The Billionaire and His Castaway (Alexa Riley Promises #3)(12)

She studies me like she is trying to read if what I’m saying is true. So I give her more, needing her to understand. Maybe that’s all this is. A bunch of f*cked-up misunderstandings. “I don’t date, and to be honest, I had no idea how to go about getting your attention. Apparently I’m f*cking terrible at the whole thing, because you think I didn’t want you, then you thought it was a game. No, sweets, what you saw was me having no clue what I’m doing for the first time in my life, and again, for once in my life, failing.”

Her eyes go wide.

“I don’t believe that at all. You know, because I’m just ‘one of yours.’” She makes air quotes with her fingers, and I don’t know what she means.

“Sweets, I have no idea what you’re talking about. You are the only one. The only one I have or want.”

She rolls her eyes, and I can feel her slipping away from me, putting up that wall again, and I can’t let that happen. Won’t let that happen. Not when I’ve finally gotten this far. Can taste her lips on my mouth. I pull her into me.

“The bartender. He said, ‘I didn’t know she was one of yours.’” I see her eyes light up with jealousy. I f*cking love it and hate it all at once. Love it because I know she cares, but hate it because I never want her to feel jealousy when it comes to us. There’s no reason to. She owns me.

“He meant my cousins. I have a lot of them. All girls, and I tell the staff to stay away from them. We had an incident once when someone broke little Libby’s heart and she cried about it for weeks. I wasn’t doing that shit ever again. So now there’s a don’t-f*cking-touch-my-cousins rule.”

She shakes her head slightly in disbelief.

“But I saw you that night at the event. Women were all over you,” she accuses, like she’s just remembering and has one up on me. I shake my head.

“You’re right. I’m rich, and women often try to throw themselves at me. Maybe if I had a someone at my side, I wouldn’t have that problem. Maybe I should get married. Get a ring on my finger so they all know I’m not up for grabs. I think I know the perfect woman for the job.”

Her mouth falls open, and I again steal the moment to kiss her.





Chapter Seven





Madeline




I can’t stop myself from putting my arms around his neck and deepening the kiss. So many emotions and thoughts run through me, and I have no idea what to do with any of them. But what he said was nothing like I thought it would be. Even if he’s just teasing about the last part. No way could he really mean he wants to get married. We barely know each other.

When I finally pull away from him, I see that hooded look on his face again. I don’t know what it is, but when I see that raw desire for me on his face, it does something to me. Makes me feel like a woman for the first time in my life. Not just some little girl whos brothers have tried to shelter from the world. Maybe I am finding what I came out here to find. A little more of me. A part of me that I didn’t even know had been there all along is opening up. Or maybe it was waiting for Kenton. That is both exciting and scary all at once.

“There’s no one else, Madeline.”

He says my name, and it feels foreign. Oddly, it makes me miss the nickname he’d given me that normally makes me mad.

“There hasn’t been anyone since I laid eyes on you, sweets, and there wasn’t anyone for a long time before you. Hell, no one mattered before you. Not even close.”

My heart does a little flutter at that. I lick my lips and watch his eyes go there.

“Okay,” is all I can find myself saying, feeling shy again.

“Okay?” He eyes me, his hands loosening the firm hold he has on my hips and sliding up my back.

“Okay, I’ll stop fighting this,” I say, making him smile. He leans in and places a kiss on my neck and starts to trail more up to my ear. He grabs my earlobe between his teeth, making me moan and wiggle on him.

“You can fight all you want, sweets, but one way or another, I’ll have you.” Then he’s picking me up in an easy hold, carrying me back to where he left his bag. I remember that we’re on an island, maybe even stranded.

He places me on my feet in the sand, picks up my shoes, and slides them into his backpack. Then he puts his shoes on and picks me up again, making me squeal.

“I can walk.”

He just smiles at me, tightening his hold. He seems to do that a lot. Like I might up and disappear on him or something. I like it. I like that he has these possessive feelings for me.

“You hurt your foot, and I like holding you.”

I wrap my hand around his neck, laying my head on his shoulder.

“Okay,” I say once again.

“You’re awfully agreeable all of a sudden,” he teases as he starts walking back towards where we came from.

“Maybe it’s the orgasms,” I say, teasing him back and making him chuckle.

“I’ll have to keep that in mind.”

“Where are we going?” I ask, feeling my eyes start to drift closed. The sun is going down, and I have a feeling we are going to be here for the night. I should be more scared, but for some reason, with Kenton holding me, I just feel content.

“I thought I saw something over here.”