Page 22 of The Runaway Billionaire's Inconvenient Baby
“Should we go?” he asks.
“Up the hill?”
“Why not?”
I open my mouth and close it again, realizing I don’t have a good answer to that question.
Without a word, we turn onto the path and walk. Jacob doesn’t say anything, simply looking left and right up at the trees as we wander. When he tilts his head, I can’t help but notice his jawline and how defined it is. How bold all his features are. He’s striking and handsome, and when the sun filters down and catches his eyes, they twinkle.
Looking at him like this, I can see why so many people fawn over him. Hell, if you just looked at him, you probably would think he was a heartthrob. But I’ve spoken to him for more than four seconds, so no amount of being attractive is going to make me like him.
Minutes pass, and the silence continues. I start to feel awkward, so to fill the space, I tell him stories about when I was younger; about the mischief we got up to in this forest, about the best places to hide for hide and seek. He doesn’t say a word as I speak. In silence, he lets me tell my stories.
For the very first time since we met, I have a feeling he’s actually being sincere about how much he’s paying attention. His mouth doesn’t open, his eyes don’t roll, but he’s paying attention. He hums every now and again in all the right places, keeps looking back at me before getting distracted by the beauty around us.
It’s only in this second that I’m realizing maybe he is a good listener. Maybe there really could be more to him than the cold businessman he’s been showing me so far.
He just wants people to leave him alone.
I guess I can understand that. I wish it wasn’t on my island he was doing it, but I recognize the sentiment. After all, it’s how I feel about him being here. I want him to leave us alone.
And I still do want him to leave us alone. I don’t think I’ve convinced him yet, but at least I think he sees us as human now, not as possessions that he can pick up and throw out as he pleases. I think he’s starting to realize that our lives mean more than he thought.
I hope he is, anyway.
We reach the top of the hill, and the sun shines brightly down over the island. I lead him to my favorite clearing, one where the trees part and you can spy on everyone on the beach below. I point this out to him, and he smiles, shuffling to the gap in the trees to look down. I don’t follow him.
Instead, I watch him watching them, looking at the smile on his face, wondering what he’s thinking about.
CHAPTER 12
JACOB
Isleep restlessly that night. The white noise of the ocean should be calming, but I lie awake, haunted by Billie – the way she dragged me around the island, how hard she’s campaigning to stop me in my tracks.
That and the innkeeper seems to be hosting some sort of rowdy birthday party until the small hours of the morning, which is loud and irritating. Normally, these things don’t bother me, but the disruption to my routine is throwing me off completely.
When my phone alarm goes off, I feel like I’ve barely slept at all. I’m definitely starting to regret agreeing to let Billie take me around the island even more today.
She’s a nice enough girl, but at the end of the day, Iamgoing to buy the island, and no amount of appealing to my humanity is going to stop that. I know that’s not the answer she wants to hear, but it’s the truth.
However, I am also a man of my word, so eventually I drag myself downstairs, where the innkeeper greets me with a strong black coffee. “You look like you could use this,” she says.
“It’s after breakfast time,” I say, confused.
She grins at me. “It is, but I know a man in need when I see one, and the machine is on all day. Take it, will you?”
“Thanks,” I say as I take it from her. My pride may be a little bruised at the way she’s seen through me so transparently, but I cannot say no to a coffee right now. The coffee is surprisingly good, considering where it came from.
Awake is still not the word I would use to describe myself, but I promised Billie I would meet her at the community garden this morning, so reluctantly, I force my feet to take me outside.
The people of this town are right about one thing. Being able to walk wherever you want to go is a refreshing change. I’m so used to being driven everywhere that I nearly called my driver out of habit. Billie would definitely have something to say about the fact that I have a driver. Fortunately, I don’t need her permission or approval to do anything, so I try not to let it worry me.
What worries me is that I’m sparing her a second thought at all.
I don’t exactly get lost on the way to the garden, but it does take me a little longer than I had expected to figure out the right way to turn. Cell reception on this island isn’t great, and I’m not exactly used to figuring out my own directions.
When I finally arrive at the garden, I wrestle with the gate to get in. The handle is stiff and creaks every time I go near it, and I’m definitely drawing attention. I shimmy it some more, pulling it up and down desperately. Finally, the gate gives with a groan, and I stumble through as it slams behind me.
