Page 59

“Hey, what’s this all about, angel?” he cooed, stroking a hand down my hair. Gently tugging me back so I could look at him, confusion creased his brow. “What’s wrong?”

“I just…” I started, struggling to find the words. “No one has ever understood what it was like growing up with parents like ours, but you do. You get it, Jacob.”

“Sweetheart, of course I understand. And I know sometimes it comes across like all I want to do is control you, but that’s never my intention. Your parents wanted to control you for their own purposes, whereas I just want you to be happy. I love you, angel, and I will always make decisions based on what is best for you.”

A voice whispered in my ear, asking me how Jacob could possibly know what was best for me, but I chose to ignore it. Jacob loved me, and I believed him when he said he only ever wanted to make me happy. And he did. Happier than I’d ever been.

“I love you too.”

He placed a light kiss on my lips. “I’ll never get tired of hearing you say that.”

I returned his grin, suddenly feeling silly for allowing my emotions to get the better of me. Brushing a tear away, I clambered out of Jacob’s lap, but before falling back into my chair, I realized I needed to use the bathroom.

“Uh, would it be okay to visit the restroom?”

One of his brows lifted. “Do you want me to come with you?”

I giggled. “I think I can manage.”

He held my gaze for several seconds, looking for…something. When he released a breath, he nodded. “I think we passed them on the way to the table. Don’t be long, though. Lunch will be here shortly.”

Leaning down, I kissed him before heading in the direction we came from. I found the ladies‘ bathroom near the entrance to the restaurant, and once I had taken care of business, I washed my hands, grinning at myself in the mirror.

The same voice from earlier whispered in my ear again, only now, it was more urgent, telling me that now was my chance. This was what I’d been waiting for: an opportunity to run from Jacob. He wouldn’t be able to see me from where our table was, and I could easily slip out the front door and disappear into the street.

But then what?

I was in a foreign country with no money and no way of getting anywhere.

The voice hissed that it didn’t matter, reminding me of the promise I’d made to myself when I was locked in the cell. I could find the nearest police station; surely there would be police in the village, or someone willing to help me.

I continued staring at my reflection, my smile faltering and my stomach lurching. But it wasn’t with nerves about running away. It was at realizing I didn’t want to run away. Despite everything Jacob had done—the spanking to teach me a lesson, his need for control, locking me up—I didn’t care.

I loved him, more than I ever thought I could love a person.

Silencing the voice, I dried my hands and walked back to the table, ignoring the little voice telling me that I was going the wrong way. When Jacob’s worried expression turned to relief at seeing me, I knew I had made the right choice.

The afternoon sun was beginning to set when we made our way back to the harbor. I was ready to return to the yacht; my feet hurt from all the walking, and the bottle of champagne, followed by the delicious limoncello we had at lunch, had made my head a little foggy.

“Welcome back,” Marco greeted me as I crossed the walkway onto the boat, Jacob steadying me with his hands on my hips. Next to him, a man in a crisp white shirt, a black tie, and suit pants waited with his hands behind his back. “Unfortunately, Mattias has had a family emergency,” Marco continued. “He has returned home, but allow me to introduce you to Rocco.”

The man—Rocco—met my gaze, a salacious grin spreading over his face. My cheeks heated; he was a very handsome man. With dark, almost black hair, piercing blue eyes, and a neatly trimmed goatee, I imagined he attracted the attention of a lot of women.

Next to me, Jacob stiffened. I peeked up at him, finding his jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed on Rocco.

“Signor and Signora Du Pont, it is a pleasure to meet you,” Rocco said, holding his hand out for me to shake.

Before I could take it, though, Jacob reached across and grabbed Rocco’s hand. From the flinch on his face, I imagined Jacob was squeezing hard.

“Nice to meet you, Rocco,” Jacob said, his tone stoic. “I trust you have been briefed on my request for privacy?”

My brow lifted as I looked between Jacob and Rocco. Request for privacy? That explained why the staff weren’t allowed to come up to the top decks, and why Marco and Mattias would always disappear after bringing us our meals and drinks.

“Yes, sir,” Rocco replied, his gaze sliding to me.

“Eyes off my wife,” Jacob hissed, his chest puffing out and almost pressing against Rocco’s.

Embarrassment coursed through me as Marco’s worried eyes darted between Jacob and Rocco’s tensed glares. He raised his hand as though he was about to intervene, but Jacob released Rocco’s hand, allowing him to step back.