Page 68 of Deepest Obsession

“Soph?” I hear his voice drifting through the dark hallway, tense with alarm. “What’s wrong?”

“Xan,” I gasp, running in the direction of his voice until I spot him, stalking toward me.

Once I’m close, I jump into his arms, wrapping my legs around his waist and clutching his shoulders. With a half-sob, half-laugh, I bury my face into the crook of his neck.

“What’s going on?” He holds me tightly, protectively. “Are you all right?”

“I’m perfect,” I say, pulling away and cradling his face in my hands. “God, Xan. You’re crazy.”

He just looks at me, his brows furrowed. In the dim lighting of the hallway, I can barely see the gold flecks in his eyes. But they’re there, becoming more apparent as his expression softens. “You found your writing room, didn’t you?”

“You built our house,” I whisper. “For me.”

With a light kiss on my jawbone, he says, “For us, little bird. I told you—I’ve never stopped loving you. And I never will.”

I open my mouth to repeat those words back to him, but I stop myself.

Not yet. Not with Tristan’s threat looming over us. Soon, once I know Xander will be safe, I’ll say those words completely on my own. Without it being what Tristan wants.

So instead, I kiss him. It’s the only way I can express the swell in my heart and the butterflies in my stomach. If I didn’t have enough proof that Alexander’s actions were sincere, this would’ve been it.

He’s mine, forever. Forever.

With a grunt, Xander presses my back into the wall. Our kiss is an explosion of lips and tongue and teeth, anything but soft and gentle.

“I’ve been waiting for you to notice,” he says, palming my ass. “You’re fucking everywhere in this house. Living without you here, but with everything reminding me of you—Christ. I’m never letting you leave.”

“You’re the one who did that to yourself,” I say, giggling. “You didn’t have to build this house.”

One of his hands leaves my ass, only for it to be replaced by a loud smack and a stinging sensation. I gasp, wincing slightly at the pain, but I can’t deny the butterflies leaving my stomach and going somewhere else.

“Watch that pretty little mouth of yours, little bird.”

Someone down the hall clears their throat, and we turn to find Dominic glaring at us, arms crossed. “We still have things to discuss, Alex.”

Grateful for the darkness hiding the blush creeping up my cheeks, I give Xander a peck on the cheek before squirming out of his arms.

When he disappears into his office, I take a deep breath. Then I wander back through the house—our house. To our bedroom.

AFTER THEIR MEETING, the guys hang around for a movie. Brooke shows up with beer and a forced smile. She sits next to me on the couch, where Xander has me cozily tucked into his side.

Squeezing her hand, I give her what I hope is a warm smile. When I let go, I notice her hands are shaking.

“You good?” I whisper as the movie starts.

She just nods, settling in and sipping her beer.

I turn back to the TV, just to notice Blaze watching us. His expression is unreadable, but the way he’s gripping his beer makes me wonder if there’s something going on between the two of them.

They’d make one hell of a cute couple. Blaze is tall and broad-shouldered, and while Brooke is by no means frail, she’s tiny. And they’re both ridiculously attractive.

I tuck the thought away. I’ll have to pester Blaze about who his latest crush is later. For now, I burrow deeper into Xander’s hold. His arm tightens around me, and I smile at the warmth spreading through me.

The movie starts, and I can’t help the wave of nostalgia that washes over me. It’s just like old times—a movie, my closest friends all in one room, and Xander’s arm wrapped around me.

I’ve missed this so much.

About fifteen minutes into the movie, Brooke’s phone starts going off. She freezes when she sees the name flashing across the screen.

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