The airport is colder than a Siberian winter. Both my brothers are dozing in the uncomfortable black chairs. Outside, the sky is dark.
My watch says it’s two a.m.
Yesterday, we rushed into the airport, ready to buy a ticket, but we missed the last flight and couldn’t bribe, fight or pay our way onto another one.
After that, we called mom. She couldn’t get clearance for her private jet to pick me up this late, but she promised to pull some strings. I’ve been waiting hours for her call.
My phone lights up.
Finally.
“Mom?” I scramble to my feet. “Did you find a way to get me over there?”
“Before I answer that question, I want to ask you something.”
“What?” I grouse, hoping she’ll hurry up. I don’t have time for questions. I need to see Cadey.
“If you found out that Cadence was pregnant—”
I choke on a breath. “Pregnant?”
“… for another man….”
My fingers nearly crack the phone in two.
“… would you still want to be with her?”
“That would never happen.”
“Answer the question, Dutch.”
“It’s a ridiculous question. Cadence isn’t like that.” She’s never been with anyone except me. Never been with anyone before me either. It was obvious. Every time I touched her, she reacted like it was her first time. “Mom, did you get the plane or not?”
My phone beeps.
Confused, I pull it back and glance at the screen.
“Is that the tickets?” I ask excitedly.
“Open the message, Dutch.” Mom’s voice is strangely subdued.
I tap on the screen and pictures of Cadey and Hunter fill my vision. He’s got his face close to hers. From this angle, it looks like they’re kissing.
Dark, violent emotions swirl through my chest.
“Do you see?”
“What the hell is this?”
“There’s more.”
My vision turning red, I swipe through the pictures.
An older guy’s got his arm around Cadey and she’s leaning into him. He’s leading her into a hotel. He’s carrying her into a hotel room.
I grit my teeth and try to keep a clear head. “Mom, you can’t believe anything dad sends you. This is all part of his elaborate plan to break us up.”
“Dutch…”
“I won’t fall for it,” I say agitatedly.
“Dutch…”
“If you knew what dad did to keep me and Cadey apart, you’d—”
“It wasn’t your dad, Dutch.”
I feel the world tilt. “What do you mean it wasn’t dad?”
Mom remains quiet.
“What do you mean, mom?” Spit flies from my mouth. I’m trembling hard.
“My son insists on marrying a girl I’ve never met. Did you think I wouldn’t investigate this young lady?”
Finn’s eyelashes flutter and he stares sleepily at me. “What’s going on?”
I give him a panicked look.
He instantly wakes up and rouses Zane too.
“Your grandmother’s inheritance is more than you can imagine, Dutch. Even if you split it with your brothers, even if you give half of it away, it’ll still be enough for you and your children’s children. If you were to marry this girl, she’d receive a windfall—whether or not you two work out. I had to make sure you weren’t being conned.”
My heart feels like it was flung into a grinder.
“My sources say she and this young man have history—”
“No.” I’m not sure if I’m trying to convince her or myself. “There’s got to be another explanation.”
“Since the tour began, Hunter and Cadence have been very close. They spend all their time together. Tonight, they were kissing, drinking, and acting like a couple. And then he took her to a hotel room. You can imagine the rest.”
My eyes squeeze shut.
My shoulders are taut.
Zane walks up to me. “Dutch?”
I shake my head.
Something dark and sinister drops into my stomach.
“Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe she really does love you and this was one mistake, but that mistake has big repercussions. If you insist on marrying this girl, Dutch, and she eventually finds out she’s pregnant, you won’t know who the baby’s father is until it’s born. And by then, it’ll be too late to start from scratch. You won’t qualify for the inheritance and you’ll be stuck raising another man’s child.”
I’m barely breathing.
“Is that the life you want? Is that the love you want? Think about it.” She pauses. “The plane will be on standby in twenty minutes. You can be in London before noon. I love you, son. Choose wisely.”
The line clicks.
She hung up.
“What was that about?” Zane asks.
Finn’s gaze is steady on my face. “Nothing good.”
“Cadence is in London,” I croak.
“We knew that,” Zane says cockily.
“With Hunter.”
Both my brothers fall silent. They were with me that day in the diner when Cadey acted like Hunter was her boyfriend.
I show them the pictures of Cadence kissing him.
Finn frowns.
Zane pales.
“What are you going to do?” Zane asks me.
I fall into the chair, unable to find the strength to stay upright. Cadey’s betrayal cuts deep and I don’t know if I can do it. I don’t know if I can survive the angst. If I get her back and she’s pregnant, will I have to hold my breath until I find out whether the baby’s mine? And what if it isn’t?
“Dammit.” Zane plops into the seat beside me. “No one would expect you to raise another man’s kid, Dutch. It might hurt like hell now, but you can cut your losses. No one would blame you.”
I drop my head in my hands and scrub my cheeks.
“Dammit!” Zane’s voice is louder now.
I squeeze my eyes shut. My knee is bouncing like I’m already on the plane experiencing turbulence.
“Why the hell aren’t you saying anything?” Zane flings the words at Finn.
“Nothing I say matters.”
“Of course it matters.”
“No, the only thing that matters is what Dutch wants.”
I look up at my quiet brother.
He meets my stare head-on. “This is the moment you decide if you meant all that crap you said about her.”
“It’s not that simple, Finn.”
