Page 103 of Obsession

Not unless he made me stop.

Maybe not even then.

The exit for Salem and Marblehead came into view and we ended up on a long stretch of road with water on either side. I evened out as we left behind the industrial vibe and crossed over into the coastal town that had been my home for so long.

I murmured directions to him the closer we got to the gallery, passing it in favor of staying on Ocean Avenue. The closer we got to my grandmother’s house, the tenser he became.

“Where are we going, Grace?”

“Take a left here.”

His headlights washed over the front of the Cape-style house with the large strip of grass, and stone path to the porch. The pop of gravel under his tires seemed to echo in the quiet night. The hiss and roar of the tide infiltrated our silence.

“Why did you take me to my house?”

I stiffened. “It was my house first.”

He turned to me. Confusion creased the skin above his nose as his brows lowered. “What?”

“It seems you bought my grandmother’s house out from under me when it was in foreclosure.” I opened my door, took my purse, and slid out onto the driveway.

He stared at me through the window, then looked down at his lap.

I drew in a cold sea-scented breath, and I marched up the driveway. Instead of going to the front door, I bypassed it for the side of the house.

He turned off the Range Rover, and he followed me with a much quicker stride. I got to the side of the house where the maid’s quarters’ door was before he hooked his hand around my elbow to stop me.

“This isn’t your house.”

I turned to him. “Not technically. I was never on the paperwork to this house, but I was the executrix of the trust.”

His face was mostly in shadow, save for a single safety light throwing harsh white light across his cheekbones. “I bought it from the bank.”

“Because it went into foreclosure almost immediately. My grandmother had a reverse mortgage on it that I didn’t know about.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “I didn’t even get through the reading of the Will before I was told the bank had taken the property, and you bought it.”

“That’s proprietary information through the bank.”

“This is a small town, Blake. Of course, everyone knew who bought Annabelle Stuart’s house. Lady’s Bay is one of the oldest areas in Marblehead.”

Something flashed across his face, but it was too dark. I didn’t know if it was surprise, or that he’d actually been trying to keep this secret. “Your name isn’t Stuart.”

“No, she’s my maternal grandmother.”

He paced away from me. “What does that have to do with me and why you’ve been lying to me for nearly a month?”

I dropped my purse on the walkway, and I chased after him. “I lost the most important—” I grabbed his arm until he faced me. “Theonlyperson in my life. I was at the Will reading, and I couldn’t get past the grief, or the idea that I was suddenly destitute.”

“So, you came looking for me?” His eyes were hot.

“Can we go inside?”

“I don’t know, can we?”

I tipped back my head. “May we?”

“This isn’t a grammar lesson, Grace. It’s my goddamn house.”

I dragged him back up the walkway and grabbed my purse. I could feel him fuming behind me as I searched for my keys. When I unlocked the door, I actually felt his seething breath gust in my hair.

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