Page 5 of Blades of Obsession

“How did you—” I cut myself off with a half-hearted sigh. How does he know I crinkle my nose when I’m lying? It’s a stupid reflex that I picked up from my childhood. “It was one of the cheerleaders,” I admit, catching the way a muscle in his jaw twitches. “But I’m not telling you which one.”

Why is it such a big deal to him, anyway? This is my first time even talking to the guy.

His eyes shift past me, narrowing as they fix on something—or someone—just behind me. The look in them sharpens into a glare so intense, I almost turn to see the culprit. But before I can, Coach Dawn’s voice rings in the air. “Alright, ladies! Halftime break!”

Thank God.

“If you’ll excuse me.” In the blink of an eye, I turn on my heel and rush down the field, eager to escape whateverthatwas.

Of course, Catalina struts over to him, hips swaying more than usual. I roll my eyes as she passes me, practically tripping over herself to get to him. It figures he would be here waiting for her, even after their messy breakup.

Why do I care? I don’t.

I don’t.

I try to block them out, and that becomes easier when I spot Skye waving at me from behind the football field fence.

She opens the gate and barrels my way. “Did they give you a hard time today? I swear, I’ll punch all three of them if they did.” She’s talking about the two groupies Catalina usually has with her.

I laugh at her tough-girl act. Skye couldn’t hurt a fly even if it landed right on her face. “No, she was alone and I handled her today. Got the marks to prove it.”

Skye and I are inseparable, practically joined at the hip. We spend so much time together that it’s almost like we’re lovers—minus the sex, of course.

I met her over the summer at the public library, and that’s when we found out we’d be attending the same nearby college—her returning as a junior, me as a freshman. She was a lifesaver during my first few weeks. Adjusting to a new school and living away from my dad for the first time would’ve been a nightmare without her.

As we stand here laughing, Skye gossips about what happened in her last lecture, but my mind drifts elsewhere. I know he’s still watching. I canfeelit, even with my back turned.

There’s something about him—an unsettling intensity, a magnetic pull that draws me in while simultaneously warning me to stay the hell away.

I don’t know who this man is or what he wants, but some part of me is already bracing for impact. I can’t shake the feeling that this is only the beginning of him barging his way into my life.

Chapter 2

BLADE

She’s so fucking beautiful it hurts.

I’d been stealing glances of her from across the football field, trying to make it discreet that I’m actually only here to get my daily dose of her presence. Just like most places I follow her to. I always make it seem like I’m just hanging around, flipping through a book or scrolling on my phone.

But the truth? The truth is I can’t go more than a day or two without seeing my little obsession.

I notice everything about her.

The way she always wears her blonde hair with a pink or white bow, most days in a half-up, half-down style. The way her green eyes, flecked with hazel, light up every time she reads whatever book she’s currently obsessed with. She sits in the library every day at three p.m. sharp, the same corner spot, and you can bet your ass I’m there when I can be.

It’s like clockwork now—whenever I start getting thatitch, I find her and trail closely behind. Close enough to see but far enough to blend into the background. Her routine is burned into my memory, and I’ve gotten good at watching without being watched.

But today was different. Today she looked directly at me, and I couldn’t look away. Damn it, I tried, but it’s like she cast a fucking spell on me.

We’ve barely spoken two sentences to each other now, and I’m already going crazy. Past going crazy. Every moment I spend watching her only makes me want more, like an addict who’s never satisfied. And it fuels these fantasies I have of chaining her to me, of never letting her go.

I shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t want her this much. Every rational part of my brain is screaming at me to leave her alone, to turn around and go home. She doesn’t belong in my world. The corruption, the bloodshed, the crime. It’ll swallow her whole. But how the hell can I stay away when every cell in my body is drawn to her like a moth to a flame?

I’m usually not the type of guy who lets his emotions take over like this. With the job I have, the moment you get caught up with senseless things like feelings, you become a liability. It makes you weak. But she’s intoxicating,fuck, she’s driving me to insanity but I’m too far gone to care now.

I’ve always been the type to have obsessions—odd little things that I fixate on. Once something catches my interest, I can’t let it go. Not until I’ve dissected every detail, understood every nuance. Then I get bored and drop it. It doesn’t really matter what it is. A certain food, a hobby that I randomly pick up.

Except none of these obsessions have ever been a person before. This is the first time I’ve found myself needing someone like the air I breathe, and that scares the ever-loving shit out of me.

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