"Noah, can you please let me go? People are watching," she hid her face in his chest from all the onlookers' eyes.

His lips nudged her ears again, gazing softly into her face. "When did you ever care about strangers, huh?" he asked.

She gently punched his shoulder, "I care about what they think about me, I just didn't let them know that I cared," she clicked her tongue.

"Then, just make sure you don't let them know this time," he chuckled softly.

He enjoyed watching Jess' discomfort as he brazenly made out with her at the beach like a horny teenager, where people could see them as they passed by.

He found it amusing that despite feeling embarrassed and continuing to tell him to stop, she did not push or stop him in any way.

That's why it's difficult for him to understand why Jess would not commit to him in a serious relationship. The truth that she shared his feelings for her is as bright as the morning sun.

In the past few days, he realized that the more he pushed his feelings on her, the more she wanted to distance herself from him.

Miss Zimmerman is like a wild animal that needs the patience to tame, he grinned inwardly, for he has the resolve to tame this wild woman in his arms, no matter how long or in what way it would take!

He shifted her weight on his lap to make himself comfortable as he leaned on the coconut tree. She tried to push herself away from his arms but he didn't allow her to do so.

"Stay still. Let me savor this perfect moment," he cradled the back of her head with his palm as his arm slid in her slender waist and kept her closer to his body.

He inhaled her scent, mixed with the salty air. She smelled like a beautiful summer day.

"You are going to be busy with your internship. I don't know when I will have the opportunity to cuddle you in my arms as I gaze at a peaceful ocean," he murmured with his face buried in her hair.

She laughed at Noah's clinginess, "But then, I'll be doing my internship at your company."

Even though she has pushed Noah away, if she would be honest with herself for a few minutes, she would say that she enjoyed this moment with him as much as he did. But her monumental pride will not allow her to admit that.

During their talk, Noah's arms stayed firmly around her, and Jess, whose weakness is Noah's scent, let him enfold her in his passionate embrace as if they won't see each other again when they were neighbors and she would be working in his company once the semester starts.

She cringed at the thought of them acting like shameless teenagers.

"Even if you work at my company, you will be buried in the laboratory while I will be at the corporate office signing a mountain of documents, while Antonio watched me like a hawk," he muttered under his breath.

She couldn't help but laugh at how Noah complained about his job.

"Do you miss working in the lab?" she asked out of the blue. He had mentioned before that he has a Ph.D. in Microbiology, but it had never come up in any of their conversations until today.

"Yes." He began to comb her hair with his fingers. "I prefer the strenuous work in the cold laboratory to working in the cold boardroom."

"Then why did you choose the boardroom over the lab?" she sighed softly. The way Noah gently combed the tangles of her hair made her sigh like a contented cat under the sun on a window sill.

"I am the only son of my father," he answered as if it was the only acceptable reason.

"Do you have siblings?"

He chuckled lightly, "Miss Zimmerman, why do you have so many questions today?"

"Why — " she lifted her head from his shoulder, "...you don't want me asking these kinds of questions?"

He gently pushed her head back to his shoulder and pressed a kiss on her temple, "I love it. And to answer that other question, I do have a half-sister. She's two years younger than me."

"I have seven half-sisters — "

Noah cupped her cheeks in between his palms when he lifted her face, "Seven!? You are not kidding me are you?"

"I wish I am. Sadly, I am not. I have seven half-sisters whose ages range from twenty to five years old, from different mothers." she chuckled as if what she said was a funny joke of some kind.

However, Noah turned serious, "Where were you among the eight daughters in order of birth?"

She smiled, "I am the firstborn in my father's collection of offspring."

"Was it challenging?" he asked tenderly, grazing her cheek with his knuckles.

She was taken aback by Noah's question. No one asked her before if growing up with so many half-siblings was difficult. Most people, when they heard about the story, the reaction was amazement.

They would comment on how lucky she was to have so many sisters. They would usually say it must be fun. But nobody thought of it as hard.

"It wasn't easy, I'll tell you that." She averted her eyes that started to water.

It amazed her that telling this story to Noah felt so personal. As if it were a confession of sorts.

I have only one sister, so I can't imagine how difficult it was for you to grow up with seven, but I hope you had fun," he chuckled lightly.

She smiled as she raked her fingers through his messy hair. "I somehow have a pretty good relationship with all of them despite not spending much time with them growing up."

"That's good to hear," he murmured and gave her butterfly kisses on her lashes when a shrill ringing erupted from one of his pants pockets.

He bumped the tip of his nose against hers, and with a voice heavy with regrets, "It's time for me to go," he said.

"Hmm." She has been pushing Noah but now that he has to leave, she feels like clinging to him.

"Miss Zimmerman, I want you to know that I'm going to miss you so much, I might take out my frustration on my poor secretary. He grinned like a naughty kid. "For you might just set up a barricade all over yourself just to push me out."

"You are being sneaky, Mister Tiefenbacher," she rolled her eyes at her playfully.

She somehow felt thankful that Noah had stopped pushing the matter of them being in a relationship because just like what he said, she might just put up a wall of defense around herself, tighter than Fort Knox.

"Miss Zimmerman, if there was anyone sly between us, it would be you — you minx!"

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pushed himself up from the sand. As soon as he got up, he placed her down. If he has a choice, he would carry her in his arms back to where Lucille and Luke were waiting.

But he knew Jess would kill him if he did that. Instead, he held Jess' hand as they walked back in silence.

Although they were still a few meters away from Lucille and Luke, Lucille had already seen them and had run to meet them.

Seeing Lucille running toward them, Jess tried to pull her hand away from Noah, but he just squeezed her hand and wouldn't let go.

"Noah," she threatened him in between clenched teeth.

And the bastard pretended not to hear her and pulled her as he picked up Lucille who jumped into her father's arms.

"Daddy, you were gone too long," she pouted, stealing glances at Jess.

"Did I? You didn't have fun with uncle Luke?" he casually asked his daughter, gripping her hand rather tightly because she pushed her nails on the soft skin of his palm in irritation.

"We had fun! Uncle Luke will download WeChat so we can send messages to each other." She happily informed her father.

"That's good." he has his eyes on Luke while he is listening to his daughter, "Thanks," he smiled.

"No worries." He glanced at Jess who stood awkwardly next to Noah. His eyebrows rose as the corner of his lips curled with a teasing smirk, seeing her hand in Noah's hand.

"Little Miss Jessie, do you have WeChat?"

Lucille's voice halted her from giving Luke a murderous look. She turned her head to the little girl and gave her a smile, "I do have WeChat."

"Really? Why does Uncle Luke not have one?" She knitted her eyebrows.

"Well, I have friends who live in Shanghai and WeChat is the most convenient way to send them a message or call them sometimes."

In her young mind, it was amazing to know someone who lived in the same place as her. "You have friends from China?" Her blue eyes widened in surprise.

"My two best friends live in Shanghai because they both fell in love with Chinese guys."

"I see," she nodded her head. "Papa is here, so you live in Palo Alto," she said matter-of-factly.

Noah grinned at what his daughter said, Luke snorted in laughter — and she was rooted to the ground, mouth agape at Lucille's reasoning.