Page 75 of Obsession

She took a hurried step forward, but her foot slipped on the wet snow. One second, she was upright, and the next, she was flat on her back on the ground.

“Anna!”

She heard Mihir’s stiff voice and opened her tightly squeezed eyes to look at him.

“Are you okay?” he asked, running his gaze up and down her prone form. “Are you hurt?”

She assessed herself for any injuries but didn’t feel any pain.

“I’m fine, I think,” she said.

“Do you need help getting up?” he asked, his voice laced with concern.

At her nod, he helped her up. She assessed herself again. Convinced she was okay, she started walking forward. Mihir walked beside her, watching her for a long moment, and then he looked ahead, his eyes icy again.

She halted, glaring at his departing back. She’d seen the concern in his eyes for her just now. He’d been worried about her. Even this morning, he’d been upset that she’d been attacked. But now, once again, he was pretending indifference, as if she didn’t matter in the least. She was so annoyed with him and the ease with which he switched on and off his emotions around her. She stayed in place, and he didn’t even turn once to see if she was following him or not.

Frustrated, she grabbed a fistful of snow in her hands and tossed it at him. It hit him smack on his nape.

He swiveled; his eyes laden with shock. She gathered another fistful of snow and threw it at him. This one landed on his nose.

He exhaled and stormed toward her. “What are you doing?”

In answer, she rained more snowballs at him. “I hate your cold indifference. I hate your ignorance. If you care about me, then show it, you asshole. Stop playing hot and cold with me. Stop pretending that you don’t care when I know you do.”

He stared at her, stunned. She tossed another snowball at him, and it hit the center of his face. Laughter bubbled out of her chest as her aim rang true and his face was powdered with white. Shaking his head, he wiped his face with one hand.

His eyes glinted with danger as he began to approach her. Fuck. She scrambled backwards and began to run, uncaring that she’d just slipped and fallen. She turned, running through the deep snowbanks on the side. Her boots sank with each step, the soft snow slowing her progress. She could hear Mihir’s footsteps behind her as he chased her.

A large hand clamped on her shoulder. Mihir spun her around and rained snow on the top of her head. Shrugging him off, she scooped more snow into her hands and tossed it at him, while he continued to rain snow on her. A smile played on his mouth, his gaze warmer now. Her heart fluttered. He grabbed her elbow. His foot slipped, and she began to fall with him. Mihir caught her waist, spinning them so she landed on top of his chest.

She gazed into his eyes and rubbed his face with more snow. His hand tightened on her waist, and he began to laugh, the sound echoing through the silence. Her lips tipped into a smile, and soon, she was laughing with him. Several moments later, she lifted her face to study him. His lips were still curved in a smile. He returned her stare for a long moment. Lifting his hand, he brushed a snowflake from her hair. Her breath hitched as his gloved finger caressed the apple of her cheek. A fire lit beneath her skin. She licked her lips, and his gaze darkened; the molten brown swirled with gold. His gloved finger immediately dropped to her mouth, tracing a pattern over her lips.

Lust slammed through her. Without thinking, she dropped her mouth to his. His hand sank into her nape, and he held her to him as she took his mouth in a hungry kiss. She devoured his mouth over and over, kissing, licking, and playing with his tongue.

“Anna…” Mihir said between kisses. “I’m getting cold now. My clothes are wet.”

She immediately rose off him. He stood up and dusted the snow off his clothes. He looked toward the sky. The sun was no longer visible.

“Come on, let’s head back,” he said, hurrying her back to the house.

She preceded him inside. She turned when she didn’t hear him following her. She found him waiting at the door, watching her.

She arched a brow. “What?”

“I do care, Anna,” he said, his tone resigned. “How can I not? But at the same time, it scares me to care about you. You’ve hurt me once, terribly, and I’m not willing to put myself through the trauma that again. So, this, us… is only for now. It’s temporary. I will not allow it to become more. It ends when you leave. I won’t come after you. I won’t pursue you, and I will never fall in love with you again.”

She exhaled, her heart feeling heavy. “Things between us have gotten so complex that I don’t know what to think and what to believe anymore. I don’t even know what I’ve done for you to feel the way you do about me. But I need you to tell me. I need answers before I leave. Only then can we be done once and for all.”

“Then ask what you want, and I will tell you.”

She neared him. “I will. Not right now, though. First, I need you to finish your story.”

His throat bobbed. “Alright.”

“I’ll see you back on the patio, like earlier?”

He checked the time on his watch, shaking his head. “I have to be somewhere right now.”

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