The door swings open and my heart lightens in my chest, only to come crashing down with a dull thud when I see Violet standing there.
"What"s wrong?" she asks.
I turn away from the sink and grab a few paper towels from the dispenser, drying my hands before I toss them into the trash can. "Hugh basically asked me out on a date."
Violet smiles. "That"s wonderful."
Ugh. Of course, she would say that. "He asked me out in front of Caden."
"So?"
"Violet, G.o.d. You"re being awful." I shake my head. "I"ve just spent the last week with him, pretty much the entire time naked in bed. And now you"re encouraging me to agree to go on a date with another man, while sitting beside Caden? That"s low."
"Rose. Listen to me." She comes to stand directly in front of me, grasping hold of my shoulders and giving me a firm shake. "Sometimes we meet people in our life and they"re exciting. Different. Unlike anything or anyone we"ve ever experienced before."
"Like Ryder for you?" I throw at her.
Nodding, she presses her lips together. "Yes," she admits. "Like Ryder. But sometimes these people you meet, they"re not meant to be in your life on a permanent basis. They come in at the right time, send you spinning, lift you up, and then they leave. A pleasant diversion to help you realize what you really should be doing with your life."
"So now you"re saying Caden is nothing but a pleasant diversion while I figure out what I want next," I say dully.
Violet nods. "Exactly. Yes, Ryder has turned into a permanent part of my life, but I can"t see Caden being there for you when you really need him."
"Why not? And how can you say that? You don"t even know him," I accuse, my voice small, my thoughts all over the place. Would Caden be there for me during my time of need, like ... now? If I asked for his undying support, would he give it to me? I think he would.
But I"m not sure.
"I know there are-things to him that he"s not telling you. I"ve done a little Google research ..." She lets her voice trail off, but I hear all the doubt and worry in her tone.
"Of course you have," I say, pushing away her hands so I can step around her.
"And Ryder has this ... sense about him. That he"s not being honest with us," Violet continues. "Says he knows the signs of a con man since he was once one himself, and Caden reminds him of ... himself, when he was younger."
I stare at the tiled wall, blinking hard. I thought Ryder was on my side. But no, he"s filling Violet"s head with stories of Caden being a lying con man. Just freaking great. "Don"t you think you two are being a little harsh?"
"No. I call it being protective of my baby sister." Violet reaches out to rest her hand on my shoulder, but I shrug out of her touch. "I don"t want to see you get hurt."
I turn on her. "I"m a big girl. I can handle myself."
"Just be careful," she pleads. She looks worried and I feel bad, but her worry isn"t going to stop me from continuing to see Caden. "And Hugh is like ... the perfect guy for you. I wish you could see that. He"s smart and handsome and he works for Fleur."
"What, you want me to be just like you and Ryder? Give me a break. I don"t know if I want to continue working at Fleur." I throw my hands up in the air, so frustrated I could spit.
"You don"t mean that," Violet whispers. "You gave your notice after you argued with Father. You know he"d take you back."
"I do mean it. Daddy is furious with me and the feeling is mutual. Pilar is getting everything she could ever want and you"re the wunderkind of the family. No one gives a s.h.i.t if I"m there or not. I"ve disappeared for the last couple of weeks and no one"s missed me. Fleur goes on whether I"m there or not," I point out. "Can the same be said if you weren"t there? Or Daddy? Or even ... Pilar?" G.o.d, it kills me to say her name, but I"m feeling pretty low right now.
"I"ve missed you," Violet says.
"That"s not good enough." I shake my head, refusing to feel guilty over disappointing Violet. "When I go back to New York, I"m not returning to Fleur."
"Why? I don"t understand how you can even consider that as an option." Violet looks incredulous and I don"t know what to tell her. How to explain.
Because I don"t have the proper explanation myself.
"See, that"s just it. You wouldn"t understand." I"m tired. Tired of explaining myself, defending my actions, defending Caden. "There"s nothing more to say, Violet."
She studies me, her arms curled in front of her, her expression unreadable. I"ve disappointed her. She"s probably mad. But for once, I don"t really care. "You"re making a mistake," she finally says.
"I"m sure I am," I say wearily. "I think I"m allowed to make one every once in a while."
