Chapter 20
Chapter
Twenty
CADEN
Our mouths collided, though I kept expecting her to snap out of whatever had possessed her tonight. When I thought she would push me away, she pulled me closer. With one hand flat on my chest, she wrapped the other around my neck and leaned forward.
My ears buzzed, high on her scent. The kiss turned intense, and I traced her bottom lip with my tongue, then moved down her throat.
“Your skin…fuck. That tastes amazing,” I murmured against her collarbone.
My breath was heavy, like a man savoring his final meal. Panting against her neck, I knew my self-control was in tatters. I gently bit her neck when she didn’t pull away.
Fuck, I needed this, but it wasn’t enough.
I needed more.
Suddenly, she jumped, though I grabbed her before she could disengage entirely. She didn’t seem rattled by me; instead, her gaze was on the staircase. I followed her line of vision. There was a commotion coming from upstairs, and the noise had snapped her back to reality.
Fuck, she was addicting. I was wrapped up in her and hadn’t heard the noise. But I could hear it now, and it sounded as if things were escalating.
“You’re such a fucker.”
“Do you know who my father is?”
“You’re drunk.”
“No, fucker. You are.”
Irritation gnawed at me. I had no idea how long we had been at this, but we had docked at some point in the last five minutes, and a few of the students had started a fight. I needed to put a stop to it.
I let go of Rose. She avoided eye contact while I studied her face. Perhaps she was drunk, and I had overstepped. I was her professor, after all, and this could be construed as taking advantage of the situation.
But fuck did I care. The last few weeks had been a testament to patience that I didn’t possess. Exercising discipline now was the least of my concerns. Rose gave in, and that was all the validation I needed.
“Stay here,” I ordered. “I have to go upstairs and sort this out.” I was about to have whoever interrupted us expelled. I had finally gotten her where I wanted, and entitled brats ruined the progress.
She nodded, retreating into herself.
“We’ll talk after I come back.”
Once more, she nodded. I took the stairs, glancing at her over my shoulder.
I reached the top of the stairs and assessed the situation. The boat had just docked, and two drunk idiots got into it about who would disembark first. I should throw both of them into the water and solve the problem.
On the bright side, the fight made everyone else want to leave the party. A crowd formed around the ramp while two security guards escorted the drunken idiots off the deck.
I instructed my crew to return tomorrow to clean up—I didn’t want anyone else interrupting us—and within ten minutes, I was informed that all the guests had left the boat. By the time I returned downstairs, it was too quiet for my liking.
“Rose,” I called.
I was greeted with silence.
Fuck.
Rose had fled the scene.
I slammed the door to the presidential suite of the mega yacht—a duplex with a bedroom upstairs. I was pissed. Really fucking pissed. I was talking to the crew for less than ten minutes, and Rose used that window to disembark with everyone else.
What the fuck.
I wanted to throw something across the room to dissuade my anger, like the lamp, but everything was anchored to the wall or floor to account for wave turbulence. I couldn’t believe Rose snuck out.
I threw open the door to the upstairs bedroom, turned on the bedside lamp…and froze.
Great. Just great.
A woman was under the covers of my bed with her face turned away from me.
I didn’t need a second glance or an explanation.
Another semester, another student trying to seduce me.
Last semester, a woman had taken off all her clothes and walked into my office after hours.
The semester before that, a naked student had cornered me in the bathroom at another student-faculty event.
When would this end? Threatening to expel students was no longer doing the job.
I turned my back to the bed. “Get out,” I spat out the words.
She moaned, and I heard the ruffling of the sheets, followed by her footsteps. At least she was sensible enough to take me at my word.
Before I could relish the small victory, two hands wrapped around my middle with a head resting against my back.
God, I hated these parties and this university and every shitty thing about these entitled students. I grabbed her wrists. I was ready to rip them off me and drag her out of the room when she spoke.
“The room’s spinning.”
It was the husky softness in the voice, familiar and undeniable. I whirled around in shock, eyes widening when I saw the owner of the voice. I searched her face, awed that she was here.
“Rose.” I grabbed her elbow.
Rose stood there, wide-eyed and placid.
Disbelief that this little girl had the audacity to sneak into my bedroom consumed me. Yes, we kissed and I pointed out my suite, but never in my wildest fantasies had I expected her to climb into my bed. It was so unlike Rose that I had mistaken her for another woman.
I had no idea where this surge of boldness to sneak into my room came from, but I didn’t care. I only knew I wouldn’t let her out.
She mumbled something, one hand reaching for the back of my neck, her eyes heavy-lidded from alcohol or sleep.
The other hand fisted my shirt, her nails grazing my chest through the thin material.
I closed my eyes, breathing heavily to counteract the intoxicating effect she had on me.
I didn’t want to move or breathe too loudly or do anything that snapped her out of it.
I didn’t want her to lose her nerve and back out.
If she thought I was a gentleman who would turn her down because she was vulnerable, she had walked into the wrong brother’s room. There was only one woman I wouldn’t chase out, and she was here, writhing in my arms.
The faint smell of a mild perfume wafted into my nostrils. Even her application of perfume was tactful. When she splayed a palm on my chest, it broke the dam.
Gripping a fistful of her hair, I tilted her head back. “Only you can do this to me.”