Page 42 of Deadly Obsession

SERA

TWO YEARS LATER

Having just arrived home from the tattoo shop, I’d gone straight to the kitchen to warm up the leftovers James had told me were in the fridge. I grabbed the covered plate of pulled pork, mashed potatoes, and asparagus, placing it in the microwave and hitting the two button.

Then I wrapped my arms around my chest as I recalled the tattoo I’d done today.

A Michael Myers style kitchen knife. Each time I’d wiped at my client’s skin and smeared the blood, I’d flinched.

I shouldn’t be surprised by the tattoo choice, though.

It was the week before Halloween, after all, and exactly two years since Shingletown.

When the authorities had finally finished questioning us about what James and I had taken to morbidly calling the Unsubscribing at Masktok Cabin , we’d taken some time to heal before beginning to plan for the future.

Construction on the main home of his ranch had already started, and he still had a large sum of money left over from the insurance claim.

So, in place of a ring, he’d proposed to me with the title to a piece of real estate.

A spot that would become my very own tattoo shop.

Morphine Kiss Tattoo was located just under an hour’s drive from the ranch and was in a rather ideal location.

I wish I could say I’d been the one to design the interior, but I’d have been lying.

James had pieced it together near perfectly with a gothic boutique theme.

It was also likely the only tattoo shop/dark romance library.

The waiting room was slightly larger than what you’d expect at a tattoo shop.

And upon entering, after being greeted by my new apprentice Kearsten, you would be transported to the finest mini dark romance library Texas had ever seen.

Somewhere that allowed you to rent a good book, for a small fee, and maybe even get a new tattoo when you returned it.

Pulling my meal out of the microwave, I caught the way the sunlight reflected on the large diamond on my left finger and smiled as I moved to my favorite spot in the kitchen.

I stood beside the sink and looked out the window to watch the sun setting in the West Texas sky while humming “Lullaby” by The Spill Canvas.

It was the first song we’d danced to as husband and wife.

James had let me have the majority of the say in the reconstruction of the ranch’s main house after it had burned down a month or two prior to our Booktok group’s nightmare of a vacation.

The same fire he’d tragically lost his parents in.

He’d shown me photos of what it used to look like.

A beautiful two-story Birmingham. I’d mentioned how I wanted the kitchen to be on the west side of the house, so that I could look out and see the sunset behind the lovely hill where his family plot rested.

It was the perfect blend of beauty and spooky if you asked me.

Everything else, however, I wanted exactly as his parents loved it—with the addition of two extra rooms. James didn’t know this yet, but our little family was getting a new member soon.

Despite all the good in our lives now, I still had nightmares from time to time.

Nights where I’d wake up without the ability to move my body.

All my friends dead around me. I’d always wake up to James cradling me in his arms, brushing my hair, and rocking me back and forth.

Telling me that everything was going to be okay.

“Mum!” A bright, youthful voice had me turning to see Alexander enter the kitchen and make straight for the biscuit jar on the counter.

“Alexander! No, sir!” I scolded as his hand lifted the top of the jar.

“Ah, let the boy have a cookie, Harps. He’s earned it! Haven’t you, killer?”

I heard the gravelly base before he entered the room, and my heart fluttered just like it did every time I saw him. James filed in behind Alexander, reaching into the jar and handing my son a biscuit without waiting for my response.

“Go on then. Wash up for bed, kiddo,” James urged, and we both watched as Alexander double-hand grabbed the biscuit, bit into it, and sprinted off.

“Love you, Mum! Love you, James!” he called out as he fled the kitchen with his prize.

My eyes darted up to the man standing in front of me, his forest-green eyes like a mental aloe vera cooling my burning temper. “You spoil him.”

“Nonsense. The boy not only helped me feed the hogs, he also mucked two of the stalls and rode Zip bareback.” James smirked, but he’d lost me at the mention of the three-year-old colt he’d only recently broken.

“You did not!” I scolded him.

“I did, and he did. You should be proud, Harps. The boy is going to make a fine ranch hand one day.” James smiled as he closed the distance between us.

I maintained my stern expression for as long as I could. But the moment those large, tattooed arms closed around me, I melted like butter. Looking up to him, I gave one last attempt at a glare before I caved. “You’re so good with him. Thank you.”

James shook his head, kissed me on the forehead, and patted my back before slapping me on the ass. “He’s a really good kid, Sera. Deserves a good dad, and I love him as if he were my own.”

“I know you do, and I’m grateful to you.” I smiled, kissing him back on his bearded jaw.

“You ready for our trail ride in the morning, Harps? I’ve got our packs all set to go, and Kearsten will be here at sunrise to watch over Alex.” James kissed me a final time before stepping over to the kitchen and pulling a can of Budweiser out, cracking it open and taking a long drink.

“You better be paying that girl!” I cast him a threatening look, waving the fork in my hand for emphasis before popping a piece of pork into my mouth.

My man could cook.

“Of course I’m paying her. Don’t worry about it, Harps.

You just make sure your feral ass is ready in the morning.

We’re setting out before sunrise,” he said as he followed the same path Alexander had taken a few moments ago.

