Page 109 of Promise Not to Fall for the Rich & Famous

“Yes. Who knows what she’s thinking? She might realize they’re right and demand to leave the island. Or she could be in denial and wanting confirmation from you. You’ve got to think through this before you just spit it out.”

Fear was a terrible thing. Zander had experienced plenty of it over the years. He’d worried about Winston and his addiction the most. And even amidst all of that upset and fear, despite his and his siblings’ desperate attempts to save his younger brother’s life, their worst fear had become a reality.

In the end, there’d been nothing they could do. But this…this was different. How he handled this situation with Kat could make all the difference. She needed to know that he was repentant. That he had a valid reason for doing it, for keeping it from her. And for not telling her even after they’d fallen in love.

“We’re willing to cut a deal with you. We’ll forgive every infraction against you and your brother if you agree to tell Kat on film.”

“No.” He shook his head. “Sorry, but that’s not going to happen.”

“You lied to all of America too, Zander.”

It had been days since someone had called him by his real name. The sound of it made him flinch. Standing just outside of the trees now, Zander looked over his shoulder. “You’re right. But the only person I care about is Kat.”

“Zander?”

Ice replaced the blood in his veins. It wasn’t Marsha who said his name this time; it was Kat. And by the sound of her voice, she was standing nearby.

A gulp slunk past his tightened throat. A rash of chills spread over his skin. Little by little, Zander turned to face her.

Kat’s eyes were wide with shock. Lips parted, she searched his face. “Marsha just called you Zander.”

“Don’t say anything,” Marsha mumbled from behind.

But Zander only nodded and took a step closer to Kat. “Yes,” he said, “she did.”

Kat took a step back, eyeing the white sand between them. “Why? Why did she call you Zander?”

The hurt in her face—it was like a million knives stabbing into him at once. He put his hands up in surrender and took another step. “Kat, listen.”

“It’s true?” She brought a shaky hand to her heart, began pressing at it with her palm. “Please…tell me the man I fell in love with wasn’t lying to me that whole time.”

The blades sank deeper, threatening to rob his next breath. Sweat broke out over his face and palms. “It’s just a name, Kat. I only lied about my name. I am who I said I was.”

A humorless laugh trilled from her throat. “Does that mean you are Duke? Because who you told me you were was Duke Benton, not Zander.” She forced out another laugh. “I don’t even like Zander. I told you that, and you defended him.”

The words I don’t like Zander caused a different sort of hurt, one that was drenched in fear. Fear of losing the woman he hoped to spend the rest of his life with.

“Please, Kat. Let me explain.”

But she was already hurrying away.

Zander trailed after her through the sinking sand toward the beach house, fear turning quickly to anger. “This is exactly what you did the first time we met. Just run away instead of giving me a chance to explain things.”

“I can’t believe this is happening,” Kat hissed while hurrying up the stairs. “Don’t follow me.” She flung open the screen door and bolted inside.

The momentum rushing through him made it hard not to follow, but he forced himself to spin around and pace the porch instead. His words, on the other hand, would take no such detour. She’d struck a nerve with her comment.

“You didn’t like me?” he hollered. “Could that be because you didn’t give me even a second to defend myself? If you would have let me speak when you showed up at my office, you would have found out that I have plans to make Milton and Brewster more eco friendly than any printing press to date.”

His words bounced off the wood-slatted deck. They echoed off the glass of the beach house. But they didn’t slow down the woman they were meant for. She was too busy hoisting her suitcase onto the bed and dashing over to the armoire, he could see that much from the porch.

“We might have actually hit it off then, Kat. I was attracted to you. I was interested in you. Why do you think I sent you roses?”

Marsha bounded up the steps. “You sent her roses? Before all of this?”

Zander kept his gaze pasted on his view of Kat packing her bag. “Yeah.”

In his periphery, he saw Marsha fling open the door and step inside. She spun around before heading in and spoke through the mesh screen. “Go cool off for a minute. Let her do the same.”