CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Jacob held the dooropen, and Leilani walked in ahead. He heard his cousin's voices before he saw them.

"Jacob!" Amelia Dufort jumped up and threw her arms around him. "Oh, I miss you all so much."

"Hey Melia." He hugged her tightly. "This is Leilani."

The two gave each other a friendly hug.

"Wow, your ring." Leilani gasped. "I saw it on social media but holy heck in real life. Wow."

"He chose well." Amelia glowed as the senator walked up behind her.

"Jacob. Good to meet you in person," Jack Rutherford said.

"Senator." He shook his hand.

"Jack, please." He nodded.

The guy was huge and had an immense presence about him.

"We can only stay two days as we have a thing to attend on Monday," Jack shared. "But I wanted to meet you all."

"Given you're marrying my sister, I'd say that was a wise move." Logan wandered over.

"Do not start." Amelia rolled her eyes. "Come on, the girls have made a charcuterie board."

"Ooh, I'm starved." Leilani burst out.

"Hey, I fed you!" Jacob called out after her, then shook his head at Logan. "I fed her."

Jack threw back his head and laughed.

"Let's head outside with the others." Logan pointed. "Aidan and Lily are here. But Jesus, he's like a Klingon and won't leave her side."

"She's pregnant." Jack shrugged. "Some men are like that."

"Have you seen my wife?" Logan said. "About to burst."

"Yes, but Emma and Lily are two different people," Jacob said, accepting the whisky handed to him by one of the staff.

"And yet best friends." Logan shook his head as if it was crazy.

Jacob shrugged and sipped the golden liquid. Then his face broke out into a huge smile when he saw Aidan, who now lived in Chicago with his wife, Lily.

The two men smiled at one another. "Hey, you," Aidan said, patting his wife's bottom, then walking over.

The men hugged.

"How you doing?" Aidan asked, a little quieter. There was no question what he was asking about.

Ward Montgomery. A.k.a. his father.

"Yeah, okay. Dealing." He nodded briefly.

"No, he's not," Blake said, joining them.

"Fuck off. Knox is coming tomorrow, and I'm still here, aren't I?" Jacob shot him a dark look.

"And Ward?" Aidan asked.

"I went to see him." Jacob shared.

"What? When?" Blake knocked his arm. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Jacob shook his head. "Because...because. It was between him and me."

"Good answer," Aidan said. "You have to let them deal with this their way."

Blake looked between them. "Don't make me out to be the bad guy. He's my father-in-law. You're my brother."

Jacob glanced at Aidan for some support.

The three of them were probably the closest. With Logan being older and Amelia, well, a girl, he and Blake had spent a lot of time with Aidan.

"Give him a break, Blake." Aidan grunted. "Buddy, there's no rule book here. The question is, do you want a relationship with him? With your half brothers?"

Did he?

He was still coming to terms with the news and had no idea what he wanted yet.

Space.

To fucking think.

"They're in my life if I want them or not," Jacob said. "I don't have a lot of choice."

That was the part that was fucking him off. There was no room to breathe. To process any of it.

He did understand Blake's perspective, but his brother needed to understand that his needs actually weren't the priority here.

"Understandable," Aidan replied.

"Listen, I'm not trying to be a dick. I just want my brother in my life," Blake said. "I'm going to be a dad in a few months. I want you there. Not hiding in the shadows."

Fuck.

Jacob didn't want that either. Not at all.

He grit his teeth. "I know, bro. I know. I'm...just give me time."

He glanced around, needing to get out of this conversation. Trying to please everyone was overwhelming. Too overwhelming.

"I need to go change. Back in five." Jacob tossed back the whisky and walked inside. His eyes connected with Leilani's as he walked past the kitchen where the girls were nibbling and chatting.

He considered reaching out for her, but the truth was, his feelings for her were becoming just as confusing.

He needed a moment.

To himself.

Jacob walked upstairs to their bedroom, shut the door, and sat on the end of the bed.

Then dropped his head into his hands.

––––––––

LEILANI GLANCED ATthe clock on the wall one more time.

Jacob had been upstairs for nearly an hour. He hadn't looked happy when he'd walked past, so she'd let him go, wondering if something had happened outside with his family.

Her immediate sense was that he needed a moment alone. She watched, waiting to see if anyone followed.

But they hadn't.

"Back in a minute," she said to Bella, who she'd been chatting with.

She was planning to get changed, in any case, so she could use that as an excuse as the Dufort caterers were setting up the gorgeous long dining table for their evening meal and the moms were feeding the kids.

Leilani skipped up the stairs and stopped outside the bedroom door, listening.

Silence.

Did she knock?

Biting the edge of her bottom lip, she lifted her hand and gently knocked, calling out Jacob's name, and then entered.

"Hey, oh," Leilani said, finding him standing by the window, staring out.

Jacob turned.

His expression made her want to cross the room and pull him into a hug.

"What's wrong?" she asked, taking a few steps.

