Page 5 of Mutual Obsession (Rivals of Blackthorn #2)

A s I stand in the locker room, forcing myself to remain still, instead of pacing like the nervous wreck I am, I try to remind myself of all the reasons I came back here.

I knew it would not be easy, and that I’d have a lot of explaining to do. Hell, I even expected Miles to be pissed at me for the way I left things, but never, in all of my planning, did I expect to come back and find a different Miles to the one I left behind.

He looks the same as the boy I loved, though he’s definitely grown up and filled out. His dark hair and piercing blue eyes are still the same, but he’s a lot more muscular than before. He also has hard lines on his face that speak of how many years I’ve missed out on.

There’s a reason I never return to the same place twice, and am always running, and part of that is because I don’t want to face the people I leave behind.

Though there’s never really been anyone to leave behind before Miles.

He was my biggest mistake, and the greatest thing to ever happen to me, all rolled into one.

Seeing him for the first time in seven years last night caused a whole heap of emotions.

I felt this strange sense that I was finally home, and then he looked at me with hatred and anger, which I may completely deserve, but still never wanted to see.

It threw me for a loop, and I’ve spent the last few hours wondering if I made a mistake.

Jacob came running after me yesterday, wanting to make sure I was okay. He told me he was best friends with Marcus, who owns Caged, and is dating Jake’s sister, Chloe. I remember Miles mentioning Marcus, but not Jacob, yet he made it sound like they’d all been friends for many years.

Even though I was unsure about this random stranger chasing after me, given my firm dislike of people, it quickly became apparent that Jacob is one of those people that you can’t help but like.

He’s sweet, funny, and very caring, whilst also throwing in more than a few flirty, suggestive comments.

I thought his flirting would freak me out, but there’s something about his dirty-blonde hair, deep-chocolate eyes, and cheeky grin that made me feel at ease, which is something that hasn’t happened around people in a while—particularly men.

Even though Jacob was kind and sweet, I made it very clear to him that his flirting wouldn’t be reciprocated. I wanted him to know that if he’s only being nice to me to try and get into my knickers, he’s wasting his time.

He laughed, telling me he flirts with everyone, but that he’d try to keep it to a minimum with me.

Before I know it, I’m agreeing to hang out with him sometime—just as friends. Which is yet another thing I need to worry about, as Marcus made it very fucking clear when I started working at Caged that none of his staff were permitted to fraternise with other members of staff, or Jake.

I should be worried that he was actually named in the rule, but given we’re just going to be friends, it doesn’t seem relevant —or so I keep telling myself. My world is confusing enough right now, without adding new things into the mix.

My watch alerts me it’s time to put my game face on and start work. I take a deep breath as I step out of the locker room, clearing my mind of all the many issues that are flooding my brain, so I can at least attempt to do a good job.

I grab a cleaning cloth and spray from behind the bar, and begin wiping off all the tables, so they’re ready for when we open shortly. I’m so lost in the monotonous job that I don’t hear Miles walk in. It’s not until the door slams behind him, making me jump, that I look up.

He’s still as gorgeous as before, but now he’s wearing a scowl that makes him look angry.

That combined with his dark jeans, black shirt, and leather jacket seems to exude danger.

Men that are angry and dangerous are a lethal combination, yet I don’t feel even a bit of the usual fear I have around men.

“In my office, now!” he shouts, before storming off towards the office he has next to Marcus’.

I place down my cleaning supplies, and with a sigh, I trail after him. As soon as I’m through the door, he slams it closed and pushes me against it. I let out a startled yelp as he steps closer, crowding me.

“Why are you here? Why did you come back?” he growls.

Even though I can hear the hurt in his words, his anger and the disdain he’s aiming at me has me unsettled. I came back because I trusted that the Miles I knew would help me, but this isn’t the boy I knew. I’m not sure if I can open up to him, so instead, I stay silent.

If I’m going to tell him my biggest secret, I need to trust him, and at this moment in time, I don’t. He’s got his reasons for why he’s being like this, but part of me hoped he’d understand.

Even though I know it’ll make matters worse, I lie to him. “I’m here to make money. It’s not like I knew you worked here.”

“Why are you fucking lying about your name?”

I close my eyes, hating the way he’s looking at me. I don’t need anybody else’s help to make myself feel like shit. “I’m not lying about my name.”

“Bullshit!” he snaps, forcing me to open my eyes and meet his furious gaze. “The paperwork you submitted when you applied to work here features a different name to the one you gave me…before.”

