Page 3 of A Reckless Indulgence

“You are ruining this!” she seethes, yanking the knife out of the table.

More muscular guards appear behind the host. Cav’s grip tightens around Roderick’s wrist. Things have gotten out of hand; he needs to get them back under control.

This time, Lyx’s knife finds his forearm. He recoils with a hiss, and Roderick seizes the opportunity, knocking over a chair as he flees toward the back of the boat.

Goddammit. Cav knows he has to stop him, but he doesn’t want to leave. Something inside him begs to stay with Lyx and all her anger.

He forces himself to his feet. “Stay and take another stab at me. Please.” Then he yanks the knife from the table and takes off after Roderick.

There’s no use trying to blend in now. The top button of Cav’s shirt pops when he picks up the pace. Roderick glances over his shoulder, foot catching on a tablecloth and sending him tumbling into a bar cart. Dinner plates smash to the floor. Guests scream over the sound of shattering glass, splattered with creams and sauces. Cav snatches the back of Roderick’s shirt and hauls him to his feet as they crash onto the open deck.

The doorjamb slams into Cav’s ribs. He gasps for breath, but Roderick’s fist finds his face and cracks his cheek. Teeth grit, Cav coils his tail around Roderick’s ankles and hoists him over the railing. There’s a thirty-foot drop into nothing but dark ocean, and Cav’s shoulder throbs, but it’s nothing compared to the adrenaline of dangling Roderick over open air.

Roderick flails. “It won’t happen again! It won’t!” He grasps for the front of Cav’s shirt. “I can get you the drugs for free! Free of charge. You can use them for —”

Cav releases his hold, and Roderick plummets with a scream.

Shouts rise from the restaurant. Cav braces to be tackled by guards, but Lyx appears instead, leaning over the railing and cursing.

Behind them, the restaurant clamors. Cav scans the rest of the deck for lifeboats that hang only a few meters away. If he doesn’t make a move, he’ll be in chains before the night is through. With a pained grunt, he retrieves the cheese knife from the floor and swipes at the blood dripping from his mouth. “You need a ride?”

Lyx scoffs in disbelief. “Me? They’re coming for you.”

In the dining room, the panicked crowd presses against the windows while the guards struggle to push through. Cav shrugs weakly. “I’m sure they’ll have some questions for you, too.”

Lyx balks, but he doesn’t move, not even when the commotion behind her grows. An alarm bell clangs in Cav’s head, but it’s not as loud as the foolish, hopeful ringing that keeps him here.

He turns the knife in his hand and extends the handle toward her. “I promised you another stab at me.”

Her glare is venomous, but it seems she’s actually considering it. After a moment, her hand darts toward him, bypassing the knife and shoving him toward the lifeboats. “Arrogant fucking pirate.”

A smile breaks across Cav’s face, and the two of them race toward the dinghies hanging off the side of the ship. Cav hoists himself over the railing before he extends his hand back toward her.

Her expression darkens. Somehow, this offer is the riskiest thing he’s done this evening.

The footsteps behind her grow closer.

Reluctantly, she grabs onto him and yelps when he hoists her into the boat. “Hang on.” He clears his throat to stoke the ember in his chest. Fire builds in his mouth, flowing between his lips and catching on the rope that keeps them attached to the Spoon.

With the guards hurtling toward them, the dinghy drops out of the sky.

Wind whizzes past and whips Cav’s hair into a frenzy. He braces against the bench as the dinghy splashes into the water, sending him sprawling on his back and knocking against the side of the boat.

He groans under the weight on his torso. Lyx winces and tries to right herself, but their legs are tangled, chests heaving against each other as she stares down at him.

The sounds of the Silver Spoon fade in the distance. Moonlight washes over her skin, her breath soft across his face. He remembers this. He remembers having her this close, the two of them in the middle of the ocean, no one else around for miles.

Then she grips his neck and forces his head down into the sea.

The boat nearly capsizes. His fingers close around her wrists, mouth spluttering as he’s submerged. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry!”

They’re going to flip if she keeps pushing. Water churns around him, soaking through his clothes and over her wrists. Only then does she pull back, jostling to the other side of the boat.

Cav’s voice is hoarse. “Lyx —”

“Don’t start.”

“I need to apol-”