Page 8 of Only Everything (The Obsession #1)

TAUREN

The pattering of sprinkling rain bounced from the tent as I lay there with my eyes closed.

There were so many sounds, I could barely process them.

I was overstimulated. Anxiety-ridden. My heart wouldn’t stop racing.

I was sweating despite the chill in the air.

Branches creaked and the wind left leaves rustling as it blew harder outside.

In the distance, I could have sworn I heard a howl.

Thunder.

It rumbled so deep and strong. I felt the vibrations as I squeezed more into my flat pillow.

I should have been terrified of what was lurking outside the tent, but all I could feel was fear for the man at my back.

More, I curled into myself, pretending I was asleep, but I hadn’t been alone in the tent for more than fifteen minutes.

It was enough time to cover my ass and delete my call to Reid.

That was the most important thing. Whatever had happened in the time it took Emmett to go to the bathroom and get ready for bed had angered him, and I didn’t like that.

He wouldn’t let it go. He'd want to vent. To talk it out—Take it out…on me.

“You’re not already asleep, are you?”

My lids eased open.

“Almost. I’m still not feeling too well. Why? Are you okay?”

A few seconds went by as I turned to my back, still keeping my lids low.

“Fine.”

But he wasn’t. It was in the aggravation laced in his tone.

“You’re still feeling sick?”

“Yeah. My stomach has felt off lately.”

Lie.

“Oh.” More seconds. Emmett stiffened. “ Oh .”

My lips parted, and my eyes flared wide at his surprise. I could have kicked myself as I suddenly realized how that must have sounded.

“It’s cold and flu season though. I’m sure it’s just a bug.”

Emmett pulled off his pants, sliding under the blankets as he turned me to my side to face him. It was so dark, I could barely even make out the features of his face.

“Are you sure? I mean, I know we haven’t had much of a sex life lately, but it hasn’t been nonexistent.”

“I’m not pregnant, Emmett. I’m not even late yet.”

“You don’t have to be. They sell those “six days early” tests.

They wouldn’t do that if there wasn’t a reason.

” His hand came to flatten on my stomach.

Again, my eyes widened, and panic grew. “Think about it. Think how amazing that would be. Me. You. A baby . We’ve been together a few years.

We’re engaged now. Isn’t it time to take that next step?

What if I proposed at the perfect time?”

“Emmett…I’m on birth control. You know this.”

“It’s not always effective, Tauren. People get pregnant on it all the time. And what happened last month?”

“Last month?”

“You had that dental appointment. Come on, you’re a pharmacy tech. You were on that antibiotic. I saw the bottle. The warning was right on the label. May alter the effectiveness of birth control or whatever. What if?”

I swallowed hard, suddenly feeling the nausea increase.

It had nothing to do with pregnancy and everything to do with Emmett’s knowledge of the warning and his eagerness.

But if I discouraged his excitement, if I shut this conversation down, he was going to feed the anger he’d had not minutes ago.

It would come back with a vengeance, and all I needed was to make it out of these woods.

Emmett’s hand adjusted on my lower stomach while his other wrapped to the side of my neck.

He moved in, pressing his lips to mine, moaning as his fingers cradled the back of my head.

“A baby, Tauren. The two of us engaged.” His hand began moving down.

He wedged it between my legs, and my stomach rolled in panic at the thought.

I pulled back, scrambling for the tent’s door.

Reid’s desperate yell of my name came back. His moans returned. His touch. It was too much as I gagged and ran a few feet before I crashed to my knees. I heaved, feeling the remnants of the power bar I’d eaten come back up. The taste only made me sicker.

A baby? With Emmett? There was no way it was possible. I wasn’t worried about it, but I was worried how eager he was about wanting me to be. What the hell was happening?

A twig broke behind me, and Emmett’s hand traveled over my back as I tried to catch my breath.

“Well, I guess this explains all the junk food and why you might be sick. Ha .” He laughed. “Me, a dad. I wouldn’t mind that so much. I mean, I had a shitty dad, but that doesn’t mean I have to be one.”

I dug my fingers into the dirt as seconds passed. I wanted to run. To scream. All I could manage to do was speak. “Water? Toothbrush?”

“Oh, right.” He headed away as I straightened and pushed the hair back from my face.

What a nightmare. This was worse than I feared.

I had to leave first thing when we got back.

Well…as soon as he left. I couldn’t leave while he was there.

He’d never let me. But when I was able, I had to escape .

Fast. If Emmett wanted this, he wasn’t going to stop until he found a way to get it.

This was one thing I wasn’t going to allow to happen.

To be connected to him for life because of a child would be a death sentence. I’d never escape him then.

“Got it.” He handed them over, staying by my side as I used the bottled water to brush my teeth. The rain was still light, but I couldn’t stop from shivering as the drops soaked into my hair. I had to figure out how to get out of here. I had to use this to my advantage.

“I’m sorry I got sick. That really came from nowhere. I should probably get to bed. I’m not sure I’m going to be any better tomorrow. Would it upset you too much if we just headed home in the morning?”

“To buy that test?” Even in the dark, I could see Emmett smile as he pulled me against him, kissing against my lips.

“Yeah,” I said, weakly, leading him back to the tent. “We should probably do that.”

I dusted off my feet, climbing back to the pallet on the floor. Emmett was right behind me, covering us up, and pulling me back to face him as he held me.

“I have a better idea.”

“Better?”

“Why don’t I drive to the Mini Mart in the morning. I’ll grab us coffee—me a coffee, you can have juice—and I’ll get a test. They have to have one.”

