“What the hell is going on here?” I demand in disbelief, my heart hammering in my chest. Both Anthony and his friend look shocked, so at least this is a surprise for them too.

Wesley Mobber, who has a strange half braid, half dreadlocked rat’s nest for hair and a bird perched on his shoulder, looks amused.

It’s been a year. One very long year. And Tony looks just as good as he did the night I first met him.

“Hannah!” Wesley says cheerfully, waving us over. “Come in!” He claps his hands as he sees Cassie. “How fortunate, never a coincidence is there? The fates deemed you to bring a friend too, so everything will be fair, both teams in balance. I’m Wesley. So very pleased to meet you.” Wesley looks back and forth between Tony and his friend, then back to me and Cassie. “Yes, this is perfect, truly divine.”

My mind whirls. I haven’t felt like this since that night Roxy took me to Club Jasmine. I downed enough Little Mermaids that I’m surprised I wasn’t singing Under the Sea by the end of the night.

Tony recovers from his momentary shock, clenching his jaw and scowling at Wesley in barely disguised anger. When he turns away, I get a good look at his ass, and I can’t help it, I bite my lip.

That looks like the same ass on that guy in the lobby.

“What is going on, Wesley?” Tony demands.

“My wife, Alani, was a gracious hostess, I hope,” Wesley says, ignoring Tony for a moment and smiling at his wife.

“Of course,” I say as I try to quickly regain my composure, “but wait a minute—why are they here?” I might be able to speak clearly, but that’s about it. I’ve got a thousand questions running through my mind right now. “I thought this was supposed to be just us.”

Wesley chuckles. “Your handlers didn’t tell you?” He looks at Tony, who bristles at the word ‘handlers’. I don’t like it either. I’m a woman, not a pet. “Either of you?”

We all shake our heads, and Wesley’s grin widens. “Well, your companies intrigued me the most. I have to admit, I sent your handlers instructions that I wanted you two. I could envision the cosmos working through your spirits, and that your meridians are approaching a crucial juncture in your lives. I had to know if there was a congruence of your energies or if karma is simply moving us along in the river of fate and we’re just temporarily sharing a vessel.”

What the fuck is this man saying? He’s speaking English, but I have no idea what I’m hearing. I turn to Cassie, my eyes wide. “Did you know anything about this?”

“No,” Cassie whispers. “I—”

“Shut your trap!” The bird on Wesley’s shoulder squawks.

“Hush, Mo Mo,” Wesley chides gently. “Be kind to our guests.”

The situation is already so insane that we all seem to ignore the talking bird telling Cassie to shut up, because that’s the least odd thing happening here.

Cassie places her hands over her mouth, whispering to me, “This man is fucking nuts, and so is that damn bird.”

I nod. “Makes you look normal.”

Cassie scowls, looking slightly pouty. “Hey! I resent that!”

“We weren’t interested in splitting the property. Why are we both here?” Tony asks just as I open my mouth to ask the same question. The realization sweeps over me, and it all clicks. Oliver. He’s an investor. The man’s got more money than he knows what to do with. And Roxy mentioned something about Tony working for his brother. It was just passed-along gossip . . .

Wesley giggles, clapping his hands together like he’s got us right where he wants us. “Yes, I have my reasons for wanting to sell my hideaway, or as some people call it, the Blue Lagoon. There are duties and responsibilities that come with the property, and to be quite honest, I’m not up to the job anymore. It is time for the legacy to move into another’s hands, as it has for generations before me and will continue to do after me. But I’m not going to sell this property to just anyone. Like I said, those duties are important to me. Don’t worry, though. This isn’t going to be a bidding war. The money isn’t what’s important to me.”

“What’s it going to be, then?” Anthony asks, his voice dropping to an intense growl. “Flip of a coin?”

“But,” Mobber continues, ignoring Anthony’s interruption, “what we truly desire isn’t bought with money. And this estate will go to the person who shows me that they are in touch with what they most deeply desire. Honest in that desire, both to themselves and to others.”

He grins when he’s done with his little speech, seemingly switching from a loopy philosopher to a clear-eyed businessman in an instant. “So, Caleb, Tony, Hannah, Cassie, if you want my property… you will compete for it.”

Am I secretly on a gameshow or something? Where’s the camera? A tight smile forms on my face as we stand there in shock. “If you’ll excuse me for just one moment.”

I turn and leave the room, my fake smile morphing into a scowl as soon as I’m in the hallway. Cassie follows me, her mouth immediately running with a million questions.

“Hannah, what are you going to do? I mean, is it legal for him to do this, and like, what does he mean?”

“Please, Cassie, I can’t think,” I growl, placing my hand on my forehead and groaning. Seeing Tony here is definitely a curve ball and I don’t know what to do about it yet.

