Chapter 7
Seven
L ani sat at one of the tables in the suite she had rented for the night at Turtle Bay. She wasn’t planning on being there the night of the wedding. She assumed that she would be worn out pretending to be happy for her brother at the end of the day. It did mean she would have to come up to the North Shore again, but she would want her own bed on Saturday night.
The guest numbers were insane. They actually had over five hundred RSVPs. Thankfully, the wedding planner would handle the guests for the most part. But she was checking names against their security lists. They already had to inform one of the former Kingston surfers he couldn’t attend. The guy was out on bail for domestic abuse against his girlfriend. It was why they had dropped him from their company. Lani still didn’t know why he had been invited. Her phone buzzed, and she looked down at it.
Jakob: Where are you?
Lani: I told you. Turtle Bay.
Jakob: No, where in the resort are you?
She sent him the room number. Lani: Rented it for tonight.
Jakob: On my way.
Wait, what? Why was he on his way? What was happening? She was sitting there, holding her phone, her brain melting down because Jakob had contacted her once again. She had hoped that they would be surrounded by people when she met him face to face again. It would make it less awkward. Yes, she talked to him on the phone, but that was easier than seeing him and blushing.
Rolling her eyes, she set her phone down. Lani knew not to get excited. He was just being nice. The Wulfs were friendly people.
Five seconds later, she popped out of the chair to hurry to the bathroom. It was bad enough that he was surprising her. She was not going to look like an unkept mess. Her makeup was light, as usual, but she had been outside most of the day, and her hair looked like it. The trades were pretty bad today. Before she was ready, there was a knock at her door. She brushed her hair as fast as possible, then headed for the door. There was another knock just as she reached it.
Looking out her peephole, she saw Jakob. He was holding a bag and a box.
“I can hear you breathing.”
With a sigh, she opened the door.
“I thought you might pretend you weren’t here.”
“Sorry. You just took me by surprise.”
He smiled at her, and her heart skipped. It was probably a trite saying, but it was exactly how she felt. Her palms were sweaty, and her head was spinning.
Why was he so damn pretty? All of the Wulfs were beautiful. Flaxen hair, blue eyes…but Jakob was the best looking. When he rolled out of bed, he screamed movie star with dimples and hair that probably looked perfect.
Oh, she should not have thought that. One, thinking about Jakob and a bed led to being overheated. Second, they were standing at the door to her room with a massive king bed.
“Are you going to let me in?”
Inwardly, she groaned. She’d been off since he had called her this morning. There was something different about him like he had an agenda, and she didn’t know what it was. She had learned the hard way when it came to men to always know their plans. Still, this was Jakob, and he apparently had food.
She stepped back. He stopped in front of her. His gaze roamed over her for a long moment before connecting with hers again. It didn’t make her feel gross like it did with a lot of men. This made her think…seen.
“You look beautiful today.”
She snorted. “My hair looks like a tornado hit it.”
“It looks sexy.”
“Have you been drinking?”
He just chuckled. “The lanai? Since the trades have finally settled, I figured we could sit out there.”
“Sure.”
She shut the door and followed him through the room.
“These are nice rooms. Not as nice as those at Aleka’s resort on Maui.”
“I agree. I was there a few months ago.”
He set the bag down and held up the box. “This is some cheesecake. You might want to put that in the fridge.”
She nodded and took it from him. When she returned from her errand, she noticed a couple of containers of poke. She saw the label and realized it was the restaurant she had discussed at dinner the night before.
“You got me lunch.”
“I hope you didn’t eat.”
The sweet expectation in his gaze made her stomach feel funny. She shook her head as a lump rose in her throat. This man was busy. Many people didn’t realize how involved he was with the Wulf businesses. That, along with his acting career, he was always busy. He took time out of his day to do something just for her.
How sad was it that just bringing her poke was overwhelming her? It had been months since anyone had really done anything nice for her. Or was it just that she was overworked and stressed about everything: the company, the upcoming invitational, the wedding.
“Come, let’s have lunch, and you can tell me what you’ve been doing.”
He was once again holding out a chair for her. It was gentlemanly, and she was sure his mother taught him those manners. She didn’t need a man to do that, but again, it was nice to have someone do something like that for her.
“Thanks,” she murmured as she sank into her previous seat. He joined her on the other side of the table. “Can we talk about other things? I just want to get away from all the stuff. How’s your family?”
He sighed. “Worried about Jules.”
“Is something wrong?” She knew Jules was pretty far along in her pregnancy.
