Chapter 33
Chapter
Thirty-Three
ROSE
I tried to fix some of the damage Caden had done while he zipped up my silver-tinted dress.
Maria would be displeased if she knew of the damage Caden’s handiwork had inflicted on my hair and lipstick while he was thrusting himself inside my mouth.
The thought quickly dissipated when he kneeled to help me into my pumps and strapped them on.
There was something immensely sexy when someone as fierce as Caden acted like a caretaker.
He stood, pulling out his phone when it buzzed. It had been functional since we docked in the Bahamas, which meant more phone calls on top of the ones he received via the cruise’s landline. Whoever texted him immediately fouled his good mood.
His lips thinned. “Let’s go.”
I smiled nervously. “Er. Sure. Just give me a second. Maria had a purse for me. It was here, somewhere.”
“You don’t need it.”
Caden grabbed my hand and led me out of the salon. Impatient energy radiated from him, unsettling me. Something about his urgent footsteps niggled at the back of my mind.
Although he prided himself on being a recluse, Caden had been oddly invested in this gala, personally overseeing all the arrangements.
When I pointed out the discrepancy, he claimed he needed to solidify a few partnerships for a new venture.
The explanation had been sound. The guests on the ship were moguls, industrialists, and dignitaries from around the world with connections to supplies, contracts, and labor to support any business deal.
It wasn’t until we reached the other side of the boat, where the party was being held, that the modicum of unease turned into agitation.
Caden’s pace had increased. As we crossed into an empty corridor, I found Linda at the far end of it, molding herself into the wall.
She did it every time I caught her trailing me.
Clearly, she had been instructed to keep an eye on me while allowing us privacy.
But my pace slowed when I saw a second guard.
Something felt off the closer we got to the entrance.
Subconsciously, I started backing away when we reached the ballroom door. My escape was quickly halted when Caden’s fingers clamped around my wrist like a vise.
“Caden,” I started uncertainly. “P-perhaps I shouldn’t go to the gala.”
His face turned to stone as he dragged me toward the large wooden doors. “Tonight’s important. And I’m sure you’re tired of being cooped up.”
While I had been excited about attending a real party, something about Caden’s accelerated steps felt like a trap. He was never excited to socialize, so what was up with the fervent enthusiasm?
“Why don’t you go by yourself?”
“Your attendance is nonnegotiable, Rose.” He only called me Rose when he was serious or angry.
My pulse hammered against my throat like a prisoner desperate to escape. His grip tightened as he pulled me toward the imposing double doors. I was as stiff as a board in his arms as two security personnel pulled the doors open with deferential nods.
My paranoia disappeared the moment I crossed the arched doorway.
The lavishness of the ballroom hit me like a slap.
I halted at the second-story gallery overlooking the grand ballroom downstairs.
A chandelier hung suspended like a frozen explosion of crystal, splintering light across the sea of silks and tailored suits below.
White-jacketed servers slipped between conversations, their trays full of bubbling champagne.
Cream walls climbed toward the ceiling, their surfaces etched with silver filigree that seemed almost alive in the shifting light.
Time itself loomed large, and a clock face dominated the wall in the middle of the split staircases, watching over everything.
The place looked like it had been plucked from some aristocratic past.
Caden hurried me down the steps. When we landed at the bottom of the staircases, the room fell silent at our arrival.
The weight of a hundred stares prickled against my skin.
Every guest, staff, and crew member was in attendance tonight, and it seemed they’d been waiting for Caden’s arrival with bated breath.
Guests observed us over their dinner tables set with military precision.
Caden barreled through the crowd, his grip on my hand unyielding as he dragged me behind him.
Conversations died around us as he dismissively sliced through the various social clusters.
Plastering what I hoped was an apologetic smile across my face, I squeezed his hand to ease up.
But he kept up the relentless pace. What was with him tonight?
“Isn’t that the stowaway girl?” A woman’s voice sliced through the murmurs like a stiletto heel on marble.
“Yeah, that’s the homeless girl.”
“Natasha said she was out hooking on the streets for drugs.”
The magic of the evening vanished in an instant.
My stomach plummeted as if I’d missed a step.
However, Caden didn’t hear the rumors, his single-minded attention was on something at the far end of the room.
