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Jacob shuffled beside me, reaching into his jacket pocket and removing a long, thin, black velvet box. “I should have given this to you earlier.” He held the box out for me. “Happy birthday, angel.”

My eyes drifted from the box to Jacob, and back to the box. Without permission, my hand lifted to take it from him, and when I opened it up, my breath caught in my throat.

“It’s…it’s beautiful,” I whispered, staring at the tiny silver diamond—the exact color as my eyes—attached to a delicate silver necklace.

It was like nothing compared to what my parents used to make me wear. Where they wanted to show off their wealth by making me wear huge diamond earrings, thick gold necklaces, and more rings than I had fingers for, this piece was simple. Elegant.

And clearly very expensive.

I closed the lid and handed it back to Jacob, but he didn’t take it. “Thank you, that’s very kind of you, and I don’t wish to seem ungrateful, but I can’t accept it.”

His brow quirked. “And why not?”

“Because I barely know you, Jacob. I can’t take something as expensive as this from someone I only met less than an hour ago.”

He gently pushed the box back to me. “Yes, you can, angel. It’s my gift to you. It’s your birthday, and you deserve to be spoiled.” Placing his hand on top of mine that clutched the gift, the fluttering in my stomach started again. “Please. Take it. You don’t have to wear it until you are comfortable, but please accept it.”

The hint of a plea in his voice had my lips lifting into a small smile. I supposed I could accept it for now and not wear it. Maybe I could find a place to keep it safe when we arrived wherever we were going and forget about it.

“Thank you, Jacob.” I took the box from him, placing it in my lap, my finger gliding over the smooth velvet in hopes it could calm the nerves darting around inside me.

His eyes twinkled with affection, and now that I wasn’t quite as terrified, I could appreciate just how handsome he was when he smiled. “You’re welcome, angel.”

Why did I like him calling me angel so much?

Silence once again descended, but all I could focus on was the diamond in the box, and wondering what I was going to do with it, reminding me that I still didn’t know where we were headed. “Where are we going?”

“Your new home,” Jacob replied, as if the answer was obvious. “But we’ve got about a three-hour drive ahead of us, so you may want to get some rest.”

My new home. That was a little ambiguous. More questions danced on the tip of my tongue, but I held them in. The events of the night were becoming overwhelming, and with the adrenaline now drained from my body, I wasn’t sure discovering any more information right now was the best idea.

Rest sounded good; I didn’t think I would fall asleep, not when my head was buzzing with questions and replaying everything that had happened in the last hour, but what harm would it do to close my eyes?

I adjusted my position so that my head was resting against the window, and I allowed my eyelids to close as question after question spun in my brain.

Chapter 4

“Angel, sweetheart. Wake up.”

Delicate shaking startled me from sleep, and my eyes shot open. It took a few seconds to adjust to the interior light shining in the back of the car, and when my drowsy gaze landed on warm brown eyes, my heart fluttered.

The events of the last few hours rushed to the front of my mind, and I quickly sat up. “Where are we?” I peered out the window; night was still upon us, but the glow from nearby lights lit up the small harbor we’d stopped at, the rolls of waves crashing against the jetty reaching my ears. “Why are we at a harbor? Do you live here?”

Jacob smoothed a hand down his crumpled shirt. “No. I live on Du Pont Island. It’s a twenty-minute boat ride from here.”

My brows lifted. “You live on an island?”

“Yeah, angel. Let’s get going; the sooner we get there, the sooner you can go back to sleep.”

At his words, the driver opened my door and offered his hand to help me out of the car. I grabbed the gift box still resting in my lap, and shoved it into my jeans pocket before taking the outstretched hand. Sliding out of the car, Jacob followed behind me.

I scanned my surroundings, suddenly wide awake. Behind me, lights flickered along the road that led to townhouses, shops, and office buildings of whatever town we were in. Ahead, the dark sea stretched as far as the eyes could see, and a shiver rolled down my spine as an ominous feeling gathered in my stomach. In the distance of the ocean, I could make out faint lights, and I wondered if that was the island Jacob would be taking me to.

A slight tremor started in my fingers. If that was the island, I would be miles away from help if I needed it.

“Who else lives on the island?” I asked, my head whipping to Jacob as fear slithered up my throat.

Jacob reached out, and without meaning to, I flinched from his touch. A deep frown furrowed his brow, but slowly, he continued reaching for me to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “I won’t hurt you, angel. You’re safe with me.” I released a breath, but tension remained coiled in my body. “And to answer your question, I live alone. I enjoy the solitude and isolation the island offers.” He paused before his lips twitched as if he was holding back a chuckle. “Well, there is Wallace. He lives on the island too.”