Chapter 27
Chapter
Twenty-Seven
CADEN
Leaving my bed, while Rose was keeping it warm, was a testament in self-control. But it was important to keep up with her nutrient-dense diet, and she didn’t eat much last night. She generally followed a poor diet, often missing meals unless we ate together.
I doubt there was much I could do to make her appreciate food, but I still decided to do a breakfast run before she woke up.
There weren’t any restaurants around the dock, only a wellness café a short drive away. My strides to my car were long, and though the café was relatively close, it seemed miles in the opposite direction from Rose.
Last night replayed in my mind as I waited impatiently in the morning line, glancing repeatedly in the direction of the harbor.
My lack of restraint around Rose was astounding.
She was wary of physical contact, and I had initially intended on easing her into it.
But seeing her with that asshole Doyle had broken my willpower.
I paused, my jaw clenching involuntarily.
Who else was sniffing around Rose? I only knew of that prick Doyle because of class, but there could be others.
Rose would never tell me if there were other men chasing her.
And hadn’t Alex mentioned her family only approved of matches with Indian men in the upper one percentile?
It hadn’t crossed my mind until now that they might be setting her up on dates.
Fuck.
My hands aggressively fisted into the brown bag with our breakfast sandwiches as I paid for our order.
Every muscle in my body tensed as though bracing for impact while heat crawled up my neck.
Once more, I was crashing into a wave of jealousy and possessiveness where Rose was concerned.
The only thing keeping me sane was last night’s memories.
The way she trembled and grabbed my shoulders when I was inside her for the first time.
Rose wouldn’t have broken her no touching rule unless she wanted me just as badly and was willing to fight her family.
So, imagine my surprise when I sped back to the boat, only to find an empty bedroom. My hand roamed the empty sheets where Rose had been. The darkness behind the blackout curtains couldn’t hide her absence. Last night’s high faded as I rapped on the bathroom door.
“Rose?”
Silence.
I blinked hard, trying to focus my thoughts. She wouldn’t leave. There was no fucking way.
I checked downstairs, followed by the main areas of the boat, calling her name repeatedly.
Nothing.
You’ve got to be kidding me.
I returned to my room and slammed my door so hard the walls shook.
Grabbing the bag of breakfast sandwiches off the coffee table, I hurled it across the room where it knocked a glass of water to the floor with a satisfying crack.
My fists pummeled the wall, the impact sending shock waves up my arms.
What. The. Actual. FUCK!
The satisfaction of last night evaporated, replaced by a storm. She finally gave in, but then she disappeared without a word. Was this because her family wouldn’t approve or because she was my student?
Rose had an aversion to risk. She wouldn’t have taken such a big one without thinking it through or fully committing to it. There was no way she was backing out or changing her mind, though all signs pointed to the opposite.
I wouldn’t let her retreat, not after we finally crossed that line. For so long I had kept a lid on it, keeping my distance so I wouldn’t spook her. My obsession had been warring with her personal boundaries for months. She finally reciprocated, only to disappear.
I grabbed my phone and pulled up Rose’s phone number, the one Alex had sent me. The phone rang a few times before going to voicemail. I tried the number again, and this time, her phone was switched off.
I refused to let her ignore me.
I left a message, sent her a few texts, too. When none of it elicited a response, I dialed a different number.
“Professor Maxwell.” Miles sounded surprised, and perhaps still a little drunk from last night.
“Miles. Call Rose Ambani from your phone. I’ll text you the number.”
He was quiet for a moment. Miles wasn’t stupid. He had worked for me long enough to know I never paid attention to students. He knew my interest in Rose wasn’t entirely innocent but would never make the bold accusation out loud. After all, I held his career in the palms of my hands.
“Is everything okay?—”
“I need to get a hold of her. Now!”
“You got it.” He didn’t even ask why I wasn’t the one making the call if I already had her number.
“Merge the call when she answers.” If she thought she could avoid me, Rose had another think coming. One way or another, I would make her talk to me, even if Miles had to stay on the line, listening in on the conversation.
“No problem.”
I hung up and texted him the number. A few minutes passed before he called me back.
“I tried her cell a few times. But my calls are going to voicemail,” he explained, which merely grated on my nerves.
“Have the other assistants try the number. Don’t stop until someone gets a hold of her.”
He seemed reluctant at my new request. While he wouldn’t question my relationship with Rose, he didn’t want anyone else catching on and jeopardizing my position at the university. Because any blow to my career would trickle down to damage his. “Are you sure you want to include them?—”
“Yes,” I snapped.
“What should I tell them this is in regard to?—”
“Tell them nothing and just to do as I say,” I barked, hanging up the phone.
Despite the involvement of my staff, I continued to call and text Rose. Seconds bled into agonizing minutes without any response. When it hit the one-hour mark, I started to lose my mind.
My relentless pursuit led me to her Instagram. I scrolled through it with the fake account I had created to keep tabs on her. There was a new post from last night—a photo with Doyle and the rest of her group. He stood right next to her, and she was smiling.
She was fucking smiling.
Was it possible it wasn’t her family at all and there was someone else?
I flung the phone onto the bed and lay flat, pure rage buzzing through me.
Rose should’ve talked to me if she was overwhelmed by what happened between us, not blow me off and post photos with other assholes.
Irritation thrummed in my veins because I doubt Rose would post a photo of us online.
She wasn’t brave enough to lay a public claim on me, but apparently, she had no problem doing so with other men.
She would pay for this.
My obsession had hit a new peak since last night. I’d finally gotten a taste of what I’d craved for months, and I was a man possessed. I couldn’t stand the thought of her finding someone her own age or race and moving on.
For the first time in my life, I was anchored to this world. Not in a comforting way. In a way that made the world before Rose feel like a void. There was suddenly no reason to exist without this lifeline, and I had no idea how I had lived without it in the first place.
My mind buzzed for the rest of the day. By the next morning, my frustration bubbled over, and I ended up at Rose’s dorm, only to find out she wasn’t there. Rose had gone into hiding, probably at her family’s mansion or somewhere I wouldn’t have access to.
To hell with this.
After months of keeping me at arm’s length and torturing me, she gave just enough to get me hooked. She was dangling what I wanted most in my face, taunting me with it.
I checked my phone again, willing it to vibrate. A call. A text. Anything.
When nothing came, my hands trembled with anger and frustration.
I had been holding back my inner monster around Rose, always subduing my voice and tone so I wouldn’t scare her.
But now, the beast inside me snarled at her rejection, clawing to claim what was rightfully mine.
She was messing with my head, and I’d had enough.
When I caught her—and I would catch her—I’d make her remember how her body belonged to me.
She was sadly mistaken if she thought she would get the same version of me after the stunt she pulled. No more gentleness. No more patience.
“I never want you to hold back with me; I want you to wreck me.”
Little did Rose know that I would give her exactly what she wanted. After running away from me, she had ensured that I would have no reason to hold back. Rose. Was. Mine. And I would claim every inch of her until she couldn't remember a time when she wasn't mine.