Page 9 of Deadly Obsession

SIX

SERA

“All right, spill the tea about you and James!” Lyndsey demanded, her arms crossed over her chest. She’d arrived not long after the four of us moved into one of the two rooms so that Lola and Danielle could start unpacking, while we got each other all caught up on the gossip.

“He just came up here to make sure I was safe, since I was all alone in a new place. You know him, quite the over-protective big brother type.” I laughed nervously, knowing that I wouldn’t even buy that was all there was to it.

All of a sudden, my folded hands in my lap were so interesting that I couldn’t be bothered to look up at my friends.

“No point in holding anything back. I know he hit up Danielle forever ago to make sure she wouldn’t come up here early with you.” Lyndsey smiled and leaned against the wall, and I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks.

“Oh my god, I fucking knew it, bitch!” Lola’s eyes felt like they were burning into me and her tone seemed… resentful almost? “I told you girls!” In the blink of an eye, Lola was sitting beside me on the bed without leaving any space to breathe.

Before I had the opportunity to move, Danielle was on my other side.

“You two have been sharing each other’s content a lot more!

I wasn’t surprised when he told me he planned on surprising you,” she added, her voice sweet like honey with an American southern drawl that I couldn’t deny still did something to me.

It complemented her strawberry-blond hair and brilliant freckles.

The sight of her had always made me feel some strange way, and at one point, we’d entertained the idea of being more .

In the end, we’d established we were best as good friends.

But sitting here beside her put other thoughts in my mind. Thoughts I couldn’t shake.

Jade dropped down on the bed across from me, White Claw in hand while appearing hesitant to speak but she did anyway.

“Actually, Sera, I wasn’t going to say anything.

It’s not really my business at all but…” She paused to look around at the other girls, then seemed to non-verbally add: since everyone else is.

“He doesn’t really share everyone else’s stuff nearly as much, and I don’t think he’s even collabed with any of my videos before, yet he’s done so with many of yours.

I’m not complaining. Honestly, I think it’s cute.

” She got quieter towards the end, as if she suddenly regretted having said anything at all or maybe she was just afraid she was being rude.

Jade was an inch or so taller than I was with a slightly heavy build, dark hair, the friendliest smile, and the sweetest voice to go along with it.

The other girls and I had been telling her that she should get into voice acting or narrating for months now, but she was far too shy.

I loved that about her, truthfully. While Danielle was certainly my best girlfriend in the group, Jade was a close second.

Though I’d never tell the other girls that.

They were all amazing in their own right.

“Well, he’s really… sweet and caring and affectionate and strong and?—”

I was beginning to trail off when Lola slapped a hand down on my thigh. “Oh my god, you fucked him! ”

Lacking any sort of poker face, I could feel my cheeks heating up and bit down on my lower lip.

“I fucking knew it when I went upstairs to check out the main room and found his bags and mask in the closet. You’re lucky I love you, Sera, but you better believe I’m using that tub!” Lyndsey said, my eyes widening as my mind trailed back to what he’d done for me in that same tub last night.

“Um, yeah, of course,” I managed to let out softly.

Perhaps sensing my discomfort, Danielle turned the focus on Lyndsey. “So how about you and Mr. MaskedSurfer?” She was referring to Robert. “You two have a nice drive up here? Make any stops on the way?” she asked in a teasing tone.

Lyndsey scoffed, pushing herself off the wall to sit beside Jade on the other bed before leaning over.

Lowering her voice to ensure only the five of us could hear.

“It wasn’t horrible, but if I had to listen to him sing one more song or crack one more joke about giving him road head, I was going to throw myself out of the car. ”

All of our eyes snapped up to meet hers.

Lyndsey shrugged, pushed her purchased double-Ds up in the air, and licked her lips. “Well, it did pass the time, and we are on holiday as Sera says, and since she also already has her claws in James…”

The room exploded into laughter, teasing, and questions.

“Erghmm.”

Lost in conversation, we hadn’t even noticed the towering figure in the doorway. All five of our mouths clamped shut and we looked over in perfect sync. And there, leaning against the doorframe, was James. His arms crossed over the chest of his white V-neck shirt.

“You ladies getting settled in all right?” The smirk on his face was brilliant. Who knew how long he’d been standing there just listening? How many times could I blush in one day?

Lyndsey was the first of us to snap out of the shock of being caught mid-gossip as well as the brief daydream I know we were all having while taking in his image. “James, there you are! We were just talking about you. How dare you corrupt our sweet, innocent Sera!”

“I reckon I may have… Got a little something on the corner of your mouth there, by the way,” he responded in a teasing tone that hinted at how long he’d been listening to us.

“Ass.” Her hand shot up to cover her mouth as she likely did a quick lick of her lips.

He let out a low chuckle as he peeled off the doorframe.

“Was just going to let you ladies know I’ll be grilling tonight.

Brought plenty of stuff up the mountain.

Just wanted to make sure no one’s got any crazy allergies before I start seasoning and marinating.

” After a moment, he nodded, taking our silence for his answer.

His eyes locked on to me briefly before he stepped away and out of sight. “Right then, as you were, ladies.”

“Fuck me, the Texan accent on that man’s gravelly voice… Fuck, Sera, you’re going to share him, right? Like, we can take turns doing threesomes? They’re fun—trust me,” Lola said while shamelessly drooling over James.

“Lord Almighty, Lola, ease off. This isn’t one of our books,” Jade cut in before I could even think of a response.

Later that afternoon, everyone had broken up to do their own thing. Lola and Lyndsey were going live on TikTok in the den area. The two of them together looked like they could have been the real-life Glinda and Elphaba from Wicked with their contrasting styles.

Meanwhile, Jade, Danielle, and I were outside at the stone patio area beside the large stream that ran behind the cabin, each with our own book. It was a cozy spot with multiple chairs placed around a large stone firepit.

The boys were all hanging out on the deck just above us, where James was getting ready to fire up the grill, while Brian and Robert offered crucial support from the sidelines as they continued with what must have been their fourth or perhaps sixth beer of the day.

The peaceful sound of the rippling water and the gentle breeze rustling the towering trees above us made for the perfect ambience for reading. The same autumn breeze that also sent a shiver over me.

“Bit chilly…” I said, setting my book down in my lap so that I could take the ends of each sleeve and pull them farther down.

“Isn’t it? We need to get a fire going. Is there any firewood?” Danielle stood and made her way over to me before pausing to look towards the cabin. “Hmmm, it would seem we have plenty of firewood. Just need someone for the labor,” she said in a mischievous tone.

Turning in my seat to follow her gaze, I spotted a large pile of logs, none of which looked cut up or moveable. “Well, shit…” I said under my breath.

“Oh, don’t worry. We just need to use our feminine powers.” Danielle giggled, moving my book aside before dropping down into my lap.

I felt my cheeks burn crimson at her sudden closeness. The warm, floral scent of her perfume dancing around me. Instinctively, my right hand moved to rest on the small of her back, just under her sweater.

We exchanged one long, tense look before she broke the silence, peering up at the deck above us and calling out, “Oh, boys, could one of you big strong men come chop some of this wood and help get us a fire going? Pretty please? We’re getting cold.”

In case her plea wasn’t enough encouragement, Danielle wrapped her arms around my head and pulled my face to her chest. She shuddered, really selling our certain demise.

What the guys wouldn’t be able to see from this angle was how much heat was growing in my core or the claw marks I was undoubtedly making on her back.