Page 89 of The Billionaires' Gamble

Trust King to not pull his punches.Hello brutal honesty.

He sits forward, elbows on his knees, lacing his fingers. Fuck. Why can’t we go back to when those fingers were learning how I like to be touched? When he kissed and teased my skin, making me feel alive and at home at the same time?

“Lying to you won’t do any good,” he says. “So yes, from the outside, it looks like your move started the craziness. But Gabe, step back and look at the whole chessboard. Your decision to buyCort was one move. One pawn moving forward a square. There were so many other moves across those black-and-white tiles. We know now Lucinda’s not sane. There’s something messed up in her head that none of us realized.”

I blow out a side and sink into one of the club chairs across from the couch. “Yeah.” She’s definitely got marbles loose. Screws. Whatever. “Add to that her ruthlessness.”

“Right. She was Henry’s daughter in every way. Trained by him. Molded into his image. And when he died, he left a ghost she’ll be fighting ’til the end of her life.”

“That doesn’t excuse what she did.”

He shoves to his feet, all furious, glorious energy. “Of course not! There’s no excuse for what she did. The point is, you aren’t responsible.”

“Feels like it.”

“There were dozens of other plays leading up to what happened yesterday. You didn’t hire those men. You didn’t charter that yacht. You are not to blame here. That rests squarely on Lucinda’s shoulders.” He squares off in front of me. “Why is this eating at you so hard?”

I shrug.

Hell if I know. Is this what the upside down feels like?

Who knew guilt was a living, breathing thing? An invisible dragon just waiting to barbecue your ass.

He stares at me with that same open curiosity I noticed that first day. “You know what I think?”

I cross my arms over my chest, and his gaze follows the movement. Yeah, it’s a barrier between us. No, I don’t like it. But it’s comforting too. Maybe I’m pouting like a toddler. Sue me.

I drop my hands to my hips. “What?”

“You’re in love with her. And I don’t think you’ve ever been in love before. The deep, heartbreaking kind. It’s killing youto believe that you had any part in what happened. And even scarier, what she’ll say when she finds out the truth.”

30

KATHERINE

“Mr. M, I think I’m just gonna move in,” Shon says, shooting my dad an impish grin.

For the second morning in a row, we’re seated at the large round table on the back terrace under a flawless blue sky. The sun is warm, the air is slightly cool, and the birds are in full chirp.

My dad smiles back at my bestie. “We’d love it if you would. Someone’s gotta keep this one in line.” He nods to Ford.

“I thought that was his job,” Ford says, jerking a thumb toward Sutton.

Dad shakes his head with a small laugh. “Sutton, I love you, but you two get into enough trouble.”

I sit back in my chair and bask in the rightness of the moment. Somehow, I went from one of the most stressful situations imaginable to peaceful perfection.

“I try my best,” Sutton chimes in. Then his tone turns teasing. “But you see what I have to contend with.”

Honestly, he’s right. He’s such a calming influence, while Ford is a wild card. Sutton’s the strong, silent type. I’m sure the girls at school lose their minds over his brooding nature andtall-dark-and-handsome good looks. He never seems to notice, though.

Ford, on the other hand, loves being the center of attention. And he and Shon give as good as they get, which is always fun to watch.

I reach over and squeeze Shon’s forearm as the guys switch subjects. “Don’t tease me like that,” I pout.

“Who’s teasing?”

“You’d really leave Boston?”