Page 115 of The Obsession
Me: That place is full of sleazebags on the hunt for free pussy.
Romeo: If anyone even so much as looks in my wife’s direction, they’ll die.
I can relate to that. I don’t have any claim on Emily, but that wouldn’t stop me from maiming anyone who laid afinger on her. How would I know, though? It’s not like I can go there and keep an eye on her; I don’t have anyone to watch Lil’ Peach. The only two women I trust with my niece are the ones going clubbing.
Me: So you are cool with the mother of your child, your wife, going to a nightclub?
Romeo: I didn’t say that, but I’m not about to stop her.
Me: Pussy
Romeo: If you want to be the one to tell her she can’t go, be my guest.
When I don’t reply, he sends another message.
Romeo: Just as I thought. Who’s the pussy now?
I let out a small chuckle and shove my phone back into my pocket, shaking my head. That woman is a ball buster, that’s for sure, and I, for one, don’t want to be on the receiving end of her kind of crazy.
When I step into the dining room, I find Peach already perched on Lucia’s lap, both of them halfway through a slice of pizza.
“Why are you going to the club?”
Lucia’s eyes spark with mischief as I take a careful seat across from them. “Emily needed a wing woman. And she won’t find anyone better than me.”
“A wing woman,” I growl. “Why would she need a wing woman?”
“Because it’s obvious you don’t want her,” Lucia replies. “So I told her I’d help her find someone who does.”
“The fuck,” I mutter.
The small curve of her lips gives her away. Lucia isbaiting me. She knows exactly what she’s doing. She’s pushing me and trying to force my hand.
Well, I won’t be manipulated so easily.
I shrug as I reach for another slice of pizza and casually take a bite. Lucia’s eyes narrow as she observes my every move.
I may be giving offI don’t give a fuckvibes, but inside I’m scrabbling for a way I can put a stop to this without looking like the colossal arsehole from last night.
I pace the floor like a crazed lunatic after bathing Lil’ Peach and putting her to bed. The girls left two hours ago, and when Emily finally reappeared from her bedroom, I nearly swallowed my tongue when I saw what she was wearing.
Every instinct in me wanted to bark,“Turn that sweet arse around, march back into your room and change,”but I knew I couldn’t do that. That sexy little black dress was way too fucking revealing, and don’t get me started on the knee-high boots.
I’d already made it clear I had no claim on her. No right to tell her what she could or couldn’t wear. It still didn’t stop my jaw from tightening as she strolled straight past me like I didn’t exist before crouching beside Lil’ Peach, pulling her into a tight hug, and pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I heard her whisper, and those words had me grinding my back teeth so hard I’m surprised they didn’t shatter.
Across the room, Lucia watched the whole thing with a bemused grin, her eyes flicking from Emily to me like she was enjoying the show. It only made the rage inside me burn hotter.
I’ve always counted Lucia as a friend. One of the fewpeople I’ve let myself give a damn about. But in that moment, watching the knowing look on Lucia’s face, I started to question every bit of it. I haven’t exactly admitted my feelings for Emily to her, but Lucia isn’t stupid. She knows that woman means something to me. I know she fucking does.
It took every ounce of strength I possessed not to grab hold of Emily as she moved towards the front door and throw her over my shoulder, haul her back to my room, tie her to my fucking bed, and show her exactly why she didn’t need to go out tonight.
It’s not her going out that upsets me. She deserves time with her friends. It’s where they’re going and, most importantly, the reason she’s going that has my head spinning.
The idea that she’s out right now letting other men look at her the way I do. Touch her. To try and charm their way into her bed makes something dark and restless claw around inside my chest. Like fuck I’m gonna let some other fucker come into my house to ravage my woman.
I feel like I’m coming apart at the seams, and the worst fucking part is I did this to myself.
