Page 14 of His Darkest Obsession

Her lips part, and I know what's coming next.

She's about to scream.

5

INDIGO

What the actual fuck?

My heart stops at the sight of Anatoly standing in my home. One foot in my bedroom and the other foot in the hallway. His presence fills the narrow hallway of my apartment, broad shoulders nearly touching both walls. The same shoulders that shielded me from bullets yesterday.

He's been in my mind ever since we parted ways yesterday, and I was still thinking about him even when I dropped Amara off at school.

But to see him here in my home.

Coming out ofmybedroom.

Is he coming to finish the job?

My fingers curl into my palms, and my nails leave biting crescents into my skin. The same primal fight-or-flight response from yesterday floods my system.

And somehow, I do neither.

I should run. I should scream. I should call for help.

But my voice stays trapped in my throat, even as he closes the distance between us faster than I expect.

I part my lips to scream, but before I can make a sound, he closes the distance between us. A large palm clamps down around my mouth while a powerful arm wraps around my waist to drag me back inside.

I try to kick, but all it does is slam the door shut before us.

Just like that, I'm alone with him.

My pulse races. His chest is flush against my back, solid and warm. And as much as I'm struggling to repress the panic clawing at my throat, I also feel heat bubbling up in my belly.

I try to twist away, but he holds me tighter. His breath fans hot against my ear, and his light and soapy scent tinged with a hint of cloves hits my nose again. Every point of contact between us burns like fire, sending sparks of unexpected desire shooting through my veins.

Why is my body betraying me like this?

My mind screams danger while my traitorous heart pounds with something else entirely. Something I thought I'd buried deep enough that it would never surface again.

Want.

Need.

And then his lips brush my ear, and his voice reverberates through me.

"I'm not here to hurt you Indigo," he whispers. "I'm here to protect you."

Like hell you are.

Without second thought, I bite down on his palm hard enough to draw blood. Anatoly jerks back with a curse, and I scramble away, my heart thundering in my chest.

Run. Get help. Do something.

But where? He's standing between me and the front door. The fire escape is through the bedroom, but he's blocking that too.

He lunges for me again. His hands catch my waist, and gravity shifts as we lose our balance together. The back of my knees hit the couch, and suddenly we're falling. Springs creak under our combined weight as he catches himself above me, caging me between his arms.