Page 16 of Corrupt Obsession

He was glad when Violet joined the women, but it wasn’t long before some of the guys wandered over. When she rubbed her arms, Miles took off his hoodie and offered it to her. Violet blinked, clearly taken aback. Jesse shot to his feet, blood rushing in his ears. There was no way in hell Violet was going to wear some other guy’s jacket. But Violet took the matter out of his hands when she politely declined Miles’ offer and said she was turning in for the night.

Jesse fumed. He was angrier than he had ever been in his life. He was so pissed, if any of his friends came over to him, he wouldn’t hesitate to put them in a chokehold. What was happening to him? He slumped in his chair and tipped his head back as he tried to calm himself. He’d always prided himself on being collected, pragmatic, and mature. He was none of those things right now. He wanted to ram his fists into something to take away the fire in his blood. Why? Because Violet almost put on another guy’s hoodie.

He stared through the maze of branches to the twinkling stars and tried to think past the red haze. He had always been protective of Violet, but these amplified, aggressive emotions were dangerous. Since when did the sight of another guy touching her drive him into a killing rage?

He heard the chair beside him creak as someone dropped onto it before he heard, “You’ve been in a foul mood.”

“So, you should leave me to it,” he growled.

“Want to talk about it?” Logan asked cheerfully.

He clenched his jaw against the compulsion to fling his friend into the trees. “No.”

“Do you want me to pray for you?”

He raised his head and glared at him.“No.”

Logan drummed his fingers on the arm of the chair as he said, “Malcolm told me you threatened him.”

He tensed. “It was a warning.”

“You really think he was out of line with Violet?” Logan asked with a frown. “He’s a good guy. It may have looked bad, but?—”

“Don’t, Logan. I saw him.”

“He did it with others around. No one else thought what he did was inappropriate.”

“No one was paying attention.”

“Is Violet upset?”

“She had no idea what he was doing, butIdo. I’m a guy.”

Logan sighed and stretched his legs out. “I’m not saying you’re wrong, but Violet’s more than capable of standing up for herself if she was uncomfortable.” He eyed Jesse’s dark expression and sighed. “You have your work cut out for you if you police every interaction she has. What are you going to do, hide in the bushes when she goes on dates?”

“Who said she’s going to date?”

Logan stared at him. “Are you hearing yourself?”

“She’s fifteen!”

“Sixteen next month.” Logan held up his hands when Jesse straightened. “Don’t kill me. I remember the date because I went to her party last year.” When Jesse switched his hostile gaze to the fire, Logan shook his head. “Violet’s just a year younger than us. Why do you care if she dates? You do.”

“She’s a girl. It’s not the same,” he muttered.

“How old does she have to be before you let her date, Dad?” Logan dodged the soda can Jesse hurled at him. “Now, now. No littering or we’ll get fined.”

He surged to his feet. “I’m going to bed.”

“You do that. I’ll sit here a while and pray for you. I think you need it.”

Jesse muttered under his breath and blinked rapidly so his eyes could adjust to the darkness as he made his way through the maze of tents. He unzipped his and fumbled with his phonefor light before he flopped on his back, hands folded behind his head as he lay on his sleeping bag.

Logan’s words knocked around in his head. Violet had never shown interest in his friends or talked about any boy in school that she had a crush on. She wasn’t like other girls who wanted boyfriends to hold their hand during recess or make out behind the gym after school. Just the thought of her doing so made his blood pressure spike. Why did the thought of anyone asking her out make him feel like there was a demon clawing his insides, trying to get free?

Someone tugged on the zipper. “Jesse?”

He raised his head. “Violet?”

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