Page 21 of The Love Obsession (Bloody Desires #11)

ZAYN

The crash from somewhere—probably my den—had Keaton tensing up, but I waved my hand at him as we walked through the living room in that direction.

He gawked around at the dark wood paneling from the turn of the previous century and the black marble fireplace.

I loved this house. I would be sad when it came time to move.

The green leather furniture gave the room a rich scent.

We dropped the bags we were carrying on the love seat as we passed it.

“Whatever potentially broke, I’m not about to yell over random crap.” I smacked his shoulder lightly. “The grumpy look on your face can take a hike.”

Keaton groaned and danced his fingers around the goose egg on his temple. “Between Ginny and Bernadette, we’re going to destroy your house.”

“You won’t. At the very least, Ginny is too young to rent a wrecking ball.” I winked at him, but that didn’t do a thing for the tension that had stiffened his jaw. Okay, the joke hadn’t been that funny, but I’d at least expected a chuckle. He must really be worried about living here.

I was far less concerned about what Ginny might break than what she might find if she went looking in the wrong place. My gut tightened . Shit. “The third floor is off-limits,” I called. “It’s my office.”

Keaton gave me a small smile as I led the way toward the impending disaster.

In the den, Ginny sat on the round oak coffee table surrounded by caramel popcorn.

I’d had a tin on a shelf nearby. All the DVDs and classic VHS tapes of movies I had been afraid I wouldn’t be able to stream forever were scattered everywhere.

Bernadette was happily cleaning up any popcorn kernels that had hit the wooden floor.

Ginny hummed a happy song as she stuck her hand in the tin. Her cheeks were already bulging with the sweet treats.

“Ginny! You can’t take Zayn’s things without asking!” Keaton swooped in and picked her up.

“She lives here now.” I shrugged and went out to the kitchen to get him an ice pack. By the time I returned, they were both picking up the mess. He stood and gave me a grateful smile when I pressed the ice pack to his goose egg. Thankfully, it seemed to have stopped growing.

“Change your mind about a doctor’s visit?” I pecked a kiss on the corner of his lips.

He shrugged. “No headache. I’m fine now.”

I considered pushing it, but I got the idea there were only so many battles he was willing to lose today. I rubbed the back of his neck, and he grunted, leaning against me.

Something inside me tingled. Whatever faulty wiring made me upend my life every couple of years—so I could change cities and kill men who deserved it—sparked to life.

Killing was my calling. But the piece of my soul that focused so fully on death seemed to be expanding to include prioritizing Keaton and Ginny.

I couldn’t explain exactly how I knew I would be taking them with me the next time I moved, but I did.

From here on out, they were going to be safe or else someone was going to die.

Keaton wasn’t guilty. He wasn’t a drug dealer. I believed that with all my heart.

Fuck, perhaps I should stop my vendetta?

That idea made me squirm inside, but ending the insanity would keep Keaton and Ginny safest. Could I be happy that way?

My body was already in motion, running away from the crap spiraling through my head. “Well, why don’t we show you to your new room. Forget about this mess. I’ll get it later,” I said to Ginny.

She bounced around me, a precious windup toy. “Really? Are you sure? All mine? I can share!”

“You are sharing.” I put my hands on my hips. “Have you forgotten already?”

She blinked up at me with a wrinkle on her little brow. Her face was so cute I wanted to smush her cheeks, but I didn’t.

“With Bernadette. You wouldn’t make her sleep out in the cold, would you?”

“No!” She whooped and rushed from the room. “Where is it?” I’m pretty sure people in space could hear her.

“Upstairs. Second floor. Last door on the right.” Keaton was giving me a suspicious look, so I flashed a smile. “Does she know her right from her left?”

“Not sure.” He stomped past and it seemed as if he was mad, but we hadn’t been fighting.

I caught up to him and grabbed his hand. “Are you okay?”

He sighed and glanced at me as we followed Bernadette up the wooden stairs.

“Right.” My face heated and I wanted to kick myself. I gave his hand a squeeze. “Sorry. Of course you’re not okay.”

He stopped on the stairs and studied my face. I moved up a step so we could be eye to eye with each other.

“What?” I caressed his cheek.

