Page 31 of Quiet Obsession
“You need to eat, sis. You skipped breakfast, didn’t you?”
“No, she ate what I made her,” Creed pipes in. “She’s an adult, Hyde. Stop fucking hovering.”
“Don’t get in the middle.”
“Why?” Noah asks. “Afraid he’ll say something that hits too close to home? You act like she’s broken.”
Hyde’s fist lands on the table and he gets in Noah’s face. “Don’t for a second think you know her better than I do just because you spent three evenings with her, barely speaking.”
They talk over one another, among themselves, then to me, coaxing, asking, and driving me crazy.
Hyde with that overprotective flare to his voice.“Please, you need to eat, Millie.”My name on Noah’s lips with poised control, then Dash’s“Come on, Mini, how about I fix you a sandwich?”
It feels like they’re prying me open all at once. I don’t know where to look or who to listen to. My chest tightens,breath catching halfway in and my head’s spinning, their voices blurring and rising until they dissolve into one long, vibrating hum in my ears.
I stand abruptly, the legs of my chair scraping loudly. My stomach twists into knots, breath stuttering, but before I take a single step, Creed grabs my wrist. His warm fingers cinch around my delicate bones and there’s nothing soft or gentle about that unyielding hold. It almost hurts.Almost.
And it feels good.
My pulse quiets and focus narrows as I follow the grip up his firm, inked forearm, past his broad, black-clad chest to his tightly set jaw.
“Sit,” he spits out the demand, the fuckingcommand, not a waver in his voice.
It should flare my temper, but instead, the storm in my mind collapses, and my heart rate slows down. I fold into the chair before I can process what’s happening, my body responding to something deeper than logic.
A pulse starts low in my belly, hot and steady, and the knot that was just there loosens.
“Okay, you’ll have to teach me that one.” Dash smirks. “I can’t even get a dog to sit, let alone a whole woman.”
“What the hell was that?” Hyde clips, scowling at me. “Are you—?” His brow furrows. “Are you afraid of him?”
“She’s not.” Creed doesn’t look at my brother, already dragging my plate back in front of me. “Eat, Millie.”
I don’t realize I’m chewing until halfway down the second bite. Hyde has a point... what the hell just happened?
Creed barkedsit, barkedeat,and I didn’t even think.
God, there’s something different about me around him.
After Evan, I promised myself I wouldn’t let anyone have a hold over me again. I wouldn’t be fooled, coerced, and used. I wouldn’t allow anyone to drag things out of me.
I should fear how easily Creed’s overridden it all, but I’m more scared of myself.
One word from him and I fuckinglistened.
10
Creed
The fire’s burning tall, everything Jeremiah owned going up in black smoke. It’s oddly purifying, watching the flames lick his boots, medals, cigar box.
We sit on the patio furniture, adding bag after bag of my father’s shit to the fire. Dash brings out another bottle of amber liquid, either scotch or bourbon, I can’t tell through the heat haze from this distance.
He comes closer and plops down beside me, chugging from the bottle before passing it to Hyde. His eyes flick to the top-floor window where Millie locked herself after dinner.
Noah’s with her.
He went up there ten minutes ago and Hyde’s growing increasingly restless. I can relate. It’s been a while since we lit this bonfire and I still can’t fucking stop thinking about Millie and how she sat down, chewing the cold pizza whenI told her to.
