Page 22 of Forking the Billionaire

Pregnancy tests.

Maybe the best plan was to wait to take them until the wedding was over. It was only one week. No matter what the results were—not pregnant, obviously—but still, it wouldn’t hurt to wait for a few days. Definitely I didn’t need to deal with it tonight.

First, I needed to focus on being the best sister and groomsbabe I could possibly be. And while I considered good locations for tomorrow’s search, I needed a distraction, something, anything…what could take me away from everything concerning the pregnancy and the wedding?

Sage had mentioned the resort being haunted. And thosetotally realghosts had stolen Mona Maloney’s glasses. Someone had to find the truth. Clearly, this mystery had to fall to the person on the island with the most reliable memory. That person was me.

EIGHT

JASPER

“—the entire resort to themselves. Instead of just private hot tubs they hadprivate beaches,”Jules said.

Sloshing sounds suggested she was moving around in the hot tub behind me. The nonstop buzz of her voice had started to feel like part of the ambiance, as natural to the island as the swooshing of water on sand, or the clattering of palm fronds clapping in the breeze.

Elbows on the deck railing, I stared out over the dark ocean and tried to make out the shape of the waves. At least on this side of the island, I had yet to find a time of day that would be any good for surfing.

Something soft hit me in the head and stayed there.

I reached up to see what it was. Two triangles and string.

Jules had thrown her bikini top at me. Clearly she wanted more of my attention than I’d offered. How could this still only be the first day of the trip?

I turned to acknowledge her.

Topless, with her hair piled on the top of her head, she flicked water at me. “We could be doing that, too, couldn’t we? If this was actually planned out instead of all last minute?”

“Do what?”

She flattened her lips in a line.“More.Like the Albrechts.”

I had no idea who the Albrechts were.

Sensing this, Jules shook her head. “You haven’t been listening at all, have you?”

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine. They have a reality show. I was just saying that we should be vacationing inrealluxury. You’re a billionaire, right? And so is your brother. And your groom friend.” She widened her eyes and tilted her chin like what she was saying was obvious.

“We’re doing what Gabriel and Layana want. They want to be here,” I said, my throat growing thick. “With Esme.”

“Esme again? You and Gabriel are both weird about her,” Jules said. “She should have cared enough about her brother to go wherever Gabriel and Layana actually wanted to go for their wedding. He shouldn’t be catering to anyone but his bride-to-be. And if I was marrying a billionaire?—”

That just about made my heart stop. “I’m not interested in marriage.”

She rolled her eyes. “If I was marryingsome other billionaire,I’d want to do it bigger than the Albrechts. Theyonlyhave millions, not billions. Y'all should do better is all I’m saying, otherwise what’s the point?”

What was the point in being a billionaire? I hadn’t sought it out and neither had Oscar. Our money was one of the only gifts our father had ever given us, and he’d only done so in death. I would have rather had a father who cared. As for Gabriel, he’d earned every dollar of his money, trying to make the world a better place.

If there was any point to being a billionaire, Gabriel had it right. The point should have been to do what we could with our good fortune to help others.

“You shouldn’t be all the way over there.” Jules stood, baring her naked breasts to the warm night air. “Come here. Join me.”

I’d never been less interested.

It was for the best if we never had sex again. Abstaining would mean I was sticking to my rule about two no more than two nights. It meant there was no chance I’d inadvertently lead her on.

I was doing us both a favor in the long term.

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