Page 8 of Obsession

But for some reason, standing in front of Adrian, I feel those words drifting back to me, clinging to me like a second skin.

I am a child. A little girl who has to be chased around and kept out of trouble.

He makes me feel small.

“Jesus,” he hisses. “You make me fucking crazy. Ya know that?” He scrubs a hand over his jaw, through the stubble.

“Easy solution, then. Don’t marry me.”

Within seconds, he has his hands on my waist, spinning me around and caging me against the bathroom counter. His fingers grip onto the edges of the marble, his face is mere inches from mine. We stay like that for a long moment, staring at each other, as my heart thunders at our proximity.

“Why did you even come to the club? Why not leave me the fuck alone?” I try to suppress the venom seeping into my tone, but it still comes out to show him how unhappy I am.

“Jesus, Madi. I came to tell you something.” He backs off now, his hand raking through his hair again.

“What?” I ask, brow furrowing as I watch him pace. “Just tell me.”

“It’s Marcus.”

“What about him?”

“He’s gone.”

FIVE

Adrian

The liquor, the sheer dress, that man's hands on her body — it all distracted me from what I actually needed to tell her, the whole reason I was searching for her in the first place. Her brother is missing, and I’ve been focused on the wrong thing:her.I was supposed to find her, make sure she was safe, and report back to her mother. Not cage her against the sink and think about what those luscious lips would taste like if I pressed mine against them.

Something about this girl makes all my brain cells disappear, putting my dick in charge, which is never a good idea. Anger still courses through me despite trying to restrain myself. I don’t want to scream at her, don't want to scare her away—the girl already hates me and the fact that she has to walk down the aisle to marry me tomorrow isn’t helping. But her recklessness is grating. Still, I should have broken the news gently, eased off the band aid. Instead, I announced her missing family member with the same finesse as a kid with a loudspeaker.

Madi’s eyes, brown with little flecks of gold, hold all her emotion. Every other inch of her is sealed off, guarded underlock and key. But those two brown orbs tell me everything I need to know.

“What are you talking about?” Her face is still, completely calm. But inside those brown eyes, I can see the surprise mingling with the confusion.

“Marcus,” I repeat, rubbing a hand over my face. “Marcus is missing.” This wasn’t how I wanted to tell her. I wanted to be softer, nicer, the kind of guy she deserves. But she has a way of bringing out the worst in me.

Two dark and perfectly groomed eyebrows narrow, bunching up on her forehead. “Is he dead?” she asks, matter of fact.

“We haven’t found a body.”

A long breath leaves her lips as she nods. “You probably won’t.”

I knew she and Marcus didn’t have the best relationship, but still, he was her brother. I expected a little more emotion from her. Something… But this girl in front of me doesn’t look like she cares at all.

“Can you excuse me?” she says. “I have to pee.”

Her nonchalance throws me off, but I step back anyway, letting her shut the door to my half bath. I stand outside like a stalker, listening to her pee before she flushes and washes her hands. When the door swings back open, she gives me a look, once that clearly shouts,“what kind of fucking weirdo listens to his future wife using the bathroom?”

“If you want to-”

“Talk?” she finishes for me, one eyebrow lifted. “Is that what you want me to do, Adrian? Talk about my big brother?” Sass drips from her lips. She’s the queen of it, always ready with some sort of quip. But right now, I want to shake her. Regardless of what he’s done, he’s still her brother…

“I’m not sad my brother is gone, Adrian.” She says each word clearly, her eyes shooting daggers at me. “He hasn’t been the boy I grew up with for a long time, and I won’t mourn for a monster.”

“Is that what you think of him?” I eye her, waiting for an answer.

“Yes.”

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