Page 59 of Indecent Obsession
We argued about a lot of things that day, but we both agreed on this set. The tall chest of drawers, simple headboard and footboard, nice nightstands. All in a dark wood finish.
I glance at my phone. My heart aches. I should call my mother. She should know that Tom is gone and that I’m safe, but not at the townhouse. I should talk to Caitlyn about what new experiences she’s having. But I can’t share mine, not with my sister and definitely not with my brother.
Part of me wants to track down Cormac and X and force them to tell me what they know about who Tom was working for. Another part doesn’t want to. It’s selfish, but I know when Tom comes back, there’s no way this new thing with the guys can continue.
It’s not just that these are Tom’s best friends that he’s had since he was little, but this is his apartment. What older brother would want to see his sister coming out of his roommates’ rooms?
Not just one of them, but potentially a different one every night. I don’t even know if the walls are all that soundproof.
I lean against the sink and look into my eyes in the mirror.
It was easy to go along with everything. To instigate a lot of it. But reality has to crash in at some point and it’s sending me spiraling right now.
My brother is running from potentially dangerous people. Those people trashed our rooms looking for who knows what. And here I am fucking his best friends like everything is fine. I’m just living my life while he’s off somewhere hiding from whatever new shit he’s landed himself in.
“You okay, trouble?”
I lift my head at Wyatt’s voice. He stands in the doorway to the bedroom. Something lodges in my throat.
His dark eyes soften and he crosses the room. He takes hold of my shoulders and leads me to the bed. My knees give out as I sink down onto the mattress. He lowers to his knee before me and tips up my chin.
“What’s wrong?” His thumb swipes at a tear.
Fuck, maybe I’ll be the one to ruin this before Tom even comes back.
I draw in a ragged breath and meet Wyatt’s eyes. “I’m just confused.”
“What are you confused about, trouble?” This is the Wyatt who caught me when I fell. The Wyatt I so desperately wanted back. The Wyatt I fell in love with. But he’s also the Wyatt who abandoned me. Pushed me away. Ignored me. Made me someone else’s problem.
Can I trust that he’s really here to stay this time? Not forever, but at least as long as this lasts? How much do I let him in when I tried to close the door completely already?
Chapter 17
Working Capital
Wyatt
The hesitation in Sara’s eyes almost destroys me. I put it there. There’s no one else to blame. I closed her out and pushed her away. She’s reluctant to let me back in and I can’t blame her.
Maybe I’m not the right guy to try to comfort her. Maybe I should text Dante to come back early from working out. They seem to share a connection that’s not broken like ours. Fuck, even Finn might be a better option than me.
She reaches out and puts her hand on my cheek. My eyes focus on hers.
“It all seems impossible.” Her smile is sad.
I release a breath and look around Tom’s room. He’s the closest thing I have to a brother. I wish he’d reach out and let us help him. He’s gone and left her and us with a mess to unravel. Between the three of us and Tom, we’ve completely upended her life.
“We’ll figure out who’s after Tom.” I put my hand over hers. “Everything will go back to normal.”
Her hand and her smile slip away. I replay my words in my head. Fuck, what did I get wrong now? She straightens.
“You’re right. We’ll figure out this thing with Tom and everything will go back to the way it’s supposed to be.” She runs her hands down her skirt and lifts deceptively bright eyes to mine. “I could use a cup of coffee before we head into work.”
She’s avoiding telling me something. I want to force her to tell me, but we don’t have that kind of relationship. Our relationship is this moving target. Maybe we can figure out how to be together in this new situation. Maybe she’ll open up to me.
“Sara—”
“Wyatt.” She smiles but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “Not now.”
