Page 15 of Their Obsession

“I’m ready, sir,” I tell him with certainty unlike almost anything I’ve ever felt before. I am ready. I’m ready to step up. I’m ready to take what I want.

Starting with a cute little redhead that I’ve been obsessed with for years.

“Good,” he says as he turns and walks away. When he reaches the doorway, he spins on his heel. “Oh, and Kolgrim, if you don’t step up, we will find a player that will.”

EIGHT

Lilly

Waiting is the worst type of torture for a Type-A personality, like myself. I hate feeling out of control. The last time I let myself be out of control in a situation I ended up so broken that I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to put the pieces back together again. I promised myself that I’d never let a man have that type of power over me ever again. I never wanted to be so wrapped up in another person that they held the power to break me in the palm of their hand. I let myself be heartbroken once; I have no interest in ever going through that again.

And yet, here I am—pacing my office, desperate for some update from the guy who seems to have come out of nowhere and thrown my entire world off its axis. I’ve been so careful, cautious, calculated for years. And then Noah enters my life, and it’s like I’ve completely thrown all logic out the window.

But those damn dimples and sweet smiles have somehowconvinced me to let down my walls. He’s so kind. I don’t deserve a man like him.

I was reminded of that tonight. Noah was hurt.And it’s all my fault.

Guilt twists in my gut for the millionth time this evening. I pace back across the room again, giving motion to the anxiety that is wracking through me. I willnothave a panic attack here. I’m past that.Right?

The door slamming against the wall jerks my attention from my anxiety spiral. My eyes fly across the room to the darkened silhouette lurking in the shadows. A cold sweat breaks out along my back. I’m not ready to face the demons from my past yet.

But when he steps into the light of my office, warmth fills my chest. It’s just Noah,myNoah.

I’d worried for a second that it washim, the masked man that haunts my memories, but it’s just my eyes and mind playing tricks on me. All he ever wanted was to fuck with me anyway. He wouldn’t come here now,right?

“Noah.” I run across the room, closing the space between us.

I throw myself onto him, tossing my arms around his neck. He didn’t even bother to change fully. He’s out of his gear and changed into loose hanging black sweats but he’s still in his black and teal jersey. His normal coconut scent combines with salty sweat, and as much as it should gross me out, I can’t help the way my thighs clench involuntarily at the masculine smell.

“Hey, Sunshine.” Noah’s whisper caresses my skin as he cradles me softly against him. “You waited for me?”

“Of course,” my voice is muffled as I snuggle myself into his chest, reveling in his strength and warmth. “I was so worried.”

With a finger on my chin, he tilts my face back so our eyes meet. His mouth ticks up into a soft, boyish grin.

Damn, those dimples of his should be illegal.

“You don’t have to worry. I’ll always come back to you.” He laysa soft kiss on the tip of my nose before pulling back again. “I promise.”

And then it hits me—I’ve been running from the ghosts of my past for so long that I’ve forgotten to enjoy the present. Noah’s a good guy. A real fucking good guy. I’ve seen the women fawning and fussing over him. I should count myself lucky that he’s interested in me. Noah’s nothim, and he never will be. He’s safe, my shelter in the storm. Nothing bad will happen with him.

“Noah, I need you,” I whine before crashing my lips against his.

He’s stiff and hesitant at first, but it’s only a moment before his hands are on me. He grabs my neck, angling my head back, and deepening the kiss. His tongue pushes against my lips, demanding entrance, and I willingly open for him. His tongue caresses mine hungrily. He groans into my mouth as I instinctively roll my hips. With one final nip on my bottom lip, he pulls away. Our heavy breathing fills the room as we both catch our breath.

“I wanted to go slow,” he tells me as his hands softly skate down my shoulders and arms. Goosebumps break out across my flesh. “But fuck it.”

He grabs me by the ass, lifting me up. My legs instinctually wrap around his waist. His lips fall to my neck, kissing and nipping at the sensitive flesh along my throat and behind my ear. I can feel my need for him deepen with each swipe of his skilled tongue.

“Noah,” my voice comes out breathy and desperate, almost unrecognizable. “Your knee.”

He bites down on the tender junction between my neck and shoulder—hard. I shriek and cry out until he soothes the sting with soft caresses that have me moaning and squirming in his hold.

“Nothing, and I mean nothing, is going to stop me from enjoying you, Sunshine. I’ve been waiting to taste you for years;a bruised up knee isn’t going to hold me back from taking what I want,” he growls as he walks us across the room.

“Years?” I ask incredulously. Has he really wanted me for that long? And I didn’t even notice because I was too wrapped up in running from my past.

He doesn’t answer me though. Maneuvering me as if I weigh nothing, he spins us around so my back is facing the rear wall of my office. Despite his desperation, he’s still careful, making sure my head doesn’t hit the wall. My concussion symptoms are long gone but I do appreciate his care and consideration. As he positions us, my eyes catch on the wide open doorway. Probably should have closed that. But I’m too far gone to care as he pins me up against the wall and brings his lips to mine again, claiming my lips and mouth.

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