Page 71 of Mutual Obsession (Rivals of Blackthorn #2)

Marcus shifts his gaze from Chloe to me, and although he’s softened, he’s wearing an expression I never thought I’d see aimed at me. He looks confused, angry, and sad, but there’s also a hint of betrayal there that breaks my fucking heart.

It’s not a good enough explanation, not by a long shot, but I reply with some version of the truth. “I’m sorry. I just reacted in the moment.”

Marcus’ gaze darkens as he shakes his head with a snarl. “Bollocks. You work best under pressure and always have. You think clearly when others don’t. You chose to save him.”

I shake my head, although I’m not sure if the denial is aimed at him or me. “It wasn’t a conscious choice. I heard the gunshot, panicked, and ran at Jake.”

I leave out the part where I was fucking terrified for him. That all my brain could think about was how fucking devastated I’d be if I lost him after finally getting him after all these years.

Marcus looks furious with my response, and I can tell by the way he’s glaring at me, his nostrils flaring, he doesn’t buy my excuses for a second.

“You are my fucking security, Miles. I pay you to protect me. I should have been your first fucking thought. I always have been in the past, so what’s changed? ”

As soon as he vocalises the last question, the implication hangs heavily in the air. His gaze turns more inquisitive, like he’s trying to read what I’m not saying aloud. The thing is, we’ve been friends for such a long time, it wouldn’t surprise me that he’s able to read me like a book.

Although Jake is the only thing I’ve ever hidden from him, and I’ve been hiding him for so long, I should be good at it by now.

I drop my gaze to the floor, not able to keep eye contact with him while he’s looking at me like that. Like he’s trying to see into my soul. To see all the secrets I’m trying so hard to keep.

Marcus takes another step closer , and I can feel the heat of his glare on me as he growls, “I swear to fuck, I’m going to shoot you if you don’t start talking right now.”

“Marcus,” Chloe screeches, and I look up just in time to see her staring at her boyfriend, appalled by what he just said.

Marcus winces, and has the good sense to look ashamed, but when he sees I’m no longer staring at the ground, he turns his attention back to me. I let out a long sigh when I realise he won’t let this go.

“If I tell you this, you have to promise to keep it to yourselves. Particularly you, Chloe,” I say sternly, hoping they can see how serious I am with my expression.

Chloe looks a bit startled, but is quick to nod and agree. Marcus, on the other hand, remains closed off and cagey, having no doubt worked out at least a little of what I’m about to say.

I wonder for a moment if there’s any way I can get out of this.

After all, it’s not just my secret to tell, and Chloe is Jacob’s sister.

This should have been a discussion we had long before today, but it wasn’t, and now I have to do what I think is best. I just hope, like fuck, we can all withstand the fallout.

“I’m in a relationship with both Indie and Jacob. Well, more specifically, we are all in a relationship with each other,” I say, watching as both Marcus and Chloe’s expressions shift to one of shock and confusion.

I explain as much of the story as I can, leaving out the intimate details they don’t need to know about. I tell them about what happened between me and Jake when we were teenagers, and how Jake left me after prom.

Chloe pulls away from Marcus, her eyes and mouth both wide as she takes my hand in hers.

“I’m so sorry Jake did that to you. You didn’t deserve that.

Honestly, it explains a lot about why he fell into addiction.

We knew something triggered his substance misuse, but we never could work out what it was. ”

I hang my head in shame as I think about all the heartbreak my feelings for Jake caused back then. When we were teens, neither of us knew how to deal with them properly, but I never expected Jake to go off the rails the way he did.

“I’m sorry. I never meant to be the cause of his addiction,” I mumble, shame and guilt overwhelming me.

Chloe squeezes my hand tight until I look up at her and see the small smile she’s giving me. “You are not to blame. Are you the reason he’s been so happy recently?”

Flush spreads over my cheeks as I give her a slight nod. “Well, me and Indie.”

“Then I’m happy for you all,” she states proudly, like it’s just that easy. Her smile slips a little as she adds, “Though I don’t think my family will feel the same way, unfortunately.”

I let out a deep sigh as she confirms what I already knew. I’ve met the Santoros enough times to know Chloe is right. Though their opinion matters to Jake, I’m more concerned about the people who matter to me.

