“It is?”
“Yup.”
The house is a sprawling estate with a gorgeous in-ground pool that looks like it should be on the cover of Luxurious Pool Magazine, if such a thing exists. There’s a rock wall behind it with a waterfall pouring into the water. It’s the perfect place to spend a lazy afternoon on a hot sunny day.
“This is my main residence,” he says as he unbuckles his belt and hits a few switches. “I have a place on each island, but the other ones are beachfront condos. Not as grand as this.”
“This is pretty damn grand,” I say as I stare at it in disbelief.
An older Hawaiian lady opens the patio doors and an adorable corgi shoots out of the house like a rocket. She tears across the yard, heading straight for us with her tongue hanging out of the side of her mouth.
I smile as Jack leaps out of the helicopter and drops to his knees with his arms open.
“Akua!” he shouts as the dog crashes into him, looking happier than I’ve ever seen a dog look. I wonder if I look that happy when this man is holding me…
“Akua, meet my soul mate, Nia.”
The dog takes one look and then leaps on me, trying to lick every inch of my face. Jack laughs as he holds her back.
I dig my fingers into the scruff of her neck and the dog drops to her back with her paws in the air, ecstatic. I don’t blame her. If I lived in this utopia with this gorgeous man then I would be looking pretty ridiculously happy too.
Three staff members walk out of the house and line up next to the door, ready to take any orders or commands from Jack. A fourth staff member walks out holding a silver tray with two fruity cocktails on it. They look delicious with the sweat on the glass and the colorful umbrellas sticking out. My mouth waters as the man hands one to me with a smile.
“Mango colada,” the man says in a prim voice. “Made with mangos grown on the east side of the estate.”
I look at Jack in awe as I suck down half of it in one exquisite sip. “You have mango trees here?”
“I have almost everything here,” he says as he looks at me with a sexy grin. “All I was missing was you. Now I have everything.”
This is unreal. Like a dream. Everywhere I look are swaying palm trees and bright hibiscus flowers the size of dinner plates. Half of the panoramic view is of the ocean and I can taste the saltwater on my lips and hear the waves from here. The spectacular house rests on a cliff, so the views from inside must be incredible.
“There’s a path to an amazing private beach over there,” Jack says, pointing to the left side of the house. “Tennis court, two pools, full gym, and more rooms than you’ll ever know what to do with.”
“Wow,” I say as I look around in awe, the warm breeze taking my hair along with it. “This definitely beats my crappy one-bedroom second-floor apartment in Atlanta. You definitely live in style, Mr. Caine.”
“It’s all yours now,” he says in a serious voice.
I force out a laugh. “Right. Good one.”
He doesn’t look like he’s joking.
“Excuse me, sir,” the chef says as he walks over. “I hope I’m not disturbing.”
“It’s okay, William. What is it?”
“Dinner, sir. Some beautiful mahi mahi was delivered this morning. Freshly caught a few hours ago. Perhaps that for dinner with a lemon garlic cream sauce and some fresh grilled vegetables on the side?”
Jack looks at me. “How does that sound?”
I’m practically drooling. “Like a dream come true.”
Jack smiles at me and then nods to him. “Sounds good, William. With something nice from the cellar. The 74 Leroy Domaine d'Auvenay.”
“Excellent choice, sir.”
He hurries away with a nod.
“Don’t worry,” Jack says to me as I openly stare at the staff as they hurry away to get dinner ready. “I’ll send them home after dinner. We’ll have the place to ourselves.”
“This is for me?” I ask the maid when I open the door.
“Yes, miss. Mr. Caine had it delivered for the evening.”
She’s holding the most gorgeous white cocktail dress in her hands with a box of shoes on the floor behind her.
I take the dress and suck in a breath as I feel the soft luxurious material. I’ve never worn such a nice dress before. All of my dresses have been bought from the clearance rack at reasonably priced stores. This is a designer dress that I would never splurge on, but I’m really excited to wear.
“He had it delivered?” I ask as I hang it on the closet door and step back to stare at it. “We were only in the pool for about two hours.”