Page 13 of Saved from Obsession

Hayden glances at me, her green eyes a dark forest. “I hate the idea of you stuck inside with no sun.”

“It’s okay.” I feel like I’ve been saying this a lot. Glancing between her and Leo, I direct my statement to both of them. “I’m willing to do whatever it takes to stop this guy. If it means staying inside for weeks, I’ll do it. Whatever you say I need to do, I’ll do it without complaint.”

Leo’s eyes move to mine, a flicker of emotion darkening his gaze. But it’s gone before I can identify it, leaving me wondering if I saw anything at all.

After a few more minutes, all our questions have been exhausted, and it’s time for Hayden to leave. She gives me a tight hug, squeezing me hard enough to make my back crack. Her voice is strained with emotion as she says, “Call me anytime, Gigi. Even if it’s the middle of the night. I mean it.”

“I will.” My chest feels tight as she pulls away, but I keep my smile steady. “Go home and tell Boone I said hi. Send me lots of baby cow pictures.”

Hayden gives me a jerky nod and heads for the door. Just before she leaves, she turns back, sweeping her gaze across the three Blade and Arrow men. “Take care of my best friend, okay?”

All three of them give her somber nods and echoingwe wills. As she shuts the door behind her, I’m hit by a sense of loss. After months of struggling through all this on my own, it’s been nice to have my best friend beside me.

Leo looks over from the couch at me standing near the front door, and I think he can tell I’m near tears, because his serious expression softens. “Why don’t you take some time to unpack, Georgia? Take a look around. I’ll be here for dinner. I was thinking of ordering pizza if that works for you.”

Swallowing against the lump in my throat, I give him a tiny nod. “Pizza is good.”

The corner of his mouth pulls up, and his eyes glint at me. “Anchovies and pineapple?”

I can’t stop the instinctive face of disgust I make, and a little laugh comes out of nowhere. “Anything but that. Maybe just cheese and pepperoni?”

“You got it.” He grins at me, and the knot in my chest releases a little. “And after dinner, I’ll show you the surprise I brought.”

A surprise?

* * *

He brought games.Not just a few, but a giant stack of them.

The pizza was all cleared away and the dishes were in the dishwasher, and I was just sitting down on the couch with my book when Leo went over to the door between the two sides of the duplex and gave it a sharp knock. A moment later, it opened and there was a rumble of voices, then an odd rustling sound.

I was trying to mind my own business, staring at the pages even though I wasn’t reading a word.

Then Leo said, “Georgia,” in his low, rumbly voice, and I looked over at him. Piled high in his arms was a stack of at least ten board games, almost reaching his chin.

I can’t believe he remembered.

“Leo!” I drop my book on the couch cushions and gape at him.

“You said you liked games.” He walks over to the coffee table and places the stack of boxes on it. His eyes search out mine, his eyebrows pulled up in question. “I wasn’t sure which games you liked best, so I just got a bunch of them. I know it’s going to get boring being stuck here all the time, so I thought...”

Oh. I can’t believe he did this for me.

For a moment, I forget about everything else—my stalker, my scar, being unemployed, all the crap from the last few months—and I feel almost normal again. I know I’m not, and this situation isn’t. I’m hiding inside a safe house with a bodyguard from not just my first, but mysecondstalker, but for a moment, all that washes away.

For a moment, I can pretend I’m spending an evening with a friend, having pizza and playing board games, and I’m so thankful to Leo for remembering I could hug him.

“Thank you.” I smile at him, a real one, not forced. But the action tugs at the still healing skin on my cheek, and the urge to duck my head away is intense. Every time I forget about the scar, something brings it rushing back. But I won’t turn away from Leo, not after he brought these games for me.

My hands clutch the couch cushions—I so badly want to pull my hair in front of my face. Leo stares into my eyes for a second, then turns and busies himself with the games, giving me a tiny reprieve. “What would you like to play first?” he asks, still sorting through the games. “I have Monopoly, Scrabble, Life, Jenga…”

“Scrabble.” I don’t have to think about it. “If that’s alright with you.”

Plucking the Scrabble box out of the pile, Leo turns around and gives me a crooked grin. His eyes are more green than gold and they’re crinkled up in the corners. “Are you sure about that, Georgia?” There’s a teasing note to his voice, so different from the serious tone he had when we first met.

“Yes?” Just because I think he’s teasing doesn’t mean he really is. I haven’t exactly spent a long time with Leo, and I could be reading him all wrong.

As he opens the box and starts laying out the board, he says, “I’m just asking because, in some circles, I’m known as the Scrabble King.” His gaze moves from the board to mine—this time I’msurehe’s joking. “I just wanted to warn you. In case you wanted to change your mind and play something else.”

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