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But no Jacob.

Turning to the man, a gasp formed in my throat at finding him standing too close, towering over me with mischief glittering in his green eyes. “You’re very gullible, darling. You really ought to be more aware of strangers.”

He reached up, grabbing my waist and pulling me to him, and at the same time, he lowered his mouth to mine. The stench of alcohol radiated off him, churning my stomach.

I slammed my hands against his chest and pushed against him, powered by the fear surging through me. “Get the hell away from me.”

Surprisingly, he released me, taking a step back. “Come on, darling, just one little kiss.”

I hadn’t realized it before, but his words were slurred, and I internally cursed myself for being the gullible idiot he’d just accused me of being. “No, get away from me.”

“Don’t be shy.” He stepped forward again, and just as I raised my hands, prepared to push him away again, he was suddenly yanked back.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing? I told you to find her, not take her to the garden and try to fucking kiss her!” Jacob snarled, his tone deadly and his features contorted into a sneer.

The man stumbled, catching his balance at the last minute before he tumbled over one of the benches. “Oh, Mr. Du Pont, I thought…”

Jacob cracked his knuckles, and panic tore through me. I was certain that if Jacob hadn’t just pulled him away, the man would have tried to force himself on me, and as much as I thought he deserved to feel Jacob’s wrath, I didn’t want another person getting hurt on my conscience.

“Jacob,” I said softly, stepping in front of him. His hard glare lowered to me, softening as he raked his gaze over me, checking for any signs that I was hurt. “Please don’t hurt him. He’s just drunk; he probably doesn’t even know what he is doing.” A muscle ticked in his jaw as he lifted his gaze to the man. I pressed my hand against his chest, wanting his attention back on me. “Please, Jacob.”

Tension seeped from Jacob’s body as he hissed, “Get the fuck out of here. And you can kiss your job goodbye.”

The man didn’t waste a second, scarpering back through the gap in the bushes. As soon as he was out of sight, Jacob pulled me into his arms, worry creasing his brow as he peered down at me. “Are you okay, angel?”

“I’m fine. He didn’t hurt me.” I paused, allowing myself to feel the relief coursing through me. “Thank you for not hurting him.”

Jacob’s features were still set in fury, but his tone was soft when he spoke. “I wanted to kill him when I saw him reach for you.” He swallowed, his eyes darting between mine. “But I want to be a better man for you. I want to show you I can be the man you deserve.” A cool wind blew around us, and Jacob shrugged out of his jacket, placing it around my shoulders and taking my hand to guide me to a bench. “Here, sit for a moment.” Grateful, I snuggled under his jacket and sat. Jacob’s eyes continued to roam over me. “Are you sure he didn’t hurt you?”

“I’m sure. He may have done if you hadn’t stopped him, though. Thank you for protecting me.”

Jacob pulled me into his arms, lifting me so I was sitting across his lap before tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “Angel, I’ll always protect you.”

I held his gaze, my mind replaying the conversation with Edward and his allegations that Jacob had killed Amy. In that moment, wrapped in Jacob’s warm embrace, I knew Edward was lying.

Jacob was a protector. When he loved someone, he wanted to take care of them. He’d recalled what happened to Amy with such devastation in his voice that I hated the part of me that almost believed Edward.

“Where did you go, angel?” Jacob asked, breaking me out of my thoughts. “I went back to the ballroom after speaking with my father, and I couldn’t find you or your parents. I thought you’d left with them.”

Pain laced his voice, remorse flashing in his eyes. I reached up to cup his cheek, and he nuzzled against my palm. “I wouldn’t have left you, Jacob,” I said, earning a small smile from him. “And I told my parents I didn’t want to see them again. My mother wanted me to ask you for more money; they’re in debt again.”

Jacob rolled his eyes. “I can’t say I’m surprised, angel. The two of them are made of greed. At least they can’t use you again to pay off their debts.” He took my hand from his cheek and kissed the back of it. “I’m proud of you for standing up to them.”

“Thank you.”

My heart constricted inside my chest. This was the version of Jacob I always wanted to be around. When he was like this—caring, adoring, attentive—it was easy to forget the other part of him.

But he had said he was trying to be a better man for me, and I couldn’t walk away from what we were building if he was truly trying to change; a relationship took two people to work at it. If he wanted to change, I needed to be honest with him, and I needed to put all my doubts and fears to bed.

Making a decision, I sucked in a breath. “I need to tell you something.”

“Okay?”

A split second of indecision washed through me, but I ignored it. This was the right thing to do. “After I left my parents, I went to find the bathroom, but Edward caught me. He pulled me into a room and started telling me all this stuff about you.”

Jacob’s brow lifted. “What sort of stuff?”

I chewed my lip before answering. “He said… he said that Amy didn’t kill herself. He said you murdered her.”