Page 123 of Twisted Obsession

I traced the soft lines of her face, the full curve of her mouth, the elegant shape of her eyes. I reached for the strand of satin coiled over her shoulder and twisted it loosely around my finger, all the while, I fell deeper in whatever spell she was casting.

“Were you really jealous?” she teased.

I shook my head, gaze never leaving hers. “No.” My thumb glided along her jaw to her chin. I tipped her face higher. “I was homicidal … and terrified I’d fucked up so badly that I might have lost you.”

Her eyes softened. “Darius…”

“I meant it,” I went on quietly. “Every word I said. I’m not letting you go. Not ever again.” I brushed the curve of her cheek with the pad of my thumb, her hair still curled in my fingers. “I already lost four years with you and that’s enough.”

“What about Volkov and Abilene?”

I brushed the bare skin of her back with my fingers. The satin path along the raised bumps of her spine was warm and inviting to the touch.

“We’ll talk about everything tomorrow. I just need to hold you tonight. I’ve missed you so much.”

Her smile was small but managed to fill every crevice of my soul with warmth.

“Answer one thing for me?”

I tightened my hold, folding her into me. “Anything.”

“Does this mean I get to finally keep you?”

The corner of my lip quirked. “Do you honestly think I can let you go? This one week without you was hell. I can’t go through that again.”

“I missed you, too,” she whispered. “I know I said I was okay with you marrying someone else, but I’m not.” She bit her bottom lip. “I almost didn’t come tonight. I didn’t think I could face you.”

“What changed your mind?”

She grinned a little. “The dress. I wanted you to see me in it and regret your choices.”

The laugh burst out of me in a deep rumble I hadn’t felt in years. It rolled out in waves barely muffled by the music. Kami chuckled along, cheeks pink.

“Oh, that definitely would have done it,” I told her.

I kissed her.

I didn’t care who was watching or what they thought.

I didn’t care about anything but the woman in my arms and the future sprawling wide ahead of us. I was finally where I needed to be.

CHAPTER 15

Kamari

Darius didn’t let go of me once.

All evening, his hand was at my lower back, around my waist, tucked in my hair the few times he’d managed to sneak us into a corner. The man was making it impossible to think of anything else when all I wanted was to be alone with him, to be in silence so I could ask him everything piling up inside my head. But there was always some who wanted to see him, someone who had a business question. I listened, but kept my contribution to a minimum, if I spoke at all.

Still, I enjoyed myself. I danced with Darius and the girls. I chatted with a few familiar and new faces. I even got to meet Abilene Beaumont when she approached us through the crowd in a simple, black dress and pearls. I wasn’t sure what I’d been expecting, but the woman who stood before us could have been my great grandmother.

She greeted us both and Darius introduced us.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I said. “Darius has told me so much about you.”

It was a lie. I knew next to nothing about her, but it seemed to please her when she accepted my handshake in her soft yet surprisingly firm grip.

“Abilene makes the best spaghetti sauce I have ever tasted,” Darius stated.

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