her room and get fully dressed. She couldn’t find her panties on the deck and her bra was stuffed inside her purse. She felt naked without those tiny essentials on her body.
Passing one of the large meeting rooms, she glanced inside. A crowd of people worked on balloon nets, and four more hung some kind of sign. No guests seemed to be around, at least not yet. Thank God.
They must be getting ready for a private party. She quickly slipped past the glass doors and continued down the hall. She needed to get away from the party before the guests showed up. She felt thoroughly fucked, in the best way possible, and was sure she looked it, too.
She should email Jane.
Casey dismissed that notion from her brain. She didn’t want to talk to Jane just now. Well-meaning or not, half of this problem was hers. She’d hired Tyler to help Casey forget Nate, and then a reporter got wind of the scheme. Now that she’d slept with him, Casey wanted Mason, a man who very well could end her reputation.
Except he seemed like a nice guy. Reporters were egotistical, not known for personal integrity. God, if Mason was the reporter, she had already given him more than enough ammunition against her. She couldn’t tell him about Tyler, too.
One more encounter like tonight and she would tell him anything. She’d been ready to tell him why she couldn’t see him again—all the details—up on deck. Not the smartest move she had made.
No. She needed to disappear from Mason Drury’s radar before she told him all her secrets and fell in love with his abilities between the sheets.
Sure, he knew where her room was, but she could ignore when he knocked. If she paid close attention to a room before she entered, she could probably avoid him for the rest of the cruise.
A crowd of men and women in near-formal wear exited the main ballroom, laughing and talking. Casey slunk to the side of the hall, letting them pass by. An elderly couple were the last ones out of the room.
The man paused, noticing her trying to disappear into the wall. He elbowed his wife and pointed.
“Mags, it’s her ,” he said in a loud whisper.
Mags shook her head and tried to pull him away. The old man stepped forward.
“Excuse me,” he said. His voice was rough, as if he were getting over a cold. Casey couldn’t tell if he was sick, or if it was just his age. “You’re Cassandra Cash, aren’t you?”
A blush heated her cheeks as she stepped away from the wall, running a hand through her hair. Busted. Wonderful.
Pasting a smile on her face, she nodded. “Yes.” She held out her hand and it disappeared in the healthy grip of the older man’s.
“I knew it. I told you it was her,” he said, turning to his wife. “Mags, can you believe it? Before the party and everything.”
She smiled at the older woman, who looked apologetically back at her and then expelled a breath.
Here it comes .
The older man looked excitedly at her. “I’m Eddie, this is Maggie.” He pointed at his wife. “I just wanted to let you know, we love your books. You saved our sex life...it was like you looked into our world. Like you knew us, or at least Mags,” he gushed.
“Eddie,” Maggie said, drawing out his name and grabbing Eddie’s hand. She tried to pull him down the passageway.
He resisted for a moment, but Maggie’s grip was too strong. “But I wanted to tell her about our problems back when—”
“She doesn’t need to hear about our problems. She’s a nice young girl. She doesn’t want to be bothered.”
“It’s okay,” Casey said before she could stop herself. “I like meeting people. It’s one of the nice things about being a writer.”
“But you’re not here on a book tour, other than the party tonight, I mean. You want to be left alone.” Mags pulled on Eddie’s arm, and he reached out with his other arm to pat Casey on the shoulder.
“Your books are great,” he said.
Casey felt like she’d been punched in the gut, but in a good way. Tears
Passing one of the large meeting rooms, she glanced inside. A crowd of people worked on balloon nets, and four more hung some kind of sign. No guests seemed to be around, at least not yet. Thank God.
They must be getting ready for a private party. She quickly slipped past the glass doors and continued down the hall. She needed to get away from the party before the guests showed up. She felt thoroughly fucked, in the best way possible, and was sure she looked it, too.
She should email Jane.
Casey dismissed that notion from her brain. She didn’t want to talk to Jane just now. Well-meaning or not, half of this problem was hers. She’d hired Tyler to help Casey forget Nate, and then a reporter got wind of the scheme. Now that she’d slept with him, Casey wanted Mason, a man who very well could end her reputation.
Except he seemed like a nice guy. Reporters were egotistical, not known for personal integrity. God, if Mason was the reporter, she had already given him more than enough ammunition against her. She couldn’t tell him about Tyler, too.
One more encounter like tonight and she would tell him anything. She’d been ready to tell him why she couldn’t see him again—all the details—up on deck. Not the smartest move she had made.
No. She needed to disappear from Mason Drury’s radar before she told him all her secrets and fell in love with his abilities between the sheets.
Sure, he knew where her room was, but she could ignore when he knocked. If she paid close attention to a room before she entered, she could probably avoid him for the rest of the cruise.
A crowd of men and women in near-formal wear exited the main ballroom, laughing and talking. Casey slunk to the side of the hall, letting them pass by. An elderly couple were the last ones out of the room.
The man paused, noticing her trying to disappear into the wall. He elbowed his wife and pointed.
“Mags, it’s her ,” he said in a loud whisper.
Mags shook her head and tried to pull him away. The old man stepped forward.
“Excuse me,” he said. His voice was rough, as if he were getting over a cold. Casey couldn’t tell if he was sick, or if it was just his age. “You’re Cassandra Cash, aren’t you?”
A blush heated her cheeks as she stepped away from the wall, running a hand through her hair. Busted. Wonderful.
Pasting a smile on her face, she nodded. “Yes.” She held out her hand and it disappeared in the healthy grip of the older man’s.
“I knew it. I told you it was her,” he said, turning to his wife. “Mags, can you believe it? Before the party and everything.”
She smiled at the older woman, who looked apologetically back at her and then expelled a breath.
Here it comes .
The older man looked excitedly at her. “I’m Eddie, this is Maggie.” He pointed at his wife. “I just wanted to let you know, we love your books. You saved our sex life...it was like you looked into our world. Like you knew us, or at least Mags,” he gushed.
“Eddie,” Maggie said, drawing out his name and grabbing Eddie’s hand. She tried to pull him down the passageway.
He resisted for a moment, but Maggie’s grip was too strong. “But I wanted to tell her about our problems back when—”
“She doesn’t need to hear about our problems. She’s a nice young girl. She doesn’t want to be bothered.”
“It’s okay,” Casey said before she could stop herself. “I like meeting people. It’s one of the nice things about being a writer.”
“But you’re not here on a book tour, other than the party tonight, I mean. You want to be left alone.” Mags pulled on Eddie’s arm, and he reached out with his other arm to pat Casey on the shoulder.
“Your books are great,” he said.
Casey felt like she’d been punched in the gut, but in a good way. Tears
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