“And what’s with Tony?” Cassie demands, ignoring my request for her to be quiet. “You know him?”

I sigh, seeing his handsome face flash in front of my eyes. “Unfortunately, yes,” I say, giving her a shortened version of what happened on Roxy’s wedding day. I pull out my phone, dialing Myra without giving her a chance to respond. All she’s going to tell me is how I overreacted and how I should’ve let him rock my world anyway.

“Come on, Myra, please pick up,” I beg.

“Hello?” Myra doesn’t sound pleased that I’m calling her so soon. But this couldn’t be avoided.

“You didn’t tell me this guy was a certifiable nut,” I whisper harshly. “I won’t even go into how he looks or how he speaks, but he’s talking about some sort of Hunger Games or something!”

“You’re making no sense, Hannah.”

I tell her everything, from the moment we were dropped off right up until I called her, leaving out no details. “Now, this wannabe pirate son of a bitch wants us to compete to win the property! Compete against my best friend’s brother-in-law!”

Myra hums, her voice at least sounding concerned. “Oh, dear. When he said to send you, I expected some hijinks, but nothing like this.”

“Yeah,” I growl, not ready to discuss Myra’s little deception yet. “What do I do?”

“Do what he says. What else is there to do? We can’t afford for you to just walk away. You’re already there. See it through. Figure it out.”

“Figure it—”

Myra cuts me off. “I have the utmost faith in you. Whatever he’s planning, you have the skills and professionalism to win him over and land this contract. I’ve taught you everything I know, so show me you’re capable of this, Hannah. Show me and show yourself.”

Click.

“Hannah?” asks Cassie, who’s been staring at me this whole time. “What’s happening?”

“Get ready. This could get dirty.”

* * *

“The first challenge shall be a classic, a game of tug-of-war,” Wesley says.

We’re on the beach that makes up the edge of his property, the sun going down over the water and turning the whole area a blazing orange that would normally make me want to stop and take pictures if it weren’t for the intensity and insanity of what I’m doing. I’ve taken off my sandals and taken off all my jewelry, Cassie doing the same. With us are three Hawaiians, while on the other side of Wesley and Alani are Tony, Caleb, and three others. My team is four women and one man, a giant with hands the size of a frying pan and an amused smirk on his broad, copper colored face. He’s about as wide as he is tall, but solid, and I’m sure could probably throw me all the way back to the mainland if he wanted. He calls himself Iz.

Tony and Caleb’s team, however, is all men, each of them strong-looking, though nowhere near the size of Iz. All of them are shirtless, wearing various shorts while Tony and Caleb have stripped off their dress shirts and rolled up the legs of their pants. Tony’s body glistens in the orange light, and I want to beat him so damn badly. That attraction I had to him before is creeping in on me, and it pisses me off.

“Now, just so we don’t have any mix-ups,” Alani says in her soft voice, “we have these for you.”

She walks toward us, strips of red cloth in her hands. They’re headbands, and I tie mine around my forehead, Cassie choosing to wear hers loosely around her neck. I look over and see that Tony’s been given blue, which he wraps around his upper arm just above the swell of his bicep. I force myself not to stare, and I find myself ripping my eyes away every time he looks my way, angry at myself for looking at all.

“Now that we have that, teams take your positions,” Wesley directs, gesturing to either side of the giant rope.

We get on our side, with me at the front and Cassie right behind. I glance and make sure Iz is all the way in the back as our anchor. I look and see that Tony and Caleb are at the front of theirs. He smirks, and as the teams get their grips, the shit talking begins.

“Why the sour face?” Tony asks me, his lip curling in a dismissive sneer. God, he’s so handsome. “At least wait until we beat you. Don’t worry, I won’t make it hurt too much. The real pain will be when the humiliation hits later.”

He’s trying to bait me, even as part of my mind wants to explore the ideas of him making it hurt and just how he’d like to humiliate me. I lock that part of my brain away, refusing to say anything. Instead, I lift my nose to the sky, sniffing as I tighten my grip on the rope, digging my feet into the sand.

He chuckles, trying to set me off edge. “Whatcha think, Caleb?”

“Too easy,” says Caleb, flexing his muscles. He winks at Cassie, blowing her a kiss. “Honey, you and I should have drinks after this. I’ll make it quick.”

“You’re going down, asshole!” Cassie yells, yanking the rope.

“Going down on asshole!” Mo Mo squawks from Wesley’s shoulder, and I wonder if he’s got the perviest bird in the world or if it’s just me.

“Chill, Cassie,” I tell her. “Don’t let them rustle your jimmies. We still have to be professional here.”

“I don’t like to lose,” Cassie growls. She’s totally in competition spirit now. Somewhere inside the bubbly, friendly chatterbox is a fighter, and I’m glad it’s there.

