Chapter 19
KATE
I’m on cloud nine. Luke is leading me up to a ship that he referred to as a yacht. It’s the size of a small cruise ship.
I’m beginning to realize that rich-people speak isn’t always an exact portrayal of reality. Luke seems to believe absurd private jets and mini cruise ships are an aspect of any old weekend getaway.
“Do I look okay?” I whisper, adjusting the strap of my emerald-green dress. It’s low-cut, and it has a high slit on the side.
I spent a stupid amount of money on it, but it made me feel pretty. Plus, he reimbursed me for it.
Judging by Luke’s green eyes grazing over my exposed skin for the millionth time, it was worth it.
“You’re stunning.”
His gaze is focused on mine now, fingers trailing over my shoulder blades. Tremors run through me, and I wish we could finish what we started on the deck.
What’s with the sudden change in him?
His revived interest is throwing me for a loop.
I’ve had a crush on him since the night we hooked up, but until today, he seemed almost completely oblivious to my presence, aside from the fluke in his penthouse and in the elevator.
His interest in me is a seesaw, and I’m getting sick of the whiplash.
We step onto the rooftop deck of the yacht, immediately greeted by servers with trays of every seafood delicacy I could imagine.
Crystal champagne glasses are placed in our hands.
Yellow plumeria and white hibiscus flowers cover nearly every surface.
The theme seems to be a navy-blue and yellow nautical style.
“Do you know all these people?” I lean in to ask Luke.
He smells delicious again. I need to take a sample of his cologne to sniff when I’m feeling sad and lonely.
“No. Most of them are Fallon’s modeling friends.”
He downs the glass of champagne, grabbing another one from a passing tray.
“Well, they certainly all look like models.”
I’m not generally an insecure girl. I know I’m cute, and I’m comfortable with it .
. . when I’m in my element. Being on the arm of a handsome billionaire, surrounded by supermodels in Tahiti isn’t exactly my ideal scene.
I feel about three feet too short and twenty pounds too heavy.
My heels are five inches high, but I wish I were on stilts.
“I can’t stand it. Eat something, jeez. Fallon used to make herself sick, not eating enough.” He shakes his head.
I watched him style his ebony hair, and he looks every bit like he belongs here. I can’t miss all the passing glances from the attractive, tall guests.
I stare at him, dumbfounded by the observation and revelation of such an intimate fact about Fallon.
“Is she . . . is she okay now?”
“She has issues with it sometimes, but she’s better in general if she doesn’t get depressed.”
He reaches for my hand, guiding me to the bar overlooking the whitecapped ocean water.
“Double bourbon,” he tells the bartender.
I’m still working on my first glass of champagne.
Is he trying to get drunk? I know he isn’t happy about Fallon getting married, but I still have no idea why.
Then, I see Garrison, Fallon’s fiancé, in a navy suit, smiling next to her.
I physically jolt as I recognize him. He was in the blurry photo that Becky showed me.
He was a Navy SEAL. I can’t believe I didn’t recognize him earlier on the deck, but I was too busy being embarrassed at getting caught.
He was on the SEAL Team with Luke. Was he there when Reid died?
My hand starts to shake as my brain tries to work out the missing pieces to the story.
Becky showed me one of their engagement photos at our lunch, but I was so excited to find out she and Luke weren’t a couple that I didn’t pay attention to the guy’s face she was actually engaged to.
The suit being similar to his uniform is like a light coming on in my brain.
Luke turns to me, his glass nearly empty. “I should say hello to my mother. Can I find you in a little while?”
I nod, relieved to get a private moment to panic. As soon as he walks away, looking as handsome as ever in a white shirt and slate-grey suit pants, I speed-walk away from the crowd.
“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh . . .”
I finally find a path through the maze to a restroom. Pushing open the door, I dig into my clutch for my phone. My fingers shake as I find her name, hitting Call on Becky.
