Page 15 of Twisted Obsession

I nod, not trusting myself to speak. The urge to wrap her in my arms and shield her from the world is overwhelming, but I know that's the last thing she needs right now.

"Are you hungry?" I ask instead. "There’s not the same facilities here, but I can get you some food."

She shakes her head. "I don't think I could eat anything right now."

"You should try," I say gently. "Even just a little. You need to keep your strength up."

Roisin wraps her arms around herself, looking lost. "I... I’d like to know what will happen now," she whispers. "What are you going to do with me?"

The question hangs heavy in the air between us. I take a deep breath, considering my words carefully.

"For now, you're staying here," I say, keeping my voice calm and steady. "You'll be safe. As long as I’m around, no one will hurt you again."

Roisin's eyes widen slightly, a flicker of hope mixed with disbelief. She might not believe me, but she doesn’t argue; neither does she just take it at face value. "I’m not stupid, you know. I’m not an oblivious pampered mob princess. If you protect me, a captive, against the LCN consigliere, it will mean your death. Surely that’s more than Mika asked of you."

I run a hand through my hair, frustrated. How can I explain something I barely understand myself? "Because it's the right thing to do," I finally say. "What happened to you... it shouldn't have happened. Not here, not anywhere. I promised I’d protect you, and I failed. I stupidly believed he’d observe Mika’s directive. Since I now know differently, I’m taking it upon myself to move you to a place he won’t think to look."

She studies me for a long moment, as if trying to gauge my sincerity. Then she nods slowly. "Okay," she whispers. "So, what do we do now?"

"Now, you rest," I tell her. "Try to eat something if you can. I'll keep watch and make sure no one bothers you."

Roisin takes a shaky breath, then moves towards the bed. She pauses, glancing back at me uncertainly. "Will you... will you stay? I don't want to be alone."

The request catches me off guard. I hesitate for a moment, weighing the risks. On one hand, staying close to her increases the chances of someone discovering us together. On the other, leaving her alone in this vulnerable state seems cruel. And while Mika did tell me to keep her in my sight as much as I can,Roisin’s right. He didn’t mean as a human barrier that would pit me against my own.

"Alright," I say softly. "I'll stay. But I'll sit over here." I gesture to a chair in the corner of the room, giving her space.

Relief washes over her face. "Thank you," she whispers.

Roisin climbs into the bed, pulling the covers up to her chin. She looks small and fragile, swallowed up by my oversized clothes and the large bed. I settle into the chair, angling it so I can see both her and the door.

For a while, the room is quiet except for the sound of our breathing. I can tell Roisin isn't asleep—her eyes are open, staring blankly at the wall. The haunted look hasn't left them.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I ask gently, breaking the silence.

She shakes her head, then pauses. "I don't know," she admits, but she sits up in the bed and eyes me with an expression I can’t quite read, which is odd considering she pretty much wears her every thought on her face. “There is something…” She trails off and bites her lip, looking far too adorable for her own good.

She looks me up and down, and if I didn’t know better, I’d think she was checking me out. I’m damn certain I’m reading that one wrong though, given everything she’s been through in the past couple of days. Not that my dick gets the memo. That bad boy has been at half-mast since I caught my first glimpse of her. Luckily, self-control is my middle name.

I take a swig from the bottle of water I brought with me from the gym. I really need a shower, but I don’t want to freak Roisin out by doing anything that makes her uncomfortable—like gettingnaked in the bathroom next to her bed or leaving her alone while I head back to my own quarters to do it.

And if she wants to talk…

Except the next words out of her mouth have me coughing, choking, and spraying the water I haven’t swallowed all over myself, so it looks like I’m going to need that shower a lot quicker than I imagined.

A fucking ice-cold one, since my cock only hears what it wants to hear, and not all the reasons why not.

Her voice might be soft and hesitant, but her words have the power to cut a man off at the knees.

“I’d like you to make love to me.”

Chapter

Eight

ROISIN

I’m not sure what kind of reaction I was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t this.

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