“Taking a cruise, just like you. Though I wasn’t lucky enough to be invited to the captain’s table.”
“Were you in there?”
“I was. I saw you the moment I walked through the door, but—despite the desperation of my stare—you never looked in my direction.”
“Sorry. I was a little wrapped up in my own thoughts.”
“Not bad thoughts, I hope.”
I started to shrug, but then a thought slipped through my mind. “You never called me.”
“I know. And I’ve regretted it ever since.” He moved up against the rail, staring out at the emptiness of the calm sea. “I got really busy with work, and then it seemed too late to call.”
“You shouldn’t have worried about that. I’m not one of those girls who demands a certain adherence to rules.”
“That’s good to know.” He glanced at me, then straightened as he spotted something behind me. “But you seem to have moved on.”
I turned just in time to see Miles storm by me and grab Dominic by the collar.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
“Same thing as everyone else,” Dominic said, holding up his hands to show he meant Miles no harm. “Just taking a cruise, friend.”
“Then why are you out here with her?”
“We know each other. Don’t we, Riley?”
Miles glanced back at me even as his hold on Dominic tightened. I could hear the distinctive sound of Dominic’s shirt ripping.
“Let him go, Miles,” I said, grabbing his arm. “We were only talking.”
“About what?”
Dominic glanced between the two of us and began to laugh. “Haven’t you told your husband about our lovely little date?”
Hurt flashed across Miles’ face, even as he turned back to Dominic, shoving him so hard against the rail that his arms flailed for a second as he bent backward at the waist.
“Stay away from her. Do you hear me? I catch you near her again, nothing will stop me from tossing you over this rail.”
“And what happened to all that insisting that you were nothing like your brother?”
The color disappeared from Miles’ face as he let Dominic go. However, Dominic wasn’t done yet.
“If I were you,” he said, gesturing toward me, “I’d stay as far away from the Thorn brothers as possible.” Then he focused on Miles again as he straightened his shirt. “My father may have made peace with you, but I haven’t. And I plan to make sure you pay for everything you and your brother did to my sister.” Then he walked away, but not before slamming his shoulder into Miles’ side.
I watched him go, my hands shaking as I tried to comprehend what’d just happened. And then Miles grabbed me, shoving me hard enough against the rail that my teeth rattled.
“Stay away from him, do you hear me? I don’t care what he says or what he does, don’t go anywhere near him without me or Colin with you. Do you understand?”
“Why?”
“Never mind why. Just do what I tell you.”
And that was when the damn broke.
“No,” I said between gritted teeth. “I won’t just do what you tell me. I’m tired of you deciding everything for me. I’m tired of the secrets and the lies and the crap that you hide behind. I won’t just take your word for it anymore. I want to know why.”
“If I won’t tell you?”
“Then I’ll go ask him.”
Miles’ expression hardened like a stone, only the smallest muscle in his jaw showing any sign of emotion. He stared at me for a long minute, and then he stepped back. I thought he was letting me go so I could go talk to Dominic, but then he grabbed my hand and pulled me close to him, speaking almost directly into my ear.
“I’ll tell you everything you want to know. But right now we have to go back inside. There are reporters here who expect me to make an appearance at the evening dance.”
“What if I don’t want to go?”
A weariness washed over Miles’ face. “I’m doing the best I can, Riley. I need you to work with me a little.”
“Why?”
He touched my face with the back of his fingers. “I missed your stubbornness. Can you believe that? But now…”
I was a little stunned by the idea that he’d missed anything about me. I wanted to believe—I mean, he’d seemed really angry at the idea that Dominic and I had gone out—but after the unceremonious way he’d kicked me out of his house, how could I trust anything he did or said?
I stepped back, forcing my mind back to the tangibles in this situation. He held the deed to my aunts’ house. If I wanted to get it from him, I had to play along.
“Okay,” I said. “Let’s go back inside.”
Chapter 19
Most of the diners had moved to the main hall of the ship where a live band was just beginning their first set of the evening. Liquor flowed freely and people were enjoying the wooden dance floor, laughter almost as loud as the deep bass beat. Lisa and Colin were already there, holding each other a little close for the tempo of the current song. Lisa spotted me and smiled as she waved, so much happiness radiating from her face that she probably could have powered the entire ship if someone could figure out how to harness emotion.
Miles led me to the dance floor, but we continuously were stopped by people wanting to introduce themselves. Some were just regular passengers who recognized him from the press he received from his family connections, others were reporters who wanted to arrange a time for an interview. Joan came to our rescue, doing her best to lead people away and take charge of his social calendar.
I’d forgotten what it was like to go out in public with Miles. It was never a simple dinner out or a quiet party among friends. It was always a public relations affair, a game in which we had to be the perfect players or regret it in the morning. It was stressful. But, again, the feel of his hand on the small of my back was actually kind of delicious. And that familiar scent of wood and spices made me want to take a deep breath as he swung me into his arms.
“How long do we have to stay?”
“Anxious to be alone with me?” he asked, a bit of a twinkle in his eye.
