Page 41 of Mutual Obsession (Rivals of Blackthorn #2)

Indie walks over to where he’s sitting and kneels between his legs. She places her hand over his, squeezing it to get his attention. The smile she gives him is so sweet, I almost feel like I’m spying on a private moment.

“I know, and I’m grateful for you looking out for me,” she tells him, meaning every word.

Indie then leans forward and presses a sweet kiss to Jake’s lips, and as she pulls away, he seems to breathe a sigh of relief. It also appears to have helped calm Indie too, as when she straightens up, she pulls her shoulders back, as though steeling her nerves.

“Okay, I’m ready to get back to work,” she states confidently, her voice not shaking in the slightest.

As soon as she turns to walk towards the door, Jake shouts, “No!” We both turn to look at him, stunned by his outburst. “You should go home and rest,” he says in a normal volume.

Indie glares at him, shaking her head. “I don’t need to rest. I’m feeling fine now, so I can get back to work.”

Jake tries to say more, but I cut him off, stopping him before he says something he can’t undo. “There’s no reason she can’t go back to work. You saw how quickly my security team reacted. She will be safe.”

Jake scoff, looking furious. “They didn’t stop that twatwaffle from putting his hand on her in the first place.”

Indie takes a step towards Jake, her expression twisting into one that’s equally as mad. “In case you missed it, I took care of myself. I didn’t need security.”

“You shouldn’t have to do that,” Jake shouts, pushing to his feet, as his cheeks flush red in anger.

I take a step towards him, holding my hand out in a way that demands he stop and shut the fuck up. When he does, I turn to Indie. “Are you sure you feel well enough to go back to work?”

She nods. “I’m sure.”

Without thinking, I take a step forward and kiss her. It’s a deep, passionate, claiming kiss, and I don’t know what possessed me to do it, but I don’t regret it. It’s like I just reacted, doing what felt natural, and given the way Indie returns my kiss, she must feel the same.

It’s only a short kiss, over before it’s even really begun, but there was enough passion to heat my body and make my dick throb. And the shy smile on Indie’s face when I pull back is blinding.

“If you need us, we’ll be here,” I tell her as she turns to leave.

She thanks me as she opens the door, giving us both one final look before she walks out, closing it behind her. Once we’re alone, I turn back to Jake. He’s a bundle of nervous energy, looking like he’s moments away from exploding.

I take a step towards him and his nostrils flare, anger vibrating off him as he snarls at me. “How could you let her just leave like that?”

I resist the urge to roll my eyes at his dramatics, but I do steel my expression, so he can see I won’t tolerate him taking his anger out on me. “She’s a grown woman who has been looking after herself for a long time before we came along. She made the decision, I just supported her.”

He shuffles from one foot to the other, his hands balled into fists, as he slowly walks towards me. “I thought the whole idea was that we’d look after her now, or are you not really all in with us?”

“Jacob,” I snap in a warning.

“You’ve kept your feelings pretty close to your chest. It’s like you have one foot in, but the other is still out the door, giving you that out whenever you need it.”

His words come out like a hiss, and they hit deeper than I’d have liked. He must be able to see the shock on my face as he freezes. He’s no longer advancing towards me, but that doesn’t make me feel any less trapped.

He’s a lot closer to the truth than I’d like.

As any caged animal would do when poked, I lash out.

“Fuck you! You’re not the one who got their heart broken by two people, who are both now expecting me to just forgive and forget.

You want me to trust you with my heart, when the last time I did that, it almost fucking killed me. ”

With each fierce word, I stalk towards him, letting him see the emotions behind what I’m saying. When his face crumples, I don’t feel bad. He wanted to see the truth…well, this is it.

I keep moving towards him, even when he retreats, trying to get away from me. His back hits the wall behind him, but I keep coming, moving deliberately slow, so he has to watch each agonising step.

His eyes widen and his jaw is set, like he’s gritting his teeth, no doubt regretting starting this argument. When my body is pressed against his, my breath fluttering across his face with each angry pant, I glare at him, challenging him to respond.

“I… We didn’t…” Jake trails off, not able to find the words to finish his sentence.

I slam my palm onto the wall beside his head, not caring as pain shoots down my arm. Jake flinches, his eyes frantically flicking over my face, trying to work out what to do.

