Page 114 of Lorcan's Obsession

“I had to see you tonight.”

“I’m not at home. I’m in Oman.”

“Me too. I’m at the airport.”

“Oh.”

That one word reminded me of the absurdity of the situation. I’d flown in unannounced because I thought Tristen was angry enough to cheat on me. How would she react if I told her the truth?

“Baby, are you okay? Should I come get you?” Tris asked, more awake now.

Hearing the concern in her voice unknotted my worried heart. Maybe the fallout I anticipated wasn’t so bad.

“No, no, don’t get out of bed. Send me your address, and I’ll come to you, my love.”

“Okay. See you soon.”

She hung up. Ten seconds later, my phone pinged with the location she sent. My impatience had me chartering a chopper, and in fifteen minutes, a guest representative was escorting me to Tristen’s room. I didn’t know what to expect, but a thousand-dollar-a-night rental wasn’t it. Even with my money, I was impressed by the scale and aura of this beachfront resort. My girl was a law student with part-time jobs, and she always avoided talking about her work and finances. I guessed the reason was that she was uncomfortable because of my status.

"Strip and come to bed,” Tris shouted from the adjoining bedroom. I traipsed around the suite, steadying my nerves. Tonight, I was going to talk openly with her. I couldn’t handle this feeling of uncertainty any longer.

When I opened the door to her chambers, Tris straightened up in her bed, propping up the comforter to leave an inviting space beside her. The thought of her warm, supple curves against my flesh had me ready to cave in, but I remained steadfast.

"Hi, my love." I sat at the edge of the bed and kissed her forehead.

She stretched her hand and flicked on the bedside lamp. The soft light illuminated her golden-brown skin and delicately arched brows. “You are not coming to bed?”

“I will. After we talk.”

Tristen sat upright, rubbing her eyes.

“You came all this way to talk about today?”

The duvet toppled down to her hips, exposing her smooth skin. I scooted closer, careful to avoid brushing against Tristen and being distracted further.

“Yes and no. I know you asked for space, but I–I had to see you. I was going crazy. I’m sorry.”

“Crazy? You were going crazy? I was the one being insulted. Would you have just stood there and listened to another man say such intimate things about my body to your face?”

Jealous rage throbbed in my head at the very thought. I ground my teeth as I answered her. “No, Tristen. I would have ripped his tongue out for talking about you, gorged his eyes out for looking at you, and cut his hands for touching you.”

Her body tensed at my words. “Then why are you—?”

“Because I saw Dom’s photos, and I thought you were angry enough to cheat on me!”

Tristen’s eyes widened. The next instant, her hand struck my cheek with a stinging slap.

“How dare you?”

She flung off the duvet and stormed toward the bathroom. I leaped off the bed and went in pursuit.

“That came out wrong. I’m sorry.”

“You think?” She perched her arms defiantly on her waist. “You just flew to a different country to check if I was cheating on you!”

“Can you blame me?” I shouted. “Half the time I’m not sure what you feel about me, the rest of the time I worry that any fuck up I make is going to crush those feelings! When will I know that I’m enough for you?”

Tension filled the room like a bomb ready to blow. Tristen lifted her hands, exasperated, looking at the bathroom ceiling as if the answers would fall from it. She inhaled deep, strangled breaths and then faced me with the wrath of ten scorned women.

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