Page 64 of Arranged Obsession
The truck slows, and for a second, I think it’s actually going to turn around. Instead, it makes a left at the corner and disappears into the city.
I’m left standing in the street, staring after it.
Fuck. Fuck!!
I was going to have my own freaking room!
And now?—
A car horn honks loudly, and I flinch. “Get outta the street,” some guy behind the wheel of a beat-up Acura shouts. He flops his hands like,what the hell are you doing, and I give him an apologetic wave as I hurry to the sidewalk. He’s about to say more, but his face suddenly goes pale as Cormac appears at my side. The guy hits the gas and quickly speeds away.
“What did you do?” I ask my husband with a low snarl.
He narrows his gaze at me. “We should have this conversation inside.”
“No, I don’t think so.” I jab a finger into his chest. “What. Did. You. Do?!”
“I sent them away,” he says like that’s the most obvious thing in the world.
I swallow a scream. Frustration burns inside me. I’ve been sleeping in Cormac’s bed with the assumption that I’d have my own space soon enough. That was supposed to be a temporary solution to the couch conundrum.
“What gave you the right?!” I’m practically shouting in his face. I’m so mad I can barely breathe. He saved my life yesterday, but he also goes out of his way to control everything I do. This furniture thing is just one more straw, and my back is very much freaking broken now.
“You didn’t need any of it.” He turns his back on me and begins walking to the house.
I hurry to keep up, badgering him the whole way. “That’s not your decision. In case you forgot, we’remarried, which makes uspartners. Your house isn’t justyourhouse anymore. I live there too, and if I want my own bed, I’m going to get one.”
He stops on the stoop and turns to me. Something dark and horrible flits across his expression, like the thought of me sleeping anywhere but by his side is too horrible to think about. “No,” he says and heads inside.
I let out a frustrated groan as my hands turn to fists. I swear, I’m going to bludgeon this asshole to death. I slam the front door in my wake, and the security system automatically locks it behind me.
“The only reason I haven’t started kicking your ass is because you saved my life yesterday. But I swear, my gratitude is quickly wearing out, you big prick.”
“If you want to furnish that room, we can speak about it together.”
“How about I just buy what I want because you clearly don’t actually care?”
“I care now.”
“Right, makes sense, since that room’s probably been vacant for years, but now that I want it?—”
“I care about keeping you right where I want you.” He stares at me, expression cold, with a strange dark hunger glinting in his eyes. “Yesterday was my fault. If there were ever a time to stayby your side, it’s right now. I’m not going anywhere, and neither are you.”
I struggle to maintain my composure. I can have a little bit of empathy for this guy, even if it’s really not easy right now. “What happened wasn’t only your fault, Cormac.”
“Yes, it was.”
“It’s the families. I know how they work. Your enemies were going to come after me, whether I married you or Finn. That’s not on your shoulders.”
“You don’t understand.” His jaw tenses, and he comes toward me. I back away, yelping in surprise, as he aggressively grabs me and turns me, pushing me up against the nearby wall and pinning me there with his massive body. My heart races straight into my throat. “I fucked up, feather. I rushed a job, and now they’re coming after you to get back at me. If I had been more patient—if I hadn’t been so fuckingeagerto get back to you—this never would have happened. It’smyfault, not the family’s, not the clan’s, but mine and mine alone, and I will fuckingdiebefore anyone touches you. Do you understand me?”
The depth of his passion scares me. His fingers dig into my hips, and he’s looking at me like he really means it. Like he’d rather have his throat slit than see anyone lay a finger on me. And that sort of devotion is terrifying. The knowledge that this horrible man will burn down the world and leave a pile of corpses behind him all to make sure nobody hurts me is both arousing and terrifying. What if he goes too far? Will that be on my conscience?
“I don’t know what happened,” I say soothingly and put my hands on his chest. He’s taking deep breaths like he’s strugglingto maintain his composure. I’m aware of how dangerous this man can be. “But it’s not your fault. I know you’d never hurt me. I know you’d never let anyone else hurt me either. It’s not your fault, Cormac.”
He leans into me. His lips brush against mine. I remain frozen, caught between wanting him and being completely terrified.
“I couldn’t live if something bad happened to you, feather,” he whispers, voice thick with emotion. I’ve never seen him this worked up before. I honestly didn’t think he was capable of it. “You’re my everything. Without you, I’d sink like a stone into hell.”