“You want me to pee on a test out here in the woods?”

He laughed, kissing my forehead. “ Think about it. How amazing would that be to find out we’re having a baby in the same place I proposed?”

“It would be…great. Perfect ,” I rushed out, trying to hide my awkwardness at how much this was scaring me.

“I just…I really don’t feel well. And I’d hate to get our hopes up.

You know? I know this is exciting but…I just think it might be a stomach bug.

It might be better just to go home and take the test there. ”

His head shook slowly as he seemed to think.

“We can’t risk it. I would be so disappointed if it came out positive and we weren’t here.”

My lips twisted, knowing arguing was pointless. “Can you at least get me coffee too?”

“It’ll be cold by the time I get back. ”

“Then grab me a cold coffee drink in a can. I need some sort of caffeine. If I’m pregnant, I won’t drink it. I’ll drink the juice instead.”

Emmett beamed, kissing me eagerly, only to slow as he weaved through my hair, holding me to him. His knee pushed between my legs, and he eased his arm underneath me, pulling and rolling to spin me on top.

My heart sunk. My fight flared. I wanted to attack him. To go wild and tell him I said no. No. No! The Tauren that knew this role kissed him back. She sighed and moaned into his mouth. She disassociated and disappeared like she always did.

“Fuck, I want this. I want us to get married. I want to move out of our apartment and get a real home.”

Emmett’s hand gripped into my ass as he moved me against him.

His hard length ground into my stomach, but I saw nothing but gray eyes below me.

I saw the hunger in Reid’s handsome face.

Almond-shaped smoky eyes. Dark, short hair.

Square jaw. Those lips, moaning my name.

The passion increased in his intense stare as he fucked me and said I was his forever.

My body came to life, and I blinked hard, scrambling back. Emmett’s hand caught in my hair, but I took the pain as I put distance between us.

“Fuck, Tauren. What the hell?”

“I…I thought I was going to be sick again. I-I can’t breathe. My stomach.”

“Again?” He sat up, watching me.

“I’m sorry. I just need a minute. It might pass.”

But it wouldn’t because this sickness wasn’t real.

It was in my mind. I was sick. I was his—Reid’s.

But I shouldn’t be. Reid was my brother.

Not biologically, but that didn’t matter to my dad when he’d killed Becky and then himself.

I still hated the hole that was there because of all the unanswered questions.

No beating. No screaming for me to explain.

I didn’t even remember what the letters had said that Reid had written me.

I love you…

I miss you…

I can’t wait to be inside you again…

Hell, maybe all? I couldn’t remember. I’d picked them up and ran them under water before tearing them up to throw in the trash. I’d destroyed any evidence of what I’d caused. But every day I paid with guilt. With the suffering of cutting out the one person I wanted more than anything.

“The Mini Mart was open twenty-four hours. I can’t sleep. You can’t sleep. I think I’ll go get that test now.”

“Now? And leave me here alone with this storm coming through? You’ve got to be joking. How will you even make it back to the truck in the dark? The hike was miles. You’ll get soaked, and then you’ll be the one who ends up sick.”

Emmett sat up. “It is miles, which is why I should just go now. And this will be like training. It’ll be good for my job.”

“But…”

“You’ll be fine. I’ll pick you up some of those powdered donuts you like.” He crawled over, gently pressing his lips to mine, searching my face. “You’d like that, right?” He eased his hands past my drawn-up knees, placing his palm to my lower stomach.

“I would like that.”

His touch shifted, lowering as he dipped his fingers to rub a circle over my pussy.

“Donuts. Juice. Coffee. First, come lay back down. I’m going to make you feel better.”

“Emmett…laying down makes me feel?—”

“Come on.”

He didn’t leave me a choice as he pulled me up and eased me back to the pallet. His fingers hooked in my pajama pants and panties, pulling them down. Tears burned my eyes as he removed his boxers and lowered himself onto me.

“Kiss me. I’ll go slow.”

Lips met mine as he shifted, rubbing his fingers over my pussy. For minutes he built me up, teasing, going at a leisurely pace which was worse.

“I’ve never wanted you more than I do right now. You’ve been pulling away from me.”

“No—”

“ Don’t lie to me .”

I couldn’t lie. Not with him so close and touching me.

“I know you’ve been looking for apartments. I thought I’d propose.” He nudged a finger into my entrance, withdrawing and stretching me as he added another digit to push deep. “I thought maybe you’d see how serious I was about us.”

“I-I see. We’re very serious.”

“I’m the one that’s serious. You’re the one who wants to leave me. ”

“N-No.”

His head cocked and he stared down, but I couldn’t see his features enough to see just how angry he was.

The darkness stole my ability to gauge his mood, and all I had was intuition.

Instinct. Experience. Although his talking stopped, his fingers didn’t.

They thrust, making me wetter despite arousal being the last thing I felt.

“You don’t want to leave me?”

“No. Our lease will be up in the next few months. You know I don’t like the neighbors.

Something is always breaking. Maintenance is fixing something every month.

You even thought the guy had a thing for me, remember?

You were so mad.” I cried out as he slammed his fingers in hard.

“The a-apartment isn’t for me, it’s for us.

But if…if I am…we could get a house like you said. We could be a family.”

Lips crushed into mine, and it took everything I had not to sob. Not to break impossibly more over the lies that had become… me .

I was doomed.

Fucking trapped and drowning.

There was no time left. I had to go.

I had to run.