“No. Just tired of the bullshit.”
He touched a finger to my lips. “What a mouth you’ve developed.”
“Yes, well, you have that effect on people.”
“I’m sure I’ve affected you in other ways, as well.”
“Don’t we have a bit of a big head?”
“Be honest,” he said softly as he stared into my eyes, “you missed me.”
“I missed the man I thought you were. But I was clearly wrong, now wasn’t I?”
“Don’t be so sure.”
He drew me closer to him, so close that there wasn’t even room for a stray hair to wander between us. And then he kissed me, his lips barely brushing my lips before he drew my bottom lip between his teeth. It reminded me of that night at the gala, the night he told me my lip belong to him. It was the first time I really believed there might be a chance for us, that he might actually see me as more than the convenient girl who filled some crazy need in his life. For a month, I really thought he was the man I’d waited most of my life to come and rescue me from my sad, orphaned life and take me on some wild adventure, like all those princes in all those Disney fairy tales.
But he made it pretty clear that wasn’t the case.
I turned my head, trying to ignore the tears that were welling in my eyes. And, wouldn’t you know it, I just happened to turn in the right direction to watch Claire walk into the room in a crazy, tight, sexy, blue cashmere dress.
What the hell was she doing here?
Miles seemed oblivious to our audience as his hand slowly moved over the length of my back. But Claire wasn’t oblivious. She was watching with naked jealousy written all over her perfect features.
“Why is she here?”
“Who?”
I straightened, my eyes meeting Miles’ again. “Claire.”
He glance
d in the direction I indicated with a little toss of my head and his jaw instantly tightened, that muscle flexing again.
“I don’t know,” he said, his voice hard and low.
“Is Robert here, too?”
“I don’t know,” he repeated. “He’s not supposed to be.”
“Is she here for you?”
There was honest surprise in his eyes when he looked at me. “What do you mean?”
I shrugged. “It’s pretty obvious she’s still in love with you.”
Miles grunted. “She was never in love with me.”
I looked over at Claire again and watched as she snatched a glass of champagne from a passing waiter’s tray and tossed it down with a single gulp.
“I think you’re deluding yourself there just a touch.”
“She married my brother, Riley.”
“Did you ever ask yourself why?”
He laughed quite bitterly. “Because they were having a fucking affair the whole time she and I were together?”
“Who has the dirty mouth now?”
He pulled me closer to him at the same time he buried his fingers in my hair, tugging my head back. “I don’t give a shit what Claire thinks or feels or wants. All I can think about right now is how much I’d like to get you back to our room and test out the mattress on that impossibly large bed.”
His lips were on mine before I could think of a retort, or even catch a breath. I sighed almost unwillingly against his lips, opening to him the moment his tongue asked for entrance. My body remembered his touch even if my heart was desperate to forget it. What a show we must have put on for all the reporters and other wagging tongues watching us. But, in that moment, I didn’t really care. My body was snatching control away from my logical mind, and there wasn’t much I could do to stop it.
His hand slid slowly up over my back, and then down again, enjoying the curves that were so well hidden under the silky folds of my dress. The music changed, a heavy beat bursting around us, but we were practically standing still, lost in each other in a way I had thought would never happen again. How could he still have this power over me? How could he turn me into a puddle with a single touch? It was so unfair, this thing he did to me. My only consolation is that I knew I had a similar power. I could feel it in the rigidness of his body, in the quick pulse of his breaths, and in the desperation of his kiss.
“Let’s get out of here,” he whispered against my ear.
I nodded, aware of what a fool I was being. He knew now that he could use and abuse me at his whim. He knew that all he had to do was kiss me and I was putty in his hands. I swore to myself the day I packed my things and moved out of his house that I would never let another man use me and toss me away the same way he had done. Yet, here I was, rushing off to let him do it all over again. I knew I was in for an even deeper cut than the last time. However, this part of me kept whispering, At least I’ll have this part of him. I’ll have this memory to keep me warm on the multitude of cold, lonely nights that lay in my future. You got to take what you can get. That’s what my aunts always told me. Was this me taking what I could get? Or was this me being a stupid, weak girl?
He took my hand and led the way toward the doors, headed right into Claire’s path. I don’t know if he planned it that way, or if it was just the way things happened, but she grabbed his lapel as we began to pass.
“I need your help,” she said.
Miles barely glanced at her. “Talk to Joan like everyone else.”
“This is private. It’s about Robert.”
That made Miles hesitate in his step. He tightened his grip on my hand even as he turned to her.
“What about Robert?”
“He’s here, in our state room. He’s injured.”
“Injured? How?”
Claire glanced at me and then behind her, as though she was looking for someone. Or maybe something.
“Did you know Dominic is onboard?”
Miles gave her a cursory nod. “I didn’t know you and Robert would be here.”
“We boarded at the last minute. Robert thought you would appreciate his help with the press and everything.”
“I told him to stay away. If not for him…”
Miles glanced around then, too, clearly not willing to have one of the many noisy reporters in the room to hear what it was he hadn’t quite said.
