Page 34 of Their Stolen Obsession (Phantoms and Obsession Duet #2)

Her Predator

Sin

T he dead were at our feet as we trudged over corpses, blood, brains, and body parts. Romance was in the air. The romantic scene would go down in my books as the best lovey-dovey moment of my life. One of many with the love of my life.

I hummed a tune as we held hands and walked down the hall. The sound helped soothe Liv, who gripped the handle of the knife for dear life because she knew where we were headed. To the pit.

As upset as I may be with her need for extra safeguard, she had every right to protect herself. I couldn’t fucking blame her after everything I could only imagine Preston had done to her. I had a bad feeling the dog bite was the least of his awful torment.

“Wait.” Liv stopped, her hand sweaty, but I wouldn’t let her go. “I need a second.”

Liv glanced around and, from the fear in her eyes, she recognized where she was.

I could only imagine the memories she had that came rushing back, and I fucking wanted to push them away.

To keep her safe from all the darkness on replay in her head after I couldn’t protect her the day Preston had let his pit bulls loose.

I went to touch her face, but Liv gasped. She retreated backward and let go of my hand. Our magical spell of romance was broken by my idiocy.

Stupid. Too much, too fast. Too goddamn soon.

“Please don’t fear me,” I pleaded with Liv.

My obsession was somewhere else. She was in a place that was not mine, a nightmare I wanted to control. Not Preston fucking Pitrone. He had no place in her life until he had forced his way inside of her brain, into her deep subconscious and ruined everything.

My anger boiled over, seething at the seams. Smoke could puff out of my fucking ears because that was how mad I was. Pissed at the knife she still had in her hand, the Mafia for taking her away, and the world. But above all, I raged at myself.

I had done this to Liv. Saint and me. If we had only fought our addiction, only watched her from afar, maybe none of this bullshit would have happened. Sebastian would have her tucked away in bed with him right now.

Fuck.

Fuck! Fuck! Fuck !

I loathed the panic in Liv’s brown eyes, which used to excite me. She’d turn me on, and I’d be hard as a fucking rock from the delightful sight. But this fear wasn’t because of me. The fright was because of Preston .

A throaty groan crawled up my throat, and I got ready to release a scream. The beast inside of me was rising from the hot molten lava, and I was teetering on the edge of no control. I had to blow off steam.

There was a corpse slouched against the wall.

Its head tilted, mouth agape, and eyes wide open with death.

I pummeled my fist straight into the chest cavity, bones cracked, and my knuckles came back bloody.

The next punch was a blow to the skull, an opening to the guts of the brain, and the texture made me want to do it all over again.

I released my fury repeatedly until a hand touched my shoulder.

“What?” I roared.

My chest rose and fell with heavy puffs of air escaping me. The light caress moved to my backside and drew small circles. The frustration eased, and my anger took a backseat .

Liv whispered, “I’m sorry. I—”

“Don’t you ever apologize to me for something you had no control of. I should’ve kept you safe.” I pointed a finger at myself. “I was supposed to protect you. Fuck. I should have never let anyone take you away.”

I spun around. Liv didn’t back down. She peered at me without the panic in her eyes, and her concern replaced the fear. She was worried about me.

I let Liv touch my face. “I didn’t know you had it in you.”

Liv swiped her hand down my cheek, and she was blurry. Crap. I could see her beautiful smile. Everything was fucking fuzzy. I didn’t deserve her touch, but I never wanted the sensation she created to disappear.

“We didn’t know until you were gone,” Saint admitted.

Liv let go of me, and her fingers were wet. I ran a hand down my face. I was crying. Fuck. I sobbed like a goddamn baby right in front of my girl.

I should be embarrassed, goddamn pissed, for letting my emotions get the best of me. Instead, I wasn’t. I loved the way Liv stared at me with disbelief at the one thing I never wanted to shed in front of the woman I wanted trembling at my feet. Tears. Holy shit. I was pussy whipped .

Saint reached out for Liv and caressed her cheek. Eyes closed, she leaned into his touch. She lost her grip on the knife and it clanked to the ground. She took Saint’s hand and put it over her heart.

“I’m alive. You both kept me safe.” Liv grabbed my hand, placed it over my best friend’s and over her racing heartbeat. “In my heart is where you’ll always be.”

Liv didn’t speak those three little words, but I sure as hell felt them. One day, when the time was right, she’d tell us. She’d confess the love we’d always known. This was enough.

I was patient, but I wasn’t always kind.

Within this affectionate moment, I kissed Liv’s head. Saint pressed his lips to her temple, and he whispered sweet nothings in her ear. We stayed together in an embrace I wanted to last a lifetime, but there was a man with a death wish who still breathed, and he needed some attention.