“No. Just, she’s seven months pregnant, not sleeping well, and I found out from my brother-in-law that she’s not supposed to fly right now. Not even the thirty-minute flight from Maui. Also, she was complaining about something called cankles and how she couldn’t wear her favorite shoes. So, I convinced her I would go see her on Sunday night.”
She chuckled. “I’ve heard a lot of pregnant women complain about the cankles.”
“You’re not eating.”
“Sorry,” she said, digging into her poke. “I can’t believe you were paying attention to what I talked about last night at dinner.”
“You would be surprised what I notice.”
“Did you need some water?”
“I’ll get it. You stay. You’ve been working.”
Again, she blinked, but the sun wasn’t hurting her eyes. She had to fight the tears that threatened to fall. It was a simple comment, but it was nice to be acknowledged. What was wrong with her? She was Lani Michelle Kingston. She didn’t take any prisoners when she worked contracts. She could handle a press conference with ease. Almost crying because Jakob offered to get her water? Yeah, there might be something off with her hormones.
“Thank you,” she said when he handed her the glass. He had poured a glass for himself as well.
“I do like how all the rooms face the ocean. I guess that’s why they picked this as a venue.”
“No. They picked it because it was one of the most expensive on the island. Or rather, Royal did.”
He studied her for a second. “It must be hard not liking your future in-law.”
“You definitely got lucky with both of yours.”
“Well,” he said, “I threatened to beat Aleka to a pulp when I first met him.”
“The former Army Ranger who is trained to kill and resembles a Hawaiian god?”
He frowned. “I’ve been trained. And who gave him the title of a god?”
She laughed. “I bet he would have kicked your ass.”
It only took a second for his smile to flash. With the beard he was sporting, it was hard to see those legendary dimples.
“Yeah, you’re probably right. Mother forbade me.”
She snorted.
“What?”
“Mama’s boy.”
“I am not. I just have a healthy respect for my mother.”
And that softened her even more. He definitely loved his family. Even as she thought it, her phone buzzed on the table.
Aunt Rochelle: I want to bring another guest.
With a roll of her eyes, she picked up the phone. All the relatives were trying their best to get their friends in. This wedding was THE wedding of the year because of her family’s standing.
Lani: You can’t unless we have someone cancel. It’s a sit-down dinner. The final numbers were due a week ago.
“What?”
She set her phone down and dug into her food again. “Auntie Rochelle. She wanted to bring someone else to the wedding. She’s already bringing three people.”
Before she could swallow her bite, her phone buzzed again. Irritation snaked down her spine. She loved her family, but they were getting on her last nerve. When she reached for the phone, Jakob snatched it away.
“What are you doing?”
“You are having lunch. Let them wait.”
“It could be about the wedding.”
“And it can wait thirty minutes.”
Her fingers tingled as she thought about snatching the phone from Jakob. His laugh stopped her.
“What?”
“You. I can tell you’re thinking about grabbing the phone. Take a few minutes just for you. You have one of your favorite meals, a gorgeous view, and a handsome companion.”
“Oh, is Jensen coming? I didn’t even know your brother was on the island.”
His face flushed, and his eyes narrowed. “I didn’t think you had daddy issues.”
There was a beat of silence, and then she threw back her head and laughed.
By the time she could regain control, she had to wipe away tears.
“Tell me, Jakob, are you jealous of your brother?”
He sighed. “No. I just…I don’t like your admiration of him.”
She blinked. Was he really saying he was jealous?
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“For what? Making me laugh. There’s been very little to make me laugh these last few months. You did that, even if it was an asinine suggestion.”
“Lots of women like Jensen.”
“Yeah. But then, he’s a Rough ’n Ready member, right?”
“How do you know that?”
The BDSM club was infamous on the island. Their membership was heavily guarded, but Lani knew too many people. And when Jensen Wulf showed up at the club, everyone talked.
“Everyone knows about the club.”
“Are you a member?”
She shook her head. “I have friends, though, and I know May and Dee well. We do a lot of fundraising together.”
The two women were the wives of the owners of the club.
His whole body seemed to relax. “Oh. Good.”
“Why is that good?”
“I’m not into that scene. I went to a club with Jensen once but didn’t like it. Although, I do like a little play, just not anything too specific.”
Play? Like tying a woman up? Spanking? What?
That all rattled around in her head, but she didn’t ask it. She couldn’t. That would step over a line she wasn’t sure she wanted to.
“Are you blushing?”
Yes. “No.”
“You are. What embarrassed you?” When she said nothing but pretended to find her food very interesting, he went on. “I think it was the mention of play.”
Her nipples tightened against her bra. Tension coiled, and she was sure her panties were wet. From just flirting. It was mortifying that this man could still do this to her.
