Page 15 of Trust

She glanced at the restaurant. “I guess we should go in.”

“You don’t sound enthusiastic.”

“Yeah, well, my day started at five this morning, and I still have work to do when I get home.” She pulled her attention away from the restaurant. “Video conference with folks in Australia.”

He wanted to pull her into his arms and tell her he would take care of her. That feeling had always been there, even when all he thought he felt was lust for her. Jakob had wanted to shield her from all the bad in the world. Neither was ready for that, so he held out his arm instead.

“Shall we?”

Lani looked down at his arm, then up at him.

“I promise I don’t bite unless a lady asks.”

Pink stained her cheeks, but she took his arm. The moment her hand touched his arm, bare skin to bare skin, a spark seemed to flush through him. It had always been like this with her, which was one reason he had avoided her all these years. She smiled up at him, and his dick jerked.

Down, boy.

He might have some insane idea about winning her over, but pouncing on her in the parking lot was probably a bad idea.

They made their way into the restaurant. It was hard to get a table at this particular place. Locals and tourists loved it not only for the food but also the scenery. The restaurant overlooked expansive gardens. The lush greenery was on full display as people enjoyed their meals.

“We’re here for the Kingston party,” Lani said.

The young woman behind the hostess stand smiled at her. “Of course, Ms. Kingston.”

Lani started as if she didn’t think anyone would recognize her. She didn’t realize how popular she was on the island. Ben had been popular when Jakob had first met him, but he knew that over the past few years, Lani had become the face of the company. She was the person most people went to. He might not live on the island yet, but Marta told him all the great gossip.

“Your party is this way.”

He let go of Lani’s arm as it would have been awkward to walk that way through the sea of tables. Knowing Ben, he got a table by the massive window overlooking the gardens. Still needing that contact, he kept his hand on the small of her back. As they followed the hostess to their table, he heard a few murmurs, but the truth was Lani could cause as much of a stir as he did. She was well-known on the island for working with charity organizations.

The hostess led them to the coveted corner and a massive round table. A niggle of dread settled in his gut. They didn’t need such a big table if it was just the four of them. He wasn’t the only one who was worried about the situation. Lani’s spine straightened even more as she continued to walk across the room.

“Did you two come together?” Ben asked the moment they were close enough to hear him.

Lani shook her head. “Just showed up at the same time.”

So, she wasn’t going to rat him out. She left a seat open next to her brother. He pulled out a chair for her and waited. After a moment, she slipped into the chair, then he took the chair next to her brother.

“Kind of a big table, bra,” Lani said.

“Well, Sienna and Rick are coming,” Royal said, who had not said a word to them in welcome.

He felt rather than saw Lani’s entire body go on alert. “Why?”

Royal’s eyes narrowed as she studied Lani. “She’s my maid of honor, and he’s your boyfriend.”

Before Lani could respond, she was interrupted by herex-boyfriend. Which, he wondered, why didn’t Ben know that they had broken up? Jakob studied the other man. It was Hawai’i, so people didn’t get overly dressed, but Bellows looked like he’djust rolled out of bed before coming out. His brown hair was a tangled mess, and it looked like he hadn’t washed it in days.

The other person with him looked vaguely familiar, like in a social media way. But then, a lot of the vapid ones looked alike to him. Her blonde highlights mirrored Royal’s, as did her makeup and clothing. Women like them always reminded him of the Stepford Wives. Same hair, same makeup, same plastic surgery.

Sienna was frowning at Lani. Lani presented a serene air, but he knew better. Her hand was fisted in her lap. He didn’t know what was happening, but one thing that irritated him was anyone upsetting Lani.

“Hey, Lani,” Rick said, leaning down to kiss on the cheek.

Oh, that bastard wasnotgetting his lips anywhere near his Lani. He blinked and realized that in a day, he had gone all territorial when it came to Lani. Partly because it was apparent to him that Lani did not want the surfer anywhere near her.

He stood and reached across to Rick. “Jakob Wulf. And you would be?”

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