Page 24 of Mutual Obsession (Rivals of Blackthorn #2)

A fter spending the day with Indie, my mind is reeling. What started as an off-hand comment is quickly growing into something more in the crazy workings of my brain. It consumed my thoughts on the drive home, and given Indie’s silence, I can’t help but wonder if she was thinking about it too.

Could both me and Indie be in a relationship with Miles? Could the three of us really share each other?

I like Indie a lot, and the more time I spend with her, those feelings grow. Although it’s clear she’s holding a lot back, I can tell she’s giving me as much as she can, helping us to get to know each other.

But whenever we’re together, it really feels like there’s something missing. I’ve not been able to put my finger on—until now. When we were at the zoo, and we started talking about Miles, that niggling feeling disappeared. It was almost like he was supposed to be with us.

It’s been ten years since that fucking awful night at prom, and I’m still just as confused by my feelings for Miles, if not moreso. I’ve tried ignoring them, drinking and doing drugs to numb them, fucking random women to replace them, but nothing works…the feelings are always there.

Miles is always in my thoughts, particularly since he agreed to be my sober companion, and we’ve been spending time together like we used to do when we were friends.

Unfortunately, all the reasons why I pushed Miles away ten years ago are still very much present, with more added on. Now, he’s the Head Bodyguard for my rival, which is a massive conflict of interest, and very much against the rules of the peace treaty.

Employees of both the Santoros and the Morellis are forbidden from mixing.

We need to be sure that when shit hits the fan, they’ll protect the family they’re hired by, not the rival member they’re fucking.

Those rules are in place for a reason, and as our leader, I can hardly break the rule I make all my employees abide by.

Besides, my family is still massively homophobic, and their expectation that I marry soon and produce an heir has not changed. If anything, they’re becoming more vocal about it the older I get.

All of these issues ring loudly in my head and confuse me greatly. Does it even matter how I feel when these obstacles are still very much there?

Right now, my main task is to get Miles to stop acting like a dick and have him talk to Indie.

She’s back for a reason, because she needs help, and I’m not sure I’ll be able to get her to trust me quickly enough to tell me what the issue is.

Whereas, for some inexplicable reason, despite him behaving like a bellend, she still trusts him.

As I watch Indie leave Caged’s car park, my sole intention is to track Miles down to talk to him.

He doesn’t have to forgive her, he just has to talk to her.

So, imagine my surprise when I walk towards the entrance to the club and see Miles in the shadows, leaning against the wall farthest away from the door.

He’s got an unreadable expression on his face, but his gaze is fixed on me. “Did you have a nice date? It didn’t look like much of a goodnight kiss, so it can’t have been that good,” he says sarcastically.

I count in my head, focusing on my breathing in a way that would make my counsellors proud. He’s really testing my fucking patience, but he knows that.

“Cut the bullshit,” I snap, glaring at him as I approach. “Talk to me like an adult.”

I don’t stop until I’m right in front of him, much closer than is needed, and I see him tense when he realises he’s trapped between me and the wall.

“Maybe I don’t want to talk,” Miles retorts, sounding more petty than usual.

I give him my best smirk. “As someone undergoing therapy, we both know it’s good to talk.”

Miles rolls his eyes as he places his hands on my chest and pushes, trying to force me out of his personal space. But I’m stronger than I look, and he didn’t put anywhere near enough effort in, so I don’t even take a step back.

Miles looks annoyed, his nose scrunching in a way that I definitely should not find cute. Like any caged animal, he begins to lash out. “Fine then, let’s talk. How long did it take before she let you fuck her? Did you have to put a bit more effort in than you do with your usual whores?”

I know he’s just trying to wind me up, but fuck if I don’t want to punch him all over again for implying Indie is a whore. Hasn’t he noticed how touch-averse she is, or how she struggles to let people get close to her?

I begin counting again, focusing on keeping calm, as I know that will annoy Miles even more. He’s looking for a fight, but he won’t find it here.

“You’re a fucking idiot. I don’t know what Indie was like when you knew her, but the girl I’m getting to know is definitely not a whore. She’s shy, she tries to keep to the background so nobody notices her, and she fucking flinches if people get too close.

