Page 110 of Lorcan's Obsession

I took a deep breath, looking into her eyes sadly. Her venom hurt, but I knew Tris was only saying these things because she was in pain thinking I had wanted those two floozies outside my door. Right now, she needed a safe space to share her hurt, and I needed to be strong for us. Slowly, cautiously, I clasped Tristen’s shoulders. She glanced at my hands, but didn’t shrug them off.

She wanted to listen. She wanted to believe in me, even now.

"Yes, I did sleep with both of them in the past. Crystal and I grew up in the same social circles. If you want to know the first and last time we fucked, it was during a fraternity initiation in college. I swear to you, I have no idea why she is here. And I haven’t touched her hooker friend in over two years, for that matter." I tipped her chin and felt a pang of guilt when I saw the tears glistening on her lashes. “My heart is yours. It has been ever since the moment I laid eyes on you at Hendricks Bar in Jumeirah. Baby, I know that doesn’t take away the hurt you’re feeling right now, and you don’t have to be okay with this. I’m not okay either. But, when the pain is less, please remember that you are my only love. And you always will be.”

Silence hung heavy between us, smothering us and pushing us apart. There was more, so much more that I longed to say. I wanted to hold her in my arms, to swear my undying loyalty to her, to promise revenge on those who hurt her. But I had known Tristen long enough to understand that she needed to process the first wave of feelings on her own.

I had to trust that we believed in each other.

Tristen sniffled once, a muffled sound made thunderous in the stillness. She curled her arms around her middle.

“I still want to leave,” she whispered.

“Okay. But your stuff stays, and you call me tonight?”

She nodded. Sadness coiled up inside me. It physically hurt to see her like this, shaken up and vulnerable against her will. And it killed me to know there was nothing else I could do. I kissed her temple comfortingly before letting go.

We made our way to the front door in the same oppressive silence. I opened the door and was greeted by the unpleasant sight of Crystal and Cherry.

“I told you two to leave,” I growled.

Tristen stood on her toes and gripped my neck, pulling my face down to hers. She kissed me deeply, snaking her arm along my hip. It was a good kiss, but I knew it was more for them than for me. She was marking her territory.

As she passed the ladies silently, Tristen nudged hard against their bodies, leaving them stumbling for balance in their towering heels. Like a soldier, she marched down the corridor with her shoulders straight and her head held high.

“Yeah, run along, bitch,” Crystal shouted. “That piercing you’ve been enjoying is because of me. Go find some other studded cock to milk. This one’s mine.”

Tristen stopped dead in her tracks.

I saw red.

Slowly, Tris turned around, and hell's fury burned in those emerald eyes. With a shout, she rushed toward Crystal at a terrifying speed. Cherry squealed and pulled out her phone defensively. If I didn’t intervene, security would be swarming the floor in minutes.

“Wait, Tristen, Tris–babe, stop!” I gripped her shoulder.

“Get the fuck off me! Let me at that bitch!” Tristen bellowed.

“Baby, there are cameras here. She is looking for a reason to call the authorities on you. You’re a lawyer; you know that. Don’t give her bricks to throw. Please.”

Tris hissed and swore, breathing heavily. But when she looked up at me, tears were streaming down her face. Red crept into the corners of my vision again.

“Listen to me. I’ll make sure she regrets her decision to set foot on a plane to come and hurt you.”

“B-but—”

“Remember when I said there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you? I meant it. That woman is never coming near you again, I swear it.”

Tristen nodded her head, blinking back furious tears.

“Come on, my love. Let’s get you home,” I coaxed gently.

She had too much pride to lean against me in view of her enemies, but the exhaustion was written on her face and in her wavering footsteps. My heart cracked watching her push herself alone. Tristen was a strong, fierce woman, but Crystal had used the exact words that would rip into her skin and leave her reeling.

My hands clenched. No one got away with hurting my woman. No one.

Once Tristen was safely in the elevators, I prowled back toward the battlefield. The two women still stood by my apartment. Crystal’s smile widened when she saw me returning alone. But that quickly changed. As I stormed closer, her face paled, and she scuttled into the corner. I didn’t have to lay a finger on her; she knew exactly how powerful I was.

“Listen carefully, Crystal. In exactly eighteen hours, I will have someone at Los Angeles Airport waiting to verify that you landed back in the country.”

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