Without another word Violet turns and leaves, the door slamming hard behind her, and I slump against the edge of the countertop, throwing back my head with a sigh so I can stare at the ceiling.
That went over well.
I use the facilities and wash my hands, splashing water on my face yet again. Another woman walks in and throws down her makeup bag, opening it to pull out a Fleur lip gloss. She slicks her lips a deep red shade as she stares at her reflection before she puts the cap back on and throws the tube into the bag. She notices me watching her and gives me a puzzled smile.
"Beautiful color," I tell her. I recognize it, of course. One of the shades from our Winterberry collection, the name of the color is Blackberry Ice.
"Oh, thank you." She smiles, revealing she has a bit of gloss stuck to her front teeth. I rub at mine and she does the same with her index finger, giving me a rueful look. "Right. Appreciate that. I bet my friends wouldn"t have told me and had a good laugh over it later."
"Wow, really?" Sounds like they aren"t very good friends.
"It"s dog-eat-dog out there, haven"t you noticed? I"ve been flirting with the same bloke for the past half hour and then another pretty girl turns his head and the a.s.s leaves me standing there alone." She zips her makeup bag up almost violently. "What"s a girl got to do to keep a man"s interest in this city? Show her t.i.ts?"
I feel like a complete s.h.i.t, since only a few minutes ago I had the interest of two men. How selfish am I? "Do you like smart guys?"
She laughs. "I certainly don"t like dumb ones."
"I know someone ... he"s sitting at my table. Really sweet, but always seems to be overshadowed by the other men he works with."
The woman raises her brows. "Is he ugly?"
"Not at all." I shake my head, enjoying her brutal honesty. "He"s cute. In an understated way, you know? Fun. Earnest. I could introduce you."
The woman smiles. She"s dressed nicely in a pretty green dress and with her dark auburn hair and pale complexion, I"m sure Nigel would be bowled over to talk to a woman like her. "That sounds great. But if he"s so amazing, why aren"t you going after him?"
"Because I already have someone amazing," I admit, thinking of Caden. I don"t care what my sister said. I don"t care if Ryder thinks he"s a con man. Look at Violet and how she turned Ryder around. I could do the same, right?
Right?
I exit the bathroom with my new friend Louise and hopefully Nigel"s future date, when we run into a glowering Caden in the hallway. I send him a pleading look, introducing him to Louise before we head out to the table.
"What are you doing?" I ask brightly, hoping he isn"t as mad as he looks.
He scowls. "What does it look like I"m doing? Using the bathroom." With those famous parting words, he shoves his way into the men"s restroom, the door slamming behind him.
Ignoring my worry over what he must think about me, I take Louise out to the table and introduce her to everyone, saving Nigel for last. He"s a little drunk, wavering on his feet, but the spark of interest in his gaze upon first meeting Louise tells me I did the right thing.
Even better? She didn"t salivate over Hugh like I thought she might.
Leaving Louise with our little group-and neglecting to acknowledge the pointed stare Violet is shooting in my direction-I go back to the restroom area, hoping to catch Caden so I can talk to him privately.
He"s already there, waiting for me in the depths of the dark, short hall, leaning one shoulder against the wall, his arms folded defensively across his chest. Whereas the rest of us are in work attire, he"s dressed casually in jeans that mold perfectly to his strong legs and a white polo shirt that offsets his tan skin. He stands out with his longish hair and the stubble covering his cheeks. Not that he looks unkempt. More like he looks ... amazing.
My heart trips over itself just staring at him.
"Where"s your boyfriend?" he asks snidely, sounding like a jealous idiot.
That shouldn"t please me, should it? That he"s jealous? Well, it does. And if that makes me petty and foolish, then so be it.
"I thought I was looking at him."
He huffs out a sarcastic laugh. "Please. You"ve been up-front about what we"re doing from the start. Vacation s.e.x, pure and simple."
"If this is a vacation then why did I go in to work today?" This isn"t how I wanted our conversation to go. Not at all.
"Guilt? You"ve been f.u.c.king around with the useless guy and now you"re finally realizing you need to straighten up and fly right." He pushes away from the wall and takes a few predatory steps toward me. "When are you going back to New York? Or are you sticking around here for a few more days so Hugh can show you around town?"
