67. Jasmine
”What was that about?” Jasmine yawned and turned on her side to face Edgar. ”Where do we need to be in twenty minutes and why?”
They had just made love again, and she didn”t want to be anywhere other than under the covers with him. She certainly didn”t want to rush to be somewhere in twenty minutes.
”Kian wants to see you, and he didn”t say why. We should get out of bed right now,” Ed said but didn”t move a muscle.
”Can you call him back and tell him that I fell asleep or something? I don”t want to get out of bed.”
Ed”s lips tilted up in a smile. ”Do you really want to get on the boss”s bad side?”
She grimaced. ”No, I don”t.”
It couldn”t be anything bad because she hadn”t done anything to violate the rules. No one had told her that she couldn”t stay the night on the upper decks, and why would they? It wasn”t like there were any secrets hiding in Edgar and Charlie”s cabin.
Then, a thought occurred to her. Charlie looked surprised when Ed showed up with her at their cabin. Maybe he was the prudish type and didn”t approve?
”Could Charlie have complained about me staying the night?”
Edgar laughed. ”No way.” He let his arms fall away from her body. ”We are down to fifteen minutes. I suggest you get dressed.”
Oh, crap. She hadn”t brought a change of clothes with her, and there was no way she was showing up at Kian”s place in the dress she”d worn to the wedding. It didn”t matter that he knew she had spent the night with Edgar. Appearances mattered.
”I have to go back to my cabin to change. I can”t show up there in the dress I wore yesterday. ”
”If we do that, you will need to do it super-fast.” Edgar”s lips twitched. ”The other option is wearing something of mine. I can lend you a T-shirt and a pair of gym shorts.”
She cast him an incredulous look. ”Not happening.”
Sliding out of bed, Jasmine rushed into the bathroom, took care of business, brushed her teeth with a finger, and tried to use Ed”s comb on her hair, but it was no match for her thick tresses.
When she got out, Edgar was already dressed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, and he traded places with her in the bathroom without copping a feel on the way, which was a little insulting.
Well, they were in a rush, but still.
By the time she”d put on her panties and bra, he was already out of the bathroom and helped her zip up the dress.
She pushed her feet into her high heels, wincing at the pinch of the too-tight shoes, but there was no time to worry about comfort or fashion, not when Kian was waiting, his summons hanging over her head like a dark, ominous cloud.
”I would really love a cup of coffee.” She pouted as they rushed out the door. ”Maybe you can get me a cup from the staff lounge room while I get changed?”
”Of course.” Edgar pulled her in for a quick kiss as they waited for the elevator.
”You don”t need to come with me,” she said as they rushed out of the elevator on the staff deck. ”I can handle Kian on my own.”
Edgar shook his head. ”Kian expects me to be there, but even if he didn”t, I wouldn”t have left you to face this alone, whatever it is.”
Something warm unfurled in Jasmine”s chest. It was nice to have someone in her corner, someone who had her back. She”d never had that, not since she left home and not even before that. Her father had often been distant, and her stepmother just hadn”t cared about her.
When the elevator door opened, they ran out. Ed was rushing into the staff lounge to get her coffee, and Jasmine headed toward her cabin.
Bursting through the door, she fumbled with the zipper of her dress as she kicked off her shoes. She stripped off the gown, tossed it on the bed, and reached into the closet for a simple, pull-on sundress.
She quickly ran a brush through her hair, wincing at the tangles and snarls that snagged on the bristles, but there was no time to untangle it gently and style it or to reapply makeup. Instead, she grabbed a makeup removal wipe, hastily scrubbing at her face until her skin was clean and bare.
When she got out, Ed was waiting for her with a cup of coffee. ”I didn”t know whether you wanted cream and sugar, so I put in both.” He handed her the paper cup.
”Thank you.” She took a grateful sip even though it was too sweet. ”I needed that.”
Edgar regarded her with a smile. ”You”re even more gorgeous without makeup.” He lifted his hand and cupped her cheek.
Jasmine leaned into his touch, her eyes fluttering closed as she savored his reassuring presence for a moment.
”We need to hustle.” She took his hand and broke into a light jog toward the elevators.
By the time they got to Kian”s deck, Jasmine”s palms were damp with sweat, and the churning in her stomach was making her nauseous.
Edgar rang the doorbell, and a moment later, the door swung open, revealing a stocky butler in a three-piece suit and a mannequin smile on his face.
Wow, talk about stereotypes. He was perfectly cast for the role of a British butler in an aristocratic house.
”Good morning, Master Edgar, Mistress Jasmine. Please, come in.”
Jasmine was impressed that Kian had told his butler to greet her by name. Did it mean that she was a valued guest?
She certainly hoped so.
Kian was sitting in an armchair while Syssi and Amanda were on the couch. Both women smiled warmly, making her feel more at ease, and Syssi got to her feet, but Kian remained seated and looked even more imposing and unapproachable than the last time she”d seen him, which was at the wedding.
Jasmine swallowed hard, her mouth suddenly dry as sandpaper. But she forced herself to meet Kian”s gaze and smile. ”Good morning.”
Syssi walked over to her and gave her a quick hug. ”Can I offer you some coffee?”
”Yes, please. I would love some.”
She had discarded the cup Edgar had made her in a trashcan by the elevators because it had been so sweet that it was undrinkable, and she desperately needed something to wet her throat.
”How about you, Edgar?” Syssi asked. ”Would you like some coffee as well?”
”Thank you,” he said. ”If it”s not too much trouble.”
”It”s not. Okidu will gladly make it. The simple pod machine we have here does not require any finesse.”
That was kind of insulting to the poor butler. It was as if Syssi was implying that he was a simpleton and couldn”t handle a more sophisticated coffeemaker.
Not that the guy seemed to care. With a wide grin and a bow to his mistress, he hurried into the tiny kitchen and got busy making coffee.
And what was the deal with him addressing everyone as master and mistress? What was this, the eighteenth century?
”Please, sit down next to me.” Amanda waved Jasmine over.
Jaz cast a quick look at Edgar, who gave her a reassuring smile and headed toward the armchair next to Kian”s.
When Jasmine sat down next to Amanda, Syssi sat on her other side. ”I can”t start my day without a good strong cup of coffee either, so I know how you feel.” She smiled. ”I”m sorry for the early wake-up call.”
Jasmine didn”t blush often, but she felt her cheeks heat up. ”That”s okay. Edgar and I just overslept. We stayed up very late last night at the wedding.”
Amanda chuckled. ”And I bet you didn”t go to sleep right away.”
”We didn”t,” Jasmine admitted with ease. She had nothing to hide or be embarrassed about.
When the butler returned with coffees for her and Edgar, the familiar aroma of the fresh brew and the ritual of stirring in the cream and sugar helped to ease some of the tension that was coiling in Jasmine”s gut.
But the reprieve was short-lived.
”Amanda.” Kian turned to his sister. ”Do you want to do the honors? Out of the four of us, you are the best suited for the task.”
Jasmine”s heart stuttered in her chest, a creeping sense of dread washing over her. ”What task?” she asked.
Amanda just smiled, her eyes sparkling with a strange inner light. ”You are about to fall down the mother of all rabbit holes, so brace yourself.” She snorted. ”Except in your case, you won”t find a queen, but you might discover a prince.”