Page 58 of Obsessions of the Heart

My fists clenched so hard my nails made bloody crescents in my palm, but I didn't feel a thing because all of my attention was on my woman with another man's arm around her.

My woman.

I didn’t care if I hadn't touched her; she was still mine just as much as she was Rion’s or Ravi’s. My brothers were doing a bang-up job making their fantasies a reality, but I knew that this could come crashing down fast if we made a wrong move or showed our hand too early. They’d been giving me shit, telling me I was being an idiot, but I was doing what I thought was best. The more interest I showed in her, the more likely others would notice. We not only had to deal with Foedus, but also our uncle. For years, he’d been looking for a weakness to have absolute control over us.

Rion said our uncle was overseas taking care of a lucrative relationship, so by the time he got wind of her, we would be powerful enough to take him on. I, on the other hand, was not so optimistic.

The only saving grace was our uncle had jobs lined up for me, which meant his attention was more on me than them. He didn't like it when we weren’t busy; he liked Foedus thinking that the Ambros clan had secret members carrying out plans they didn’t know about. It gave him power, and that was all he cared about.

As long as we followed his orders, we got to do what we wanted without the weight of his constant stare, but if we brought on the eyes of other members, drew more attention to us than there should be, he would come down here himself and hammer this life into pieces, killing everything in his path. I didn't want Layrin to get caught in the crossfire.

So instead of jumping out of the shadows and tearing Elio limb from limb, I let him have his moment to bask in Rin’s rays. Let him think they’d had some special moment with whatever happened that made him a little baby bird for her to care for.

I watched his limping ass flirt with her outside the house before he went in, and when Luca ran back out to her, mumbling something, he looked at her like he was seeing her for the first time. Like he might try to take her from us.

That would never happen. We would tear down the whole Ricci house, person by person, making every family member pay for their sins in blood. Envisioning that crimson liquid running down my hands, feeling the hot spray when I hit the right artery, squeezing the life out of each and every one of them... All of it would bring me to my happy place.

Stop it, Roux. Don’t lead with the slaughter when the lambs need to be convicted first.

I couldn't kill the Ricci family yet, but I could definitely get some of these burning questions off my chest. Rin was going to regret the day she fucked with this Ambros brother.

My phone beeped. I was sure it was my brothers checking in for an update, but I didn't have time for that. I put it on silent and slunk behind Rin, following her closely. I needed to talk to her one-on-one, and an idea popped into my head.

She was heading to her next class, so I cut her off the back way, settling myself in the dark stairwell she would have to pass in order to get to the Art History building. When she came into view, I creeped up behind her and snatched her up. Hand over her mouth to prevent her yells from calling people, I tightened my grip on her kicking legs.

I would be lying if I said I didn't get turned on by it, having her completely captured, my wiggling prey desperately fighting to break free. The defiance in her eyes would be delicious to devour, but I had questions that needed answering first.

Kicking on the door that led to the inside stairwell, I took her down to the under level, the place where some students stored their bikes or smoked weed, and threw her a few feet away from me. She stumbled, tripping over her feet, and my arm reached out to catch her on instinct. I quickly pulled back, feeling like my body had just betrayed me. I always felt like this around her—pissed off yet still wanting to care for her and make sure she was safe. It was annoying.

“What the fuc—” Her eyes flew open before her fists clenched and her body grew taut. “What the fuck is the meaning of this, Roux?”

My voice echoed when I bellowed, “Why the fuck were you all touchy feely with Elio Ricci? Huh?” A pounding in my ears started to drum.

Stepping up, I got in her face. “Why the fuck was his arm around yours?” I grabbed her by the throat, pushing her back up against the concrete wall. Her eyes took me by surprise when they looked at me dead on, not flinching once.

Leaning in, I whispered in her ear, “You think you can get away with fucking us over?” My vision clouded, and a violent whirlpool filled my soul, making everything seem more wrong, more on edge.

Not expecting what happened next, she glared up at me, the defiance in her eyes sparkling. I wanted to pluck them out of her head and jar them so I could bask in them forever. That was until she kneed the inside of my thigh, causing me to lose my balance for a second. That was all she needed to scoot on by.

I got lucky when my fingers grazed her backpack. I yanked her back before she could let it go. Circling my arms around her, I trapped both her wrists with one hand, keeping them pressed to her torso, and cuffed her neck with my other hand.

Lowering my lips to the back of her ear, I murmured, “I'm going to ask you one last time. Why were you with Elio?”

She kicked at me, but I kept firm in my stance even when she rasped, full of attitude, “You already know, fucker. We met at the library to work on our project.”

My fingertips grew tighter, wanting nothing more than to drag her into the corner and rut into her like an animal, but I took a deep breath, reminding myself that I was better than that. That voice inside of my head laughed. Yeah right. Better. You're hilarious.

“That doesn’t explain, Layrin, why his fucking hand was on your shoulder! Why he was touching you like you have some kind of pull to each other!” I knew it came out a little psycho, yelling at my captive like that, but I was also having fun. My insides churned and my blood pumped so fast I thought it was its own being. I hadn’t felt this alive in a long time.

“No, you know what? After I tell you, you're going to give me a goddamn apology, you hear me, Roux?”

I growled in her ear, letting her know I was listening. She continued, and her voice trembled, but in anger, not fear. “I went to that fucking weird ass place you all call a library to meet up with Elio.” My arms tightened, and she threw her head back.

“Fuck! That hurt like a bitch! That is not like the movies!” she yelled when I groaned from the pain. The delicious ache brought my brain back online.

“Continue.”

She huffed, wiggling again when she barked, “Not like this! I don’t want you squeezing me to death every time I mention him.”

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