“He could be anybody,” I tried.
“You know who he is.” Preston rolled off me. “I didn’t lie to you, Belle.”
I twisted the other way, putting some distance between me and the unpredictable ambusher. “Then why did your fiancée say the guy didn’t exist.”
“Because she’s the one I lied to.”
I quieted—my retorts dying on my lips.
Preston took my silence as a cue to go on. “Everything I told you about him was true. The guy was a budding psychopath and he started early. Guys like that who can’t play well with others, get themselves in trouble eventually.
“Eventually came when Darren was thirteen. He got mouthy with a nanny and she spanked him. The twisted brat got his revenge by copying me.” Preston looked away. “But instead of ground peanuts in her food, it was pills. She overdosed on codeine, slipped into a coma, and almost died. Darren’s been locked away in a private facility ever since.”
Holding my knees to my chest, I leaned against my headboard, considering him. “How do I know you’re telling me the truth now?”
“We can drive to Shadow Grove for a visit, but he hasn’t gotten more pleasant with age.” Preston moved up and joined me. I let him. “I met Delilah after he went away. We don’t talk about Darren, Belle. He’s not so much as a secret as... a shame. We can’t help him. Make him anything other than what he is. Why talk about the family member we had to throw away?”
“You shouldn’t see it like that.” Despite myself, I was getting sucked in. “His parents did what they had to do to protect him and others. Sometimes your best has to be good enough.”
Preston placed his hand over mine. I shook him off.
“Slow down, Desai. You may not have lied about the cousin, but I’m still tempted to kick your ass for the fiancée and pretending you didn’t know who I was.”
“I didn’t know. What happened between you, Nathan, and Carter that you’d think they’d challenge me to sleep with you?”
I gave him a look. “What makes you think you deserve answers? You lied about Delilah!”
“You’re going to make me repeat myself all damn day, aren’t you?” The bold schmuck took my hand anyway, bringing it to his lips. He punctuated each word with a kiss on my knuckles. “Delilah. Is. Not. My. Fiancée.”
“Does she know that?”
Preston dropped his head on my shoulder and my hand on his lap. “Yes.”
“You’re making yourself comfortable,” I gritted.
“Yep. You’ll be forgiving me in five— maybe eight minutes, so why not settle in for an afternoon of make-up sex?”
“You’ve got some kind of balls.”
“You’d know. They were slapping against your ass three days ago.”
“Get out.”
Preston rolled over, trapping me underneath him again. “I’ll be honest, I’m supposed to propose to Delilah at the end of the summer. That’s the plan. It’s been the plan for the last six years.”
I shoved against his shoulders. The guy was immovable.
“But since when does ‘supposed to’ make someone your fiancée? I haven’t proposed to her yet, so again, I didn’t lie to you.”
“You want to pull out the she’s-just-my-girlfriend card?” I flung. “Seriously?”
“She’s not my girlfriend. We aren’t dating. We aren’t in an open relationship. What you and I did the other night was in no conceivable way cheating.”
“She looked pretty pissed for someone who wasn’t cheated on.” I bucked and got a kiss on the collarbone for my trouble.
This guy is unbelievable.
Steaming, I flopped on the sheets. Memories of the last time he had me in this position scrambled my brain something fierce. I would either throw him down and rip off his clothes, or knee him in the balls. There were no other options.
“You can’t imagine someone believing you belong to them, even if it’s not true?” Preston asked.
Swallowing hard, I broke our gaze. “Yes,” I whispered. “I can imagine that.”
“Everything is fixed up with me and Delilah. Our entire life planned out. It’s an arrangement she’s happy with.”
“What about you?” Genuine curiosity laced my voice. “Are you happy with this arrangement? Do you want to marry her, Preston?”
“I never asked myself that question”—his finger traced my bottom lip—“until three nights ago.”
We were quiet for a long time.
“If you want something else,” I began, “tell her. Don’t let her spend the summer thinking she’ll have you by the end of it.”
“It’s not that simple, Belle.”
“Why?”
“I— It’s just—” He tossed his head. “I can’t get into it. If I could tell you, trust me, I would. All you need to know is we won’t be cheating on her.”
“Won’t be?” I repeated. “Have you convinced yourself that we’re doing this again? Because I can tell you right now. We won’t.” I bucked again. “Let me up or your balls will be bandaged next.”
“Are you for real? You don’t believe me?”
Preston let me up. I grabbed his collar, hauling us both off the bed.
“Do I believe you have a cousin? Yes, I do. Do I buy that you and Delilah are only in it for the ring? I’m on an island where everyone is, so it’s not too far-fetched.” I shoved him at the door. “But do I believe you didn’t know who I was? Not a chance, Desai. Nathan and I were together for two summers and Carter and I even longer than that. Think I’m dumb enough to swallow that they didn’t mention the name Belle Adler to you once? Nope.”
I threw open the door and tossed him out. “I hope you enjoyed your one-time pass into the club. All future privileges have been revoked.”
Preston dusted himself off. His grin teased out a dimple. “I was right. You are going to make me work for it. That’s fine,” he said, walking backward out of the hall. “I’m up for the challenge, Cinderella.”
“Keep walking that crazy ass on.”
He laughed. “Amending my projections of make-up sex from eight minutes to eight days. Count ’em down.”
“If I find you in my room again, I’ll break more than your nose!”
Preston blew me a kiss.
“Ugh!”
My door slam rattled the entire villa.
“HOW’S IT GOING, DARLING? Do you like your room?”
I glanced around the spacious suite. King-size bed, sunken living space, television, plush couch, and a balcony that overlooked the ocean. I could complain about a lot of things, but not the accommodations.
“It’s cozy, Cecilia.”
“Please, Belle. Don’t call me Cecilia.”
Her pain nearly cracked my resolve, and then I met my half-made-up reflection in the mirror and remembered I was getting ready for a marriage mixer on an island where I was basically being held captive.
“I will happily call you Mom as soon as my real mother reinhabits your body.”