CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Leilani climbed outof the Maserati, which they'd borrowed from Fletcher, and giggled when Jacob met her at the door with a scowl.

"Would you let me do that?"

"We've got in and out of the car about eight times already today. Aren't you sick of it?" she laughed.

"No," Jacob said, taking her hand.

He'd surprised her today.

Anyone would think they were a real couple with his displays of affection and all the attention he was giving her. Sure, they'd slept in the same bed and had incredible sex, but given their agreement, Leilani hadn't been expecting any of this.

Because they weren't a couple.

That didn't stop her liking the feel of his big hand taking hers, and his large body felt protective as they walked side by side.

They crossed the road and headed toward the beach. Jacob's arm was around her, his hand resting on her hip. She was feeling so happy and carefree with the sun on her skin and all his attention she wanted to twist and kiss him on the lips.

But she didn't.

Why not?

There was little chance of him rejecting her. God, she'd woken with his cock inside her, his body enveloping her, and fucked her like his life depended on it.

With no condom.

Which they needed to deal with before they got back to the Dufort mansion.

But kissing him like they were lovers on a beach? She felt like there was an invisible line with Jacob that couldn't be crossed.

Not by her.

But he seemed to move it every day.

"Let's go down here." Jacob led her to a line of food trucks where they purchased drinks and tacos, then headed down to the sand.

"I love it here," Leilani said, lifting her sundress over her head and adjusting her bikini. "It's probably because I'm Hawaiian, but I love being by the ocean."

"Do you miss it?" Jacob asked her.

"Yes. Hawaii is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Did you know my surname literally means ocean?"

"I didn't. Kai. Ocean." Jacob smiled at her. "The language is very beautiful. We were there recently for Logan"s wedding, actually."

"On Oahu?"

"Yes. And Maui," he said, biting into his taco.

She knew that after stalking his Instagram, but that was one secret she was keeping. Instead, she sighed and put her elbows on her knees and face in her hands. "I miss it. I want to go back."

"We should go," Jacob said. "In the summer. I'll take you."

Leilani tipped her head and shot him a wondering gaze. He was such a confusing man, throwing out invites like that and asking her what she thought of the homes he was buying.

Did he see this as more than just a weekend together? If he did, she needed to tell him that it wouldn't go any further. She wasn't the type of woman who could fall in love with a man who spent time at a sex club and shared his lovers.

She'd given herself this weekend as a break from her mom and what was going to inevitably happen soon. When she got home, Leilani planned not to see Jacob again.

Not sexually.

And yes, she liked him a whole lot. Too much.

With her life stretched ahead of her, and her last living relative letting herself goddamn die, Leilani had to get serious about settling down and starting her own family.

Did she wish Jacob was her type? Good grief, yes. Even now, sitting on the beach nibbling their lunch, men and women were checking him out. He was so damn gorgeous.

Wild in bed.

And an actual gentleman.

"That's very generous of you," Leilani finally answered.

Jacob would find someone else to play with and lose interest once he realized she was serious about not going back to the club and seeing him anymore.

He owned a sex club and was a playboy.

As he should be as a gorgeous, wealthy man in his early twenties.

"So why did you move to Philly?" Jacob asked.

Leilani finished her taco and wiped her mouth on the napkin. Scrunching it in her hands, she rested her elbows on her knees again and stared out across the ocean as the waves gently crashed on the sand.

"My father. He died."

"Jeez. Lani. I'm sorry," Jacob replied. "I was going to ask you where your dad was. If he was in your life and visiting your mom."

"No." She let out a dark laugh. "He's the reason she's sick. Well, indirectly. Mom started drinking when Dad died. She's never stopped grieving."

"It must be hard." Jacob nodded. "Being that in love and having your heart ripped out."

She turned to face him. "But what about me? I'm still here. She's going to leave me."

"Is that what you think?" he asked, surprised.

"It's not what I think. It's a fact. I will have no one when she's gone." Leilani felt her emotions get out of hand and wasn't able to stop her eyes from filling.

She wasn't just sad. She was angry and scared, too.

"Sweetheart, come here." Jacob quickly wiped his mouth and pulled her into his arms. "How sick is she?"

"Very. She won't stop drinking, so it's not going to get any better." She dropped her forehead on his chest, feeling silly as a few stray tears slid down her face. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to put all that on you."

"You didn't. But you're not alone." He rasped. "Fuck, I never want you to think that."

She was.

They both knew it.

Jacob would drift out of her life for one reason or another while she sought out a man to spend her life with. This wasn't forever what they had right now.

He took her chin. "I'm not going to pretend I understand how you might feel. I have a huge family—growing by the fucking hour—but please know you're currently in the Dufort adoption phase. You are not, I repeat, not alone. Fair warning, alone time is hard to come by."

