Chapter 5 #2
The sound of boots echoed closer, the sweep of light passing right over their hiding spot as Cade bit down a groan. Tris’s mouth brushed the base of his cock again, deliberate this time, and Cade swore he saw stars.
Instinctively, his hands fell to Tris’s head, fingers threading into his hair just as a spotlight hit Cade square in the eye.
“Hey!” the man called, the flashlight beam cutting through the dark and sweeping over them from head to toe…twice.
Cade did his best to look scandalized, dragging Tris to his feet and holding him close, like he was shielding him from view. “Uh. Sorry, man. We were just looking for some privacy.”
Tris’s lips were wet, his mouth slightly open, and Cade could still feel the ghost of that metal tongue ring gliding against his skin, an aftershock that made it hard to look convincingly embarrassed.
The man seemed momentarily rendered mute before recovering. “Didn’t you hear the captain asking all passengers to return to the exhibit?”
Cade gave a sheepish smile. “We thought the boat was returning to port. I figured we’d be done before we got back. Is something wrong?”
The man shifted his weight, glancing toward the others still sweeping the decks. When he realized they’d be no help, he said, “We believe a passenger may have been injured.”
“May have been?” Tris asked, feigning confusion.
Once more, the man’s gaze shifted away from them. “Yes, we’re not…certain. A passenger believes they may have seen someone fall overboard. Please, return to the main exhibit room. Thank you.”
Clearly, they were trying to keep things quiet. That boded well for them. Cade adjusted his clothes, willing his body to calm down, then took Tris’s hand, letting the man point them toward the hallway they’d exited moments ago.
The exhibit hall buzzed with nervous energy, a low hum of voices building like white noise. Cade watched as others filtered in from various parts of the ship. Good, plausible deniability. They weren’t the only ones who’d gone exploring.
Cade parked them against the wall and pulled Tris into his arms. “Way to think on your feet…or your knees, I suppose.”
“So funny,” Tris muttered, his voice muffled against Cade’s jacket. The vibration of it sank right through Cade’s ribs, disarming him in a way bullets never could.
Across the room, one of the employees was talking to Albertini’s companions, whose expressions looked far more curious than concerned. Cade wished he could hear what they were saying, but he’d have to play the cards he had.
“I’m so hungry,” Tris whined.
“Once we’re off this godforsaken hunk of metal, I promise I’ll take you anywhere you want to eat.” Then he added, “Provided you ever want to see me again.”
“I want pancakes. So many pancakes. And waffles. Oh, and maybe waffle fries. Is there a place that serves waffles and waffle fries?” Tris asked.
Cade’s heart skipped. Tris hadn’t even hesitated. After all that, he was still standing here, still choosing him. It made Cade reckless enough to ask, “Does that mean you’ll let me take you out again?”
Tris’s hands bunched in Cade’s shirt, worrying the fabric between his fingers as he rubbed his face against Cade’s chest. “I feel like we’re past dating now. Let’s just get married.”
Cade huffed out something that wasn’t quite a laugh. “You’re out of your mind.”
“And yet,” Tris murmured, smiling faintly against him, “you’re still here.”
Cade had no idea if he was joking, but the idea of marrying Tris warmed him in a way he couldn’t identify. It slid under his skin, soft and disarming, like heat seeping into cold metal.
“I mean, if we did, they couldn’t compel you to testify against me,” he teased, even as his heart raced.
Tris leaned back enough to meet Cade’s eyes, studying him. “I was kidding…sort of.”
Before Cade could form a response, a small group wandered by, bits of their conversation carrying to them as they passed.
“—apparently, he was drunk…” a woman said.
Another added, “...just an accident…”
That was exactly what Cade was hoping to hear. The narrative was building itself. All they had to do was ride out the trip back to shore. Despite what television would have the world believe, they wouldn’t sequester a couple hundred people on a boat for what was most likely an accident.
Cade exhaled quietly, tension bleeding from his shoulders. The hard part was over. Tris was safe. That was the only thing that mattered.
The police would use the guest list to question everybody over the next few days, but that guest list would be useless when it came to Cade and Tris. Cade had used an alias, and Tris was his plus one. Once their feet touched solid ground, Tris would be safe.
Safe, and still somehow holding Cade’s hand like he wasn’t dangerous, like he was something human. That thought lodged in his chest and refused to let go.
When he realized Tris was still watching him, he said, “First waffles, then we’ll talk about our impending nuptials. Deal?”
Tris collapsed into his arms once more, tucking his head under Cade’s chin. “Deal.”
Cade’s mouth curved, the faintest smile ghosting across it. He’d come here to kill a man, and somehow, left wanting pancakes, promises, and the boy who made him believe he could have both.