My eyes snag on the massive chocolate cake the catering company wheeled out near the food table. No one will cut it until dinner has been served, but I’ve been hungry since Mrs. Jasmine, our nanny, decided to give us tuna sandwiches for lunch. Which Ididn’teat.
The middle-aged woman is nice, but she doesn’t listen to food preferences. She makes whatever is easy for our busy schedules, and I can’t complain, or Mr. Wilder will fuss at her. I don’t want to get her in trouble, so I politely wait until she’s out of the room before discarding my food in the trash.
But the cake looks delicious, and my mouth is watering. My stomach grumbles pitifully as my shoulders slump.
Kaden notices my mood, his eyes tracking across the glistening ballroom to the six-tiered cake. “You wouldn’t be hungry if you ate lunch with me.”
“I don’t—”
“You don’t like tuna,” he finishes with a sigh. He crosses his arms, staring at the dessert. “Can you give me a distraction?”
My eyes widen. “But you’ll get in trouble.”
His gaze flickers to mine, something mischievous twinkling in his irises. “Don’t worry about that. Distract the adults around the table, and I’ll get you some cake.”
The corners of my lips tug up. “Okay.”
Kaden leads me across the room, instructing with a hand behind his back to part ways as he sneaks around the adults lingering close to the table. I peel away from him without breaking stride, stepping neatly into the path of the four men clustered near the banquet table.
I lift my chin and offer them a soft, thoughtful look.
“Excuse me,” I say, tilting my head as though a question has only just occurred to me. They slow, then stop—exactly as planned. One of them blinks, another straightens his jacket, and suddenly I have their full attention.
Behind them, Kaden moves.
“I can’t find my brother,” I moan, lying on my distress with wobbling, pouty lips.
One of the men with dark hair, combed and styled, moves his glass to the side as he leans down. The amber liquid in it sloshes as the scent of something strong, like hand sanitizer, singes my nose hairs. “Where did you see him last, sweetheart?”
My eyes flicker behind him, to the table piled high with food. Kaden is crouched down, using a fork to slice a heaping wedge of chocolate cake. It’s messy, some crumbling to the floor as he slaps it onto an elegant plate.
“Ummm…” I trail, watching my brother as he slides under the table and uses the thick white cloth draped over it to cover himself before he shoves his arm out and motions for me to join him. My eyes snap back to the man waiting patiently for my answer. “Never mind!”
He blinks. “Oh…okay?”
“Have a good night!” I call before I shuffle around them and slide into the darkness under the table. In my haste, I end up headbutting Kaden in the nose, and he hisses at the pain.
“Sorry!” I exclaim.
He holds up a fork in one hand while his other hand holds his throbbing face. “Here.”
“Thank you,” I whisper sheepishly as I take it from him. “You didn’t get any?”
He shakes his head as he leans back and rests his hands on the floor behind him. He extends his legs out, getting comfortable. “I don’t like sweets.”
I gasp, horrified. “You don’t likesweets?”
“The agony,” he mutters sarcastically.
I chuckle lightly, cutting into the cake. “You’re missing out.”
“I’m really not.”
I take a bite, humming at the rich thickness of the chocolate. It’s perfect. “This is amazing.”
Kaden stares at me for a moment, silence blanketing over us. “This is the best part of my night.”
“Really?”
