Page 48 of The Dark Obsession

A satisfied groan rumbles from deep within Tyson’s chest at feeling me give in.

We stay like that for a long while. Tangled up in each other, oblivious to the reality lurking outside of our little, secluded world.

Goosebumps erupt all over my skin as the pads of his rough fingertips trace over my back.

“What’s your favorite color?” I blurt out, feeling suddenly nervous.

“Green.” His voice is low and laid-back “Yours?”

“Brown.”

“Why?” Tyson tilts my chin up to look at me.

“Because it’s warm and cozy, like wood or earth. Always overlooked, never appreciated.” I shrug, unsure whether I’m still talking about a color. “Why green?”

“It’s the color of the pines, of nature…” His gaze meets mine. “… and your eyes.”

My lips part at the admission.

Is there a world where I could be more to him than just a pawn, that he might be able to feel…

Overwhelmed by the intensity of his stare, I shy back, hiding my face in the crook of his neck.

Why do I keep getting heart palpitations every damn time this man opens his mouth?

I mean he’s a literal killer. But that detail seems to slip my mind the moment his skin meets mine and his warm breath brushes my ear.

Or does the non-existent possibility that a cold-blooded man like Tyson might have a heart underneath all that harsh exterior makes him that much more intriguing.

I’m so screwed.

Either way there’s not much I can do about this since he has some unhinged obsession with me judging by his possessive words and touches, by how his expression changes into something unreadable whenever our eyes lock.

Yet how much of it is purely convenience since I just so happen to fit right into his meticulously planned vengeance, I do not know.

I can’t for the life of me get a glimpse beneath his hard, impenetrable surface.

“What makes you smile?” I ask seemingly out of nowhere.

To my defense, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him genuinely smile aside from a quick smirk every now and then, but that’s it.

“You.” Tyson tucks a strand of loose hair behind my ear, making my heartbeat spike yet again.

“Except for me.” I breathe with a shake of my head.

“That’s it. There’s only you, Malory.”

“Come on, I’m serious.” I nudge his shoulder. “There has to be something.” I refuse to let this go, refuse to let myself believe that whatever this is between us could be real.

“I don’t remember the last time I truly smiled. Even as a child, there was no reason to.”

I look up to find him staring into the fire, lost in his thoughts with a deep line forming between his eyebrows.

“Don’t you long for it though?” It’s none of my business, but I can’t seem to help myself.

For some inexplicable reason, I want to know him.Truly know him.

“Isn’t there anything else you want out of life besides your revenge? Don’t people spend their lives chasing happiness and love?”

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