Page 35 of Obsessive Love (The King #1)

Chapter Thirty-Four

Kaleb

F rustration seeps into my veins as I stare at the dark, fuzzy footage on my phone. When I got out of the shower moments ago, I intended to lay in bed and relax whilst watching my girl through the camera Miles installed into the butterfly ornament, but it seems she hasn't bothered to unbox the presents I got for her.

Why doesn't anything ever go to plan?

I climb out of bed, hurriedly put on a pair of jogging bottoms, and slip a T-shirt over my head, eager to get to her bedroom to find out why there's no footage.

I walk down the hallway, cross the landing at the top of the stairs, and stride towards her room.

I must be making more noise than usual because as I reach her door, Jaylen opens his.

He stares at me with narrowed eyes as he rubs his hand along his jaw.

"What are you doing?"

"Does it matter?" I ask.

He leans against his doorframe, looks at my hand on Sophia's doorknob and then back to me.

"Usually, it would matter, but I'm tired and I know you're not sneaking in there to kill her so I'm going back to bed," he tells me, stepping back into his room before pausing and pointing his finger at me. "You hurt her in any way, I will kill you. I don't care that you seem to think you're invincible, and I don't care that your family would come after me. What I do care about is her."

"You see, that loyalty that you have for my girl is the reason why I wouldn't kill you either," I tell him. "You can trust me not to hurt her. Physically, emotionally, and mentally. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I did. That's part of the reason I saved Dominic,"

He frowns in confusion.

"What do you mean you saved Dominic?"

"Last night, Jericho and I included Dominic in our mission. It was obviously a huge mistake on our part because I had to push him out of the way of a bullet. The only reason I made that decision was because of Sophia. I knew that if Dominic got shot and potentially died, she'd be hurt. So I pushed him out the way and took the bullet for him," I state.

"Does she know?"

I shake my head.

"She knows I was shot, but she doesn't know why, and I don't feel the need to tell her. I don't want to make myself look like a hero because I'm anything but that and I'd hate for her to have that perception of me and then be disappointed in the future."

I turn my back towards him, tired of this conversation intervening with my task.

"Just be careful," Jaylen says, making me pause. "I don't want her involved with anything that could cause trouble for her." That said, he walks back into his room, softly closing the door.

I lean my head against the wood of her door and close my eyes as his words filter into my chaotic brain.

I stayed away from her for years to keep her out of trouble and to ensure that she wasn't in harm's way. When my father forced this marriage to happen, the trouble started. His plan interfered with my plan for Sophia as well as mine and Jericho's plan for our future.

I had to make adjustments to my plan. Otherwise, she never would've been mine.

I did the right thing.

I shake off the momentary doubt his words caused and silently let myself into her room.

The light from the window casts a dim glow across the room and I smile as I take note of all the decorations she's added today. The room looks lived in and it has more of a homey feel to it now that she's added her touch.

As my eyes scan the room, I spot the jewellery box I bought her set on her dressing table and the opened gift boxes beside it.

I walk over, carefully opening the jewellery box and examining the contents. Her necklace, the butterfly clip and a few sets of earrings are placed inside, but there's no sight of the bracelet I gifted her today.

My eyes narrow and I close the jewellery box, turning my attention to the gift boxes instead. I move the big one to the side, knowing that the throw blanket and jewellery box have been placed in her room already. When I spot the next box, half-opened, I shake my head.

I pull the box open, lift the butterfly ornament out, and then look around her room for somewhere to put it.

When I spot some shelves that have been put up, I smirk and walk towards them, moving some of the picture frames around so I can carefully place the butterfly ornament on the shelf.

I take my phone from my pocket and click on the encrypted app Miles set up for me, checking that I now have a good view of her room from the camera installed inside the ornament instead of a fuzzy blank screen.

When the image loads, I step to the side, out of the way of the camera so that I can see the view I'll have. My screen shows her bed, her dressing table, and the entrance to her bathroom.

Perfect placement.

With that sorted, I walk back over to the gift boxes, picking up the smallest one and lifting the lid, expecting to see the bracelet I bought for her snuggly tucked inside the box.

When I find the inside empty, I frown in confusion.

My eyes slowly drift from the empty box towards Sophia's sleeping form and when I see a glimpse of the sparkling bracelet wrapped around her wrist, my heart expands inside my chest.

She's wearing it.

I watch her for a moment from a distance before I risk stepping closer to her and lightly brush my thumb across her cheek.

When I see her mouth twitch, my brows furrow and my gaze zeros in on her eyes, watching for the slightest movement to confirm my suspicions that my girl might be awake, pretending to be asleep.

Her eyelids are clamped shut and her mouth is slightly parted as she breathes evenly, looking peaceful and relaxed.

If I hadn't watched her sleep almost every night since she's lived here and if I hadn't studied her intently for years, I might've been fooled by her act, but I can see right through it.

My girl's awake. She's awake and she hasn't made any move to kick me out of her room yet.

She wants me here.

I spend a few more moments staring at her before leaning forward, pressing a light kiss against her temple before walking around the bed and climbing in beside her.

I move closer, expecting her to give up this facade, but hope bubbles inside of me when she doesn't. I mould my body around hers, curling myself beside her and wrapping an arm around her waist, resuming the same position we were in last night when we fell asleep.

Her body tenses for a split second before she relaxes again and her body melts into mine.

I bury my head into her neck, breathing her in and seeing if she's going to continue to allow me to be here.

Minutes pass by and still nothing.

I smile against the back of her neck as I slowly let myself relax now that I know I'm not moving from this spot for a few hours.

" So che sei sveglio , dolcezza ," I whisper, placing a featherlight kiss against her skin. " Ti coccolerò comunque ." I know you're awake, sweetness. I'll cuddle you anyway.

I tighten my arm around her and when she subtly shuffles her body backwards, pressing it firmly against mine, a smile creeps onto my face as I allow my eyes to drift shut.