**Cat POVMy smile faded, and I set the wine down. Victoria glared at me, her eyes so fierce I thought they might burst into flames. The joy I'd been feeling before evaporated. I looked over at Luke. He didn't seem all that surprised to see Victoria, but he definitely didn't look happy, either. "What are you doing here?" he asked in a cold, clipped tone. I bit my lower lip to keep from smiling. Now that I knew they weren't together, I didn't feel so bad about being happy when Luke was cold about Victoria. Victoria didn't say anything. She sneered at me and went to Luke. Gracefully, she slid into his lap and draped her arm around his neck. Glancing at me, she smirked, and then grabbed Luke's face and kissed him hard and sloppy on the lips. I arched an eyebrow at Luke. He tensed and brought his arm to Victoria's stomach, pushing her away. Victoria pouted as she slid off Luke's lap. Luke straightened his clothes. "My parents aren't around. There's no nee
**Cat POVI could tell that Luke was upset by Jason leaving my cabin early in the morning. We'd just settled one misunderstanding, and I didn't want another one to get in the way. Just as I was heading over to Luke's front door, he came out of the cabin, fully dressed and fresh. He eyed me up and down, taking in my rumpled clothes and messy hair. "Hey, I just wanted to let you know, that stuff with Jason isn't what it looks like," I said, pointing in the direction Jason had walked off. Luke shook his head. "It isn't my business." His voice was cold and hard. "Like, nothing happened," I said quickly. He just waved my explanation away. "We don't have time to discuss personal matters. One of the local architects agreed to a meeting this morning. He'll be working with you on the project.""Oh, is he coming here so I can meet him?" I asked, glad to change the topic to work. "No, we're meeting him at the hotel. I've got a car waiting," Luke said, nodding toward the v
**Cat POV"Oh, my God!" a shrill, feminine scream followed the clatters. "You're here. You're really here!" I recognized Fiona's voice. "I can't believe you're getting married!"Several other women's voices echoed from the lobby out to the beach. I winced when I heard Fiona's friends start to gush over the resort and the wedding plans. "I know it is short notice. I'm really sorry if this was an inconvenience," Fiona said. My stomach rumbled, and I looked down at my empty plate. The delicious breakfast felt like a sour stone weighing me down. "Look at my new ring! Aaron picked it out before we came down here. Isn't it just gorgeous?" Fiona asked. I imagined her holding her hand out with her sparkly diamond engagement ring as all her preppy friends "oohed" and "awwed" over it. "Albert, thank you for this meeting. We've got some last-minute details to take care of before we go to the site tomorrow. Will we see you there?" Luke asked. He stood up and shook Alber
**Cat POV"Is this all too much for you, Cat?" Luke asked me. I wouldn't meet his gaze. My mind was far off, thinking of how my best friend had betrayed me again. "Cat, look at me," Luke urged, squeezing my arms. Slowly, I turned my eyes to his. "I'm tired," I admitted. "Please tell me, is all of this too much? Because if it is, just say the word. I can have you on a flight back home in a few minutes. No questions asked," he offered. For a moment, the offer sounded really appealing. I gave Luke a half smile, grateful that he was looking out for me. Then I shook my head. "No. I can't leave the project. Now that I've met the lead architect. I'll be okay as long as I stay away from the main event.""I wish this wasn't happening while we were here. I know it can't be easy," Luke said apologetically. I shrugged indifferently. "You could have told me this was happening before we met at the airport." Luke bowed his head and nodded. "I know. I should have. Or, when
**Cat POVJason and I drove up and down the coast, seeing the ocean from multiple views, including clifftops. It was absolutely gorgeous.Then he took me to where the locals currently lived. They'd put together a small city for themselves, but many of the buildings were poorly constructed and not adequate shelter against the elements. I could see why they needed an upgrade. "The architecture here is pretty unique," I said, pointing it out to Jason. "Yeah, the locals have a very distinct style. If you want to take notes, you can use these styles for the new development," he suggested. "That's a great idea," I said. I spent so much time looking at the buildings, I hardly noticed the people or the little shops they had set up. "Cat, come on. There is a seafood restaurant right over here. It is the best kept secret on the island and probably the best seafood in all the Caribbean," Jason said, grabbing my arm and tugging me along. "I thought you said you packed lunch," I
**Cat POV"Luke, where's Victoria? Simon wants to talk to her about business," Barbs said, standing up. Luke pursed his lips, but he only spared Barbs a quick glance before looking back at me. "Come on, get ready. We're already going to be late," he said, pointing to his watch. "Late for what?" I asked, creasing my brow. Luke pulled out his phone. "Didn't you get any of my texts?""Um… no." I grabbed my phone from the kitchen and scrolled through my notifications. I didn't have anything from Luke. "When did you send them?""I sent a bunch throughout the day," Luke explained. I shook my head. "I didn't get any. Oh… I was driving around the island, I probably didn't have reception.""Well, we are going somewhere special, so dress like it," Luke said, nodding to my bedroom. My cheeks warmed, and I looked down. He was being more forward than I expected, especially in front of my friend. "I want to talk to Victoria, Luke. Is she over at your Villa?" Barbs asked.
**Cat POVLuke shot up from the table, lighting more candles. The room filled with a soft, orange glow. I stayed put, my body feeling cold when the windows started rattling the house. "Are there shutters on the windows?" I asked when I looked over and saw the glass visibly wiggling in the frame. "Not yet. I haven't storm-proofed this property," Luke reminded me. The window at the end of the table blew open. The wind whipped around the room, shaking the paintings on the wall and making the tablecloth flutter. Luke ran over to the window and forced it closed. He shoved a nearby bookcase in front of it. The other windows started rattling just as violently. I stood up from the table and went to Luke. "We can't block off all the windows," I said. Another clap of thunder shook the entire house. Boom! Crash!I felt a tremor through the floor. "What was that?" I asked in a hushed voice. I was holding tightly to Luke's arm, looking around like I expected the
Luke's hands gripped my butt, and he lifted me up, sliding me onto a counter or cabinet in the closet. I couldn't tell what I was sitting on. The smooth wood was cool on my backside. He kissed my neck, and I tipped my head back, moaning as I popped one button at a time off Luke's shirt. It was pitch black, making all my senses heightened. He brushed his fingers along my thighs and my skin shivered, puckering with goose flesh. I sighed and shuddered, my fingers curling tightly around the edges of his half-unbuttoned shirt. Luke's lips brushed my ear. He nibbled on my earlobe and then whispered to me. "Is this okay, Cat? Do you want this?""Yes," I gasped, my hands tightening around his damp shirt. His breathing became ragged, and his hands squeezed my thighs almost painfully. He pried my legs apart forcefully. My stomach fluttered and dropped, and I moaned again. Luke nuzzled my neck and started kissing and nibbling along my throat. Heat pooled between my