Page 57 of King of Obsession

CLEO

At some point, Alessio wandered back inside and disappeared into my bedroom.

I stood in the kitchen, back to him, as he stalked past me without saying a word.

The old floorboards creaked as he settled onto my bed.

For a moment, I imagined his beautiful, tight ass easing between my sheets.

I shook my head, trying to dislodge the heated thoughts.

Yearning for him was out of the question.

That said, the man was infiltrating every corner of my cabin.

The signs of him being here were scattered, subtle but unmistakable.

His leather boots sat by the door, carelessly kicking off as he entered.

His large gym bag sat in the bedroom, his gear folded inside.

More of his clothes draped over the back of a chair, and a crumpled shirt lay abandoned on the floor beside his jeans.

On the nightstand, a watch—his, not mine—rested beside a half-drunk glass of water, and one of the paperbacks from my shelf he’d been reading sat with the pages bent at the corner.

In the outhouse, his stark blue toothbrush against my white one leaned casually in the cup by the sink.

His razor had found its place beside my makeup bag, and his sharp, woodsy cologne lingered in the air as if marking his territory without effort.

In the living room, a hoodie he had left behind was tossed across the arm of the couch, and his heavy and unfamiliar keys rested on the entrance table as though they had always been there.

These little pieces of him, unspoken signs of his presence, quietly claimed corners of my space.

Still, I couldn’t permit myself to get attached or used to his freakin’ disarming presence and sensual, scowling essence.

I had a goal I was working toward. No matter how tempting, I couldn’t allow Alessio’s existence to jeopardize everything I’d labored for.

He also needed rest to heal, and then he would be on his way out of my life as fast as he had burst into it.

So I let him be.

The remainder of the day yawned before me, empty and quiet.

Restless energy thrummed through my limbs. I had to keep busy and occupy my mind and hands.

Nabbing my wide-brimmed hat, I headed out the back door into the brilliant afternoon sunlight. The garden beckoned - overgrown vines to untangle, weeds sprouting among thevegetable rows, leaves to pluck from the towering tomato plants.

I lost myself in the work, relishing the feel of rich soil between my fingers, the sweet scent of herbs crushed beneath my knees.

Out here, I could breathe. The simplicity and solitude restored a measure of peace to my rattled nerves.

But even as I labored, my awareness remained attuned to the man sleeping in my bed, just beyond the weathered walls of the cabin.

His essence lingered like wood smoke on a breeze.

I couldn’t escape it, no matter how I tried to lose myself in the earth and toil of the plot.

Alessio had tilted my world on its axis, and I feared it would never right itself again.

---