Page 175 of Unholy Obsession

I shake my head, squeezing my eyes shut. “What if I’m not the same?”

Bane’s lips hover over mine, his breath mingling with mine, his fingers strong,sure. “Listen to me. Your brain makes you who you are. Who Ilove. You are Moira fucking Callaghan, the most unique, fascinating, infuriating woman I’ve ever known. And I will want you, need you, andworshipyou, no matter what.Medicated or not. High or low. In sickness and in health. That’s what those vows meant to me.”

Her eyes fill with tears. “You’re sure?”

“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.” I brush away a tear with my thumb.”

Something in mecollapses. “I love you too. I always have, and I always will.”

And then, finally?—

Hekissesme.

Not a slow, careful thing. Not something delicate.

My hands fist in his shirt, pulling him closer, closer, until there’s no space left between us.

It’sbrutal.

It’swreckage.

A hunger, a devastation, a reclaiming.

And I let myself betaken.

SIXTY-TWO

BANE

I slamthe door to my father’s study—my study now—and lock it behind us. The sound echoes through the room like a gunshot, ricocheting off leather-bound books and mahogany panels.

It’s a declaration. A line drawn.

The world outside this door doesn’t exist anymore. Not the inheritance. Not my venomous family downstairs. Not the years I spent hating my father while he plotted to tear apart the only good thing I’ve ever had.

There’s only Moira.

Moira, who didn’t leave me. Moira, who was fuckingkidnapped. Moira, who sacrificed herself to protect the people she loves.

I want to hunt down every person who touched her. I want to make them bleed. I want to set this whole fucking estate on fire and dance in the ashes of my father’s legacy.

But Moira is watching me with those eyes that see everything—that always have—and I force myself to breathe.

“Take off your clothes,” I say, my voice barely controlled. “All of them.”

Her breath catches, and her eyes widen just slightly before narrowing again, that familiar spark of defiance igniting. “Why?”

“Because I need to see every inch of you.” I step closer, close enough to feel the heat of her but not touching. Not yet. “I need to make sure they didn’t leave a single mark on you.”

“I’m fine. I swear.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” I promise, voice dark with certainty. “And kiss every perfect part of you.”

She shivers. I watch it travel down her spine, watch the way her pupils dilate and her lips part on a shaky exhale.

“But this isn’t a command, Moira.” I keep my voice even now despite the maelstrom inside me. “I don’t want you naked because you think you owe me. Or because you feel like you have to prove something.”

Her chin lifts. “What if I want to?”

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