to Louisa and, by God, I didn’t want to break it. I loved her; I still did. So how did I move on from it?

I poured myself a glass of whiskey. I didn’t particularly care for alcohol, but since Liana had come back into my life, it would seem I resorted to it more than I cared to.

As the bitter brown liquid trickled down my throat, a memory rushed forward.

“I’m a wimp, Ghost,” Louisa cried, her head resting against the table. “I think I need more of that numbing cream.”

I chuckled. “Sunshine, you can’t possibly feel the needle at this point. It’s all in your head.”

It was just the two of us in the safety of her bedroom as I inked the tattoo on the nape of her head—one to match the design on my forearm. It was the only spot that nobody here would notice, with the way she usually kept her hair down.

“I wish those tattoo stickers were permanent.”

Unlike her sister, Louisa didn’t handle pain well. It was the reason I gave her a strong painkiller and cream to numb her skin.

“Maybe I’ll invent them if we get out of here,” I mused as I picked the gun back up and started working on the shading.