“I’m not a virgin, but I’m not that experienced either. I’m also not used to you being so plain-spoken. So, stop saying things on purpose to embarrass me.”
“I’m not trying to embarrass you. I’m being honest.”
“Why? Why now?”
There was a long moment of silence. “I need to tell you something, but I don’t want you getting pissed off about it.”
She sighed, her heart sinking. Lani should have known that this wasn’t really flirting. He wanted something. He wanted a plus one to come with him to the wedding. “What? Just tell me?”
“I was interested in you the first day we met.”
“No, you weren’t.”
He nodded. “I was. You came out of the ocean like a Bond girl, and my brain stopped working.”
“So you waited over a decade to tell me?” She rolled her eyes. “Am I so pathetic that you must lie about being interested in me?”
“What? No! You are not pathetic. You’re funny and smart and sexy as fuck.”
She felt her eyes widen because Jakob didn’t cuss much. It sounded like he meant it, but he was an actor. Crossing her arms, she stared him down. “And what? You decided that after treating me like a boil on the butt of humanity, you decided to say that?”
“Dammit, okay, I’ve been an ass for years, but there was a method to my madness.”
“And that would be?”
“I couldn’t touch you. You were too young and definitely too smart for me.”
“I…what?”
“You were underaged, Lani. I couldn’t date you. My mother taught me better than that. And…I had an image I had to worry about, too.”
His career had been just taking off, and she could imagine that dating her might have been a problem. Sure, other guys did it all the time, but Jakob, for being kind of a skank in many ways, wasn’t that type.
“Well, you were mean to me. A lot.”
He had done everything he could to ensure she didn’t feel welcome around him. It had broken her heart.
“I had to. Whenever you were around, I was worried I would slip up. You tempted me too much. And I know that makes me an ass. It is completely unacceptable behavior.”
“But you kept doing it.”
“Because I’m an arse. It became habit, and the truth was, you are way too smart for me.” He leaned forward and tangled his fingers with hers. Just like always, the spark of electric heat that lanced through her jolted her.
“You feel it, don’t you?” he asked, his blue gaze watching her intently.
“Feel what?”
“That spark. Every time I touch you, I get seared.”
She wrestled her fingers away from him and stood. He was saying too much, overwhelming her brain. He rose.
“I—I…you’re freaking me out.”
“I didn’t want to do that. I just wanted to be honest with you.”
“Why?”
He looked away from her, out to the ocean. “My family.”
“Your family?”
He looked back at her. “You’ve seen how happy Jules and Jensen are, right? Hell, Jensen had been in love with Nic for years. I realized I needed to step up and be honest about my feelings.”
“But you don’t…” Her voice trailed off because she almost revealed that she had followed the gossip about him.
“I don’t what?”
“Never mind.”
“No, tell me. I can take it. I get it if you aren’t interested in me.”
“What?” The man had no idea about her infatuation. Really?
“When you were a teen, you followed us around, so I thought you had a crush on me. I get that you grew out of it.”
It would be easy to confirm his suspicions. Just let him think that she wasn’t interested in him. Yes, he was saying all the right things or at least admitting to an attraction. He was a living, breathing, broken heart waiting to happen. But Lani couldn’t lie to anyone. Not to their face. And she didn’t want to.
“I didn’t grow out of it.” He seemed to jolt at that and stepped forward. She held her hand up because she didn’t want him to touch her. She was sure he would singe her flesh. “I need a little time to think.”
He nodded. “I understand.”
Jakob looked unhappy, but she knew he would give her that time.
“Are you going to kick me out of here?”
She shook her head. There was a small cowardly part of her that wanted to. She tried to pretend they never had this conversation. Her brain still wasn’t computing his revelations. But she felt an insane need to be near him. In the last few months, nothing had been right in her world. That was until Jakob had shown up. And he had been the one thing she had been dreading. Another duty she didn’t want to deal with. Now, he was a lifeline.
She shook her head. “I…listen, it’s been tough with everything going on, and believe it or not, you make me feel sane.”
His mouth curved, his dimples popping out, then his eyes lit with happiness. “Then, I’ll stay. Let’s finish lunch, then I’ll help you with stuff.”
“Why would you do that?”
His smile vanished. “You have been involved with idiots. I also don’t think you should shoulder the burden of this wedding. It isn’t yours.”
Something settled in her belly, a warm happiness that spread through her entire body. “Well, thank you.”
He waited for her to sit down, then joined her. And there, with the light trade wind dancing over her skin, she sat in the Hawaiian afternoon and enjoyed lunch with Jakob.