I was quite lost. Why was Dominic so important? And how did Claire know him? I was beginning to think there was something big brewing on this ship, something I was going to wish I had never been a part of. And it clearly had something to do with Dominic, Robert, and Miles. Even Claire seemed quite aware of this secret that seemed to be getting ready to bite us all in places Miles would rather didn’t see the sun.
“What’s your room number?” Miles asked between gritted teeth.
“We’re in the Sky Suite.” She grabbed his arm. “I’ll take you up.”
Miles glanced behind us again, but he didn’t pull away. Maybe it was because of the people behind us he didn’t pull away.
The three of us walked in tandem out the door, both Claire and Miles concentrating on the corridor in front of us. I started to pull away, an excuse on my lips. However, Miles clung to my hand the same way he had at his mother’s funeral, and I felt a certain need in that touch. He didn’t have to look at me, didn’t even pause in his step. And I, like that same lovelorn pre-teen I’d acted like throughout our marriage, followed.
The Sky Suite wasn’t far from the suite Miles and I were sharing. Claire shoved a keycard into the lock and stepped aside, gesturing for Miles to go in first. He pulled me along as he glanced around the sitting room. There was nothing out of place. We both shot Claire an annoyed glance. She ignored me, but gestured toward the bedroom door in answer to Miles’ glance.
“In the bedroom. I made him as comfortable as possible, but I think he’s going to need more than my limited knowledge can provide.”
“Did you call the doctor?”
“The doctor would ask questions I’m not sure we want asked right now.”
That was when Miles let go of my hand. He strode across the room and pushed the bedroom door open with only a hint of hesitation. Claire was right behind him. I’m not sure if she was concerned enough about her husband to want to rush to his side, or if she just wanted to be close to Miles. Her behavior was odd to me. If her husband was so badly injured, why did she dress before coming to the ballroom? Why did she stop for a glass of champagne? Why did she watch us dance for so long?
Then I heard Miles swear quite loudly, using words I’d never heard come from his lips, and I knew whatever it was that plagued Robert, it couldn’t be good.
I went to the door and all I saw was blood. Blood on the bedsheets. Blood on towels. Blood on bandages. It was everywhere. And it was still oozing out of a round hole on Robert’s shoulder.
“What happened?” Miles demanded.
“We were running late for dinner. We were just rounded the main deck, and we ran into Dominic. Dominic said something about his sister, Robert said something back, and Dominic pulled a gun.”
I turned and ran from the room, even as Miles pressed his hands to the wound, trying to slow the bleeding.
“If she tells anyone,” I heard Claire begin to say, but then I was rushing down the corridor, desperately trying to remember where to turn and where to keep going straight. I somehow managed to find the ballroom with only two wrong turns. Lisa was still there, thank goodness, laughing as Colin lowered her into a deep bow.
“I need you,” I said as I rushed breathlessly to her side.
Lisa took one look at my face and whispered something to Colin before following me back out the door. By the time we got back to Robert and Claire’s suite, Robert was unconscious and Claire was drinking all the vodka she could find in the mini bar.
“Great,” she said. “Mention that we can’t let anyone else know, and she goes and brings an audience.”
But Lisa was already pushing Mil
es out of the way, assessing the situation and yelling instructions to anyone who was listening.
Did I mention that Lisa’s in medical school when she’s not tending bar?
Miles, his face pale and tense, mouthed the words thank you.
I just nodded, as I moved past him on my way to the bathroom to try to find some of the things Lisa needed.
There was a story here. The moment Robert’s situation was under control, I was going to hear it if I had to lock Miles in our suite and tie him to the bed to get him to tell it.
It was the least he owed me after this.
Chapter 20
Miles stood at the sink in our stateroom, washing blood from his hands.
How could a simple arranged marriage turn into such a horrifying, out-of-control mess?
I was supposed to marry a man, a complete stranger who just happened to be part of one of the most famous, most beloved families in the country for a few months. I only had to pretend to be the perfect wife at a few dinner parties and business get-togethers and I’d walk away with the deed to my aunts’ house, the use of his name to get a good job, and a million dollars to boot. What could possibly go wrong?
How about the fact that I fell in love with him?
Or the fact that I thought he was in love with me, too?
And then there was the whole he-forgot-to-deliver-the-divorce-papers-to-the-court-so-we’re-still-legally-married thing after he tossed me out on my rear when he decided he didn’t need me anymore. And the fact that he conveniently forgot to turn over the deed to my aunts’ house to me. Or the fact that he convinced my aunts to give me a ticket to this cruise, supposedly to bring me out of the funk I’d been in since the divorce, just so he could trap me into pretending to be his wife for a group of reporters covering the launch of the new cruise line he was—for reasons I couldn’t quite figure out—running for his father.
The last I heard, his father blamed him for everything—from his mother’s cancer to global warming. Why would they work together?
But they were. And I had to sit through a boring dinner, pretending to be happily reunited with my husband while my best friend sat across from me with the man of her dreams. It was suffocating. I had to get out of there.
LUCIEN: A Standalone Romance Page 72