“She doesn’t like to be touched, and it took me far longer than normal before she trusted me enough to even give her a hug or hold her hand. I’m sure you’ve noticed that much,” I tell him, shaking my head in frustration at his ridiculous behaviour.

Miles has the good sense to look ashamed as he drops his gaze down to the floor.

“She never really spoke about it, but she was the same when I knew her. It took a lot for her to trust me, and we had to take things really slow at first. When we’d done something once, and she trusted me, then it became easier.

“We never got to a stage where I could ask her about it, but she promised to tell me one day, when the time was right, but that never happened. She left before she could.”

At the mention of her leaving, his voice breaks and his expression becomes closed off all over again. I reach over and hook my fingers under his chin, forcing him to lift his gaze to meet mine.

“Haven’t you been wondering why she’s back?” I ask, silently begging him to have this conversation with me.

I can tell by the way his bright-blue eyes sparkle, he wants to know, but he shifts his gaze to look anywhere except at me, as he lifts his chin stubbornly. “No,” he grunts.

I can’t help but chuckle at his fucking childish behaviour. “She came back looking for you, because she needs your help.”

Miles’ gaze snaps up to meet mine, and an array of emotions flash across his face. Even though I’m hopeful, I’m not surprised when he settles on anger. He pushes me with more force this time, and I stumble back, giving him the opening to walk away.

He’s not running from me this time, I think to myself as I quickly catch up to him.

I grab him by the arm and pull him around the side of the club, into the dark alley that runs around to the back. There’s a fence that cordons off the employee-only section that’s on the other side.

The alley is dark, entrenched in shadows and full of silence, since nobody is around. The queue to get in goes around the opposite side of the club, so other than the odd delivery driver, or lost drunk, nobody comes down here.

I slam Miles against the brick wall, but this time, I press my body against his to hold him in place. Before I can even get a word out, Miles lets his anger loose.

“I don’t fucking care why she’s back. She left. She has no fucking right to turn up here after seven bastard years and ask for my help. Not after the bloody pain she caused me,” he shouts, his face flushing with the force of his emotions.

At the mention of how much Indie hurt him, Miles seems to sag in my hold, looking more lost than I’ve ever seen him. He’s wearing a look of heartbreak that I’m all too familiar with, and my chest aches for him.

I reach up and place my hand on his cheek, lifting his head gently, so that he looks at me. My heart races when he leans into my palm, almost like he’s pulling strength from my touch.

I try to keep my voice soft and gentle, so I don’t ruin the moment.

“I know she hurt you, and she probably has no right to ask for your help, but she is. It must have taken a lot for her to come back here, to face you, knowing what she did to you and how you’d feel. I’m guessing it’s something serious.”

His beautiful blue eyes search mine. He looks like he’s finally listening, considering what I’m saying.

“Why can’t you just help her?” he asks, sounding almost desperate.

I shrug my shoulders as I rub my thumb over his cheek.

I’m not sure if the gesture is comforting for him or me.

“I would, but she doesn’t trust me enough yet to tell me.

That might change one day, but I don’t know if her issue is time-sensitive.

So I thought I’d appeal to the guy who is always kind and caring to others.

The guy who put his own feelings aside to help me when I needed it the most.”

His eyes widen before he squeezes them shut, almost as though he can’t bring himself to look at me when I say things like that. I’m suddenly very aware that my body is pressed against his, and my mind flashes back to the last time we were so close.

His body has changed; he’s more muscular now and just a little taller, but he’s still the same in so many ways. His skin is still soft and smooth, except for the slight stubble underneath my thumb, his lips are pink and perfectly kissable, and his bright-blue eyes still seem to see into my soul.

Miles takes a shuddered breath, pulling me out of the past. “It’s not the same,” he whispers.

I let out a sigh, dropping my hand from his cheek, as I take a step back. It’s too fucking painful to be this close to him and hear how much she meant to him.

“I know what happened between us isn’t the same,” I snap, sounding bitter. “I know you loved her, and you were in a proper relationship before she left. Obviously, she hurt you more, because of how much you loved her, but I still hoped you’d do the right thing.”

Miles’ gaze snaps up to meet mine, and he looks incredibly confused. “Do you think I said it’s different because I was in love with her when she hurt me, but I wasn’t with you?”