“I don’t want to hear your fucking excuse, Jacob.

You wanted to argue, now we’re here. Do you want me to say that you care about Indie more than I do?

Do you want me to say that the idea of letting you both in is the scariest things I’ve fucking done?

What the fuck do you want from me?” I snarl, my voice raising with each ridiculous question.

“I know you care about Indie as much as I do,” he whispers, blush spreading across his cheeks.

Although he looks adequately chastised, I can’t back down. He got far too close to the truth before, and now my nerves are on edge, and I can’t hold back.

“Fine, so you don’t think I’m committed enough? You asked for more time and I fucking gave it to you, but when I ask for it, it’s me putting one foot out of the fucking door.”

Jake shakes his head rapidly, his chocolate eyes shining with unshed tears as he looks at me in a panic. “I’m sorry. I was angry, and I said things I didn’t mean.”

I press my body against his, ignoring the way he feels beneath me. “But you did mean it. You think I don’t want this.”

He drops his gaze down to the floor, scared to make eye contact with me, but I’m not having any of that. While I keep one hand on the wall, caging him in, I lift the other up to his neck.

Wrapping my large fingers around his throat, I press down just enough to cause a bit of pain, but mostly to get his attention.

His wide-eyed gaze shoots back up to meet mine, but he doesn’t struggle against my grip. If anything, he slightly rocks his pelvis, letting me feel just how much he’s enjoying my proximity.

“Answer me,” I snarl, pressing harder on his throat, until he begins talking.

“I think you do want this, but you’re scared. I get that. We haven’t done anything to earn back your trust yet, but we’re trying,” Jake says, his voice deep and breathy.

There’s a fire in his eyes as he glances down at where my hand is wrapped around his neck, and it’s like I can feel his heat trickling down my arm, flowing through my blood, burning me as it goes.

In that moment, the tension in the room seems to shift to something sexual, and it’s so heady it makes my head spin. I’m suddenly aware of how close we are, and how much control he’s allowing me to have right now.

His eyes are locked on mine, and I watch intently as I squeeze my fingers in just the right way, cutting off the blood supply to his brain. Although his eyes widen in panic, there’s an almost blissful edge to them, too.

I rock my hips, letting him feel exactly how much I’m enjoying this level of control, and I have to fight to hold back a moan when I rub against his length, which is just as hard.

“You look so fucking pretty wearing my necklace like this,” I tell him, watching in delight when his eyes flutter closed.

As his eyes open again, he quickly lifts his hands and wraps his fingers around my wrist. He doesn’t pull my hand away from his throat, but his grip is enough to let me know that the blood supply to his brain is diminishing.

Right now, I imagine he’s feeling on top of the fucking world. His head will be spinning, the kind of dizziness that makes you feel light-headed. He may even be seeing spots in his vision, letting him know he’s close to passing out.

When his fingernails press into my flesh, leaving their half-moon marks, his eyes turn frantic. I see the moment this has switched from something highly erotic, to him thinking I’m going to do this until he passes out.

Although my grip is mostly squashing the vessels that feed his brain, I’m also putting slight pressure on his windpipe, which is making it harder to draw in air. I’m sure his lungs are burning at this stage, too.

“Do you trust me?” I ask him suddenly, both of us remembering what brought about this argument.

He can’t move much given his limited position, but he nods his head to say yes. I didn’t need the movement, I can see by the way he looks at me that he means it, and my heart races.

Jacob is a powerful man, and although it’s not a position he loves or embraces as much as he should, he would never allow anyone to have power over him like this.

He’d have killed them already, yet he’s showing me just how much he trusts me.

He’s willing to be vulnerable with me, to submit to me, and that’s a gift I don’t take lightly.

I release the pressure on his neck just enough for him to pull in a few quick, desperate breaths, but before he can gather his composure, I slam my lips against his.

I keep my hand wrapped around his neck, but this time it’s more of a caressing, dominating gesture, as I don’t play with his air or blood flow. I use it to let him know I’m still in charge, and given the way he opens to give my tongue the entry it seeks, he’s willing to submit to me.

Jake grabs hold of my hips and pulls me even closer, slamming our bodies together, so our cocks rub against one another. We’re both moaning into each other’s mouth, not breaking our deep, passionate kiss for anything.