Page 46 of Trust
“If you leave, you will still be on the board.”
She nodded. “But it will be easier.”
To side with her family over her brother. She left that unsaid, but he knew what she was implying.
“Also, Conner just wants to meet for lunch and talk. Nothing may come of it.”
He wanted to ask more but knew it wasn’t the right time.
“Are you done?”
She nodded, and they took their trays to the trash bin. Then, he led her to the door, holding it open for her. Just like when they walked into the restaurant a few nights before, he settled his hand on the small of her back. It was one of those things he needed to do on some primal level.
He took her to the SUV, and she paused to look over her shoulder.
“What?”
“Do you feel like someone is watching us?” she asked, her gaze moving over the parking lot. It wasn’t particularly busy that time of night.
“No, but I’m accustomed to people watching me.”
Understanding lit her eyes. “Yeah, I can understand that.”
He helped her in, then hurried around the hood of the car and climbed in.
“Ready for some murder and mayhem with the oddest trio that ever worked in a show before?”
She laughed. “Yes. I need to escape, even for a little while.”
And with that, he pulled out of the parking lot. He would not screw tonight up.
Ten
About an hour later, they arrived at his family’s home. Anticipation left Lani feeling out of sorts but strangely calm. She should be on edge, but for some reason, this felt completely normal to her. He unlocked the front door and stepped inside first to turn off the alarm.
“Did you want to change?” he asked.
“Do you mind if I jump in the shower?”
He blinked. It was a slow movement, almost as if it was some kind of movie slow-motion sequence. Or maybe it was her. Maybe she had lost her damned mind, and she was actually imagining it. Either way, those long lashes, and his mesmerizing eyes held her captive for the moment. In the next instant, his cheeks flushed. The look was so cute. Was he actually blushing because she asked to take a shower?
“Of course. The bathroom downstairs doesn’t have a shower. You can use the master’s upstairs.”
“I don’t want to take your bathroom.”
“No worries. I can get changed in another room.”
He motioned with his head toward the open staircase that led to the upstairs. She followed him up the stairs, trying her best not to concentrate on his ass. Seriously, did the man workout every freaking day? Even in dress pants, it was impressive. Definitely could bounce a quarter off of it.
She blinked. When did she start thinking things like that? Well, since that kiss…but if she were truthful with herself, she had always thought that way about Jakob. From the moment she’d met him, her hormones seemed to be in tune with him. Lani always had to fight the urge to jump his bones. For years, it had been easy because he always acted like he didn’t want her around. Now? Yeah, now that was a problem because he was being nice to her, kissed her twice, and they were alone in his house.
She had never seen the master bedroom, but the moment she stepped into it, her entire body sighed. It was large and airy, with a massive king-size bed. Jakob walked over to the French doors. After unlocking them, he pulled them open, and her breath caught.
Lani had been born and raised on Oahu, but she would be forever in awe of the beauty. It was dark out, but she could hear the surf down below. She set her bag on the bed and walked to the balcony. When Jakob moved away from her, she wondered about it but pushed the thought aside for now. Instead, she kept her attention on the landscape.
The balcony overlooked the lit pool. It wasn’t a massive house with much land, but the view. Nothing could compare, not for her. She had been all over the world, but nothing spoke to her like the sound of the surf, the smell of the ocean, and the feeling of belonging. Only Hawaii did that for her.
“I’m going to grab something to wear and get out of your hair.”