She picks up after one ring. “Kate! I’m so glad you called. How’s your evening?”
“Hey, Becky. It’s . . . fine. I was calling to see if you could text me that photo of”—I lower my voice to a whisper—“Mr. Bradshaw as a Navy SEAL with the article? And the one of his sister and her fiancé? If it’s too much trouble—”
“Of course! I’ll do it right now. Do you want to come over and get them yourself? We could look through the Facebook profiles together.”
She sounds hopeful, and I feel a tinge of guilt at how I’m using her.
“Oh, I wish, but I’m . . . out of town this weekend. I gotta go now. Thank you so much. Can we . . . get lunch next week?”
“Oh my, I would love that! You choose the place this time! My treat.”
“Sounds great. Good night.”
I hit the red button, playing with my hair as I wait impatiently for her text to come through.
Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe it’s not him.
I nearly drop the phone as it vibrates in my hand. When I click open the photo, my heart sinks.
The man standing right next to Luke is definitely Garrison. I swipe to see the engagement session.
Why didn’t I pay attention to it the first time?
The article is barely legible, but I’m able to make out most of it.
A local boy who became a Navy SEAL perished in combat.
His SEAL Team was on a top-secret mission overseas when he died honorably, defending his country.
The circumstances surrounding his death were never shared with the public, but those of us who knew him know that he was a patriot who bravely defended our freedom until his dying breath.
The remaining members on the team have all returned safely to the States.
Pictured right to left: Garrison Rake, Luke Bradshaw, Reid Lewis, and Henrik Cavalry.
My heart is thundering in my ears until I realize it’s actually someone banging on the door.
“Hello? Is there someone in there?”
I open it up to see a beautiful, disgruntled girl glowering down at me.
“Hi. Other people need to go, you know?”
“Yes, of course. So sorry! The, uh, crab cakes made me sick.” I rush out, holding the door open for her.
She rolls her eyes, brushing past me.
I slowly walk back through the maze of marble bar tops, white leather furniture, and glamorous guests. I’m in a daze, my mind swimming with the realization that whatever happened to cause a rift between Luke and Garrison had to have been bad . . . really bad.
“Kate, there you are.” Fallon approaches me, her forehead pinched. She’s in a gorgeous, floor-length pale yellow gown that must have been made especially for her.
“Oh, hi, Fallon. You look stunning.” I smile weakly, but she doesn’t return it.
“Thanks. Have you seen Luke?” She seems distracted, scanning the bodies around us.
She’s tall, but so are most of them. I’ve never felt like such a shrimp in my life.
“He said he was going to say hi to your mom. I was just in the restroom.”
She purses her lips, forcing out a sigh.
“She’s over by the ice sculptures. Ugh, aren’t they disgusting? Such a stupid idea. My wedding planner talked me into it.”
I look at the object in question, an elaborate sea-creature design, depicting dolphins, sharks, stingrays, jellyfish, and an enormous octopus joining them all together with its legs wrapped around an anchor.
“Oh, wow . . . it’s so . . . so unique.”
She laughs. “It’s repulsive. Like, the event is nautical-themed, but we don’t need every creature under the sea to be in attendance.”
I laugh with her, feeling a shred of tension leaving my body after what she caught me doing with her brother earlier.
Her mind must be on the same track because she raises a brow. “I’m glad he’s finally loosening up a bit, even though I’d prefer not to witness it with my own two eyes.”
My cheeks heat. How is he loosening up?
I open my mouth, trying to think of how to word an apology for such a thing, but she doesn’t give me a chance.
“Can you please help me find Luke? I’m terrified of what he could be doing.”
With a woman?! My mind immediately goes to the worst-possible scenario of finding him lip-locked with another woman.
“Yes, let’s look for him. Split up or stick together?”
“You go check down below, and I’ll search up here.”
I nod, wishing she’d let me stay above. I hope I don’t get lost. My nerves are on end as I find the open stairway, briefly noticing the ocean view as I descend.