His nose crinkled. “How long are you gonna want to do this?”

“This?” I frowned at him.

“Me. Ginny. Your life is good. Why would you want to take on some dumbass and his little sister? And there are bound to be problems.” He glanced away.

Irritation tickled me and I moved until our gazes were locked again. “What is up with you and being so mean to yourself?”

He brushed his hand down my chest, almost like he needed to reassure himself I was still here. “I know what I am.”

“Says who?”

He looked away again.

I moved so he was staring directly into my eyes again. “Who has been a jerk to you?”

Did he get made fun of in school? My heart twisted. It wasn’t as if his mom would’ve been able to afford tutors if he had problems.

“Roger.”

A growl slipped out of me. “What?”

Keaton puffed out his cheeks, and for the first time I could really spot how much he and Ginny looked alike.

“Roger was a dickhead, but he wasn’t wrong.

He got mean when I wouldn’t leave Mom and Ginny.

He said I was too stupid to escape the park.

Eventually, I was too stupid for everything.

He said it a lot and it bothered me, but he wasn’t wrong.

He was just telling things like they were.

I’m stupid. I didn’t graduate high school. ”

“Roger who?” Anger sizzled in my chest and I fought not to let it leak into the conversation.

He rolled his eyes. “Why?”

I stared at him until he pursed his lips.

“Why? Because your Daddy asked, that’s why,” I murmured.

He eyed me up but shrugged. “Roger Postman. He’s a bank teller. That was always his joke. He should’ve worked at the post office. I think because he saw people with real money all the time, he looked down on me extra hard for being poor.”

“Did he ever offer to help you move your mom and Ginny out of the trailer park?” My shoulders ached from the tension twisting through my body.

“Never.” His eyebrows shot up like he thought I was nuts to ask.

A ball of pure fury smoldered in my gut. “Then, he didn’t love you. Fuck him. You don’t have to think twice about any of the asinine shit that came out of his mouth. I can tell you one thing, he wasn’t better than you. Or anyone else.”

His eyebrows didn’t have anywhere to go, they were so high, but they danced down and back up. “You’re helping us.” He drew the words out slowly. “You’re helping me leave.”

Clearing my throat, I started up the stairs as my face flushed. He rested a hand on my back.

Giggling burbled out from my bedroom on the left. I had to laugh as I walked inside because Ginny was bouncing on my bed, and Bernadette was whining at her, as if telling her she wasn’t allowed.

“This room is big, big, big!” she shouted, then fell onto her back, kicking her legs.

“It’s also mine,” I said.

Keaton scooped her up.

We went down the hall to a room that was half of mine, but still a decent size.

“This one’s mine?” Ginny stared around. It was only a guest room, so it was bland, especially for a little girl. More like a hotel room than anything.

When I nodded, she shouted “Hurray!” and scrambled out of Keaton’s arms, almost sending them both to the floor in the process. Bernadette circled her, sniffing the room and generally checking that everything met her approval.

Anxiety corkscrewed in me as she giggled and whispered something to Keaton.

How would I keep them away from my side hustle?

I let out a long breath and decided to ignore the problem, even though a familiar urge was building in me, a fire I could contain as long as there was an outlet on the horizon.

I was going to kill again soon.

And unlike every other victim who had been on the receiving end of a death sentence from me, the next to die wouldn’t be a drug dealer.

Roger was living his last day.

“Ginny, do you want to do something fun?” I asked.

She nodded, and I went over to raise Keaton’s hand so he would put the ice pack back on his temple.

“Let’s go buy some nice things for your room. You can pick them out. Lights. A desk. A comforter. Oh, some books! Some toys? Perhaps a dollhouse? What do you think?”

I’d been expecting more of her contagious excitement, but instead her face crumpled. “Bubba, Mommy would’ve liked to pick out a dollhouse with me.”

The look he blasted me with was pure overwhelm. He didn’t hesitate, just lifted her in his arms while she sniffled.

“It’s been a big day. We can go some other time,” I said.

She shook her head and kicked her feet as if she was trying to swim away from such a terrible plan. “No, Bernadette will be sad if we don’t go. We didn’t bring her things, and she needs food and a bowl.”

“Of course,” I said, as seriously as I could. “If you trust me, I could take Ginny and you could rest.”

