Page 61 of Captured Obsession

“So, it’s true, all the stuff I was told about you being involved with the Italian mafia?” The hurt is evident in my tone. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Romi looks away, ashamed at my direct question. And that’s when Agata enters with a tray laden with cups, a carafe of coffee, and a pot of black tea.

“Thank you, Agata.”

She nods. “My pleasure, little miss.” Then she goes back into the kitchen.

No one makes a move to drink, so I lean over, my ass shifting against Nikolai’s cock, and I feel his grip tighten on my leg, as if in warning to not tease him.

I can’t help but feel a little smug, having a particular fondness for unnerving this man in any way I can.It’s a dangerous game, one that I should know better than to reignite, and yet… I can’t seem to resist. I pour two cups of tea, one for Romi and one for me.

“It’s not that I didn’t want to tell you. It just got … very real, very fast. And I didn’t want to endanger you by association.”

Look where that got me.

“Did you think I couldn’t handle it?” I ask more quietly. Does Romi think I’m weak? I mean, Lily seems equipped for this life, and she’s one of the gentlest spoken people I know.

“No,” Romi is quick to say. “When Dante moved in as my roommate, I didn’t know he was a part of this world. When I did find out, I stole his motorcycle, left him stranded on the side of the road, went home, and threw all his shit out the window.”

The masked man with the blue gem clears his throat, smothering what sounded like the start of a laugh, and the one with the red gem nudges his arm.

Dante seems unfazed at her retelling, just leaning back and getting comfortable, as if this were his home. Though, his eyes don’t leave Nikolai’s as they glare at one another.

“What changed?” I ask, bringing the tea to my lips and blowing on it, purposely adjusting my position to rub against Nikolai’s cock a little more. A low, guttural noise escapes him, and my entire body feels it, that throbbing between my thighs becoming more insistent.

No, Sienna, this is not the time to have some perverse, intoxicating reaction to this man.But I feel entirely in control, and maybe that’s what I like about it—bringing a deadly man such as him to his knees.

Romi looks at Dante, and her gaze softens a fraction. In that moment, I’m envious of her. I once thought I had that. And I thought I knew what it meant to be desired the way Dante clearly desires her.

How wrong I was. Until now, as I notice Nikolai’s finger slowly drawing circles on my leg. My mind tracks his every movement, and I realize he’s buying into the same game. A wave of pleasure washes over me as I look at his jade bracelet that he not so long ago used to pleasure my asshole.

I look away, trying my hardest to stop the obvious arousal that is burning my cheeks.

“Ichanged,” Romi finally confesses after giving it some consideration. “No matter how hard I tried to fight it, he just ended up being the right person for me; unhinged asshole that he is.”

“She shot me in the leg,” Dante adds, as if in his defense.

My jaw drops, and Romi slaps him playfully in the chest. “That’s because you killed a bunch of guys in a bar for talking to me and then chased me through the fucking woods. What the fuck did you think would happen?”

Dante smiles as he shifts his gaze to me. “I just want it noted that I’m not the only unhinged one here.”

Romi’s head slowly turns back toward me, and I can see the uncertainty in her expression. How scared she must be that I’ll judge her. Any sane person would let this information hinder their friendship, I imagine. But after what I’ve seen over this past month, and the strange liberation it’s given me, I don’t.

“You could have trusted me with this.” I look down into my tea. “Ara, you, Lily, and even Elanee,” I say, almost pleading, as I meet her eyes. Why did they all leave me out of this? I thought they could depend on me. When I was in London, I missed all of them because they were my truest friends. My ride or die group. Yet, they were all in on this, leaving me in the dark. “Everyone seems involved, and I didn’t even know. How long have I been on the outside without realizing?”

“It’s not like that.”

“Then tell me how it is!” I shout as I slam my teacup down on the small saucer I’m holding, surprising myself by my own outburst. The hot tea spills on Nikolai’s pants, and as I fret, he takes the cup and saucer, unfazed.

“It’s okay,mishka.” But it can’t be. It’s too hot for me to even drink, but he seems not to notice. Now I don’t know what to do with my hands, so I clench them as I look back at Romi, tears springing to my eyes.

“I feel so stupid right now,” I confess. “Do you know how ridiculous I felt being kidnapped? That should have been the only fucking problem I wasworried about. Yet, since I found out about all this underworld shit, all I’ve thought is, why was I not enough to trust? Did you think I couldn’t help you?”

More tears spring to my eyes, not just from this, but from the scandal with Michael. My guilt for hiding my own secrets about my infertility while demanding more from my friends. From realizing I don’t even know what parts of my life or myself I even like. I’ve blindsided myself over so many things.

“I literally got plucked out of my life, and no one even realized I was gone. Do you know how scary that is, to realize I had no one to come back to? That it took weeks for anyone to notice something had gone awry? Do you know how isolating that feeling is?” I hiccup, surprised by the intensity of my emotions.

Romi gets up and walks around the coffee table, then drops to her knees at my side, placing her hand on my thigh. Dante stands, warily keeping an eye on Nikolai.