Page 39 of Trust

And he had wanted to. He had wanted Lani to ask him to stay, but she had not. Jakob had not pushed for it because he knew they needed time.

“I want to kiss you.”

Her eyes widened.

“But I won’t because I know it’s about the wedding right now.”

He leaned forward to whisper his next promise. “But once this is over, know I’m getting a kiss.”

And hopefully, more. He drew in a deep breath of her heady scent, then he pulled back just in time for the doors to open. When they did, he found Ben standing on the other side, frowning. When he saw the two of them, Ben’s frown deepened. Great. He wasn’t in the mood to fight his best friend.

“What is going on?” Before Jakob could direct his friend’s ire elsewhere, Ben turned toward Lani. “You’re not giving Jake a hard time, are you? Can you just let it go one weekend?”

He wanted to box his friend’s ears, but again, he would let it go. It’s what Lani would want. Still, he wouldn’t let her be chastised like that by anyone.

“Not at all. She wrangled me from downstairs and saved me from fans.” Not a complete lie. “We’ve called a truce for the wedding. Her idea.”

Ben looked between the two of them, suspicion darkening his eyes before his expression cleared, and he smiled.

“I knew I could count on you, sista.”

She smiled at him, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Ben was oblivious to it and her. Again, he wanted to grab his friend and shake him.

“Now that your best man is here, I have things I have to check on. I’ll be back to make sure all of you are ready on time.”

He didn’t want to leave. He wanted to go help Lani. But he knew it would look weird. So, instead, he stepped off the lift.

“Save a dance for me, Lani.”

This time, when her lips curved, her dimples popped out, her entire face transformed, and her magical eyes sparkled. “You got it.”

Then he watched as the doors closed.

“That’s good. I never thought the two of you would get along.” He slapped Jakob on the back. “I think dating Rick has been good for her.”

Jakob pushed away the initial surge of jealous rage that seemed to course through him. Just hearing the loser’s name made him irrationally angry. He knew part of that anger was directed at Ben. How could he not know that his sister and Rick had broken up? He opened his mouth to respond, but Ben and Lani’s cousin Hank called out.

“Come on, y’all. They want pics before the wedding, and you idiots aren’t dressed yet.”

“Let’s go,” Ben said. “I don’t want to be late to my own wedding.”

Lani’s hormones were still vibrating when she stepped off the elevator. Jakob hadn’t really touched her. All he had done was whisper in her ear, and she was a mess.

The moment she stepped into the common area, something pushed against her senses. It wasn’t good. It was that feeling of being watched…intently. Unease slipped down her spine. Trying her best not to look like she was searching for anyone, she pulled out her phone and pretended to check for messages. All the while, she looked out of the corner of her eye.

Her phone buzzed, drawing her attention to it. She frowned at one from an unknown number.

Unknown:You should be careful. Your life is in danger.

What?

When Lani looked up this time, she didn’t try to hide it. Her gaze searched her surroundings. She was now in the lobby area, and her gaze took in her surroundings. No one was paying attention to her, even though it was crowded. And why would someone want to kill her?

It had to be a wrong number. No one knew about her and Jakob, and they had barely kissed, so that made no sense at all. She sighed and pushed that thought aside because she had too much on her plate today. Hopefully, whoever it was found who they were looking for. The next message was from the catering director, who was freaked out. Lani shoved her phone back into her pocket and headed off to avert whatever crisis had arisen.

He watched from the other side of the lobby. Lani practically glided across the crowded space. It was easy to see the royal blood that flowed through her veins.

His phone buzzed, and he knew who it was. He didn’t want to answer. Didn’t want to deal with his partner. If he didn’t answer, he knew what would happen.

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