“Look, my name is Indie. Deena and Dee are nicknames. I’m currently using my mother’s maiden name, as I changed it when she did.” The lie falls off my tongue as easily as all the other times I’ve told it.

I can’t exactly tell him I change my surname regularly, can I? That would make me look even more suspicious than I do right now.

Besides, the part about my first name is partly true. I was born Indianna, and Indie, Deena, and Dee are all nicknames of that. I guess it’s good I was given such a versatile name, as trying to remember a new name with each new place is hard.

“You’re a liar,” he sneers, stalking towards me.

My back is pressed firmly against the door, and I have nowhere to go as he gets closer. Tears I had been trying hard to stop from falling trail down my cheeks, as my heart breaks with the way he’s looking at me. I never thought there’d be a day when Miles would look at me with this much hatred.

“I’m not lying.” The words sound choked, and I know he doesn’t believe me.

He lets out a humourless laugh. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll just run your fingerprints and your DNA to find out who you really are.”

My heart stops, and I can’t seem to catch my breath. Fear slithers through my veins like ice, terrifying me to my core. I shake my head rapidly, the tears falling faster now as panic grabs hold of me.

“No, please. P-please, don’t d-do that. Y-you ca-can’t,” I stutter, struggling to breathe.

His eyes narrow on me, and just for a fraction of a second, he seems shocked by my reaction, but his anger returns quickly. “Why?”

I try frantically to catch my breath, but the panic becomes too much and a sob escapes. “You can’t. Please. Please, don’t do that.”

“That’s not a reason.” I’m not sure if his voice sounds softer, or if it’s just my wishful thinking.

I meet his gaze, hoping he can see how desperate I am as I say, “I’m asking you to do me a favour, please.”

He closes his eyes, screwing them tightly shut, before he slams his hand against the wall beside my head. I yelp in shock, and his eyes spring open.

“I don’t owe you anything. Do you have any idea how much you broke me, and now you stand here asking me for a favour? You don’t get to do that.”

His voice breaks at the end, betraying how he really feels. His anger is a front for the hurt he’s still carrying around. Pain is something I’m more than familiar with, as it has plagued me for the last seven years, since I left him.

“I’m so sorry. I never meant to hurt you.” I know the words will never be enough, but I hope he can hear how much I fucking mean them.

His face scrunches, like he’s in pain, warring with himself over how to respond.

He leans a little closer, and I can feel his breath against my face.

I hold my breath, my heart racing from how close he is.

The heat from his body warms me, and I want desperately to throw my arms around his neck, like I used to.

The air seems to crackle around us as we stand there staring at each other, neither even daring to breathe in case it fractures the moment we’ve found ourselves in.

Out of nowhere, we hear banging on the door behind us. The door handle jiggles, but doesn’t open, as it automatically locked when it slammed shut. I feel the door trembling behind me, and the noise is enough to burst our bubble.

Miles takes a small step back, the intensity that was in his gorgeous eyes just a moment ago is replaced by the coldness I’ve seen since coming back. My heart sinks as the distance between us grows again.

“What the hell is going on in there? Open this door, right now. I heard the bang,” Jake shouts from the other side.

Miles rolls his eyes as he lets out a groan. “Fuck off, Pretty Boy.”

“No,” Jakes snaps as he bangs against the door again, no doubt trying to force it open. “I swear to fuck, I will break this door down if you don’t let me in, and you know Marcus will be pissed, so I’ll make sure he knows it was all your fault, Miles.”

Miles massages his temples, like Jake is giving him a headache. Then, before I know it, he grabs hold of my waist and drags me away from the door, pulling it open as soon as I’m out of the way.

Jake, who was about to ram his shoulder against it again, stumbles into the room, cursing loudly. I don’t even stop to make sure he’s okay; I shake off Miles’ hold on me and run away. I can’t hold back the tears, as they trail down my face, sobs wracking my body.

I knew coming back here would be hard, but I never thought it would be like this.

I was expecting him to be mad, but the boy I knew was forgiving.

He would have heard my story, accepted my apology, and then I’d have been able to tell him why I’m here.

But that boy is long gone, and now I’m not sure if there’s anyone who will ever be able to help me.

I came back here after being on the run for nine years, because I finally thought I’d found someone I could trust, who would actually be able to help me.

Now I know about the life Miles and Marcus live, I’m sure they have the connections to assist me, and Miles is the only person I’ve ever trusted, so coming here gave me hope.

Hope that I could stop running, stop living in fear, and finally have the life I’d always wanted.

Now that hope has gone, and I’m not sure what I’m going to do.