Page 62 of Devious Obsession
“What are you doing, Steele?” He doesn’t even say hello. Always business with him, never pleasure.
I clench my jaw. “I’m trying to protect our family.”
He’s silent for a long moment.
“Okay,” he finally agrees. “She’s coming home—”
“I don’t give a fuck whether she stays or goes,” I interrupt, my stomach twisting. “It may be better thatIkeep an eye onher, don’t you think? Instead of using a stranger to spy on your son. But as far as the rest of her family…”
“I love her mother.” His voice is a bucket of ice water dropped over my head. “Do you want me to abandon her?”
Like you abandoned Mom?Why yes, yes I do. Drop this gold digger and protect our family better. Simple.
“I just want you to see—”
“Enough.” Dad sighs. “If you had come home over the summer, you would’ve met them. You would know them like I do.”
I don’t want to see what he sees. That’s the problem. I want things to go back to the way they were when I was a kid. And maybe Dad can tell, because he doesn’t push for once. We just stay on the line in silence until one of us figures out what to talk about next—or how to break past this.
In the end, it’s my father who does both.
“We’ll be at your hockey game in New York next week,” he says. “Make sure Aspen comes, too.”
I bite back my laugh. If she lets me anywhere near her, sure. And even if not…
A thrill goes through me.
Why am I so fucking obsessed with her?
I get home and head straight upstairs. It’s a bit weird now that Erik’s not our basement dweller and Greyson’s living on his own with Violet. Erik used to always be around, in the kitchen or hanging out in the living room. Knox and Miles must be elsewhere, because the whole house is unusually silent.
On one hand, I’m glad we got the extra bedroom free. It certainly helped out when the girls were staying here, although I was pissed that Aspen wouldn’t stay in my room after that first night. Now that they’re gone, though, it’s right back to how it was at the start of the semester: depressingly empty.
Willow occasionally sleeps in Knox’s room, although it seems like she might not be as into it lately. Or he goes to her… who the fuck knows what’s up with them anyway. Knox just wants Willow to admit that she loves him. It goes back to a stupid, offhand comment that Greyson made, which devolved into a bet… which Knox won’t let go of. He wants to win, and I guess he’s fine with one pussy. For now.
All at once, I register that I’mlonely. Like a fucking loser.
I open my phone and flip through my contacts, but no one stands out. I open my bedroom door and drop my bag on the floor. I strip off my shirt, then toe off my shoes. Change of wardrobe, get my laptop, and I’ll just go with my original plan: suffer at the library to finish that paper.
It’s better than failing it and putting hockey at risk anyway.
I’m dragging a hoodie over my head when movement catches my attention. I pull it the rest of the way on and try to find the source, but there’s nothing against that wall. Just my desk, which is painfully cluttered with papers. The chair is pushed all the way in so I don’t try and cover it in half-dirty clothes.
Looking around the rest of the room, my gaze snags on a card on my nightstand.
I snatch it up and stare down at the front of it.
A little thanks from me to you…is printed on the front. It’s one of those thank you cards you can buy at the on-campus store. I flip it open, and my gaze skips to the feminine print at the bottom.
Dear Steele,
Once a snake, always a snake. Enjoy your new roommate.
Love,
Viper
I stare at it, not comprehending the words—until something brushes my foot. I snap the card closed and look down,almostunsurprised to see a literal, actual snake making its way over the top of my foot toward my bed.
