Page 102 of Unapologetic Obsession
The request punctured my safe bubble of anonymity. I was supposed to be his accessory while he conducted business, not the center of attention. I had no idea whether my previous self could dance. This was important to Caden, and I didn’t want to embarrass him.
Caden tugged me toward the dance floor. Just like magic, the crowd parted as he led me to the center stage. When I tensed in his hold, his face hardened. “You’re dancing with me, not heading to your execution.”
His expression softened the moment I gripped the lapels of his jacket.
With a hand around my waist, he pulled me against his chest. “It’s just a dance. There’s nothing to be nervous about.”
The crowd swirled around us, but Caden remained still, giving me the precious seconds I needed to gather myself.
“But everyone’s staring,” I whispered, my lungs refusing to cooperate. I had relished the attention from Caden and the beauticians, but I’d never had this many eyes on me at one time.
His forehead pressed against mine, pulling my attention from our spectators. “Then keep your eyes only on me,” he murmured against my skin. “I’ve waited for this moment, when you no longer shy away from my gifts or my attention or being in the spotlight with me.” His tone grew harder, deeper.
I stared at him. Was he finally confessing to having known me all along? This was a test to challenge my tendencies to shy away both from him and the limelight. Conquering my fear of the public eye would free me from my lifelong shackles, and publicly claiming him would soothe his feelings of rejection.
His mouth grazed my hairline. “This is your chance to break old habits and become the person you were meant to be. All you have to do is get out of your own head.” His hand pressed against my lower back. “Can you do that, baby?”
I looked up into his unflinching stare. He needed me to break free from my old patterns, and I wanted to provide him with whatever he needed tonight. His determination surrounded me like armor. Confidence and strength poured from him into me, washing away my doubts. My mind began toclear and silence the noise around us, giving my frayed nerves blessed relief.
I gave him a genuine smile. “Okay.”
I breathed as his palm curved possessively over my hip. Caden spun me onto the empty floor and pulled me back with practiced ease. He positioned his broad frame as if to shield me from prying eyes, and I knew he did it to ease my nerves. My tense shoulders relaxed under his poise.
The ballroom fell silent as I placed one hand in his and the other on his shoulder. The music swelled, and Caden moved with effortless grace, swaying me to his will.
My head rested on his chest, and he buried his face in my hair, letting out a low growl, like a predator who had caught the scent of his prey. “Why do you always smell so good?”
I lifted my face just as his eyes lit with the fierce intensity I had come to recognize all too well. As if unable to help himself, he dipped his head and kissed me, despite the hordes of people watching us. Startled, I tried pulling back, but his mouth followed, insistent. My foggy brain tried to remind me that the entire boat was watching us, even as my fingers curled into his chest. Despite all those eyes on us, I couldn’t find the strength to pull away from his warm comfort. The raw kiss wiped my mind clean.
Dancing and kissing him with my eyes closed was a lethal combination. Suddenly, it was only the two of us, and we were gliding across what felt like an endless expanse of polished floor. I was practically floating, and it was all his doing. I could hand myself over to him blindly, knowing full well he’d take care of the rest. When I finally pulled back, the room spun slightly beneath my feet.
We had stopped dancing.
There was a smattering of applause, along with whispers about the inappropriate public display of affection. My cheeksburned as I realized they’d been forced to witness our hardcore make-out session.
Marcus ran up to us with his mic, presenting me with a wave of his hand as if I had just finished a choreographed number on a show. His eyes found mine, and some impish, private message sent a jolt up my spine even before he said, “Give it up one more time for tonight’s hosts, Dr. Caden Maxwell and his lovely fiancée, Rose.”
Chapter
Thirty-Four
ROSE
My eyes buggedout of my sockets as I stared at Marcus and then Caden, whose expression remained perfectly stoic.
His lovely fiancée?
The ballroom buzzed with stunned voices. Some people had their phones out, taking pictures. A man with a professional camera approached us, and Caden presented our joined hands. I belatedly realized that he was showing off the large, blue diamond on my ring finger.
It happened too quickly, the sleight of hand in front of the world and the cameras, and an engagement ring he had hidden in plain sight under the guise of a matching jewelry set. People came by to congratulate us, or rather Caden, and I was grateful when they didn’t spare me a second glance. A group of men in tuxedos and women in colorful ball gowns surrounded him, and their tight circle allowed me to snatch my hand back.
Seizing the small window, I power walked away before he could stop me. “Excuse me. I have to use the restroom,” I said without waiting for his response. There was no way he could follow me with that many people blocking his path.
Curious heads turned my way as I passed through a flurry of guests. I didn’t stop until I reached the other end of theballroom. Not that I could escape Caden’s orbit. Linda’s gaze was a constant presence, following my movements from a safe distance. There was another guard stationed in the upstairs gallery overlooking the ballroom. With both the downstairs and upstairs exits manned, I felt trapped. For the first time, I wondered whether their job was to keep out threats or to keep me in.
Leaning against a corner wall, I took a few steadying breaths. My hands shook, pulling my gaze to the glittering oval blue diamond on my finger. Caden had Trojan-horsed me by slipping in an engagement ring that matched the rest of the jewelry so that I wouldn’t read too much into it. It hadn’t fit my index or middle fingers when I tried it on, leaving me with no choice but to slide it onto my ring finger. It had been intentionally sized for that digit. He asked to see me in only my jewelry, when what he really wanted was to see me wear his ring and nothing else. No wonder he turned into a savage beast right after. It also explained why he had insisted on Maria giving me a manicure.
Caden’s enthusiasm surrounding this party had felt wrong from the start. My intuition told me it was a trap, and I was right. While I still couldn’t recall a whole lot about my family, snippets of my memories suggested they were wealthy. They must have been against this union, so Caden purposefully announced our engagement in front of the biggest names in the world. If they ran in similar circles, the news about us would reach them quickly.
