Ocean Jewel (Wild Obsession) by Cassie Mint

Author:Cassie Mint [Mint, Cassie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Black Cherry Publishing
Published: 2021-04-06T18:30:00+00:00

Six

Damian

There’s something wrong with Roxy.

Or not wrong exactly, but… off. I know this girl. I’ve known her for years—since Jake and I were teenagers and she was a tiny baby. I’ve watched her grow into a young woman and a talented artist. She’s funny and quick-witted and shy.

And now she’s nervous. Her teeth are practically chattering with extra energy; she darts glances around like a prey animal. She’s been hiding herself away from everyone on board, scribbling away in her sketchpad, a tiny frown creasing her forehead.

And she stares so intently at whatever she’s drawing, that I know it’s something significant. Something that’s making her afraid.

I just want to make sure she’s okay. That there’s nothing sinister going on. I’m not going to-to overstep.

I’m checking in on her. Taking care of her. And that sketchpad is the way to do it. So when Roxy leaves it behind when we go below deck for dinner, I’m going to hell for it, but I don’t say anything. She said she’ll show me when it’s finished, but what if she’s in danger? Or some kind of emotional turmoil?

I’m the fixer. Roxy is mine. And whatever the problem is, I’m going to fix it for her.

Dinner lasts an eternity. The whole meal I’m on edge, braced for Roxy to leap to her feet, remembering her sketchpad. But she doesn’t—she eats quietly, stealing rare glances at me, and each time her gaze falls on me, my heart slams in my chest. At one point, she takes a bite of something and hums appreciatively.

I grip the edge of the table, my knuckles turning white.

When she heads back to her cabin, bidding everyone goodnight, I can hardly believe my luck. I lunge up the stairs to the deck as soon as everyone else is distracted, striding to the spot where I found her sketching earlier.

It’s still here. The pages are bloated and crackling, puffed up by use. And the black cover is spotted with drops of sea water, a lump of charcoal abandoned at its side.

“Roxy,” I murmur, plucking up the sketchpad. “Forgive me, sweetheart.” I flip it open, scanning her drawings by the light of the moon. The deck lurches beneath me, waves battering the hull, and I shift my feet wider to balance as I flick through the pages.

Seabirds.

Parts of the ship, rendered in stark light and shadows.

Roxy’s messy cabin—I smile at the twisted bed covers.

Waves. Lots of waves.

I page through the book, frustration mounting. Surely, if this was all she’d been drawing, she’d have nothing to hide. Nothing to flush bright red and hide her sketchpad over. I flick faster and faster through the stiff pages, cursing under my breath, and I almost miss it—the drawing of me.

I’m standing by the railing. A breeze tugs at my hair, and a frown creases my forehead as I gaze out to sea. I stare down at the drawing, pulse thrumming louder and louder until it pounds in my ears.

She draws me?

I turn the page. My heart sinks.

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