Panic engulfed the ballroom as soon as the lights went out, and with the lack of music to work as a buffer, the voices in the room seemed almost deafening.
The moment didn't last long. I looked up as a loud baritone voice echoed over the sound of the mass "Calm down people, calm down!" and it wasn't until I spotted him that I realized he was speaking through a megaphone.
It took the man a total of two minutes to completely silence the crowd before he continued speaking "There's been a power outage due to the storm, there is no need to panic." His eyes danced along the crowd sternly before he repeated "I repeat, there is no need to panic. A status orange has been sent out and all citizens are advised to stay inside at all times." A new rush of chatter sounded through the room at the newly found information, but the man quickly silenced them "Don't worry, there are enough rooms to accommodate our guests for the night. If you would all be so kind to calmly leave the ballroom, our staff will assist you further in the lobby."
The chatter continued as people slowly gathered by the exit and followed the instructions given by the staff. I looked up at Caden, who still had his arms wound around me, making it impossible for me to move from his hold.
I coughed uncomfortably, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks as Caden met my eye. "I think we should go." I offered uncertainly, glancing at the people as they moved around us, indicating that we should do the same.
"Er," Caden coughed "yeah. Yeah we- we should." He stuttered before quickly releasing me from his grip. I ran my hands down my dress to flatten it out as soon as he let me go, careful to avoid eye contact with Caden.
Without saying another word, Caden and I maneuvered ourselves through the crowd, and at one point I felt Caden's hand return to the small of my back, once again awakening the unwanted butterflies in my stomach.
It wasn't long until we spotted Veronica in the lobby, and we quickly made our way over to her. "Nina, Caden." Veronica sounded relieved as she spotted us "I've been looking all over for you guys. Are the two of you alright?"
I nodded, not seeing any reason why we wouldn't be "We're fine, just a little shaken. What about you?"
"I'm alright, though I think the two of you better go stand in line if you want to have your key before midnight." She motioned towards the long line of people gathering by the reception desk, which was growing longer by the second.
"What time is it now?" I asked her.
She glanced at the small elegant watch that adorned her left wrist and read "It's eleven thirty."
My eyes widened as I took in the information "Shit." I hissed.
"What's wrong?" Veronica asked.
"I uh- nothing, I just need to make a quick phone call. Please excuse me." I quickly walked away from the pair and retrieved my phone from my clutch, cursing once again when I realized it had died. I hadn't expected to be here after eleven, let alone spend the night. I needed to call Jenna.
I walked back over to Caden and Veronica and gently tugged on Caden's sleeve, grabbing his attention. "Can I borrow your phone?" I asked.
He nodded and reached inside his jacket, retrieving his phone from his inside pocket before handing it to me.
I unlocked his phone, feeling my cheeks heat up a little at the image of two young boys standing on the beach, the older one with his arm slung around the younger one's shoulder. I suspected it might be Caden and his brother, but looking at it for too long felt intrusive so I quickly pulled up the keypad.
I looked up Caden, who was watching me intently, no doubt noticing the blush on my cheeks as the light of his screen lit up my face. In an attempt to remove the attention from myself I asked "Why don't you go wait in line? I'll be right there."
"Yeah, sure." He nodded, giving me one last look before turning around and walking towards the growing line of people. I waited until he was gone before dialing Jenna's number, which thankfully I knew by head.
Beep
Beep
Beep
"Hi this is Jenna, I'm not here right-" I hung up the phone, letting out a frustrated sigh. All I could think to do was text her, so I typed up a quick explanation and sent it to her, hoping she would receive it before midnight and be able to come up with an excuse for Jaxon as to why I wasn't there.
God, I really hoped she wouldn't get into too much trouble.
After sending the text, I made my way back to Caden and joined him in line, handing his phone back to him with a quiet "Thank you."
We waited as the line moved along, and at one point Veronica came to say goodbye. Not long after that, we reached the front of the line where we were greeted by a smartly dressed woman whose black hair was pulled up into a bun at the back of her head.
"Your name please?" She asked with a smile that seemed slightly forced, which I couldn't blame her for. It wasn't every night that you had a line of over a hundred rich, stuck up people to cater to.
"Nina Becker."
She let her finger trace over the long list of names she held in her hand before reaching under her desk and handing me a key "Second floor, to your left."
I reached for the key, looking at it with slight horror "Erm, is there any way we could get separate rooms?" I asked the lady while motioning towards Caden with my hand.
"Is your name on the guest list sir?" The lady asked Caden, and he slowly shook his head. "He's my plus one." I explained.
"I'm sorry miss, but there's not enough rooms available to give each guest a separate one. I'm afraid you'll have to settle for the night. Our apologies." She didn't seem sincere, but I nodded nonetheless and thanked her before walking away.
Caden and I followed her instructions and made our way up four flights of stairs before turning left and reaching the hotel room, my heart nearly pounding out of my chest the entire journey there.
