Page 28 of Unapologetic Obsession

Heat crept up my cheeks. I opened my mouth again, but his sharp voice cut through the air like a knife.

“Tell me, Jack, do you often make a habit of breaking the rules on my boat?”

His boat?

Jace was wise enough not to argue about the intentional name slipup. “Someone at housekeeping told me to drop them off. I didn’t think?—”

“You don’t get paid to think,” he interrupted sharply.

I glanced between them, my stomach twisting into knots. This was awful. Why was Dr. Maxwell acting like this? And why did it feel like there was more simmering beneath the surface of his anger? “I think there has been a misunderstanding?—”

Jace stepped forward like he wanted to take the heat for me. “I apologize, sir. It won’t happen again.”

“See that it doesn’t, or you’ll be getting off the boat at the next stop,” Dr. Maxwell barked. “Make sure everyone else on this ship knows it, too.”

“Yes, sir.” Jace walked away, throwing me an apologetic glance over his shoulder. But I should be the one saying sorry. He got chewed out because of me.

I found myself alone with the doctor. The air was thick with tension, and I couldn’t shake the feeling this was about more than Jace accessing the restricted section.

His gaze cut to mine, making me shrink back. “Never, ever, lie to me again, especially to protect another man,” he demanded, his voice low, almost a growl. “Are we clear?”

“What!?”

It was the wrong thing to ask because he was ready to hit the fan. “I know every detail about things that belong to me, including this boat. That boy came here to spy because the staff was curious about you. Amelie didn’t send him, she would never defy my direct order.”

There was a lot to unpack there, but only one thing stood out. “Why would the staff be curious about me?” I was nobody.

He ignored my question, courtesy of the anger festering in his eyes. “What were you thinking, talking to a stranger?”

I frowned. “Stranger? He works here.”Apparently, he works for you, I added internally. Dr. Maxwell owned the boat and didn’t think to mention it.

“So what?” he snapped. “There’s a man out there trying to hurt you. You said so yourself. Do you think it’s wise to be friendly with strange men at a time like this?”

The words stung because he was right.

I wanted to defend myself, explain that I wasn’t a fuckup who put myself at unnecessary risk. However, I’d woken up on the streets, roaming the wrong part of town, and I spent the better part of the night with a man I had just met. Granted, I felt incredibly safe withhim for reasons that defied logic. Probably because I was on my last leg and would’ve been dead without his help.

Nonetheless, Dr. Maxwell was an anomaly. After experiencing dangerous men firsthand, the last thing I should’ve done was let my guard down around unknown men. Perhaps he had a point. I didn’t have the best track record.

Nurse Amelie’s perky voice pierced through the awkward tension. “Rise and shine! How are we feeling today?”

I forced a weak smile, turning to face the bubbly nurse.

Her brow furrowed as she approached, sensing the tension in the room. Her gaze bounced between us. “Dr. Maxwell. You have a phone call in Exam Room Two,” she said cautiously.

“Tell them I’ll call back,” he snapped, eyes never leaving my face.

“I tried,” she said in a whisper, handing him a note. “I can’t hold them off any longer. They’ve been calling all morning.”

He straightened, his expression unreadable. I wanted to ask him to stay and squash the silly argument. But the words died on my tongue as I gazed into his detached eyes. He marched toward the door, pausing beside Amelie to whisper something. He glanced back at me for a final time. For a moment, I thought I saw a flicker of something in his eyes—concern? Regret over the conversation? But then the mask of indifference slipped back into place, and just like that, he was gone.

Chapter

Eleven

ROSE

“Who is ready for a girls’day?!” Amelie chirped, clapping her hands together. “Dr. Maxwell gave us full access to the spa staff. Whatever you want, it’s yours.”