It took all my power not to tear that motherfucker Ryan right off of Maggie and ruin his pretty face when I saw them kissing. He deserved it, that’s for damn sure, but then I stopped myself. Told myself that she has a choice and that she’d made it. Remembered there were investors at my engagement party and that Vivi was just waiting for me to fuck up and make a scene so she could blab to the world I’m the same man I’ve always been—reckless and wild.

I’d planned to go back to my hotel and lick my wounds, let Maggie explain to her family and friends why the wedding wasn’t happening, but then one of my old teammates had stopped me.

Asked where my blushing bride was.

So I told everyone to go home.

It wasn’t my most subtle move, and it probably fucked everything I was hoping to accomplish by just quietly retreating, but the image of Ryan with his tongue jammed down my fiancée’s throat was still fresh in my mind. And I’ve never been the best at sharing … or being subtle.

My only plan for the rest of this evening is to drink until I can’t picture the two of them together anymore. I have things I want to say to her—that’s for damn sure—but I’ll leave that until tomorrow when I’m level-headed and not so goddamn angry I could tear the railing I’m clutching right off the balcony.

But then, she speaks up and I go still. “Gabe … let me explain.”

I swallow down the growl that builds in my throat. My staff had explicit instructions not to let her in, and yet here she is, in my suite. Giving me some bull about explaining.

I look over my shoulder and the look in my eyes makes her retreat slowly back into my suite. “You don’t understand what happened.”

I let go of the balcony and step back inside, swiping my whiskey off my desk. “You want to explain?” I demand. She sucks in a deep breath as I throw back the drink. She crosses her arms over her chest when I stalk over to stand in front of her. “You know, Maggie, I’ve done some fucked up things in the past, but I figured you would have at least been able to get through our engagement party without falling all over your ex.”

“Gabe—” she starts, but I’m not about to let her speak. She came looking for me before I was ready and now she’s going to listen to what I have to say.

“He cheated on you. For fuck’s sake, Maggie, we both caught him coming out of a guest suite with a maid—after he’s spent the last several weeks sniffing around you. And then you go off with him during our engagement party? Since I’ve had you out on that beach, I can only imagine where his hands were after I left and you—”

She cuts me off. With a blow to the jaw. I haven’t been hit in a while, and my eyes go wide and I just stare at her. She’s shaking, her nostrils flared, and for the first time since I walked over to her seeing nothing but fury, I notice her eyes are red.

“You stubborn son-of-a-bitch,” she growls through gritted teeth. “If you could keep your mouth shut for thirty seconds, you would know that Ryan followed me. He kissed me. And I absolutely didn’t reciprocate. And if you would have stuck around on the beach instead of storming off like a big fucking man baby, you’d also know that right after he kissed me, I shoved him away and told him what would happen if he ever touched me again—when he did, I followed through on my promise. I am not a cheater, but most importantly, I want to be with you. I was excited about being with you and actually looking forward to marrying you. The fact you think so little of me makes me want to strangle you with my bare hands.”

She’s clenching her hands in front of her now, but the only thing I can focus on is what she just said. That I misjudged the situation. That Ryan pursued her. Dragging my hand over my face, I release a breath. “Did he hurt you?”

She sucks in her cheeks. “No, and like I said, I took care of it.”

“Maggie, I’m—”

“Save it,” she spits out, whirling on the heels of her bare feet and heading toward the door. I stop her before she manages to take two steps. “Honestly, I’ve had enough of handsy shitheads tonight, so I’d appreciate it if you let me leave.”

“Not yet.”

She looks up from the floor, narrowing her eyes. “Should I hit you again?” When I laugh, a frustrated sound tears from her lips. “You think this is funny?”

“I’m laughing at myself,” I admit just as she opens her mouth to say something else. She snaps it shut and tilts her head to one side, waiting for me to elaborate. “I’m sorry.”

“Keep going.”

“I’m laughing because I was so insecure that I acted like a—” I clear my throat before I continue. “—big fucking man baby, as you put it. I’m laughing at how stupid I was and how close I came to making the biggest mistake of my life.”

She holds a finger to my lips, stopping me. “The last I heard you cancelled the wedding.”

“That was a mistake, but nowhere near as big as the other.” I kiss the tip of her finger and her breath catches. “Thinking I could let you go.”

“Just because you realized that you behaved like an ass doesn’t mean that everything is okay.”

“Maybe, but it does mean I won’t stop trying.”

“That’s a lot of effort for a fake fiancée,” she says, but she takes a step closer to me. “There are thousands of other girls on this island, Gabe. Girls who don’t have crazy exes who piss you off and girls who’ll do this with you without expecting anything in return. Why would you—”

“I’ve told you before. I don’t want any of them, Maggie, and honestly, nobody else fucking exists when you’re in the room. Why do you think I was so pissed off? Any other woman and I would’ve followed through with our arrangement, got what I wanted, and then we would’ve went our separate ways. I can’t do that with you, though.”

“Why not?” she whispers.

“Isn’t it obvious?” When she shakes her head, I dip my mouth to hers. She lets out a whimper against my lips. “I love you, beautiful.”