I chanced a glance around my surroundings and was hit by scrutinizing eyes.
My cheeks burned hot when I caught sight of manicured fingers pressed against glossy lips, ice cubes clinking against crystal as women gossiped about me.
Men in tailored suits paused mid-conversation, their judgmental eyebrows raised in my direction.
Sweat prickled along my hairline when I recognized the faces Amelie and the beauty team had pointed out from the safety of my suite window.
The bachelorette group vying for Caden’s attention watched me scornfully.
Natasha was at the far corner, silently fuming.
Despite dressing me to the nines and showering me in diamonds, Caden couldn’t stop these people from figuring out I was uncouth.
I didn’t have, nor could I recall, Rose A’s subtle class and sophistication to carry a conversation with this crowd and disprove their vile theories.
But Caden’s increasing eagerness over tonight’s event made me vow not to fuck this up for him. I deliberately kept my gaze fixed on his back until we stopped in front of an older gentleman with salt-and-pepper hair and a matching beard.
“Dr. Maxwell.” He shook Caden’s hand. “Finally.”
With a hand on my lower back, Caden pulled me to his side. “Rose, this is Marcus, the captain of the boat.”
“It’s nice to meet you.”
His kind eyes lit up with excitement. “So, you’re the stowaway that snuck into my boat?”
“ My boat,” Caden corrected instantaneously.
“Er. Yeah.” I flushed, though I didn’t detect any malicious intent in his tone.
The captain chuckled. “I appreciate a daring spirit. You’re going to have to tell me how you dodged my security.”
Before I could open my mouth, a man slapped a hand over Caden’s shoulder. I gasped. No one would make such a bold move unless they were exponentially confident in their social standing.
I glanced at the offender and found myself staring into a bottomless void.
A man with impossibly dark eyes studied me curiously.
He wore a black tux, which fit his six-foot-three frame like a glove.
His dark hair was styled back, though pieces fell over his eyes.
Everything about him screamed old money.
My God, he was beautiful.
Instead of sending the man sprawling on the floor like I half expected, Caden acknowledged him. “Cavendish.”
“Great to see you, Maxwell. I was starting to think you wouldn’t come out of your room this entire cruise.” The man glanced from Caden to me with amusement. “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your beautiful date?”
Caden’s eye twitched. “This is Rose.”
“Nice to meet you, Rose. I’m Kai Cavendish.” He extended a hand with the sort of confidence you would expect out of royalty. Slow, deliberate, and methodical.
I went to shake his hand, but Caden roped my fingers with his. He seemed unruffled, though I knew better. Caden was displeased that I had entertained the minor invitation for physical touch. I could tell by his death grip.
Instead of being offended by the deliberate snub, Kai chuckled.
“How do you know each other?” I asked to dissuade the tension, though both men seemed perfectly at ease with the awkward exchange.
“Boarding school,” Caden said dismissively.
“In case you’re wondering, he was just as much a grouch back then,” Kai said. “Which brings me to ask, how did such a pretty girl end up with a man like him? There are other options, you know?” he said, laying it on thick.
The insinuation was crystal clear, though I knew Kai wasn’t interested in me.
I recognized the hollow flattery in his smile.
He wanted to provoke Caden for some unknown reason and had identified me as the trigger to poke the bear.
Caden’s steely glare might as well light Kai on fire, his low growl sounding like a warning.
“Are you free tomorrow?” Kai asked me.
“Do you want to spend the rest of your vacation in the brig, Cavendish?”
Kai wasn’t bothered by Caden’s threat. “Just blink twice if that’s a yes.”
The captain sensed the escalating tension and stepped in. “Gentlemen, we have all night to catch up with old friends. For now, we should start the gala.”
“Hasn’t the gala already started?” I looked around at the free-flowing alcohol and trays of appetizers. My nose sniffed the air like a cartoon character when I saw a platter of mushrooms stuffed with melted cheese. The server disappeared before I could grab his attention.
Marcus shook his head. “I have a strict tradition for my Captain’s Receptions. Every gala starts with a first dance. Call it superstition, but I’ve never had a ship go down on my watch.”
My face dimmed when another waitstaff member walked by with risotto balls. He was too far away for me to grab his attention.
“And the dance is always led by the hosts or one of our VIP guests.”