Page 104 of Corrupt Obsession

He looked down at the hand she didn’t realize was still twisted in his shirt. She was horrified to see that, contrary to what her mouth was saying, she was tugging him toward her. She released him as if he burned her and shot to her feet. Shesnatched tissues from her nightstand and frantically mopped up her face. What the hell was wrong with her? Why couldn’t she stop crying?

“Violet.”

She whirled with a snarl. “Why are you still here? Go!Leave!”

His eyes were a little wild as he stared at her. “I would have stayed if you asked me to, but it’s too late.”

Her heart skipped. “I didn’t ask you to.” That fiery volcano inside of her spewing lava added, “Why would I ask you to stay? I’m thrilled you’re leaving! This is a dream come true. I’ve been counting down the days!”

“You’re going to deny it to the bitter end,” he said with a shake of his head.

“There’s nothing to deny! I hate your guts!”

His eyes narrowed a second before he lunged at her. He clapped a hand over her mouth before she could utter a sound and drove her backward into the wall.

“You don’t know when to quit,” he bit out through clenched teeth. “If I had more time, I’d prove what a fucking lie that is.”

He buried his face in her hair, inhaled, and groaned before he slumped against her.

“How am I going to live without you? I miss you already, and you’re right here.” His hand fisted in her hair. “I’m going for both our sakes, to give us time and space to regain some sanity.”

He tugged on her hair, forcing her head back to look at him. His shadowed gaze, full of aggravated yearning, moved over her face.

“Hopefully, while I’m gone, you’ll come to your senses.”

She yanked his hand off her mouth to hiss, “I have come to my senses! I never want to see you again!”

A muscle ticked in his jaw. “You’re so fucking stubborn.”

She pushed at his chest. “You have to go.”

“Kiss me goodbye.”

She went rigid. “No!”

“Please. Just this once,” he said raggedly and brushed his lips back and forth across hers, tempting her to engage. “One last kiss.”

Why did her heart feel like it was breaking? Why was her entire body trembling with grief and sorrow? This is what she wanted. What she’d prayed for. She reached the end of the tunnel but hadn’t stepped into the sunshine. For some reason, she hesitated in the shadows and wasn’t making a break for freedom. What the hell was wrong with her? Why had one of her hands twisted in his shirt, once again holding him to her, instead of shoving him away as he deserved?

As if he knew her tumultuous thoughts, his mouth curved in a shaky, agonizing smile. His bloodshot eyes were suspiciously bright.

“You’re beautiful on the inside and out, pitying a monster, even though you try not to. I can see you’re fighting it, but God did say to love your enemy.”

Even as she hauled in a breath to verbally rip him to shreds, he disarmed her when he brushed the tip of his nose against hers, a gesture of affection he hadn’t done since they were kids. Her mind flooded with memories of a happier time. A time she hadn’t allowed herself to think about because it hurt too much to remember how much they’d lost. How had this all gone so wrong? Her mouth trembled as a tear slipped down her face.

“I’m sorry, Violet. For everything. If you can’t forgive me, have mercy on me.”

She wasn’t sure why that plea made her stomach drop but combined with the sound of an invisible clock ticking, she felt a mounting sense of dread and urgency. This was it. He wasn’t going away for a weekend or even a week or two like he did when he went to sports camps. He wasleaving. They didn’t know when they would see each other again. His life wouldn’t behis own once he walked out the door. The military would dictate everything from here on out. She despised him, but if something happened to him, and she denied him this, could she ever forgive herself?

Shutting down all rational thought, she clasped the back of his neck and set her mouth on his. Anger was her driving emotion. She funneled the tornado of her destructive emotions into him. She was the aggressor, the one who nipped and bit and wanted him to hurt. He let her do what she wanted to him and when she gave him an opening, he returned her aggression with tenderness. He kissed her in a way that left her feeling raw, shaken, and heartbroken.

When her legs gave out, he held her in the crook of one arm and cradled her face as he cherished her and repented for all the wrong he’d done. Attuned to him as she was, she sensed his desire, but it was tainted by the sharp tang of fear. Realizing he wasn’t as confident as he appeared, she couldn’t stop herself from trying to console him. Her fingers bunched in his hair as she kissed him back, comforting and reassuring him in the only form of communicating they had left.

“Jesse?”

Mom’s call seemed to come from a million miles away.

Jesse reluctantly disengaged and cleared his throat before he called out, “I’ll be out in a minute.”

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