Page 59 of Obsessions of the Heart

I had to admit that seemed fair, but that didn't mean I had to make it easy for her. I set her down and twirled her to face me, snagging her hands and lifting them above her head against the concrete wall. Two steps forward closed the distance between our faces. Her delicious sweet breath filled my nostrils. “Better?”

Those gray eyes took on the shade of a newly forged blade, ready to cut me where I stood. I swore if she didn’t stop being so defiant, I was going to take her in this dirty stairwell.

She exhaled, still glaring at me when she continued. “Like I said, we met up to talk about the project. We even came up with an outline. It's in my bag if you need proof.”

I rolled my eyes. I didn't care about schoolwork. That was all just a cover-up for what we were really doing here anyway.

“It was when me and…” My hands unintentionally tightened on her wrists, and although her breath hitched, those silver-bladed eyes stayed the same. “When we split up to do research, it all went to shit.”

Her expression and relaxed body told me she was telling the truth, so I eased up just a fraction, interested in what she had to say. She looked off to the side like she was picturing the situation again. “It was weird. That place was dark and gloomy from the beginning, but there was a certain point when my instincts told me something was up. I just wasn't fast enough.”

My heart began to pound, realizing something really did happen, and maybe, just maybe, she wasn’t fucking around with Elio behind our backs. “I heard the thuds first, not understanding what was going on, then Elio called out my name. When the first book hit the space next to me, I knew I was too late. The shelf was tipping over. That was when Elio appeared, shielding me with his body and taking the brunt of not only the falling books but the shelf itself.”

For the first time in a long time, my insides curled up and I felt like I was about to puke. My mind flashed with a picture of Rin’s body underneath one of those abnormally heavy bookshelves, her face bloody, body broken, and her eyes shut in an eternal way. I looked away from her, needing to catch my breath.

“He told me to go, to get to safety, but I couldn't leave him there like that. I crawled out and put my back to the bookshelf, trying to get it off him. Finally, some guy came running and helped get it off. I offered to take him to the nurse’s office, but he asked me to take him to the house because they had their own doctor. That was it.”

Her story had my mind on overload. What the fuck just happened? Why did someone try to hurt Layrin? Was it Foedus? Was it the Riccis?

Shaking my head, I knew it wasn't the Riccis. Not because they weren't capable of some shady, backhanded stuff like putting one of their own in danger to get a target, but it was the look on Luca’s face. He was truly worried about Elio. It wasn't them, but if it wasn't them, did Foedus know? Was it just some freak accident?

I was lost in my thoughts, trying to figure it all out, when her snappy voice came out. “And why the hell do you care? It's not like you want me like that, anyway.”

My neck ratcheted back toward her, focusing on her like nothing else existed. It took all my effort and control to say, “Don’t talk about something you know nothing about.”

Her jaw clenched, her eyes cold, hard, as her chin lifted. “Know nothing about? You want to know what I know?”

Her face transformed into an angry mask. “I know that you keep your distance from me. Whether it's from fear or loathing, I don't know. I know that you keep to yourself when it's just me and you in a room. I know that you make up excuses all day every day to avoid me. I see you glare at your brothers like you're disappointed in them. Whether it’s about them dating me or about them just being with me, I don't know. But do you want to know what I really see beneath all that anger and disgust?”

My muscles clenched, my body vibrating with emotions I’d been keeping locked away. They were threatening to come to the surface, to spill over.

She stuck her head out as far as she could, getting in my face as she spat her venomous words. “I see your need, your lust. You may not like it, but you fucking want me. You. Want. Me.”

My eyes tracked her every move. Her tongue came out, swiping along her lips, and all I heard was a voice in my head telling me to take it. To show her just how wrong and right she was. I didn't hate her. I didn't look at her with disgust. I hated that she was all I thought about. I hated that I couldn't get her out of my head, out of my skin.

All these years of waiting, so you would think I’d be over her by now, but no, that only made it all worse.

The waiting, the anticipation. I was the hunter waiting for the right moment, but right now, the fucking leopard had jumped out in the middle of the night and bit down on me hard.

My body betrayed me when my dick rose to attention, and I rubbed it against her. Her eyes widened, then she let out a gasp. The dark obsession I kept deep down came out in full force, shoving me to the side so it could look down at its darkest desire. I shot forward to bite her shoulder.

She cried out in pain, but I moved one of my hands to her center, rubbing against her fabric-covered clit until her cries took on a different throaty tune. Her body pushed further in my hand, and the beast inside me purred.

Placing my lips on her neck, I breathed, “You think you know everything? I’m trying to save you, trying to help you, but you know what? It's tiring.” Running my nose along the column of her neck, I took in that sweet, pungent scent of hers, sucking it down like a smoothie. I moved my face right in front of her, taking in her half-lidded eyes and rapid breaths, then set my forehead on hers. “I think it's about time I take what’s mine, right? Because, don’t get confused, when we say you’re ours, that includes me as well.”

She hissed when I yanked her leggings down to her knees, still not giving her free range of motion. Never taking my eyes off hers, I watched them widen when my fingers slid between her thighs. I was engrossed when those silver blades filled with hunger as I slid my fingers back and forth between her clit and hole. I devoured her gasp with my mouth when I plunged those fingers inside of her, not being soft or gentle in the slightest.

She wanted to know what it was like to be with me? Well, she was going to find out now. I hoped she wouldn’t regret it.

Her moans were luscious and rich, her body begging me for more, pushing at the restraints. She was exquisite, all bound up and at my mercy. The way her reddish-brown locks fluttered against her face as she exhaled... How her eyes lit up when I got rough then grew needy when I backed off... She was an arrangement of carnal expressions, and I was eating it up like she was breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Unable to handle it anymore, I removed my hand despite her whining. It was music to my ears. I unzipped my pants with one hand, and we both looked down when my cock sprang out. I was so worked up, so hard, my tip was already leaking precum. Her pants grew heady, and she licked her lips.

“Fuck, Roux.”

Palming myself, I let loose a sinister chuckle. “Rin, I’m going to fuck you so hard and fast your head is going to spin.” I leaned over, spearing my cock between her thighs, rubbing the head against her clit. “But even if you beg, I won’t quit. I’m going to rock this body into a new plane of existence. I’m going to show you the world that dances between pleasure and pain. I hope you're ready, baby.”

She moaned before she clenched her teeth, glaring at me. “Bring it on, Roux. I’m tougher than I look.”

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