The party seems to be going on over three levels total, so I start at the bottom. The extravagance is mind-blowing. On the lowest level, there’s a display of the diamond tiara, necklace, and earrings that Fallon will be wearing during the ceremony tomorrow, complete with armed security.
“Okay, focus on finding Luke,” I mumble to myself.
A girl with a shaved head gives me a strange look as I talk to myself. A tall, roguishly handsome man approaches me with a flute of champagne in each hand. He grins, a twinkle in his blue eyes. He hands me one of the flutes. Something about him is so familiar, but I can’t place how I know him.
“You must be Kate.”
I blink up at him, accepting the drink. My stomach flutters when I realize Luke might have told him about me.
“I am. And you are?”
He extends a hand. “Henrik Cavalry.”
My bloodstream freezes. He’s the fourth man in the photo.
“Are you a friend of the bride or the groom?” I force out, trying to act casual.
“Both, you could say. I was in the Navy with Garrison and Luke. I’ve known Fallon for years.”
I finally spot Luke’s broad shoulders at a corner bar, three glamorous women surrounding him. I swallow over a lump in my throat.
One of the ladies reaches out to place her hand in the crook of his elbow, and I suck in a breath. I look away, gnawing my lower lip.
“Bradshaw has never been the commitment type. Don’t let him stress you out.” Henrik says.
I nod, sipping the champagne. My stomach feels hollow.
In the corner of my eye, I see Luke stand. He tosses his drink back before he removes her hand. He pauses, regarding me with an expression of . . . interest. His eyes darken when he sees Henrik.
“Now that’s a sight I’ve never seen.” Henrik chuckles. “Let me see something.” He reaches over to brush a stray hair out of my eyes. I gape at him.
Luke stalks toward us, and I swallow down my nerves.
So handsome.
“Henrik.” He says, reaching out to shake his hand.
“Been keeping this lovely girl company for you.” Henrik grins. They shake hands for an oddly long time.
“Yeah, I see that.” Luke grits.
Henrik is unbothered, grinning like it’s his birthday. I shift to face Luke.
“Did you . . . talk to your mom?” I ask, eyes flitting to the three murderous glares being shot at me from behind him.
He nods, heaving a sigh as his fingers reach out to trace over my bottom lip. I’m motionless, not even daring to breathe. I can smell the bourbon on him.
He watches the movement as his hand continues down to my neck, where he pulls me in close, dropping his mouth to kiss the top of my shoulder. My sensitive skin ignites at the contact, my thighs clenching together.
“I missed you,” he whispers.
“I . . . wasn’t gone very long.” Breathing is difficult with his rapt attention on my neck.
“I want to go back. Let’s go night swimming and then make love in the moonlight.”
That’s the best idea I’ve ever heard.
I hear Henrik mutter something about miracles before stepping toward the three women.
I nod, looking up to see Fallon walking toward us. I try to back away from him, but he grabs my waist, preventing me from going further.
“Luke, can you please come above? We’re about to start serving the appetizers.” Her expression is wounded as she lowers her voice. “You promised to participate.”
He looks up at her. “I can’t do it, Fal. I thought I could—”
“No! Lukie, please. You swore to me. Do it for me, not for him. I don’t even have Dad here. You can’t bail.” She’s pleading with him, honey-brown eyes watering.
He closes his eyes, tightening his grip around my waist.
What on earth could be holding him back from supporting his sister the night before her wedding?
He finally nods, jaw clenching. She engulfs him in a hug, sniffling. A few bystanders have started to curiously eye our trio, and I find myself wanting to tell them to mind their own business.
Fallon regains her composure, pulling back to smile at Luke. “Can we go sit? They’re ready to start.”
“Yes, let’s go,” he says, guiding me up as she leads the way, her model-walk betraying the emotion expressed moments before.
I have a bad feeling about tonight.