HER ONLY HOPE (LK Adaptation)

Part 25

They moved from the jetty to the warm white sand, and because it was dry and uneven she almost stumbled. Jungkook 's hand shot out, capturing her elbow, and holding her close. She didn't pull away at first—the support was appreciated—but once they moved beyond the sand, under the shade of the coastal trees, she took a step to the side, her equilibrium in tatters.

'He was very proud of you,' Jungkook  belatedly answered her question. 'He believed you were going to set the world on fire. In a good way,' Jungkook  added, a small grin changing his face completely so the world seemed to tip off balance, and not just because of the unexpected compliment.

'Minho? I don't believe it.'

'Surely you know he thought the world of you?'

Her lips twisted to the side. 'We were chalk and cheese,' she said after a beat. 'He was always talking about the company with my parents. The way his brain worked... I was in awe. Honestly, I didn't even know if he noticed me, half the time.'

Jungkook  made a strangled noise of surprise and stopped walking. 'Don't say that.'

She looked up at him, his reaction unexpected. 'I loved him very much,' she hastened to add. 'I worshipped him, in fact.' She'd worshipped both of them. 'But I'm ten years younger, and we had nothing in common.'

Jungkook 's chest moved as he drew in a breath, and awareness heated Lisa's veins. 'He was very protective of you,' he said, after a beat. 'He thought you were smart and determined, but far, far too kind. That your kindness would make you vulnerable.' A muscle worked overtime in Jungkook 's jaw. 'He wanted to protect you from the worst of the world.'

That wasn't new information, and his protectiveness had driven her crazy, much of the time, but she still loved how much he'd cared. 'I miss him,' she said with a soft sigh.

'As do I.'

He put a hand in her lower back, guiding her once more along the path toward the house, and as it came into view, thoughts of anything else shifted from the forefront of her mind.

'Oh, Jungkook. This is stunning!' she exclaimed, genuinely moved by the perfection of the unassuming little house in the middle of an expanse of green grass. 'It's just what a beach house should be!'

She was unaware of the way his eyes rested on her face, his gaze hungrily traveling her features, reading her in a way she wouldn't have wanted to be read. Lisa  was far too absorbed in the building, the geraniums and lavender and frangipani trees that formed a relaxed garden at the front, and the citrus she could see growing down the side.

'I can see why you come here so often.' She quickened her pace and unconsciously pulled away from him, moving up the stairs of the house with eyes full of wonder.

'It's an easy commute,' he said with a shrug, leaning across her to point across the garden. 'There's space for a helicopter, and, on the other side of the island, cabins for staff.'

'How many staff?'

'It varies depending on the season. In summer, just a couple—my housekeeper and gardener. She stocks the fridge with meals, he keeps the vines from taking over.' He gestured to the jasmine that was creeping advantageously along one side, reminding her of the story of Sleeping Beauty.

She sighed, the warmth on her back and the fragrance of the garden relaxing her in a way she would usually have fought against.

'I can already tell, I won't want to leave,' she joked, moving up the steps. They were uneven from years of use, their middles gently dipping like a hammock.

'You don't have to leave.'

But she bristled against that intuitively. She couldn't let herself get caught up in the fantasy of this. Because it was so easy to see how she could stay here and relax, how the beauty of this place would convince her—easily—to let her guard down.

How she could let him call her agape and hold her close, kiss her, and make love to her, and she would start to believe that this was real. It would be so easy to trust him when she knew that trusting anyone was a surefire way to end up getting hurt. 'It's beautiful, Jungkook, but it's not real life.' The words were stiff and heavy, reality tightening around her like a straitjacket.

'Then just enjoy the weekend, Lalisa. Your life will be waiting for you, Monday morning.'