Page 101 of Savage Obsession
Roman raiseshis eyebrows as I approach him after my shift at Velvet Sins. I worked an early shift, so it’s only eight at night, and I don’t have to be back at work until tomorrow afternoon.
“Can we stop and get a burger on the way home? I’m dying for something greasy.” I think I’ve gained five pounds since Xander’s been gone. Eating my feelings isn’t the right thing to do, but I’m doing what I can to cope at the moment.
The Hulk nods and leads me out to the valet. When he pulls into a drive-thru, I give him my order and add on a chocolate milkshake. He passes back the paper bag, and when he tries to hand me the milkshake, I refuse to take it.
“That’s for you.”
He narrows his gaze at me through the rearview mirror, and I smirk. “Just drink it. Gosh. You and I are stuck together. Stop being such a robot. Xander isn’t going to murder you for talking to me.”
Roman chuckles. “Just trying to be professional, Miss Summers.”
I glare at him. “Okay, well, be professional around everyone else, but can you be human with me, please?”
He grunts and steers the SUV toward my apartment building, and I don’t miss the way he sucks down the milkshake like it’s his favorite thing ever. As he drives up to the lobby entrance, I stare out the window with a boulder lodged in the pit of my stomach. There hasn’t been a day that I haven’t thought about the home he bought for us. For our future. And I crushed his dream. I basically told him he wasn’t good enough for me.
“Miss Summers,” Roman says.
As I blink and turn to look at him, tears roll down my cheeks.
“I can take you to Mr. and Mrs. Savage’s home if you’d prefer.”
Shaking my head, I lift my purse to my shoulder, a signal for him that I’m ready to be let out. A second later, he opens the back door for me and waits while I climb out.
“No, thank you. I just miss him, and when I’m home alone, it’s even worse. I’m not going to impose on Cash and Jordyn tonight. I’m pretty sure they’re sick of me by now.”
Something crosses Roman’s face, and he holds up a finger for me to wait for him. Then he opens the passenger door and grabs something from the glovebox. When he turns toward me again, he holds up a box of cards.
“How about a few hands of poker? Maybe you can knock on Mrs. Cooley’s door and see if she wants to join us, too.”
I stare up at Roman for a long moment, trying my hardest not to squeal over him speaking to me like I’m a person instead of a rock. If I make a big deal about it, he might change his mind.
By the time Mrs. Cooley takes both Roman’s and my money, I’m beyond tired. As soon as they leave, I put Xander’s shirt on, slide into bed, and can barely keep my eyes open long enough to whisper “I love you,” into the night, hoping by some miracle that Xander hears it.
DayTwenty-Seven
“Thankyou for letting me use your kitchen,” I say for the tenth time.
In my alone time, I’ve been creating recipes with the cheapest ingredients I could find. Jordyn has tasted several of the mealsand insisted that I finally start a blog and start working toward an actual cookbook. She even offered up her kitchen for photos in exchange for me teaching her how to cook a few things for Cash. I didn’t realize it was going to be a family dinner night until I showed up to find Beckett and Kian here, too.
Cash shoves a bite of taco into his mouth, one of the recipes I made today. “Are you kidding me? This is amazing.” He glares at me. “Don’t tell my housekeepers I said that.”
Beckett grunts something that sounds like a compliment, but his mouth is too full to understand it.
“You’re seriously hopeless,” Jordyn tells him with an eyeroll that makes everyone but Beckett laugh.
I swear, Beckett is this naturally playful and flirtatious hot guy, and sometimes it’s adorable, while other times, he’s like an annoying younger brother, even though he’s older than me.
Kian, on the other hand, is lighthearted like Beckett, but there’s something under the surface that is much more serious with him. He’s kind of a mystery, and I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing.
It’s been a fun day with them. But the entire time, all I could think about was how much I wanted Xander to try these recipes. And how pissed he’d be that I made food for his brothers. He’d want it all to himself because I made it. Because he’s completely obsessed with me.
Or at least, he was when he left.
He might feel differently once he comes home.
And I have to be ready for that if it happens.
DayTwenty-Nine