Finn ignores Zane’s outburst. “Did you really love her? Or did you just want to own her?”
“Of course he loved her. But this is… man, this is insane.” Zane paces up and down.
“Now that she’s of no use to you, now that it can cost you something, now that you really have to sacrifice what you want, what will it be? Does she still belong to you? Or did she only belong to you when she did what you wanted?”
Finn’s words lodge in my brain. I fight them as hard as I can, my instincts going wild.
I’ve always lived in full self-protection mode.
My world.
My rules.
I’ve never had to give up that power for anyone. Never felt the need to.
I close my eyes and try to picture a world without Cadey in it. All I feel is immeasurable pain, darkness, lashing winds and so much emptiness.
I can give up here. I can move on. I can find some other girl to screw and bear me a child, but I don’t want to.
Even if it means I have to die, it’s Cadey or nothing.
“I love her,” I say, my eyes springing wide open. “I love her.”
Finn bobs his head, looking pleased. “Then what the hell are you waiting for? Go get on that plane.”
CADENCE
The first thing I see when I pry my eyelids apart are beautiful amber eyes. Gold and honey. A worried gaze.
My heart picks up speed.
Dutch?
I reach out and touch his face. It’s warm.
Tears sting my eyes and I cup his cheek. What is this feeling in my chest? This… swelling emotion. Why does it feel like home?
“Cadence,” a voice that is not Dutch’s rings in my ears, “drink this.”
I blink and gasp when Hunter’s face comes into focus. He’s stripped out of his shirt and is just wearing a wifebeater. He holds out a bowl of soup to me.
Panicked, I scramble up and look down at myself. When I see that I’m wearing a robe and nothing else, I grab the blanket and pull it up to my chest.
“What happened last night?” I croak.
“You drank too much, so I took you back to the hotel room and then…” Hunter glances at the floor where my panties and bra are lying haphazardly.
My heart lurches to my throat. I don’t remember much about last night except for drinking too much and goading Hunter into kissing me at the pub.
I try to sit up straighter, but my head hurts like someone’s slamming it with a hammer.
“Don’t try to move too fast,” Hunter says.
I flinch when he puts his hand on my arm to help me. He notices and withdraws.
Awkwardness falls heavy between us.
“I need to use the bathroom,” I whisper.
Hunter nods.
I roll out of bed and scramble to the bathroom. Once I’m in there, I lock the door and try to make sense of what happened. It’s hard to think straight with my pounding headache, but I collect all the evidence.
The rumpled bed.
My naked body.
Hunter’s naked body.
It’s obvious we slept together—even if I don’t remember it.
Moaning softly, I shake my head. “Why, Cadence?”
I wouldn’t have slept with Hunter just because I was drunk but…
I would have taken my clothes off eagerly if I pretended that Hunter was Dutch.
My head sinks low and I squeeze my robe tightly.
Hunter knocks on the door. “Can you open up for me?”
“W-why?”
“I need to talk to you.”
Nervously, I pull the door. Hunter’s in the frame, looking tall, purposeful and much older than me. Normally, I don’t notice the age gap, but there’s something about his clenching jaw and the way he watches me that makes me feel small and young.
“H-Hunter, I don’t exactly remember last night.” I scrub my scalp with my fingernails. “But I don’t… I mean, whatever happened between us, I’m not interested—”
“The only thing you did to me yesterday was vomit all over my shirt.”
My eyes widen.
“Then you got into bed and started stripping.” His throat bobs. “So I left.”
“You… you mean we didn’t—”
“No, Cadey.”
“Thank God.” I wilt against the sink.
Hunter smirks. “I’m slightly offended.”
“I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just… not in a place to get into another,” I squint my eyes, “situation right now.”
Hunter observes me so long and hard that I start to squirm.
“After last night, I’ve decided to tell you what I think, even if it hurts.” Hunter steps into the bathroom with me. His broad shoulders take up so much of the space. “Because I’d rather be in pain than see you suffer another day.”
My body locks in place. I stare into his eyes.
“You love him, Cadence.”
“No.” I shake my head, fighting it hard.
“You can’t hide it. Leaving him devastated you and the more you pretend you’re fine, the less believable it is.”
“I am fine.”
“You’re not eating. You’re not sleeping. And your music—”
“What about my music?” I snap.
“Every note sounds like you’re calling his name. If you need someone that much, then you shouldn’t be running away.” He lifts his chin. “You should fight for what you love.”
“It’s not that simple,” I croak.
“Since when has love ever been simple?” Hunter’s lips curve into a sad, pained smile. “You either choose it or you don’t. There’s no in between.”
I breathe in deeply and realize that he’s right. The more I’ve tried to run from my feelings, the greater they became.
I fell for Dutch Cross.
The ruthless, dark and twisted ruler of Redwood Prep.
Giving my heart to him scares me because it means losing myself to a power that’s bigger than I am. What if I lose my ability to see clearly? My ability to choose? My ability to fight?
Something clicks into place, like curtains being lifted and revealing the truth.
I can still fight, but it’ll be a fight for love.
I can still see, but those visions will include two people instead of one.
And I still have choice.
I can choose to love him despite my fears.
“Thank you, Hunter,” I say, squeezing his hand. Determinedly, I stalk out of the bathroom. “I need you to do me a favor.”
He remains in the doorway, his smile more broken than I’ve ever seen. “Anything.”
“Take me to the airport.”
