Page 31 of Obsessive Cravings

“Good girl,” he said, causing my insides to clench. “Because I always get what I want, Riley. And I want you. I want you in my bed every night, my tongue against your clit, and your pussy around my cock.”

“That’s all?” I dared, knowing that wasn’t enough for me. “Because that makes it sound like I’m just your whore.”

He flinched like I’d slapped him, that reaction assuring me that his words had been his defense to cover what was below his tough façade.

“And I won’t play the game if that’s all you want,” I continued.

His finger brushed along my cheek. “I want your smile. I want your laugh. I want the blush that climbs in your cheeks. I want the naïve woman who doesn’t know how gorgeous she is or how she breaks me.”

My breath fled from my lungs, my heart thudding so hard in my chest that he must have heard it. Reaching up, I pulled his lips to mine, kissing him. “I’m yours,” I said against his lips as he drew me from the chair and into his arms. And I knew it was the truth. I belonged to Greyson Tides and would die before I let anything take me from him.

Chapter Seventeen

GREYSON

Ididn’t think there had ever been a time when I was as content as I was when Riley said she was mine. The words settled in my chest, weaving through my heart and clinging tight to it. Everything I’d initially wanted with her had fallen to the wayside like leaves blowing on a windy day. Even the way I’d imagined taking her was a lost thought because I wanted to be something different with her. She made me want to be different, to be the soft lover and leave the dominating prick I was every day aside.

I rose before dawn, running home to change and check on a few things. I’d promised her the day, which meant no work. And I never went a day without work. There was always something I needed to deal with. After showering, I called Den to find out the status of Clint Randall. There was still nothing. It gave me hope that the scumbag had gone back to his family with his tail between his legs, but that wasn’t the way with the Bad Omens. They were relentless unless presented with an obstacle they couldn’t surmount…like me.

After their run-in with me decades before, they kept to their province. I wouldn’t have cared if they brought down Mason, but then I’d have them in my province, and I wanted them nowhere near anything of mine. So my threat had included the entire province, including Mason’s territory—a threat they’d now challenged. I had every right to retaliate, but I needed my men here. Randall wouldn’t quit because if he returned without his prize, his family would kill him. Mason was his job, and he would complete it. That meant he would come after anyone Mason loved.

“Hey,” Riley said, drawing me back to the present.

I’d promised her I’d spend the day with her and had taken her to the seaside town of Cantwell, a quiet place with shops and history. Lights and garland decorated the streets and houses. This was the weekend of their Christmas market, which ran the length of the main street.

I took her hand in mine and pulled her to me, hating how much I loved the feel of her in my arms. Her green eyes were light as they searched mine.

“Where did you go?” she asked.

There was a comfort with her, as if she’d always been a part of my life. Always been mine.

“Just wondering what to get you for Christmas,” I lied. “It’s only two weeks away.”

“More gifts, Greyson?”

Raising a brow, I said, “You don’t like my gifts?”

She wrapped her arms around me. Her pink hat brought out the blush on her cheeks, giving her an innocent look. I brushed my knuckles over her cheek, feeling the warmth of it even in the cold. A snowflake dropped on her nose, and she smiled. My heart leaped in reaction, and I fought the need to pull from her, to push her away, because I knew what that meant. Knew I’d fallen too hard in the few weeks Riley had been in my life, even before I’d taken her the prior night. I wasn’t sure how she had woven her way into my icy heart, but she had.

“I love your gifts,” she replied softly. “But I already have everything I want.”

“And what was it you wanted?”

“You.”

That leap in my heart became a pounding I couldn’t ignore, and I pulled her closer, kissing her and tasting her berry lip gloss. I’d been cold and heartless for too long, keeping everyone out, and Riley Brinks had obliterated that barrier, seeping into my heart and claiming it. The idea left me uncertain because this wasn’t my life—walking the streets while holding hands and ignoring the threat that existed outside of my peaceful moment. My life was risky; it was violent and deadly. There were reasons I didn’t let people in, and Mason Brinks was learning the hard way why loving someone was a liability.

“Grey?” Riley said, her voice layered with vulnerability.

“You know, no one calls me Grey,” I scolded. She looked unsure, her demeanor changing, and I didn’t like that I’d turned the moment like that. “But I like how you say it.”

“So it’s mine?”

“All yours. But I’m still getting you something better for Christmas. I’m not sure I count.”

“You do,” she whispered before pulling my lips to hers again.

We spent the day in Cantwell, and as night fell, I watched her reaction, loving how her eyes lit with excitement as the town became a winter wonderland. The snow had continued in light flurries, and they shimmered in the lights as they fell.

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