“Are we ready?” Wesley says, checking that everyone’s in position. I look back and see that not only has Iz taken a grip, but he’s wrapped the tail end of the rope around his enormous hips. I doubt a truck could pull him right now.

I dig my feet in and nod, unable to take my eyes off Tony, his chest and arms rippling under his tanned, sweaty skin. “Well then, on your mark, get set . . . GO!”

I expect it to be a stalemate, but almost immediately, Tony’s team acts as one, jerking hard, and I’m nearly sent sprawling, sliding through the sand and almost across the line.

“FIGHT, BITCHES!” Cassie screams, and I find my footing, digging in. Iz seems to take the lead, grunting loudly, and we jerk back in time with his grunts, regaining a precious little bit of ground.

Growling and grunting, I dig my feet into the sand, tugging with all my might. I want to win this. I lock eyes with Tony as I tug and pull with all I’ve got. He smirks at me, sweat glistening on his ripped upper body that looks like it’s been carved out of rose marble in the sunset light. My eyes can’t help themselves drifting down to his abs . . .

I slide forward, my attention slipping as we lose a few inches. Get ahold of yourself, Hannah!

I dig in, my feet churning deep furrows in the sand, past the loose surface stuff and digging into the wetter underlayer. It feels like forever, but every time we start to gain some traction, I swear Tony laughs and my eyes are pulled back to him, watching as his hands tighten more on the rope, his muscles flexing as he pulls just a little bit harder.

The end seems to come in an instant. Iz grunts again, and we go to jerk the rope, but as soon as we finish, Tony’s team explodes backward. I’m jerked out of the near-foot-deep hole that I’ve been digging with my feet, tumbling forward onto the loose sand. I fall at Tony’s feet, my hair soaked with sweat as I look down at his ankles, my breath heaving and my heart pounding. My hands are on fire, but the humiliation burns my face more as I look up, seeing Tony looking down at me with an expression of both triumph and desire on his face.

“Hmm, already on your knees for me.” Where you belong.

His words sting even more. A tug of war with five guys against four girls and one guy? It’s unfair, even if Iz is the size of a truck. I feel my disappointment snap into anger and explode. “The teams were unfair and you fucking know it!”

Tony smirks and turns away as Caleb grabs him around the shoulders, pounding him on the back. “Good fucking job, man!”

They’re cheering at my expense. I want to jump on his back and claw him and . . . my blood heats as my chest heaves, thinking about what else I want to do with him once I get my hands on his body.

“Assholes,” Cassie growls, out of breath too. “I’m only a hundred and ten pounds!”

Wesley doesn’t seem amused or sharing in the victory. Instead, there’s a large frown on his face. “A draw!” he yells.

Tony and Caleb stop their gloating, turning to stare at him. “What?”

Wesley gestures at me, looking at Tony. “You and your friend gloat as if you won, but who really won here? Tony, you raise your hands in victory at the expense of your opponent literally on her knees before you. You both fought in anger and for your own destructive purposes. The true winner is the rope, who ebbs and flows with life, untethered by desires and the strings by which we tie ourselves down, but simply exists in its space and goes with the flow of the forces surrounding it.”

“Dude,” Caleb protests, “I don’t even know what you just said, but that’s bullshit!”

“Caleb, bullshit is the seed of life,” Wesley retorts. “It serves as the fertilizer that enriches the very ground you walk on, the nutrients that plants use to feed you. So many people say eat shit and die. I say, eat shit and live.”

We all look at each other like we’re all on an acid trip, and Willy Wonka here just took the left turn to Kooksville. “So . . . what’s this mean?” I ask finally.

“Let this be your lesson,” Wesley says. “Look deeper than the surface if you wish to impress and win. This is not a competition of objectivity and rules, but of subjectivity and spirit. Your second challenge starts at the house in thirty minutes, during dinner. Alani and I will be there to explain the rules.”

Wesley walks off with the Hawaiians, two members of Tony’s team supporting Iz as he coughs and rumbles. I hope he’s okay. He fought his ass off for us. Mo Mo circles the group as they walk away, and in moments, it’s just the four of us on the beach.

Tony stares at me for a moment and opens his mouth to say something, but I turn away, not wanting to give him any chance to gloat.

“Fuck, it sucks we lost,” Cassie gasps, still breathing heavily. Her hands are on her hips as she’s trying to recover. “I really wanted to wipe that smirk off that cocky bastard, Caleb’s, face.”

I look back, watching Tony disappear into the shadows cast by the trees on the way back to the house. I want to be mad, to keep my competitive edge, but the only thoughts running through my mind are how his muscles rippled as he pulled that rope.

I bite my lip and glare daggers into Anthony. “Don’t worry,” I growl to Cassie. “We’ll win the next one.”