Page 22 of Devoured By You
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At seven o’clock, flanked by Nolen and Marlowe, with Aspen leading the way, I entered the VIP area of deck twenty. A few guests were already assembled, with more arriving every minute, and by the time seven thirty came around, the deck was packed. I circled the gathering, chatting with a few celebrities who, in my experience, needed their egos stroked far more than the average person.
Aspen scanned around, her shoulders dropping after she’d checked out the entire space.
“No sign?”
Joz Raynor was proving to be rather elusive thus far. Aspen had spent most of the afternoon touring the ship, looking in bars, restaurants, and everywhere in between.
“No. But I will not be beaten.” She beseeched me with her hazel eyes. “Of course, it’d be easier if I knew which penthouse he was staying in.”
“Not a chance.” I pointed two fingers at my eyes, then swiveled them to point at her. “I’m watching you. If I get the slightest inkling that you’ve been hanging around on deck nineteen for any other reason than coming or going from the owner’s suite, I will have the helicopter take you to the nearest deserted island and leave you there.”
“You’re so touchy. You never used to be this touchy.”
“That’s because I didn’t have a one-point-five-billion-dollar price tag on my head before. My priority is my customers, not you. And Joz Raynor, like every single other passenger aboard this ship, deserves to enjoy his vacation in peace.” I motioned to Nolen. “Help me out here.”
He raised his hands to the sides of his head. “I’m staying out of it. This is my honeymoon. My priority is my gorgeous wife.” He pressed his lips to Marlowe’s temple and slid an arm around her waist.
“Fine, but do me one favor.”
“What?”
“Monitor Miss Determined here while I give this speech. Then you’re off the hook for the next two weeks.”
“Deal.”
I moved through the crowd, getting stopped once or twice by various people. Eventually, I made it to the small podium the crew had set up for me. I tapped the microphone.
“Good evening, everyone. My name is Blaize Kingcaid, CEO and joint owner of Kingcaid Cruises. I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome you personally to Kingcaid Serenity. If you’ll bear with me for a few minutes, I’d—”
My gaze fell on a woman standing a few feet from Nolen. She stared right back at me, her lips parted, her eyes wide. I froze, my well-rehearsed speech spirited away on the salty breeze, leaving me thrown—and speechless.
Jillian “Tilly” Rowe. Well, I’ll be damned.
I’d wished for a chance to test my beliefs that second helpings weren’t my style, and I’d gotten it.
And instantly, I knew… I’d failed.
Chapter 9
Jill
This wasn’t supposed to happen.
I stumbled back a couple of steps, my thighs quivering under the heated stare of my perfect stranger. Blay, my Blay, wasn’t an international man of mystery at all. He was Blaize Kingcaid, the fucking owner of this multibillion-dollar ship. For a second, I blamed myself for being so stupid and not realizing earlier, but I brushed it off. Who looked up the CEO of the company when booking a trip? Not me.
Murmurings radiated through the crowd, all eyes on Blay, who’d frozen right in the middle of his speech. And still he stared at me, and I stared right back at him.
“Has he had a stroke?” Addison said in a too-loud voice. “Should we call the coast guard? Nine-one-one doesn’t work out here, right?”
Words stuck in my throat. I attempted to swallow, my heart hammering like a caged bird bidding for freedom.
“Oh my God,” Kelsey whispered from my left-hand side. “Don’t tell me he’s… he’s…”
“He’s what?” Addison demanded. Less than a second later, she gasped.
Raya, God bless that woman, clamped a hand over Addison’s mouth before she could blurt out what all my friends now knew.