Page 119 of Unapologetic Obsession

His eyes bored into mine, unblinking. “All you have to do is admit that you want me,” he finally said, his voice like gravel. “It’ll put me out of my fucking misery.”

My insides twisted into a knot. “How can you ask that of me after what you did to me? You’re lucky I didn’t report you.”

He considered my words for a moment. “You’re right. You should’ve told someone by now.” He cocked his head to one side, curious. “Why haven’t you?”

I scoffed. “Because you wouldn’t have faced any consequences even if I had.”

“That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have tried.”

This felt like another trap.

His eyes lit up with triumph. “Little Rose, have you fallen so deeply in love with me that you’re protecting me?”

My composure slipped through my fingers at his mocking tone. The word love sounded bitter to my ears. “Don’t talk to me about love. You’ve no idea what it is.”

“Sounds like you know a lot from personal experience.”

My head jerked up. “I do.”

For a moment, something akin to hope flickered in his eyes.

My stomach dropped. Oh God. If he believed that I loved him, there’d be no stopping him. Any boundaries he stillrecognized would dissolve completely. I needed to take it back before this turned into something unstoppable.

“I didn’t mean you.” I froze as soon as the words tumbled out. I had revealed too much in my haste to correct his misinterpretation.

Professor Maxwell’s reaction didn’t disappoint. A radiating sense of dread kept me rooted to the spot as he strode forward. I yelped when he lunged for me, seizing my jaw between his fingers.

“What the fuck did you just say?” His gaze hardened into something that made my blood run cold.

That flicker of hope in his eyes turned into something else—a desperate, wounded plea to say it wasn’t true. A ghost of tenderness fluttered in my chest at his gutted expression.

“Who did you mean?” The question was measured and controlled as he tried to rein in his temper, but the muscle twitching in his jaw told me everything I needed to know.

The air between us was tense, as if a pin had been pulled from a grenade and we were waiting for the explosion. I parted my cracked lips and scanned the warehouse for exits.

His fingers dug into my cheeks. “Answer the fucking question.”

Whatever logical man had once inhabited Professor Maxwell’s body was gone, leaving me with an unhinged sociopath. Panic seized my chest, crushing my lungs until each shallow breath became a struggle. The only way out of this was the half-truth because he’d see through my lies.

“N-no one has touched me other than you. I was a virgin. You know that.”

His eyes raked over my face, searchlights seeking the truth. The confession he extracted from my expressions didn’t satisfy him. “Who said anything about touching? We were discussing love. Who did you mean?”

“No one!”

“Who?” he thundered. It was so loud that I was pretty sure a flock of birds flew away at the horrid sound.

I tried to bat his hand away, which only tightened at my resistance. I met his gaze, realizing he wouldn’t let up. Physical pain gave way to exposing the horrid truth. “He was my first love, and I never quite got over it. It was a long time ago.”

His grip tightened until I felt my teeth against the inside of my cheeks. He leaned closer, blue, bottomless eyes pulling me in. “Name.”

I tried to shake my head, which was impossible with his grip on my cheeks. “It doesn’t matter. We don’t even have communication. All that matters is that I can’t get over him,” I told him, realizing the truth was inevitable. “Maybe things would’ve been different had I met you first.”

The air between us turned sharp, metallic, like the moment before lightning strikes. He didn’t move, didn’t blink. The lines around his mouth deepened like I had betrayed him in the worst way possible. I forced myself to look away from it.

I swallowed. “I’m sorry. Please just try to understand. I can’t help what’s in my heart.”

“Then I’ll rip your fucking heart out and feed it to dogs.”