Keaton ran a hand over his face, and we exchanged a long look. “Who is going to watch her while I work?”

“Would Mrs. Carmine come here?”

He flopped back on the bed. “Yeah, but how would she get here? She won’t have gas money. She used every cent I gave her to pay bills. Her old Buick isn’t reliable.”

I wanted to shake him. Did he really think I would bring him here only to strand him again? Perhaps he did. “I’ll take care of it. We’ll work it out.”

“Why?” He raised his head to stare at me.

“Because he’s nice and likes us,” Ginny said, rolling her eyes. “Right?” She glanced at me like it had only just occurred to her that I could offer a different reason.

“That sums it up,” I said.

She clapped, giving herself a round of applause for her right answer.

“Ginny, take Bernadette out to the yard so she can get used to it.” Keaton sat up, and the serious expression he leveled on me had my stomach in knots. Why was I getting tied up over him?

She ran away, apparently liking that idea. “Bernadette! Come on!” The dog clattered along after her. We would never lose the two of them in this house because they were louder than a small herd of elephants.

He waited until the front door slammed, then stood and glared down his nose as if he thought he could intimidate me.

“What’s got you so riled up, boy?” Excitement tingled down to the tips of my toes. My body was caught between a fight and arousal, and I was quickly becoming obsessed with the sensation.

Becoming obsessed with him . The idea of him. So big and wonderful. What would it be like to have him ride me? My abs tightened for a whole new reason.

“Why did you have a gun? Are there more here?”

My brain flatlined for a few seconds. “Self-protection, obviously. And yes.”

He blanched and pressed the ice pack harder to his head. “I don’t want Ginny around them. You see all those stories. Kids get hurt.”

Taking a deep breath, I fought off fingers of panic that dug into my lungs. “I have a gun safe. There will never be one lying around. Even if she wasn’t here, that is bad practice.”

“Why do you need a whole safe?” His eyes widened.

I shrugged. “I’m a collector.” That much was accurate, but not the whole truth, and the way he looked at me, he might suspect there was more to it, but we were both being careful with one another.

He was my boy, and I was his Daddy, so I needed to lead conversations like this better.

He must need someone to take care of him or he wouldn’t enjoy calling me Daddy.

Need someone to step up and be there for him.

Be a man for him. His man. His Daddy.

He seemed to be turning over what I’d said in his head. “Okay.”

“Okay? Tell Daddy the truth. Are you really comfortable with it?”

His face flushed and a small smile broke free of the doom and gloom of our discussion. “Yeah.”

“Good.”

I turned toward the door, but he grabbed my wrist and stopped me. “What would you have done if I’d said it wasn’t okay?” he asked sharply. I got the feeling this was a test. If I failed, it was all over. I wouldn’t get to keep him.

My heart pounded. When did this become the goal? Not using Keaton’s misfortune to root out drug dealers in the trailer park, but keeping him here ?

“Rent a storage unit,” I said.

His mouth fell open, and I had to laugh.

“I was serious that I want you to stay. If you don’t feel comfortable with guns in the house with Ginny, then I’ll put them somewhere else.”

“Can you do it?” he asked softly, as if he was worried I would snap and start yelling.

“Yep.” My mind spun. Am I really prepared to take all thirty-seven guns out of my house for this man? “Sure.” Apparently. “You rest. Ginny and I have shopping to do.”

“Yes, Daddy,” he murmured, lying down on the bed slowly. Fuck, I really should’ve made him go to the doctor, but I had to trust he would say something if he was hurt bad. He was a fighter, after all. He knew his limits.

“Text me your sizes. I’ll grab you some clothes.” With a kiss to his forehead, I spun and walked out of the room.

This was really happening. I bounced down the stairs. I was moving Keaton and his sister into my house. I had my boy in my house. I’d never lived with anyone. I couldn’t stop smiling as I walked out the front door.

“Ginny!” I called. “Let’s hustle, kid. I have to stop at the bank before we go shopping.”

“Okay! Can I have one of the lollipops they keep on the counter.” She widened her beautiful brown eyes. As if there was any chance I would say no.

I picked her up and tweaked her nose. “You sure can, pumpkin.”