Page 132 of Risky Obsession

“For fuck’s sake. Will you just shut up?” He bulged his eyes at me.

“Okay, sure. You start the conversation then. Ask me anything.”

“Just shush.”

I fell silent, and his anger was like a toxic cloud between us. The road seemed to stretch on forever, and the moon hung low in the sky, casting a pale glow over the dense forest around us.

Walking in silence made every step sound like an effort, yet Kane didn’t slow down. It was probably his anger that was keeping him moving; he’d been awake for over twenty hours.

Darkness still hung in a heavy thickness around us when we reached the outskirts of town, and the air seemed to be getting colder. My hand around my suitcase handle was frozen to the bone, and I wouldn’t be surprised if my fingers snapped off with frostbite.

I had no idea what time it was, and there were barely any lights on in the houses we walked past. Finally, we reached the main section of town, and I just about crumbled with relief when we found a McDonald’s restaurant that was open. Kane didn’t hold the door open for me like he’d previously done, and as I followed after him, the air was so warm my freezing skin ached.

The aroma of bacon and coffee reached right down into my stomach and demanded that I eat. But I had no money, and I certainly wasn’t going to ask Kane to buy me breakfast.

As he marched to the front counter, I aimed for the bathroom. Inside, I quickly peed, and as much as I would have liked to put on fresh clothes and wash my face, I didn’t. I feared Kane would vanish by the time I stepped back out.

My reflection in the dimly lit mirror wasn’t pretty. Exhaustion painted dark circles under my bloodshot eyes, and strands of hair stuck to my damp forehead. I washed my hands, and as I ran my fingers through my hair, I exited the restroom.

Relief washed through me when I spied Kane heading to a booth near the window, carrying a tray. Maybe his hunger overrode his desire to lose me.

We sat on opposite sides of the booth, and the harsh fluorescentlights above made the weariness etched on Kane’s face even more pronounced. His eyes were sunken, and the tension in his shoulders was visible even under his leather jacket.

He shoved a burger and a steaming black coffee toward me.

“Oh, thank you.” I didn’t expect him to do that. But even under all that anger, he couldn’t help but be a wonderful, decent man.

We ate in silence, and Kane barely glanced past the dinner tray as he devoured his two burgers.

“Hey look, there’s Wi-Fi here.” I nodded at the sticker on the window. “We could use our phone to —”

“There is nowe.” His eyes drilled into me.

“Okay. Sorry. Just trying to be helpful.”

“I don’t need your help.”

“I know. You’re right.”

His steely demeanor didn’t show any cracks, and he lowered his gaze to the black coffee in his cup.

I’d created this disaster between us, but I had a feeling something else was going on. His hatred for me went deeper than my lies. Someone had truly hurt him. Someone he’d loved and trusted. I’d only known him for a few days. Whoever had hurt him was someone he knew very well.

I just hoped that he could separate his hatred for them from me, but I had no idea what to do or what to say.

I’ll hate myself forever if he doesn’t give me another chance.

CHAPTER 27

Kane

“Wake up, sleepyhead,” a distant voice said.

I snapped my eyes open. A woman was leaning over me. Jerking awake, I realized the woman was Tory. She was wearing the beanie and reading glasses I’d bought at the gas station and had tucked her blonde hair away.

I rolled to sit on the cracked vinyl seat I’d chosen inside the train station shelter last night and squinted against the stark lights. The area was a dramatic contrast to how dim it had been when I’d lay down.

“What time is it?” I asked.