She smiled at his silly comment.

"I'm not joking. Bella loves you. And Harper. When that girl decides you belong to her, there is no getting away."

Leilani sniffed and let out a teary laugh, remembering how they'd met. Harper had walked into the kitchen and glanced around before spotting her. "Oh, hey. You're new. I'm Harper Dufort."

"Leilani." She said, lifting her hand in a wave.

"You. Are. Hawaiian!" Harper cried. "That's it, we're best friends."

"Well, thanks for that." Kristen rolled her eyes behind her. "So much for a lifetime of friendship."

All the girls had giggled.

Harper had sidled up to her and they'd chatted about Hawaii for a good hour. The only awkward part was when she'd said, "So I'm going to assume you're not Hunter and Addison's throuple or something. You must belong to Jacob."

Ah, what?

"Well, no. I mean, yes. Jacob. Not belong to him. But I mean, yes, we are dating." Leilani had caught herself.

"I smell another potential wedding." Harper preened.

"No, oh, God no—"

"Just say yes. She's a romance author." Kristen leaned in. "You won't talk her out of it."

"Tell me about it, and Harper, Hunter and I do not invite other people into our bed," Addison said pointedly. "Fucking throuple. Where do you come up with this stuff?"

Harper held up her hand. "No judgment. You do you."

"We don't."

"Okay." Harper slowly smiled.

"Ugh. This is why he won't propose." Addison frowned. "We like things kinky, not a crowd."

Christ.

Leilani had shoved her glass to her lips at that point and taken a really big sip. Four big sips in fact, while hoping Harper didn't know about Jacob's sexual preference.

If they'd asked, she wasn't sure what she'd say.

When she lifted her eyes, Bella was watching her, but then glanced away.

She knew.

Her cheeks had heated, but fortunately Harper was still teasing Addison and asking if any of her rings had gone missing for any length of time.

"She did invite me to a girl's night at her place in a few weeks. But I can't. It's in New York City and my helicopter is in the shop." Leilani smirked.

"If you want to go, I'll arrange it."

Was he crazy?

Leilani had to keep reminding herself how different their worlds were. Offering to charter a chopper for her wasn't a big deal to him.

"No, but thank you," she said, not wanting to spoil any more of the afternoon by spelling out that she would go back to being Blake's PA on Monday.

Jacob leaned back on one of his hands and nodded as his eyes drifted out across the beach.

A frisbee landed on the sand nearby, and a dog skidded to a stop and in seconds was racing back to his owner with it in his mouth.

Leilani watched the corners of Jacob's eyes crinkle in thought.

"Hey," she said, placing a hand on his bare chest. He'd removed his shirt when they sat down, and damn if he wasn't the sexiest man on the beach with his olive skin and dusting of chest hair. "I'm sorry I lowered the mood. My life is not your responsibility. I'll be fine."

She wasn't sure she would be, but it wasn't his job to fix it.

Big blue eyes dropped to hers and roamed her face with unsaid words that had her swallowing.

What was he thinking?

"It might not be but seeing you sad has never been okay with me, princess."

The world around them seemed to vanish as their eyes held one another in with such intensity her body began to tremble. She drew in a shaky breath as his gaze dipped to her lips, then he slid a hand through her hair.

"I don't know if I'm capable of kissing you appropriately with children around, but I'm damn well going to try." Jacob tugged her face close and took her mouth.

Holy hell.

Raging fire speared her body as his soft lips devoured her with a different kind of passion. One filled with lust, desire, and a sprinkling of possession and ownership that took her breath away.

His kiss was slow and torturous as they remained conscious that they were in public. If only he would lay her out on the sand and lower his huge body over hers. She wanted to feel his thickness slide inside her, possessing her, filling her, claiming her.

Their tongues lapped at each other as Jacob's grip on her head tightened.

"Baby," he growled against her mouth.

Suddenly, Leilani became aware she'd climbed onto—or maybe Jacob had tugged her—onto his lap.

"This doesn't feel like a kid appropriate kiss," he growled against her mouth.

"We're dressed." Leilani shrugged. "Kiss me like that again."

"Yes, ma'am," Jacob replied, and she melted into his tight embrace. "Fuck, you're sexy. I might kidnap you and never take you home."

God, she might just say yes if he kept being so amazing.

"Yeah? Which one of those terrible houses would you buy and force me to live in?"

Jacob leaned back, staring into her eyes. "Which one do you think?"

The second house had been black and a lot of glass. She'd taken a dislike to it immediately. They'd only looked around half the house when Jacob took one look at her and said, not this one.

The third one? Well, that had been quite a different experience.

