Page 14 of Obsessive Cravings

Tyson Raines. He was as powerful as Mason only because the two had grown up together. By the time they were in their early twenties, Mason owned his territory, with Tyson by his side. They were best friends and inseparable, and Tyson was a force to fear just as much as Mason was.

“Shit, both of them? That’s an issue.” If Mason looked to Bridgeville and Tyson followed, it would be war. And I wasn’t ready. I wanted Riley in my hands and poised for me to crush her before I dealt with Mason. At least that’s what I’d told myself before falling under her spell.

I rubbed my temple, saying, “Keep on it, Alec. I want to know any move he makes. If he as much as looks my way.”

“Yes, boss. But wouldn’t it be better to just turn her over to him and be done with it?”

No, it wouldn’t because I hadn’t touched her enough yet. “No, she’s running from something, and I have a feeling Brinks is part of that. Until I discover what she knows, her presence here stays silent.”

I hung up with Alec, trying to work my mind through the recent developments. So, Mason was hunting his sister and a traitor. I briefly wondered if the two had anything to do with each other. Regardless, I needed to ramp up my game. My insides twisted in anticipation—time to play a little cat and mouse.

Ensuring my people were on alert after hearing the news from Alec, I left the office early and worked from home for the rest of the day. It gave me time to think and time away from Riley.

I distanced myself from Riley the rest of the week until Friday night. I had planned to search her place, knowing she was going out with Ava after work, but I couldn’t resist following the two first. They stopped at a small restaurant a few blocks from her apartment and, curious, I snuck in. I’d left the house incognito, ordering my men to stay put this time. Den had complained, but I couldn’t risk anyone spotting them. A black hoodie that I never would have worn covered my head and let me blend into the darkness. I picked a spot at the bar, close enough to their table to listen, but in a shadowed corner where Riley wouldn’t notice me.

Ava was a talker, and I could see Riley’s attention drifting, her eyes staring out the window at the snow that was just starting. Figuring I’d heard enough to know Ava wasn’t talking her into picking up a date for the night, I paid the bartender, intent on returning to my original plan of sneaking into Riley’s apartment. Until I heard Riley ask about me. Her voice was hushed, but Ava had already downed a few drinks and her voice carried.

I listened, smiling at Riley’s responses. She was curious about me, and I hadn’t read her wrong in the elevator. The thought had me hard, and I shifted on my stool, the uncomfortable pressure in my pants only growing as I discovered Riley had been thinking of me when she’d touched herself, confirming my suspicion after hearing her say my name in her sleep. I squeezed my glass so hard that the glass splintered. There was no way I could hold back any longer. I needed to move forward with my plan because she was right where I wanted her. Although, I wasn’t so sure where I wanted her anymore, other than with her mouth on my dick. But even that image had shifted. My body craved her in a completely different way now. I wanted to touch her, to feel her body writhing against me as she fell apart.

Fuck, I needed to leave. Pulling my hood up further, I left the bar, walking so close to Riley I could smell her perfume. It sent my blood pulsing with need that didn’t fade until the further I was from her.

The snow was falling harder as I made my way to her apartment. With Ava occupying her, I had time. I’d yet to venture into her apartment, but after hearing her confession, the thought of stepping into her private space had me so turned on I couldn’t resist. Making a stop in the spare apartment first, I dusted the snow off, then removed my boots and coat so I wouldn’t leave any trace of my presence.

The smell of Riley’s perfume lingered in the air when I stepped into the apartment. I breathed it in, closing my eyes while arousal spread through my body, my dick pulsing in response. I moved through the studio slowly, letting my fingers linger on her possessions like doing so would bring me closer to her. All it did was give me a raging hard-on. The pair of lace underwear near her bed didn’t help and as I fingered it, the temptation to bring it to my nose was strong. Reminding myself that I’d have the real thing soon enough, I forced myself to focus. Touching her things wasn’t my reason for being there. I was determined to find some clue as to why she was running, and there had to be something in her apartment to give me the answer. I’d had my men look when they delivered the new furniture, but they weren’t always as thorough as I was. Riffling through every drawer and every box she had stored in the tiny closet, I found no trace of Mason or any part of Riley’s past. It was like she’d left everything but her clothes and furniture behind.

Starting a new life.

The sound of her key in the door startled me. I hadn’t given myself enough time, and I clenched my jaw, stepping into the closet, thankful she used it for storage since I’d bought her a larger wardrobe to hold her clothes. I held my breath, watching her through the cracked door as she tossed her clothes on the bed and walked through her apartment in her bra and thong. She was killing me, and I couldn’t help picturing her walking around my house like that.

I could no longer see her, but I heard her hum an off-key tune, the sound bringing a smile to my face. After a few minutes, she came back into view, stretching and removing her bra. The sight of her made my cock so hard that I worried she’d hear it throbbing against my pants. Her breasts jiggled as she walked across the room and took a tank top from her bed. Knowing how dirty this was, how depraved it was to be spying on her this close only helped to intensify the discomfort in my pants.

