Page 120 of Blades of Obsession

He glances at my mom, who’s sitting in the chair in the corner. She’s been back and forth visiting us for the past few days, we got her a nice hotel suite close by. She still hasn’t told me anything about what’s going on with my dad. But I figure when she’s ready, she will.

“Can you excuse us for a moment?” Blade asks. Uh-oh.

My mom smiles and heads for the door, sipping her coffee.

Blade’s hand trails up my thigh as I sit next to him on his hospital bed. Before I even see it coming, he grabs the end of my necklace and pulls it tight, drawing me closer while simultaneously choking me. He whispers low in my ear, “You know, just because my arm is in a sling doesn’t mean I can’t take off my belt. You know that, right?”

I nod and whimper. My breathing quickens, and tingles scatter across my body.

“Oh, so you weren’t listening because you wanted me to do this then?”

Maybe. Maybe not.

I pull away slightly, causing him to tighten his grip on the necklace and pull me back. I always know exactly what to do to get the reaction I want. I gasp for air.

“This is how it’s gonna go. You’re gonna go home, take a nice nap on our luxury mattress, eat Julie’s gluten-free, whole food, pick one of our heated showers to use, and sing your heart out with the built-in speakers, then you’re gonna FaceTime me so I can see you play with your pussy before bed. Understand?”

I shake my head, and he pulls tighter on the chain.

“You’re not gonna be able to breathe until you say yes.” There’s a twisted smirk on his face. He’s smiling while watching me fight for air, enjoying it.

I try to hold out as long as I can, thrashing around and clawing at his hands, but I start seeing black dots in my vision. Irapidly nod my head. When he lets go, I drink in gulps of breath like it’s a cold glass of water on a hot day.

He kisses my forehead. “See you there, pretty girl. FaceTime me tonight, and I’ll call you whenever I’m on my way back home.”

How can he go from almost snatching all of the breath I have left in my body to kissing my forehead the very next second?

Chapter 45

BLADE

Three Weeks Later

Amelia’s fingers tremble as she adjusts a pin on one of her dress pieces. I step up behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She jumps ever so slightly but instantly relaxes once she realizes it’s me.

“It’s gonna be fine. Trust me, angel. The audience is going to love your designs. How could they not? I’m not into fashion at all and even I love them.”

She blows out a breath, not seeming to believe a word I said. “You love them because they’re mine. The audience at the show isn’t going to have the same bias.”

I turn her to face me fully, catching the doubt in her eyes—the nervous energy that’s been buzzing around her all day, threatening to overflow.

“Do you want to spend your very first career-defining moment worrying? When you look back on it, do you want your memory to just be how doubtful you were?”

“It’s kind of hard not to. I mean, everyone else’s designs are—”

I cup my hand over her mouth, interrupting her. “All the other designs are wonderful, just like yours are. Nod if you agree.” She nods, but I still see uncertainty swimming in hergaze. “No. I’m not moving my hand until you actually believe it in your pretty little head.”

Her shoulders slump, but she quickly regains her posture. This time when she nods, it’s more genuine so I remove my hand.

“Thank you,” she murmurs. “For always being my number one cheerleader.”

“Of course.” I lean down and give her a quick peck on her lips.

“Why do you always say that?” she asks.

“Say what?”

“You always say ‘your pretty little head’.”

---