Page 265 of Obsession

“No, baby, I only tattooed the ones who considered themselves to be in a relationship with me.”

Of course. As if he’d just slept with only fourteen other girls. I wished.

“And the others? Is there a number?”

He looked at me, amusement in his eyes.

“There’s an approximate number, but do you really want to know?”

“No!” I answered quickly, pleased that my mouth was speaking in unison with my brain for the first time.

“That’s what I thought,” he chuckled and returned to his work.

It was so unfair. I was so… new to this field, and he was probably bored already. Maybe that’s why he didn’t want to sleep with me.

Maybe you’re stupid, my subconscious kept mocking me.

There was no way for a man to be done with sex. He had other reasons, much more serious ones.

“Baby,” Harris snapped me out of my stupid thoughts.

“Huh?”

“You don’t have to think about what came before you. I told you, I didn’t love any of them. Some didn’t even last a month, and it was just sexual attraction. The ones I tattooed were the ones I wanted more than once, and so I protected them. It’s different with you.”

I nodded. Yeah, it was different with me, which was why I was going to receive the same tattoo as the others. Nevertheless, his drawing was intriguing. I was sure it wasn’t just a letter. Maybe he wanted to do it differently for me.

I smoked and tried to keep my cool. Soon the room filled with smoke, and I got up to open the window, where I remained for a few minutes. His neighborhood seemed quiet now, and a strong neon light burned outside the garage. Voices could be heard in the distance, groups of people laughing but out of sight. A honk, a car alarm going off, more laughter, followed by angry dogs barking.

I closed my eyes, let my head fall back and blew out the smoke, which quickly disappeared into the night. The rain had stopped, and the atmosphere felt fresh and cool, butgoosebumps did not cover my skin until I felt his palms on my hips.

“Are you okay?”

He pulled me closer until my back was touching his chest.

“Yeah,” I answered quickly, then stubbed out the cigarette and threw it out the window.

“You seem tense.”

I giggled.

“Shouldn’t I be?”

“I’m still thinking about what you said earlier, and I can’t believe it really happened.”

I turned in his arms while we were both surrounded by the heavy black curtain and cupped his cheek.

“I love you, Harris Stone. How real does that sound?”

He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to mine.

“I should have told you right away, but you…. shook me up.”

He didn’t smile, just hugged me tighter.

“I haven’t said those words in years, and back then it was to my mother, it stood for something else. I admit I heard them often, too often, and they never meant anything to me. I almost started to hate the words, they annoyed me…. until I heard you say them.”

I swallowed slowly. It didn’t surprise me that Amber and the others before her had confessed their love for him.

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