Page 32 of Obsessive Cravings

My phone rang, ruining the moment. We were in line for hot chocolate, so I excused myself, walking just far enough for privacy but close enough to keep her in sight. From my periphery, I spotted Tinge alongside another of my men, both on edge with my move. Riley hadn’t questioned their presence, and I supposed having Mason as a brother normalized the constant need for security.

“Speak,” I said to Alec.

“We found no trace of Randall in Bridgeville, but we found something.”

My hand tightened on the phone. “Go on.”

“He was in Creekwood.”

My chest cinched, and I swept my eyes around Riley, suddenly on guard again.

“When?”

“That’s the interesting part. Remember the day Riley was there?”

Fuck. My heart was hammering in my chest so hard I was worried Riley might hear it from where she stood.

“Well, he was there that day. There’s footage of him inside the mall, but none outside.”

“How close was he to her?”

“He was two tables away as she ate lunch.”

“Dammit.” I searched the crowd for any sign of him as Riley made her way back to me with her hands encasing her hot chocolate. “Double security in the city. I want eyes on every entrance in and every way out.”

“Boss, Bad Omens are like ghosts. They remain hidden. You know what this means, right?”

“Yeah, he wanted to be seen. It was a message for Mason, one he missed.” Riley was getting too close to talk any further. “Let me know if you find anything else.”

I hung up just as she approached, giving me a smile over the rim of the cup while she blew on the liquid to cool it down.

“Everything okay?” she asked.

“Yeah, just a pest in an inconvenient place. I’ll take care of it. We should probably head back.”

Her brow lifted delicately. “Back…and what does that mean?”

Giving her a coy smile, I said, “It means you’ll be sleeping in my bed tonight so I can use that body like I’ve been thinking of doing all day.”

I wasn’t about to let her return to her apartment, nor was I about to let her sleep alone.

“That sounds tempting, but…” There was a distinct seductive quality to her voice that reached in and tugged at my dick.

“But?”

“What if we don’t go back yet?”

“Well then, that would delay my ability to touch you and rip that climax from you.”

She shivered delectably. “Let’s stay here. There’s a bed-and-breakfast down the street?—”

“Done,” I said before she could finish. We were far enough from Bridgeville, and I could protect her if Randall was anywhere close. “Ready to turn in? Because I’m starving, and I know exactly what I want to eat.”

Her blush returned, and I took her hand, leading her to the small bed-and-breakfast. It wasn’t a place I usually would have stayed, but for Riley, I would. The reward of having her naked body against mine the entire night was worth the sacrifice.

I spent the night touching her, exploring every inch of her body as she explored mine and finding that even with as much as she blushed, Riley was far from shy. She was confident and aggressive when she wanted to be. By the time she fell asleep in my arms, she’d left me exhausted. I listened to her soft breaths as I held her and wondered at the effect she had on me. Wondered at the way she was claiming me and deciding that I was hers to claim.

Riley was a late sleeper, which worked out perfectly because I was not. At dawn, I rose and made my way out to the porch, leaving one man stationed outside the room while Tinge followed me.

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