CHAPTER SIX

Leilani clapped alongwith the other few hundred InkWell employees and guests as Blake, Hunter, Fletcher, and Daniel Dufort presented on stage.

For the past two hours, they'd shared the new vision for InkWell after Blake had introduced his three cousins as the new investors.

It was a big deal, and everyone was excited.

After all, their hotel chain was a well-known name across the United States and listed as a Fortune 100 company. Daniel himself was on the Forbes richest list as one of the wealthiest people in the world.

"And for those of you who haven't yet met my wife"—Blake reached out his arm—"this is Bella Dufort."

Bella wandered on to the stage looking absolutely stunning in a black cocktail dress. She waved out to the room and slid naturally under his arm. "Nice to meet you all."

They were a stunning couple together.

"Thank you for your focus this afternoon, and your passion and loyalty to InkWell. I hope you're all as excited as we are about the new products we'll be launching this year. We're going to kick ass," Blake said, punching his arm in the air.

The room erupted into applause.

"Enough business. Now it's time to party." Hunter Dufort grinned, wrapping things up.

Around her the lights dimmed, and the music started, but her attention was on Hunter's grin. It was so much like Jacob's—the man she was not thinking about, but had thought about, all week since he'd left his note.

Bella climbed down the steps and joined Leilani at the table. She picked up her glass of water. "Wow, that was amazing. I can't believe you put all this together so quickly."

Leilani preened.

"Oh..." She waved out her hand. "I used an event team at the hotel. They do this sort of thing every day. All I had to do was decide on what we wanted."

"Don't sell yourself short. You did a great job," Bella insisted.

"You did." Blake sidled up beside his wife, his hand slipping around her waist.

"Thank you," Leilani said, feeling a pang of envy at the happy couple.

She was happy for them, but the desire to have someone special in her life was growing. Of course, she knew it was because her mom was dying, and she had a heightened awareness she was going to be alone in life.

Soon.

Very soon.

Society would say she should be strong and happily independent. She should stay single and focus on her career. Then the right man will come along. Well, she had been doing that in between the odd boyfriend.

She had even lived with one of them for six months.

Kenneth.

He was a lovely guy, but the deeper into the relationship they got, Leilani felt bored. Something she still felt guilty about. But if she had to sit and listen to another conversation about how his tax clients hadn't filled out their spreadsheet correctly and how all they had to do was click the little drop-down boxes, she would poke her own eyes out.

Even more shame worthy was the fact she'd used her mom's illness to move out.

Her mom had needed more care, but Leilani could have told him the truth.

Would that really have gone down well?

You bore me to tears and there is nothing wrong with blow jobs. Most men love them.

He wasn't the man for her. She was hardly a woman with kinky sexual needs, but was oral that big of an ask?

There was a reason she was having dreams every night about Jacob being between her legs. Then waking with her hand inside her sleep shorts.

Leilani shook her head, telling herself to stop thinking about the smoking hot man while she was working.

The three hotel group owners headed over, all of them in custom-made suits, polished shoes, and white shirts with pocket handkerchiefs.

Wow, they were gorgeous men.

Wealth and power rolled off them like they were in a crime family movie set. With their five o'clock shadows, all they had to do was slide on a few pairs of sunglasses, chew on a cigar or two, and they'd look like badass gangsters.

Leilani breathed in a hint of expensive aftershave as Hunter stopped next to her, retrieving his glass of water.

"How did we do?" he asked, shooting her a sideways smile.

"Great," she replied too quickly, glancing up at him. "It was great."

Lord, could she not find any more words?

"Hey, do me a favor. Can you keep the crazy girl away from me? She's...scary." Hunter leaned down whispering in her ear.

Leilani frowned. Then, when she glanced in the direction he was looking, Missy was waving frantically at them.

Oh no.

Leilani giggled, turning away quickly, and found herself bumping into Hunter's arm. He steadied her by wrapping it around her.

Oh, shit. That can't look very appropriate.

Leilani straightened, and when she lifted her eyes, they landed directly on Jacob's.

Fire sliced through her.

Oh, my God. When had he arrived?

"Hello, princess." Jacob purred.

She could barely answer as his lips smirked against the rim of his whisky glass.

––––––––

JACOB WATCHED HEATflush across Leilani's face. His eyes slid down her body, taking in the tight, black-checked skirt and white silk flouncy top she wore.

Little spaghetti straps tempted him to reach across and nudge them off her shoulders.

A red jacket draped over the chair beside her, which he assumed was hers because on her feet were a pair of sexy red heels.

Interesting.

Did his princess have a sexy little vixen inside of her?

The shoes were unlikely to be Louboutin, like many of the women in his life wore.

The thing was, while they were hanging over his shoulders, he couldn't care less if they cost forty dollars or four thousand dollars. It was the wet pussy between them he was interested in.

"Jake," Blake turned and greeted him. They shook hands, and he leaned in to give Bella a kiss.

"You okay?" she asked quietly.

He nodded.

Jacob had been busy this afternoon with his own business, unable to attend the full presentation, but he'd caught the last twenty minutes.

And yes, he'd been watching Leilani until Hunter had walked over to her. Then something propelled him across the room. His cousin's arm going around her slight frame did not make him happy at all.

"Jake," Hunter said, reaching out a hand.

"Hunt." Jacob smiled. "Proposed to your girlfriend yet?"

Across the table, Fletcher barked out a laugh. Jacob smirked, then lifted his hand in a wave to both him and Daniel.

"Jesus fucking Christ." Hunter said, then leaned in closer to Leilani and said, "Don't let anyone pressure you into marriage. Do it on your terms."

Jacob's smile faded.

He wasn't sure why he was getting upset with Hunter being so close to Leilani. He was committed to Addison despite the lack of a ring, and while the poor woman was missing out on a proposal because they all kept riding his ass, there was no way he would be disloyal.

Even if he was flirting innocently with her, what did it matter to him?

"Oh." She laughed. "I'd be happy to get married if I met the right man." Then she blushed and glanced at him. "Not...you know...one day."

Hunter lifted a brow and his eyes shot over to him.

"I see. Well, choose carefully. Not all men are the committed type."

Touche, cousin.

"I know. I was thinking I should start dating. You know, join an app. Tinder. Whatever. Or just...oh, God, why am I telling you this?" Leilani said, covering her hands with her face.

Jacob laughed.

He wasn't laughing at her. Well, he was. She was simply adorable.

Leilani and Hunter didn't see it like that. They both glared at him. Leilani through her fingers.

"I need to go do...things," she said, dropping her hands and spinning away.

As she disappeared, he watched her ass move in that tight skirt of hers. God, he'd love to lay her out on the sofa at the club and pour some Cristal champagne over her curves, licking every inch of her.

"Don't play with that girl," Hunter said.

"Why not?" Jacob asked. "I can almost guarantee a night with me would be more exciting than anything she's had before."

Hunter sipped his water. "Where's the fucking whisky?"

He waved to one of the servers who nodded and rushed off. Then glanced back at Jacob.

"Because you're hurting, and you'll hurt her."

Jacob's jaw clenched.

The whole family had been present when his mother had announced that Ward Montgomery was his father. Every single one of them, except Amelia and Jack, were there.

"I'm not hur—" He pressed his lips together instead of finishing his sentence. There was no way he was talking about the family stuff right now.

But he was going to fuck her.

He'd decided that when he saw her red shoes.