Page 111 of Darling Obsession

But I’d rather throw her a bone than have her just keep searching.

To my surprise, she doesn’t ask any more questions.

Maybe now that I’ve given her a name, it’s uncomfortably real.

“I wanted to be an actress when I was little,” she says tentatively.

“So, what happened?”

“Thin skin. I couldn’t take all that rejection. So then I wanted to be… wait for it. An accountant.”

“Really?”

“Oh, yeah. But all the CFOs I’d have to work under were these horrible, controlling tyrants, absolutelyobsessiveabout bossing me around?—”

“Watch out,” I warn. I can’t believe she suckered me in. “You’ll get another spanking. Tyrants don’t like to be lied to.”

“But then I found cakes,” she says, ignoring the threat. “They’re much sweeter. And sooo chill.”

“Well, that’s a real loss for all the CFOs out there.”

“Hey.” She tosses a piece of onion at me.

“I’m serious.”

“Sarcasm and seriousness are not the same thing.”

“I can’t believe you just made up that crap about wanting to be an accountant. And I thought you were the honest one.”

She snickers. “Hey. I never said I’d be honest abouteverything.” After a moment she adds, “We probably have a lot more in common than either of us would’ve thought, huh?”

“Such as?”

“Well, for one, I have kind of an obsessive personality myself. Or so my friends tell me.”

I consider that.

“Do they really know you, though?”

“Yes. They really do. Better than I know myself, sometimes.” She’s quiet for a moment, pensive. “I’m thirty-one years old and sometimes I feel like I’ve already lived nine lives. And I still haven’t figured myself out. Do you ever feel like that?”

“No. I know exactly who I am.”

I can feel her staring at me.

“Maybe that’s why I’m so drawn to you,” she says softly. “You’re as precise as a razor blade.”

Actual tingles run down my back. She’sdrawnto me?

Maybe I knew that, but hearing her say it is different.

“You make me sound so warm and cuddly,” I say gruffly.

“You’re not. But…” She glances at me, and our eyes connect. “I like how hard you are.” She shrugs. “I’ve always been soft.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

We stare at each other as my heart thuds in my chest.

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