The warm brick with its two floors and seven bedrooms, two fireplaces and stunning chandeliers, had immediately taken her breath away. It was twelve thousand feet and had a sweeping staircase that felt so romantic she had wanted to run upstairs to put on a long gown and slowly walk down them.

She felt like the princess he claimed her to be.

Forgetting herself, she walked from room to room, oohing and aahing.

"Look at this spa bath. My goodness, a movie theater," she said. "Jacob, look at this view. You can walk right down onto the beach and it's at the quiet end so it's basically private. A private beach in the Hamptons. Be still my heart."

"I think my job is now redundant." Jerry laughed.

"Sorry. You go ahead," Leilani said. But then they'd found the master bedroom, and she'd nearly cried. "This walk-in closet is the size of my mother's house."

"No, it's not." Jacob laughed. "Well, maybe the living room."

Two of her living rooms, more like it.

Leilani knew exactly which house he meant. But she'd also heard Jerry when he shared the price.

"The one we had to drag you out of." Jacob tickled her in the side, snapping her back to the beach and his sexy body.

"Do you blame me? It had a library!" she cried, laughing. "I was daydreaming. Not all of us are mega millionaires."

"Is that even a thing?" Jacob snickered.

"What would I know?" Leilani climbed off his lap and nestled beside him on the sand. Jacob stretched out his arm behind her, supporting her back.

"Can I ask you something?" she asked.

"Yes, I am going to fuck you as soon as we possibly can tonight." Jacob kissed her forehead. "Next question."

She lifted her face, and they smiled at one another. God, she liked him.

Too much.

She had no idea that he was going to like him this much. Every minute she found herself falling more and more for him. This was not good.

But that didn't stop her from asking her next questions. She was curious and wanted to understand him more before their time was over.

"The club. Carter. Is he a friend of yours?" Leilani asked.

"Of course he is. Do you think I do that kind of thing with strangers? Actually, fine, yes, we do. But yeah, Carter is a friend," Jacob answered.

"I didn't mean it like that. I mean, is he a good friend? Like your best friend? Or just a—"

"Ask the question, princess," he replied darkly.

What exactly was she asking?

Since the night they'd shared at Sailors, she had got to know a different side to Jacob. The man she experienced at the club wasn't the same man who had his body wrapped around hers while they lunched on the beach. Or who walked around Hampton's mansions, watching her reaction as he shopped for a home there.

They were very different men.

Yet, when his eyes filled with lust, that dark lover appeared.

She wondered why it mattered, given she had no plans to see him again in this way when they returned to Philly, but apparently she needed to know.

"Well, those women. Are they your friends, real friends, or people you just, um, have sex with?" Leilani finally asked.

Jacob stared out across the ocean and her heart skipped a beat.

She needed to know. But was nervous to hear his answer.

What if he wouldn't answer?

Maybe it was better to live in this little Hampton's bubble and just enjoy it for what it was.

Three days with Jacob Dufort being an amazing lover and romantic gentleman.

Do not fall in love with him.

"It"s like a sport at Sailors. I socialize with those people. But the people I love, who love me, are here this weekend. My family," he said with such depth it took her breath away.

But sport? Wow, what a comparison. She hadn't been expecting that, nor was she impressed.

"Sex is a social sport for you?" she asked as her eyes widened.

Jacob snorted out a laugh.

"Come on, princess. Would that be so bad? I also play basketball if that makes you feel better."

It didn't.

"I know it was outside your comfort zone, but you looked like you enjoyed it. Wouldn't you want Carter to join us again?"

Her chest tightened.

No.

No, she didn't. But maybe it would be...

"No. I don't know," she said before letting that thought get legs.

"No pressure. I liked fucking you solo last night. More than I thought I would."

She frowned at his confession.

"Okay. Wow. Is that not something you usually do?"

"Never." Jacob replied, picking up a shell and tossing it across the sand.

She blinked a few times.

"Marriage is not for everyone," Jacob continued. "It might appear to be going through my family like a virus, but I doubt I'd ever be monogamous."

"Oh."

Leilani felt far more disappointed with his confession than she should have. It didn't impact her and yet she felt a door close in her world.

She'd been right.

Jacob was a playboy. He owned a sex club and considered it a sport. If she'd found his profile on Tinder, she'd admire his cheek bones and gorgeous eyes, and most certainly his large and athletic build, then she'd swipe left.

"Well, I'm glad you have a sport you enjoy," Leilani said and began to sit up. "It's good to have hobbies."

"Funny girl." Jacob laughed, pulling her against him.

But she wasn't laughing.

The timing of their chat was good. She had started to fall a little for this man and he'd shattered it with his honesty.

"So, are you buying the house?" she asked, and was surprised when his smiled faded.

"Maybe."