Page 12 of His Obsession

“I sense we changed subjects,” he says.

“She’s trying to find out more about her family,” Lucian says.

“Jennifer Hart, correct?” Bradley asks.

“Mhmm,” I say. “Supposedly, I was born here in Maple Falls. I was dropped off at a fire station about an hour away.”

“Interesting,” he says. “Maybe you could check the census for the year you were born and track her family that way. Maple Falls does a separate census from what the government requires. People are a bit more forthcoming with that one since it’s for local records, not for reporting.”

“I asked the lady at the library, and she said she would check,” I say.

“It’s in a separate room. She doesn’t have a key to it,” Lucian says.

“Who does then?” I ask.

“Me,” he says with a smile.

“Am I going to have to learn how to pick locks, or will you help me?” I ask.

“Are you asking or demanding?” he asks.

“Fine,” I sigh. “Lucian, would you mind unlocking the secret room in the library so I can maybe find my mother?”

“I’d love to, but I have to be with you,” he says. “I’ll drive.”

“Yeah, that feels like a trap,” I laugh.

“I’ll keep my hands to myself, if that makes you feel better,” he says.

“Pretty sure she’d feel better if youdidn’tkeep your hands to yourself,” Bradley chuckles.

“Please, can you just show me the room?” I ask Lucian.

“I’ll show you the room,” he says with a smile. “I do still have to be there. There are other records there that you are not allowed to see.”

“I don’t want to be involved in whatever sketchy shit you all have going on,” I say.

“What does that mean?” he asks.

“Nothing,” I say. “May I finish my run now?”

“You may,” he says seriously. I shake my head at him while putting my earbuds in. When I turn back and start jogging, I force myself not to pay attention to his location. I don’t want to know if he’s following me. I just want to block out the world and run.

Once I finish my jog, I go home and change into a sundress after taking a quick shower. I find myself double checking my appearance and quickly curse myself for it. It’s already bad enough that I intentionally didn’t wear panties. I know the man is going to touch me, but in my defense, I don’t wanthim stealing more of my underwear. This way, I don’t lose any articles of clothing.

When I go outside, Lucian has changed into faded jeans and T-shirt that highlights his muscles perfectly. Fuck, why does he have to be so damn sexy? It would be easier to hate him if he was ugly and obsessive. Sexy and obsessive just makes me want to bow to his authority. Unfortunately, Bradley is right though. I am so closed off because it’s easier than getting hurt. If Lucian wants me, he’s going to have to break down a lot of barriers to get to me.

“You look beautiful,” he says casually. “Ready?”

“Uh. Yeah,” I say. I walk with him to his house, and he goes to his porch. “What are you doing?”

“Going in the garage from inside,” he says. “Unless you would rather wait here for me to open the door.”

“No, that’s fine,” I say. He nods and I follow him into the house. His house is large and elegant. As we walk through, I am in awe of the beauty and size of this place. “You have a beautiful home.”

“Thank you,” he says as we walk into the garage. “As do you.”

“Thank you,” I say. “Wait… how do you know what my house looks like?”

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