So he definitely heard Hugh"s offer. Great. "I turned him down," I say softly.
"Why?"
"Because I"m with you." I lift my chin, hoping I don"t regret that statement.
"With me? How? Don"t tell me you"re starting to take this-thing between us seriously?"
Yep. Guess I regret my statement. "I thought maybe we both were," I murmur.
He looks down at the floor, his hands on his hips, his hair falling over his forehead and hiding his face from my view. "I"m not good enough for you, Rose."
His words cut like a knife but I say nothing, silently urging him to go on. I want to hear the exact reasons why he believes he"s not good enough for me. I need to hear them.
"I can offer you nothing," he says after a few minutes of silence. "That other guy ... Hugh. He"s probably the better man for you."
He sees it. Everyone sees it. But I don"t care. "I don"t want him. I want you."
Caden lifts his head, his dark gaze meeting mine. "I don"t get why."
I want to slap him. Really. "I don"t want to fight, Caden. Please."
He stares at me for long, agonizing minutes. "Let"s get out of here." His hands drop to his sides and before I can say a word, he"s rushing toward me, grabbing me, pulling me into his arms, his mouth fusing with mine. I"m helpless in his arms, returning his kiss, crying out against his lips when he pushes me to the wall, pinning me there, his hips keeping me still.
I bury my hands in his hair and he tilts his head, deepening the kiss. We"re right back where we started. In a hidden spot at the White Swan, losing all control, too wrapped up in each other to worry about anyone else.
The obvious throat clearing comes seconds, maybe minutes, later and Caden lifts his head away from mine, the both of us turning to see Hugh standing there watching us, appearing uncomfortable.
"We were worried when you didn"t come back to the table," is his only explanation, his gaze locked on me. "I told Violet I would go look for you."
Did Violet want Hugh to discover Caden and me together like this? Doubtful, but what else could she think the two of us were doing? "I"m fine," I tell him, sounding breathless. That"s because I am breathless. My heart is racing and my body is vibrating from Caden"s all-consuming kiss.
Caden says nothing, just glares at Hugh, his hands resting possessively on my hips, his body pressed intimately to mine. He"s sending a message and I can see Hugh gets it, loud and clear.
"Well, glad to hear it. I"ll let everyone know the two of you are otherwise engaged." He offers a little wave and walks away.
"I hate that guy," Caden mutters under his breath.
I tug on his hair, making him yelp. "You"re jealous of that guy."
He looks at me, really looks at me, and it feels as if he can see every little thing inside of me. I return his stare, leaving myself open, practically bleeding for him. Whereas he"s always hiding from me, I want him to see me. See all that I have to give, that I want to give. "You"re right," he admits. "I was jealous."
"Was? As in you"re not anymore?" I relax my grip on his hair, moving my hand so I can brush those wayward strands away from his forehead. I could touch him like this for hours. I have touched him like this for hours.
"Not when I have you in my arms like this." He kisses my temple, his hands squeezing my hips. "I want to get you alone."
I nod and release a shaky breath. "Then let"s go."
Chapter Seventeen.
Caden
We walk back to the hotel after saying goodbye to everyone. The only reason we went back to the table was for Rose"s purse. Otherwise I would"ve snuck her out the back so we wouldn"t have to face them.
Nigel was preoccupied with some cute redhead and Hugh looked b.u.t.t hurt. Violet appeared ready to do violence if I so much as looked at her wrong and Ryder shook my hand, seemingly oblivious to what was happening around him. It all felt very ... odd.
Tense.
Truthfully, it was a d.a.m.n relief to get outside, away from the pub, away from the people who are making me feel guilty. d.a.m.n it, I like all of them, with the exception of Hugh the f.u.c.ker Watson, and I bet he could be a friend now that he knows Rose is off-limits.
As in, she belongs to me.
I feel like my truth is hanging off the tip of my tongue, dangling, really. Ready to be revealed so I can get it over with and face my reality-face Rose. I"m both dying to tell her and scared out of my mind over how she might react, especially with the necklace sitting in my bag. I need to get it out of there and back into the safe, stat.
I"m more scared, though. Afraid she"ll reject me. Hate me. Worse? That she"ll tell the authorities and I"ll end up in jail for the rest of my life.
She wouldn"t do that to me ... I don"t think.