Page 96 of Unruly Obsession
Sky pulls up on his motorcycle shortly behind her, and that light-hearted thought quickly evaporates into irritation. I walk down the driveway, speaking to him before addressing her.
“Leave,” I growl.
“You told me to never leave her side and to protect her with my life. I’m just doing what you?—”
“Leave,”I reiterate, sick of this little punk's antics. My gaze slices to Lily, whose mouth is slightly parted.
The hound grumbles under his breath but does as he’s told, jumping back onto his motorcycle.
“You’re a bossy asshole, you know that?” Is the first thing that comes out of her mouth.
I look down on the little Goody Two-shoes who folds her arms over her chest. Swear words have slowly trickled into her vocabulary, and I can’t help but feel smug that it’s most likely from my influence. “I distinctly remember a time when you quite liked being told what to do.”
A flush of red streaks her cheeks. “I also remember how that pushed me away. You doing what you want with no regard for how I feel.”
A breeze sweeps between us, and I notice the goose bumps that immediately erupt over her skin. I want to invite her inside, offer her comfort, since lately I’ve only seemed to give her pain.
“You know where I stand, sweetheart. As long as you’re safe, I don’t care how much you hate me. I’ll die like that.”
The movement in her throat as she swallows gives her nervousness away, and my gaze softens.
How I love this woman.
Her kindness, her softness.
All of the things I can never manage to be are what I admire about her the most.
“Sounds like a lonely death.”
“One I’ve always imagined for myself.”
And that’s the truth. I never imagined wanting a family of my own, a person to turn to in confidence, or ever needing any kind of comfort. But this woman weaved herself into my heart so effortlessly, it’s terrifying to imagine if she ever gave me achance, what else she might be capable of. One thing's for certain—I’d never let her go.
I might not be capable of being a Prince Charming, but I’ll certainly flip the world upside down to give her everything she could ever want, if only to have her look at me in the way she once did, with that benevolent smile pointed in my direction.
She seems unsure as to what to do with her hands. She goes to speak, but then her mouth closes again.
I attempt to say something, but then for the first time ever in my life, I’m not sure what to say.
I want to say the right thing.
Do the right thing.
But it always feels so out of my reach when it comes to this woman.
She feels out of my grasp.
“I’m coming with you tomorrow to deal with Nicholas. This is my family drama. I want to see it through to the end,” she finally says defiantly, as if trying to push away the tension that ripples between us.
I hold back a laugh. “You’re not coming with me, sweetheart. Who told you about the exchange anyway?” There’s no fucking way I’m putting her in harm's way. Even with every precaution that we have, I’m not taking her anywhere near the people who have been trying to kill her.
“Why? Doubting your skills to keep me safe?”
“Watch it,” I growl, because if there’s one thing I pride myself on, it’s keeping this woman safe. If only she had better sense to watch what she says, then she might not get herself into so much trouble.
She casually shrugs. “I have my sources. And it wasn’t a request, or are you yet again going to ignore my wishes?”
I lick my lips. This little brat. “That would involve you sitting in a car with me, and last I checked, you can’t even stand being in the same hemisphere as me.”