“Hey, kiddo, how about an episode of our show before bed!” he yelled out, and then I heard the sound of his boots bounding up the stairs.

Over the past few months, it was like James had been reliving his own childhood by showing Alexander all of his favorite cartoons. The current series? Gargoyles. It melted my heart to watch my child and my man-child bonding.

The next morning, I learned that before sunrise really meant two hours before sunrise.

Thankfully, James had the foresight—and likely the strong sense of self-preservation—to wake me up with coffee in hand.

He’d been fully dressed, cowboy hat and all.

He’d let his beard grow out since we moved to Texas, abandoning the clean, trim appearance he’d sported when we first met.

Now he looked like a taller, tattooed Bradley Cooper.

And here I’d thought he couldn’t get any more attractive.

“Well, good morning, cowboy. Here to take me away?” I smiled while referencing one of my favorite country songs.

Stepping into the horse barn, I was not surprised to see that both our Friesians were saddled up and ready to go, just like he said they’d be.

Midnight, my mare, and Fury, his stallion, were both tied up in their respective stalls.

They were kind of our wedding presents to ourselves.

Between James’s parents’ life insurance and the money I surprisingly received after Micheal’s passing— it seemed he’d forgotten to remove me as his benefactor when we’d divorced —we had a very nice nest egg to rest on while we got the ranch back into proper order.

Nearly an hour later, James and I were well into our trail ride, much like the ones he’d take me on while we video-chatted.

It was a live-action retelling of what we both considered our first date when he’d taken me along for the entire ride one morning.

We’d watched the sun rise together, each amazed by the reality that as his sun was just rising, mine was at its peak—though hidden behind the typical dreary sky.

The majority of the six-hundred acre ranch was flat land.

However, part of it, especially near the Rio Grande, included the Sierra Blanca mountains, which was exactly where we were headed.

We spent most of the ride making small talk or pointing out the various wildlife around us while enjoying the rhythmic squeaking of the leather of the saddles.

When we reached one of the taller eastern mountains over the river, James dismounted and pulled two metal stakes from his saddle bag as well as a mallet.

“My parents used to come up here a lot. It’s actually where my dad proposed to Mama.

” He hammered one of the stakes into the ground, then hooked a long rope to the bottom of Fury’s bridle and secured it to the stake.

After repeating the process with Midnight, he guided me down.

“May not look like much, but it’s magical at the right time of day,” James said, releasing my hand and pulling the bed roll off the back of my saddle.

“I can imagine. The sun isn’t even up yet, and I think it’s lovely up here,” I said, stepping farther south, over to where I could peer down at the Rio Grande, Mexico just on the other side.

“Careful, baby girl. Make sure you watch your footing ?round here. Besides a nasty fall, you wouldn’t want to disturb a sleeping rattler,” he said from behind me, laying out the bed roll before grabbing a second one from his saddle and placing it on top.

“Fuck’s sake,” I cursed out, thankful that he’d been too preoccupied with the bedding to see me jump at the mention of rattlesnakes.

I’d yet to have a close encounter with one of those terrifying creatures, but the day I found a Texas tarantula in the bed, James had to fight me for hours to keep me from burning the main house down for a second time.

The sky was growing brighter, a mix of brilliant orange and reds, reflecting on the river below that seemed to wind and bend for eternity.

“Come lie down, Harps.”

I heard James’s smokey voice from behind me. I hadn’t even realized I’d zoned out. Turning back towards him, I went to accept his hand. Only to pause and start stripping off my clothes until I was standing bare in front of him. Then I took his still outstretched palm in mine.

He tried to guide me to his side, but I drop to my knees between his legs instead.

Casually skimming my hands along his waist as I undid his belt and jeans before pulling them down.

I smiled as I watched his length jump to attention.

Ready for me. Not wishing to waste any more time, I leaned forward and ran my tongue from base to tip.

Taking the entirety into my mouth while ensuring it was properly lubricated before shoving him down and quickly climbing on top of him.

I felt every inch of my cowboy—my hero—enter my core, his length penetrating me all the way to the hilt. “I want to put a baby inside you, baby girl,” he groaned as I started to slowly grind my hips.

“You already have, Daddy.” I wrapped my legs around his torso. I didn’t give him the opportunity to lift his arms, pinning them to his sides, his fingers just barely scratching my ass.

The sensation of his cock throbbing inside me sent an electrical current through my body, and all I wanted was more. James groaned with pleasure beneath me as I took charge, my movements as feral as any predator in these mountains.

Primal lust drove me to grind my hips more ferociously. His eyes pierced into mine, daring me onward, so I gripped the sides of his head. Another surge of electricity coursed through my body, and I lunged forward, pressing my lips against his. My tongue forcing its way inside his mouth.

The moment I felt him erupt inside my trembling core, I too let go. As his climax neared its end and he entered the overly sensitive stage of an orgasm, James managed to break free from my hold on his head.

You need to stay still so I can finish! I screamed at him internally.

Managing to regain my grip, I pinned his head back and was rewarded as the current hit me once more. This time granting me the orgasm I’d been working so hard to achieve.

“Don’t move, James. That’s a good boy,” I purred at him, my head casting a shadow over his face as the sun rose behind us.