Page 57 of Unruly Obsession
Everything was perfectly set into routine. If I were the good daughter, then the monster was less likely to appear. But I can’t run away from it anymore.
“I’ve had enough of this, Lorenzo!” I swing around to face him, my eyes brimming with tears. It’s too much. I can’t keep fighting everyone as the walls continue to close in around me. “You just don’t get it, do you? My father is going to lose his fucking mind when he finds out what happened in there.”
“Why don’t you make a decision for yourself for once?” he asks simply, and his gaze narrows when I scoff at him. “Don’t scoff at me like that. You can’t stand it when I tell you that because you know it’s the truth. You’re so scared to break out of your safety net, to explore the real world on your own. Who would Lily Taylor be if she weren’t under her father’s thumb?”
I flinch and then lock my body into place because all I want to do is shove him. Hate him. Curse him for being so imposing and pretending like he knows anything about me.
I turn and continue walking, ignoring anything he calls out behind me. Droplets of rain begin to fall on my face, but I don’t care as I continue through the sea of people that begin to sprout umbrellas.
The rain is refreshing as I charge on, no idea where I’m going. Will I go home to repeat the same routine?
I bump into someone, and immediately apologize to the teenage boy who’s dragging a sign.
“Sorry. Did you want in?” he asks, almost embarrassed. “The movie started ten minutes ago, and no one else showed up, but I can reopen it if you want?”
I look from him to the sign. A cinema? I look down at the board that showcases the old-school romantic film playing. Lorenzo will hate a black and white romantic film.
“I know exactly what you’re thinking, Sunshine,” he growls behind me. “We’re not done with this conversation.”
“Yes, please,” I say to the teenager and then make a beeline for the cinema. I hear Lorenzo curse behind me as he handles paying for tickets.
“Theater three,” the teenager calls out from behind as I step into the small cinema. A popcorn machine sits empty, a few snacks behind the counter. The woman behind it seems surprised to see a customer but points in the direction of the screening room.
The first two theaters are closed, and I walk into the third. There are rows of empty seats, the black and white film already playing. I can’t even remember the last time I went out to see a movie. I step into the middle row, skirting across numerous seats until I get to one that feels central to the screen.
I fold my arms over my chest as Lorenzo comes to sit beside me, his imposing size filling his seat, his arm pressing against mine.
“There’s literally a roomful of seats,” I growl.
“The only seat I ever need is the one beside yours,” he says, making himself more comfortable. I hate how my heart skips a beat, longing for what? A confession? Something deeper with Lorenzo?
My scowl returns. There’s just no reasoning with this man. And unlike the other times I took him to a place I knew he’d hate, he’s pretending to actuallyenjoythis.
The man infuriates me. More than words can even express. He’s an asshole. Demanding. Rude. Arrogant in every way. Just once, I want him to look at me as more than a pitiful woman trapped in her own life.
I hate how he shoves it in my face.
I know I can’t keep living like this. I need to stand up to my father, but the last time I tried that… I hide away from the memory, the scar between my shoulder blades acting as a cruel reminder.
I just want to live for me. What I want. When I want. How I want.
I side-eye Lorenzo, who pays me no attention. He looks stoic as he watches the screen, even when I know he’s interested in anything but the film. I uncross my arms, exhausted by myself, and rest my hand beside his. It’s so much bigger than mine.
My gaze roams down his suit jacket and lower. He’s always well-dressed. In fact, I haven’t seen him wear anything other than a full suit. It’s as if he never stops, constantly in impeccable shape. But he’s only human, right? Surely, he has some kind of weakness.
My lips part when I notice the bulge in his pants. When I look back up, he’s staring at me, and I swallow. “I didn’t think the movie was that exciting,” I jab.
“Your bratty attitude seems to excite my cock. It’s becoming a problem,” he says matter-of-factly.
My eyebrows furrow. I never know how to read Lorenzo. I don’t understand this magnetic pull and tension between us, but I know my body yearns for his in ways I’ve never felt with anyone else. He infuriates me, yet it seems to wreak havoc on my body.
“You’d better stop biting that bottom lip, Sunshine, before I do something about it myself,” he growls, trying to focus on the film.
I take a harsh swallow, that bundle of fury and anxiety needing a release. I'm tired of fighting the tension that runs between us.
“What will you do about it?” I daringly ask, pushing him as much as he’s been pushing me. “Will I bepunished?”
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