She settled in the bed, sitting with her legs crossed as she gnawed at her bottom lip. I was so close to her, hidden only a few steps away, and the thrill of it was addictive.

“Fuck, Riley,” she muttered. “You’re obsessed.”

She flopped back on the bed, running her hands over her chest before she said, “Stupid. There’s no way that’s even close to the real thing.”

I knew she was talking about me, and the thought sent my pulse racing. I had every desire to step from the closet and give her the real thing. To fuck her like I wanted and make her mine. Gripping my fists, I forced myself to calm down. Leaving the closet while she was awake would only frighten her. I needed to remain in control, no matter that I now knew she wanted me as desperately as I wanted her. Knowing only moved the game to the next level. She’d be easier to reel in now because she wouldn’t hesitate. I could have her, and I hadn’t even had to work hard for her. But I still wanted to play, to tease her until she was so needy she’d bend to my will and shatter completely.

Her hand lingered on her breast, and my breath caught. I watched, enraptured as she touched herself. She worked her shirt up, her breasts exposed in the dim of the fairy lights that were strung along her ceiling. Her breasts were perfect, and I couldn’t wait to feel them. The clouds hid the moon, but there was enough light for me to see every inch of the skin I was longing to touch. Her feet twisted as her fingers pushed below her panties, her sigh seeping through the quiet room.

My heart was pounding so hard, my cock straining to break free, and when she muttered a feral, “fuck me,” shoving her panties all the way off, I reached into my pants and grabbed it. Her legs spread wide as her fingers disappeared, a moan lighting the air, her back arching in a beautiful curve. I stroked my throbbing dick, biting back the growl as she grew closer, my own quiet movements bringing me to the edge. I was gripping the wall so hard, my nails tore into the paint.

She drew her knee up as she cried out and I lost it, coming with her, my release spilling into my pants and shirt as I forced back my groan, holding my panting breaths in while the ecstasy poured through me. My legs were shaking so badly I didn’t know if I could remain standing.

Riley drew her hand from between her legs, and my eyes tried to focus while my body calmed. Her leg twisted as if a residual aftershock had gone through her, and she released a deep sigh. I let go of myself, cursing my lack of control and the mess I’d made.

I waited in silence for her to fall asleep so I could leave, my eyes remaining riveted to her body. She pulled her shirt down but didn’t bother to put her panties back on before she pulled the comforter up, covering what I craved touching. I watched, my mind overcome with the idea that she’d fingered herself to thoughts of me again, that I’d been so close that I could smell her arousal, so close that I’d come with her. Her moves had destroyed every ounce of control I had, leaving me like a teenage boy watching porn. But this had been nothing like that—my body controlled by her moves, her moans, her climax calling mine forth.

Adjusting myself and ignoring the sticky mess in my clothes, I emerged from the closet once I saw she was in a deep sleep. Unplugging the fairy lights in case she woke, I stepped closer to her, picking up her discarded panties and pocketing them. I eyed the scarves that draped over her headboard, pulling them off and imagining her tied up with them. Letting the soft silk drift through my fingers, I knew I had a choice. I could be a true bastard and use the scarves to take advantage of her. To finally have her and feel what it would be like to sink into the wetness I knew lay between her legs. My dick twitched, springing back to life. Or I could walk out and continue playing my game. I was a wicked man, but taking a woman against her will was where I drew the line. Even with as wrong as voyeuristically jerking off in her closet was, I wouldn’t cross the line. I wanted her to be willing, to have her cries be welcome ones.

I leaned over, the smell of her arousal on her fingers tempting me to lick them. Ignoring the desire, I brushed her hair from her face. She stirred, and I knew my time was up. Leaning closer to her, I murmured, “Good girl,” then draped the scarves over her eyes and walked away, rushing from the apartment just as I heard her confused mumbling.

Returning to the spare apartment, I glanced at the camera while cleaning myself up, removing my shirt and wiping away the cum that was sticking to me. Light from the lamp on Riley’s side table highlighted her actions. She had pulled the blankets up tight around her as she gripped the scarves. A frightened look sat in her eyes, and they frantically searched the room before falling on the open closet door. Guilt trickled through my mind, guilt that I’d scared her. Fear was my game, everyone feared me, so why shouldn’t she? But no matter how I tried to justify it, the guilt remained.

I sat, watching her tentatively step from the bed and search for the discarded panties that were now in my possession. She cursed and gave up, snatching a pair of tiny shorts from the end of her bed. Once she covered herself, she opened the closet door before checking the other parts of her apartment. I took the panties from my pocket, fingering the lace and contemplating whether sniffing them put me in a category I didn’t want to be in. I’d just hidden in a woman’s closet and watched her finger herself while I jerked off. I wasn’t certain what criminal level that took me to, but considering murder was already on my rap sheet, that didn’t concern me.

What concerned me was how close I’d come to giving into my craving for Riley. I didn’t know if I’d ever craved a woman the way I now craved Riley Brinks. And that was a problem.

---