Housebound with the Blackridge Heirs novel Chapter 29

**Change Begins With You — Jayden Collins**
**Chapter 29**

**Maya**

Could he possibly be serious?

Caden wouldn’t actually go through with killing someone. That would be illegal.

The thought spiraled in my mind, absurd and unsteady, as I stood there in the pulsating crowd of the club, his arm still possessively wrapped around my waist. The cacophony of music, laughter, and chatter had faded into a dull roar, overshadowed by the frantic thumping of my own heart. His chest pressed against my back, steady and reassuring, as if he hadn’t just staked his claim on me in front of a hundred onlookers.

Yet, my thoughts kept drifting back to a different night.

The night I was taken.

The way those men had vanished without a trace.

There had been no updates, no arrests, no investigations. Just a heavy silence that felt almost intentional.

My stomach knotted at the memory.

No. They couldn’t be murderers. Right?

Did Elise know something I didn’t? Was that why she had urged me so fervently not to die?

With a surge of determination, I stepped out of his embrace and turned to confront him, glaring up into those impossibly calm blue eyes that seemed to hold a universe of secrets. “What the hell was that, Caden?”

He frowned, confusion flickering across his features, as if he genuinely couldn’t grasp the weight of my question. “She was disrespecting you.”

“That’s not what I mean!” I snapped, my voice trembling, not solely from anger but from the adrenaline coursing through me. “You can’t just claim me like that! Not in front of everyone!”

“Why not? Would you prefer I let her humiliate you?”

“That’s entirely beside the point!” I hissed, frustration bubbling over. “You don’t get to ignore me for days and then suddenly decide you’re my knight in shining armor because it suits you!”

I brushed past him, striding toward the exit, the heat of indignation radiating beneath my skin. The night air struck me like a slap as I stepped outside, but the cool breeze did nothing to quell the tempest swirling within me.

Caden followed closely, catching my arm before I could escape too far. “Maya, wait—”

“Don’t!” I yanked my arm free, my voice sharper than I had intended. “You don’t get to touch me like that after pretending I didn’t exist for days. You can’t just talk to me now because it’s convenient for you!”

His jaw tightened, and for a fleeting moment, I thought he might retaliate, but instead, the fire in his gaze dulled. He looked… defeated.

“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

I blinked, caught off guard. “What?”

“I said I’m sorry,” he repeated, his tone cracking in a way that sent a shiver down my spine. “I messed up. I always do. I never meant to hurt you, I just…” His voice trailed off, his gaze shifting away as if the words were too heavy to bear.

Seeing him like that—shoulders tense, mouth a thin line—triggered something deep within me. My anger didn’t vanish, but it softened, transforming into something more profound.

“Then why, Caden?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. “Why push me away like that?”

He stepped closer, his eyes glimmering with a raw vulnerability that made my heart ache.

“Because I don’t know how to handle this,” he confessed, his voice thick with emotion. “I don’t know how to want something this deeply without risking it all. My entire life, I’ve been the second choice, the backup plan, the shadow of Tylon. No matter what I do, he’s always the one people trust, the one they listen to. And when you came into my life, I thought—maybe this is something that belongs to me.”

His revelation struck me harder than any argument ever could.

“Caden…” I breathed, my heart racing.

He chuckled softly, but the sound held no humor. “I guess I’m jealous. Of him. Of how effortlessly he maintains control, while I’m here, barely keeping it together. Every time I see you, my mind goes blank, and all I can think about is keeping you safe, but I don’t even know from what.”

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