Page 105 of Shadows of Obsession

I start talking because I can't help myself, but then he takes a few steps toward me. His hand reaches out and wraps around my waist, pulling me to him.

"What the hell are you apologizing for?" His voice is calm, but there's something there. A note of discomfort.

"For bothering you with this. I would have gone alone, it’s just that..."

His palms cradle my jaw, tilting my face upward until our lips hover a millimeter apart. The warmth of his exhale brushes my skin, mingling with my own shallow breaths. My pulse flutters beneath his fingertips, each shared breath sending sparks of electricity dancing through my veins.

"I want you to bother me every time. I want to be the only one you turn to when you have a problem. I want you to know in every fiber of your body that I could be on the other side of the earth, and if you needed me, I would cut the world in half to get to you, Luna," he declares, looking into my eyes, and doesn't give me time to breathe or give him any answer, though I don't know what I could say to that.

My heart melts, and I feel like I'm a mountain of emotions because, just as I'm about to touch his lips, my mouth decides that in the middle of this crisis is the perfect moment to confess my feelings.

"I think I love you."

His eyes fly open, glowing dangerously. A smirk appears on his face as he runs his tongue over his lower lip.

"Just think?" he asks without taking his eyes off mine.

"Okay. I'm sure," I whisper and close the small distance between us to kiss him. His fingers trail fire across my hip, each point of contact sending electricity racing beneath my skin. The world dissolves with every sweep of his tongue, every shared breath, until nothing exists but the pressure of his lips and the heat building between us.

His hand grips me tightly as if he's afraid I'll disappear any second. The need to touch him becomes too much, so I dig my fingers into his back. I don't know how long we stay like this, only that we break the kiss for some much-needed oxygen while his teeth pull at my lower lip.

"Let's bring Roxy home, and then my mouth and yours have business to attend to," he says in a husky voice as if he’s just woken up. This voice of his is my favorite. It's the moment when I clearly see how affected he is by me, just as I am by him.

I slowly pull away from him and move to the laptop to show him the email. When I play the video, I force myself to watch though the guilt reappears and consumes me. But Roman seems unaffected by everything he's seen.

"I need to call Damien. That house is in his territory," he tells me in the calmest voice, and my eyes grow wide.

The last thing I wanted was to involve the Polish mafia boss in this problem, but I trust Roman.

"Damien, I need access and some resources at an address." I hear him discussing tactical details of how to approach the house, while all my thoughts are directed toward Roxy.

I close my eyes and try to convince myself that my friend is strong, and if she wakes up, she'll know not to provoke Aidan.

Damn it. That's exactly what she won't do. She'll anger him.

It feels like an eternity passes before Roman finishes the call, and my heart is in my throat. Hanging up the phone, he comes toward me. His face is so serene, and I envy him.

I wish I had his control. His calm.

"It's normal to worry about her, but nothing will happen to her. You have my word," he says, seemingly reading my fears, and there's such certainty in his voice that some of the doubt in my soul disappears. "Damien assured me the location is perfectly isolated from other properties. We'll meet him there, and we'll have enough men to conquer a small state. Breathe, Luna," he tells me, and only then do I realize I was holding my breath.

"When do we leave?" I ask, trying to shake off my nerves.

I see him frown slightly and know what he's going to say, so I don't even let him speak.

"I'm coming with you. I'll go crazy here!" I tell him, and I think he sees in my eyes that there's no way he can make me stay in the house while my best friend is locked up with the nightmare of my life.

"On one condition!" he says.

I raise my gaze slightly, waiting to hear the condition.

"If at any moment I tell you to get out of there, you'll leave without protest. Am I clear?"

"If Roxy is still in that house, I won't leave," I declare.

A sharp inhale cuts through the silence as his jaw clenches, every line of his body turning to steel against mine. When Roman gets angry, he consumes all the air in the room. Rationally, I should be afraid of this man when he looks at me like he wants to strangle me, but all I feel when I look at him is warmth in my chest.

His hand moves gently to my throat and applying slight pressure, he looks directly into my eyes.

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