I prayed there were two separate beds.
Of course, my prayers went unheard.
"I'm going to take a shower." Caden announced as he kicked off his shoes and took off his suit jacket. I slowly nodded before making my way to the bed and sitting down on the edge, unsure of what to do with myself as I sat there silently watching him.
As soon as he disappeared into the bathroom I let out a long sigh, letting myself fall backwards onto the bed as I stared up at the cream colored ceiling of the luxurious hotel room. It was definitely one of the smaller rooms, seeing as it was furnished with just a bed and no couch for Caden or I to sleep on, which meant that unless one of us wanted to sleep on the floor, we'd have to share the bed.
As much as the thought of sharing a bed with Caden made me nervous, I wasn't willing to sacrifice my back for the matter, so I laid down on the bed instead, slowly anticipating the moment Caden would come out of the bathroom as I listened to the water of the shower run and the wind of the storm blow just outside of our window. It was quite relaxing, and I didn't realize I'd been drifting off until the bathroom door opened once again. I quickly shot up on the bed and watched as Caden emerged from the bathroom, dressed in absolutely nothing but his boxers as he ran a towel through his hair.
Dear lord have mercy.
As much as I wanted to, I couldn't move my eyes away from his toned chest and strong arms. Black ink adorned his entire torso, beautiful patterns and images painted him like he was a canvas on which someone had created a masterpiece. I wanted so badly to run my hands down his smooth skin and I felt my fingers twitch by my side, desperate to feel him under my fingertips. My eyes continued their path down his frame, slowly focusing in on where the white Calvin Klein's hung lowly on his hips.
I choked on my own spit.
"Are you alright?" Caden asked amidst my coughing fit, and I quickly nodded my head, waving with my hand to indicate that I was fine even though I was everything but.
When I finally recovered from my mini heart attack, I excused myself to the bathroom where I quickly stripped off my dress and stepped under the shower, letting the cool water relax my muscles and calm my nerves. I'd never understood the meaning of needing a cold shower better in my life.
By the time I stepped out of the shower I felt slightly re-energized and less like I was going to faint at any given moment, but the feeling didn't last very long as I realized I had nothing to wear to bed except for my dress, which was as uncomfortable as it sounded. There was no way I was going to pull a Caden and step out in just my underwear either. I had more dignity than that.
I dried myself off before pulling my underwear back on and wrapping the towel tightly around myself. I poked my head out of the bathroom door.
"Caden?" I said, my voice coming out much hoarser than expected.
He looked up at me and I could feel myself shudder as I watched the silver on his lip catch the moonlight for a split second as it washed down on him from the window frame. He must have opened up the curtains.
"Yes?" He asked, and I couldn't help but notice a certain gruffness to his voice too.
"Could I erm..." I hesitated for a moment as I glanced at his discarded clothing on the floor "Borrow your shirt?" I asked him softly, watching his Adam's apple bob up and down as his eyes drifted down to my exposed legs.
I crossed my legs uncomfortably, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks as his pupils slowly dilated, causing his once green irises to appear almost black.
He suddenly coughed, snapping himself out of it as he glanced back up at my face and quickly nodded "Y-yes of course." He stuttered hoarsely.
"Thanks." I said softly before glancing down at the pile of clothes and back up at him "Could you turn around for a moment?"
He did as I requested and I quickly tiptoed towards the pile, picking out his white dress shirt before tiptoeing back into the bathroom.
I emerged one minute later, feeling completely exposed with nothing but a pair of panties and a thin oversized shirt covering my body. I felt myself shudder as the cold buttons grazed the exposed skin on my stomach and small water droplets ran from my hair down my back.
I could almost taste the tension in the air as I noticed Caden still sitting with his back faced towards me.
I coughed "You can eh- turn around if you'd like." I tried my best not to sound awkward, but it was obvious from both of our body language that I hadn't succeeded.
Caden slowly turned around, his eyes focusing in on my body as I stood there with my arms awkwardly crossed against my chest, and it wasn't until his eyes zeroed in on my legs that I realized that by doing so I was exposing even more of myself to him. I quickly dropped my arms and stepped forward, unsure of what to say or do as the moonlight washed over me and illuminated my form in the dark of the room.
I could see Caden's eyes widen slightly as he stood up from the bed and took a step in my direction, his eyes slowly gazing at me with a certain hunger that made me feel like he was a hunter and I was his prey.
Unsure of what to say, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind "I like the left side of the bed." I croaked.
"Ok." Caden whispered, so soft I could barely hear as he took another step towards me, his eyes never leaving mine. I swallowed back the lump in my throat as the distance between us quickly became nonexistent. I could feel myself quiver as he breathed "Nina."
"Yes?" I replied breathlessly.
