Page 53 of Obsessive Cravings

“That’s what Ty said, but he came here, Ri. You don’t know what that means. Bosses don’t step foot in each other’s territories. Coming here risked his life and his entire organization, and let me tell you, Greyson Tides doesn’t take risks that jeopardize his business.” I gave her a questioning look. “I may be in another province, but that doesn’t mean Ty hasn’t trained me well. Mason made a mistake keeping you in the dark. You need knowledge to stay alive in this world, and he chose not to give it to you.”

She handed me the ring. “He let you go, Ri. The guys know what that means. Do you?”

Standing, she kissed the top of my head. “I’ll be here the next few days if you need me.” She walked to the door, and glancing back at me, said, “Why didn’t you tell me Mason was so sexy now?”

I gave her a grossed-out look.

“What? He is. Shit, those muscles and those tattoos.”

“That’s gross, Casey.”

“Not for me,” she said, giving me a wink before she closed the door.

I tried to clear the thought of my brother being sexy from my head. He was handsome, like my father had been, but sexy?

“Yuck,” I mumbled.

Setting the ring aside, I rose, determined to shower and regain some sense of hygiene. Once I was clean, I forced myself to leave my room, leaving the ring behind. For the first time in too long, I spent the day with Mason, letting his smile at my appearance ease the pain in my heart. We shared dinner with Casey and Tyson, and I let Greyson slip from my mind for a few hours.

When the night ended, I returned to my room, my mind clearer. The ring was still on my window seat where I’d left it. I tried not to look at it as I prepared for bed, snuggling into a pair of snowflake pajamas Mason had gotten me for Christmas the year before. I sat on my bed, the diamond on the ring shimmering in the moonlight that poured through my window. I felt more like myself than I had in a long time, and with that knowledge came the realization that a part of me was missing. A part I’d given to Greyson. One I didn’t want to take back. And that was what hurt so badly.

He'd let me go. Casey’s words settled into my mind like a snowflake that nestled into your hair and refused to melt. He had let me go. If his intention had still been to use me, why push me behind him when Mason drove up? Why not hold his gun to my head like Clint had or kill me to hurt Mason? And why had he let me go? He and Mason were enemies. He could have easily taken me and shot them both before turning the gun on me. But he hadn’t. He’d stood there, looking as defeated as I’d felt. Fractured. Just like I was.

I lay there, thinking through everything that had happened. The way I’d invited him in before I’d known he was my stranger. How he’d protected me from Matt and his lies and protected me from Clint. How he’d saved me and then let me walk away.

Pushing the blankets back, I went to my window seat and picked the ring up with the note.

Yours.

The word was a powerful one. He would be mine. He hadn’t said I would be his like he had that day in his office. The day he’d claimed me. I wondered if he’d been playing his game then or if the game had changed for him.

He was giving himself to me, giving me his heart in that one word.

I slipped the ring on my finger, amazed at how he knew enough about me to know my ring size. He knew everything about me, yet I barely knew him. But I knew how he made me feel. The way he touched me, like he worshiped me. The way he made love to me. I knew the reaction he caused in my body and my heart. The way his grin could light me on fire, or his touch could melt me.

Lifting my eyes, I stared out at the silent landscape. I’d run two months earlier to escape a life I didn’t want. Running right into that same life with a man who’d left his mark on my soul. Maybe it was time I stopped running.

I returned the ring to the box and rushed out of my room, finding Mason in the living room. His eyes were creased with worry as he held a glass of alcohol in his hand.

“Ri? Is everything all right?” he asked, the creases deepening.

“I want you to tell me all of it. Bring me in. Teach me. I want to know everything there is to know about this life.”

The worry lifted, his smile returning. “Are you sure you’re ready?”

“Yes.”

“Then get your ass in the chair, Ri. Let’s talk.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

GREYSON

Spring had come, the bitter cold fading as the air warmed and the city returned to life. While I appreciated the winter, the rebirth of spring was usually a welcome sight. This year, however, it was only a reminder of how long it had been since I’d lost Riley. Each day that passed had not brought relief from the ache that was a constant companion. The pain that sat in my chest no matter how I tried to ignore it. Nothing gave me relief from it. I’d tried burying myself in my work. I avoided the street where her apartment had been. I tore my bedroom apart and redesigned it, erasing every trace of her, but nothing worked. No matter how I tried, I couldn’t remove the mark she’d left on my heart.

I’d sent her the ring, having Sherry mail it out the next day. I lost what little hope I had when no reply came. No return note, nothing. And so I buried myself back in my work, watching as the snow melted the way Riley had melted my heart. Watching as the spring flowers poked through and wondering why my chest still ached, why an emptiness still existed that I couldn’t seem to fill.

Folding the newspaper, I tucked it under my arm. The air was unusually warm today, and I’d left my coat at home. I made my way to the elevator, my eyes avoiding the firm’s lobby like they did every time I walked by. I’d tasked Sherry with finding me a new office so I wouldn’t have the reminders of Riley on the mornings I came in, but for now, I dealt with it.

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