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“He didn’t leave it to your father?”
A sad smile pulled at his lips. “No. My father and grandfather never saw eye to eye. But I was very close to my grandfather, much to my father’s disapproval. He wasn’t happy when he discovered my grandfather had left the house to me and not him.”
“How long have you lived here?” I asked, growing more curious about Jacob and his history.
“I moved to the island when I was twenty-one, after I finished college.”
“And how old are you now?” Heat rose up my chest at hearing my mom’s voice in my ear, reminding me that it wasn’t ladylike to ask people their age. “I’m sorry, that was rude.”
Jacob gently nudged my shoulder. “I’m twenty-nine. And you can ask me anything, angel. I’ve got nothing to hide from you.” Not for the first time, my mind spun with a dozen questions I wanted to ask, but before I could ask even one, Jacob released my hand and pointed to something in the distance. “Look, we’re nearly there.”
Entranced by his history lesson, I hadn’t realized how far from the harbor we were, and as I looked in the direction he was pointing, my eyes widened. Less than a quarter of a mile away, a small rocky island loomed like an iceberg waiting to strike the Titanic.
A wooden jetty jutted out into the ocean, and as Johnston slowed the boat, I couldn’t tear my eyes from the house perched on the island, taking up almost the entirety of the land. On either side of it, tall trees swayed in the gentle breeze, the only greenery I could see in the dark.
The boat bumped against the jetty as Johnston pulled alongside it, looping the rope around a post, and cutting the engine. The waves lapped against the boat as Jacob stood, taking my hand and pulling me up with him.
Too fixated on my new surroundings, I barely registered Jacob unclipping my life jacket until his hands brushed against the side of my breast. He didn’t seem to realize he’d done it, though, and continued his task without stopping.
Once he had stored the jacket back in the crate, he stepped out of the boat and offered me his hand. As I took it, he pulled me onto the jetty, but not lifting my leg high enough to step over the side of the boat, I tripped, crashing into Jacob’s solid body.
His arms captured my waist as he steadied my feet, his brows furrowed as he asked, “Are you okay, angel?”
“Yes. Thank you for catching me.”
Releasing me, his finger moved to tilt my chin up. “Always.” His gaze briefly dipped to my lips, and my stomach clenched at the thought that he was going to kiss me. To my relief—or perhaps it was disappointment—he returned his eyes to mine. “Welcome to Du Pont Island, angel.”
He tugged my hand, leading me down the jetty. Sea salt hung in the air, mixed with the scent of pine from the nearby trees, while gentle crashing waves played around us like a soundtrack to a movie.
Reaching a set of stone steps, Jacob guided me up all thirty of them—I counted each one as we climbed higher—clutching my hand. When we reached the top, my jaw dropped open at the building standing before me.
It wasn’t as big as my parents' home, but it still seemed like more space than one man could need, being three storeys tall. The colonial structure reminded me of houses I’d seen when we went on a family holiday to the Caribbean, with three stone steps leading up to the front porch. Two tall, marble columns stood on either side of the steps, supporting a triangular portico.
Soft light spilled from large arched windows, bright enough to show me that the external walls were painted a soft grey, while the frames around the windows and front double door were painted white.
The roaring of the speedboat engine dragged my attention from the house, and I yanked my hand free to spin around. “Is the boat leaving?”
Jacob took my hand again. “Yes, angel. Johnston lives on the mainland.”
“But what if we need to get off the island?” A bolt of panic shot through me as I turned back to Jacob.
His features held no emotion as he shrugged. “Johnston is always just a phone call away whenever I need to leave the island.”
“And what if I want to leave the island?”
A flash of something passed over Jacob’s face, so fast that it was indecipherable, before a warm smile graced his lips. “We’ll talk about that in the morning, angel. Right now, I want you to get some rest; it’s been an emotional night for you.”
His answer felt like a hefty weight had landed in my stomach. I needed to know there was a way for me to get off this island whenever I damn well wanted to, and I couldn’t help the feeling that I’d traded one cage owned by my parents for a cage owned by Jacob.
Instead of demanding that we discuss it now, though, I nodded. So far, Jacob hadn’t given me any reason to fear him or not trust him; he’d shown nothing but kindness from the minute I met him. While I knew that miracles rarely happened, hadn’t I spent most of my life wishing for a miracle to occur to get me out of the life I was trapped in?
Besides, knowledge was power, and I needed to buy myself some time to learn who Jacob was and what he wanted from me.
Satisfied with my response, Jacob turned back to the house, pushing one of the doors open and leading me inside. My gaze whipped around, taking in the foyer with a high ceiling and a beautiful glass chandelier hanging over an old oak table. It stood in the center, holding a vase of stunning sunflowers.
My favorite.
On either side of the foyer, staircases led up to the first floor, and at the bottom of the stairs, open doorways led into other rooms that I was curious to explore. Behind the table, and at the other end of the foyer, was another doorway; only the door was closed, preventing me from seeing what was behind it.
