Page 35 of Red Obsession

“Zion,” Gabriel repeated, his eyes flickering to Izel before coming back to me. “You’re a shit liar.”

“Gabriel!” Izel chokes on her food. “Language, and he’s not lying!”

“Izel, sister-cousin of mine, you are both terrible liars. Him more so. I mean, come on, man. Even with that creepy mask you’ve got on, I can tell you’re struggling to eat.” Crossing his arms over his chest, he says, “Also, I know I’m a terrible cook. I mean, those eggs do not look edible. I’m pretty sure the bacon is close enough to coal, and that toast looks more like a hockey puck, my dude.”

Glancing down, I chuckle, because it does indeed look like a hockey puck. I don’t understand how someone can burn toast. There’s a timer for fucks sake.

“I can’t believe you both are even trying to eat that.” Gabriel shakes his head, and turning towards the dirty dishes in the sink he begins cleaning up.

“Gabby, I got this, go relax.” Jumping off her seat, she pushes Gabriel out of her way. “Seriously, go, I got this.”

He nervously glances over at me before muttering to Izel, “We need to get some clothes. I need to change my boxers.”

Izel didn’t spare me a look when she nods. “Go take a nap and then we’ll go.”

Nodding his head, he rushes off.

I feel so dumb for not realizing. Of course, they don’t have anything. Izel has been wearing the same pair of pants and shirt for the past few days. I don’t know how long Gabriel was out there, so I’m sure his clothes are disgusting.

Grabbing my plate, I dump the rest of my ruined breakfast into the trash before taking it to the sink.

“We can go get you both clothes and then go grocery shopping,” I tell her.

“You don’t need to do that; we probably should leave today.”

Furrowing my brows, I’m confused for a moment until it hits me that she plans on leaving. Not to just go shopping for what they need, no. She doesn’t plan on coming back.

“You’re not leaving,” I blurt out.

“Excuse me?” Izel swings around, her eyes enraged with what I said.

“I told you, you both can stay here as long as needed.” I try to redeem myself only I know I’m sounding more and more like a controlling asshole.

“Yeah, and what’s your point?”

“You’re not going anywhere.”

Oh, for fucks sake.

I want to smack myself. I clearly have no idea how to speak to women, evidenced by the fact I’m speaking without thinking. Izel also looks moments away from removing my balls from my body and shoving them in a place I don’t want to even think about.

“Zion Wyatt Rain, I know you are not telling me what to do,” she hisses through clenched teeth. “Because if you ar–”

Something in me snaps, and my hands reach out. Grabbing her waist I yank her towards me.

“Oof,”Izel huffs, her chest against mine. Her eyes widen, as if she can't believe what I just did. I can’t even believe what I’m doing, but something about her just pushes me. I want her. I want to taste her mouth; I want to feel her skin against my bare hand. I want those beautiful thick thighs around my neck like a fucking necklace. To taste her cunt and drown in her cum.

“Zion,” Izel mumbles, breaking me from my thoughts. Grabbing her chin with my other hand, Izel places her hands against my stomach, balancing on her tippy toes.

“I’m not a man that takes lightly to arguing. It’s annoying and useless. You’re staying, he’s staying. I don’t know who’s after you, but if it’s like those men I already killed outside the bus, then I’m the only thing standing between whatever or more like whoever you’re running from.”

“How do you know we’re running from something?” she softly asks.

“The moment we got you out of that basement, you’ve been worried about getting to Gabriel. There’s no reason why a twenty-one-year-old should be running and taking care of a what, fourteen-year-old?”

“Twelve.” she whispers.

“Who are you running from, Red?” I ask. Because whoever it is, I’ll bury them. They will cease to exist on Earth.

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