I turn to face my best friend, who has remained silent this whole time. He no longer looks furious with me, and I can finally breathe easier knowing that. In true Marcus style, he doesn’t give much away with his expression, so I give him the time to find the words.

After a few minutes of tense silence, he lets out a huff. “I’m not bothered who you date, as long as they make you happy. What worries me is whether you can keep doing this job, given your conflict of interests.”

My heart stutters at the thought of losing this job, my nerves sparking as fear puts me on edge. Although Courtney now lives with Maximus, I still see her as my responsibility, and I can’t afford to lose this job.

Not only that, I love my job… I can’t even think about doing anything else.

“I can do this job. Today was just a one-off, and it won’t happen again,” I rush out, talking quicker than normal.

Marcus shakes his head, his mouth in a tight line. “You don’t know that. You said it yourself, you acted on instinct. Protecting Jacob was your first thought, which I totally understand now that I know how you feel about him, but it doesn’t change the fact you left me unprotected.”

“I can’t lose this job. Please, don’t fire me, Marcus,” I tell him, hating how fucking desperate I sound.

Chloe lets go of my hand and turns to face Marcus, who looks almost pained. “Look, when word gets out that Miles is with Jacob, it may put a target on both of their backs. Why not make Miles’ role more managerial?

“Have him train the rest of your security staff, and assign someone else to be your main bodyguard. That way, Miles can keep his job as Head of Security, and you’ll have protection at all times.”

Marcus is silent for a minute, just looking at his girlfriend as he considers her suggestion. After what feels like fucking ages, his whole body seems to deflate as a small smiles crosses his face. “That’s not a bad idea.”

“What?” I ask, all my emotions making it difficult for me to keep up.

“It’s actually a great idea. If we make your role more managerial, you can come with me to important meetings, and you'll still be involved in the running of the business, but someone else will be my personal guard.

“This will give you more free time, and you won’t have to spend as much time over here, if you don’t want to,” Marcus states, his eyes softening now he’s made the hard decision.

“You can spend more time with Jake and Indie,” Chloe adds with a smile, throwing a suggestive wink my way at the end, which makes me chuckle.

My nerves bubble over, despite Chloe managing to draw a laugh out of me, and I can’t help but ask, “Is this a demotion?”

Marcus shakes his head, looking serious.

“No, I still trust you to help me run this business. You’ll continue as my second in command.

I just don’t want to be put in the position as today ever again, and I’m sure you don’t either.

You shouldn’t ever have to choose between us, and if there’s someone there protecting me, you won’t have to. ”

I replay his words over in my head, and it takes me longer than it should—I blame the fucking overwhelming emotions of the day—but eventually, I let out a sigh as I smile at my best friend. “Thank you. I agree, it is probably for the best.”

“Yey,” Chloe sings, letting out a happy chuckle as Marcus smiles at her enthusiasm.

I fix my gaze on Marcus, hoping he can see how much I need his honesty once my question is out there. “Are you really okay with me dating both Indie and Jacob?”

Marcus doesn’t hesitate, he nods his head as he takes a step towards me, clasping his hand on my shoulder. “As long as neither of them hurt you again, then I’m okay with it. You deserve to be happy. Though I think you’re a bit mad for dating two people…one is hard enough.”

“Hey,” Chloe whines, hitting him on the arm as he laughs, before wrapping his arms around her. Chloe then turns to me. “You better tell my brother he owes me a major explanation soon.”

I can hear the threat in her tone, and I wince on Jacob’s behalf. As she narrows her gaze, I can’t help but chuckle. She rolls her eyes before pulling me in for a hug, with Marcus wrapping his arms around us both.

I feel oddly lighter now that both Marcus and Chloe know, and they approve. It’s like a weight has been lifted, but I knew these two were nowhere near our harshest critics. Though it gives me hope that we have people on our side for the battle that inevitably is still to come.

When I walked into this room, I thought there was a good chance I was going to lose my best friend and the job I love, so I’m more than a little surprised that everything has worked out. Now I just need to go home and tell Indie and Jake that I told our secret… I just hope they understand.