But the shake of his head stopped her.

"I think we should go home," Jacob said.

Her eyes flew open wider. "Why? What happened?"

This time, she kept walking until she was right in front of him. Jacob pulled his hands out of his pockets and placed them on her hips.

"Reality, unfortunately." His emotion-filled eyes held hers.

"Tell me."

He didn't respond, the weight of whatever he was carrying a heavy one she wanted to help him with. Leilani placed a hand on his hard chest and gave him space to talk.

If he wanted to leave, she wouldn't force him to stay. The darkness she saw in his eyes was such a contrast to the playful and happy man she'd spent the day with.

"I never knew my dad." He started, then turned to glance outside again, one hand remaining on her hip.

Leilani leaned against his shoulder.

"I'm sorry."

"A month ago, I would've brushed that comment off. Blake and I were happy kids despite not knowing who our dads were. Yes, plural. We'd hound Mom at times, but she refused to tell us."

"Oh, wow," Leilani replied. "Sorry."

Jacob smiled softly down at her, and she felt her heart let him in a little more. Their eyes turned to the backyard once more, and she soaked up the warmth of his body, wishing she could snuggle in closer.

"A few weeks ago I learned who my father was," Jacob shared.

"That's good. Isn't it? Wait, is he a dick?" she asked, lifting her face.

Jacob let out a small laugh, then turned and pulled her against him. "Damn you, Lani. This is why I need you. You make everything just feel less...I don't know...serious. Nothing is as bad as I think it could be when I have your light in my world."

She wasn't sure what he meant, but it made her body tingle with happiness.

Now wasn't the time to inquire about that, though, so she lifted one of her shoulders in a shrug.

"You're welcome," she said, as he cupped her face.

"But he's not a dick. He's Blake"s father-in-law." Jacob's thumb gently rubbed her jaw. "I have three other half brothers."

"Oh," she replied, surprised, starting to connect the dots.

"And I don't want to deal with it. I'd rather spend my life inside you, pleasuring you, and making you smile, Lani." Jacob's mouth came down on hers and kissed her deeply.

Deeper than he ever had before.

Leilani clung to his big, hard biceps as he bent her backward, both of them moaning as the scorching chemistry between them flared to life.

Then he was reaching under her skirt, tugging off her panties and pressing her against the wall.

He's not dealing, she thought.

But I want him.

He needs this.

I want to give him this.

Releasing her mouth, he tugged down one of her straps and exposed her breast.

"I'm going to fuck you," Jacob growled, then sucked one of her nipples hard.

Pop.

"Okay," she gasped, as he tore off his t-shirt.

"Bare. Your pussy around my cock." His pants flew across the room. "Just like this morning."

Shit. She'd forgotten to get him to stop at the pharmacy. But there was no time to think further because Jacob had lifted her leg and directed his cock at her core.

"Are you wet?" Jacob growled.

She nodded, just as he slid between her folds.

"Always fucking dripping for me, princess." His dark eyes smoldered dangerously, and she liked it. "Take all of me, baby. All of my hard, long cock."

Then he slammed into her, lifting her up around his waist.

Leilani threw her head back, bumping it against the wall as he thrust in again and again and again.

He palmed the wall, holding her body firm against the surface and grunting like a primal animal as he fucked her.

"Squeeze my cock with your cunt," Jacob growled. "Tighter. More. Yes, fuck. Fuck!"

"Jake!" she cried. "Oh God, I'm going to come."

Her body exploded as a hot stream of his seed burst inside of her.

"Feel that. Fuck. Feel me filling you. Gushing into your pussy," Jacob demanded, and their eyes locked. "Like I'm owning every fucking part of you."

Oh, Jesus.

Her very being flared to life, aware this man was claiming her whether he knew it or not.

On a level neither of them was prepared for.

How had this happened? It wasn't supposed to be like this. One weekend. Just sex.

Not...this.

"My pussy." Jacob slammed inside her again, like he was out of his mind.

That was it. He just didn't know what he was saying.

"My cunt. My tits." He cupped her breast and pinched her nipple.

Leilani cried.

"Mine to fuck and possess when my cock wants you."

Her swollen core flared with arousal, wanting to come again even though she had just moments ago. Jacob lifted her hips with both hands and walked to the bed. His cock still inside her. Lowering her onto the mattress, he kneeled on the bed and leaned over, gazing down at her.

"Why are you so delicious to fuck?"

Leilani ran a hand over his face, and he turned his head to kiss her palm.

They stayed like that for a long moment, his come threatening to leak from her.

Then his eyes dipped away, and she saw his eyes darken. "God, I'm sorry."

Sorry?

"I shouldn't have said those things." Jacob shook his head. "I know what this is. One weekend. Let's not confuse it."

Then he pulled out of her.

Leilani sat up on her elbows. "Jacob?"

"Let's shower and go downstairs." He handed her a bunch of tissues, and she placed them between her legs.