Instead of speaking, he reached forward and before I could think to stop him he had me pressed up against the wall, and it wasn't until I felt his lips press against mine, begging to be kissed that I realized how much I had longed for that feeling. I quickly responded to him by parting my lips, feeling his tongue graze against my own as his hands moved down and grabbed my butt, lifting me up in one swift move. I wrapped my legs around his waist eagerly as I felt myself get lost in the sensation of being close to him. His smell, his taste, his touch, everything about him drove me crazy. I felt Caden's hands squeeze my butt, his bare hands running over the smooth skin as I softly groaned into his mouth.
The wall suddenly disappeared from behind me, and before I knew it Caden had me positioned on his lap as he sat down on the bed, his lips hungrily moving from my mouth to my neck as he left a trail of wet sloppy kisses. A small moan left my mouth as I felt his teeth graze the skin of my neck, and I could instantly feel his response between my legs as something hard pressed against my thigh. My heartbeat picked up and my chest heaved up and down as he left tiny marks all over my neck before returning his attention to my mouth.
It was a battle for dominance and for once in my life I felt courageous enough to take the lead. I pushed Caden back onto the bed, and he let out a sharp breath as he gazed up at me looking almost... mesmerized?
I lowered my body and let my lips find his neck, savoring the taste of his skin as I left heated kisses down his jaw line. My hands slowly found their way down his chest, my fingers tracing every muscle and curve on his defined torso as my lips found his again.
In an instant Caden had me flipped onto my back and he positioned himself to hover over me, staring at me with the kind of intensity I had only ever read about in books.
Is this what love feels like? I briefly wondered as I felt Caden's hand move up my shirt, and it wasn't until he moved to unclasp my bra that I realized that it wasn't love he was experiencing, it was lust.
The sudden clarity of that realization snapped me out of my own lust filled haze and I quickly pushed Caden's hand away from me, letting out a breathless "Stop." I didn't want my first time to be like this, not with him.
Caden allowed me to push him off me, and as he rolled onto his back I quickly got up from the bed, trying to put as much distance between the two of us as possible.
Just as I was about to open my mouth to tell him I wasn't ready to go that far, he beat me to it "You're right. That was a mistake."
I felt my heart sink into my stomach. A mistake? "No it's not-" I quickly tried to say, but he interrupted me, running a frustrated hand down his face "Yes, yes it was. Fuck I never should've- god I need to leave."
He got up off the bed and started reaching for his clothes, but I quickly stopped him by grabbing onto his arm and turning him around "Caden, don't do this."
"Do what?" He asked, refusing to look me in the eye.
"Kiss me like that and then... leave me." I croaked "It isn't fair."
He was silent for a moment and I could practically see the emotion drain from his face, his regular cold expression taking its place "You'll get over it." He replied.
I could feel myself slowly losing control, the anger becoming too much as the blood in my veins began to boil "Fuck you Caden." I spat, letting go of his arm harshly before taking a step back and I swear I saw a hint of a smile on his lips.
"Is this funny to you?" I nearly growled "God damn it Caden, do you find it amusing to toy with my feelings?" I wasn't usually one to swear, but this occasion was really asking for it. "Because I don't think it's funny at all. I don't think it's funny to get my hopes up just to be let down by the same person every single time. Do you have any idea what that feels like Caden?" I hissed.
He scoffed, his eyes turning almost black as he stared at me "You want to talk about unfair Nina? You want to talk about being let down?" He sounded almost sinister as he spoke "Try watching every single person you've ever cared about die at the blink of a fucking eye. Try living every day with the image of your brother hanging from a rope burned into your mind. Try standing in my feet for one fucking day, and tell me what it feels like when the only way you know how to cope is by pushing people away." He grimaced, looking at me with a slightly softer expression on his face "Do you think for a second that if I had known that I'd see you again I would've opened up to you that night?"
I could feel my heart thumping loudly in my chest, all anger from before vanished completely from my system. All I wanted to do was comfort him "Caden, it's ok to let someone in-"
"Like who?" He scoffed, interrupting me. "You?"
I slowly nodded.
"And then what? Allow myself to care? Don't try to tell me you're any different from the rest of them. You'll leave me eventually, they all do." His eyes glazed over for a second, and I struggled to keep my hands from touching him. Instead I stared at him in silence, unsure of what to say. What was I supposed to do? Lie? Tell him that I wasn't like the others? That I'd never leave? The truth, as harsh as it sounded, was that I couldn't promise him that.
Caden seemed to realize the same thing, and he took a deep breath before muttering "I thought so too." Without saying another word, he put on his pants and suit jacket before leaving the room, slamming the door behind him.
Later that night, as I lay in bed in a restless slumber, I heard the soft clicking of the lock and the padding of feet on the hotel floor. Then finally, I felt the bed dip beside me. It was only seconds before I dozed off again, but I couldn't help but realize in that slight moment of consciousness that maybe, Caden needed just as much saving as I did.