Page 46 of Unapologetic Obsession

“You’re overthinking again,” he told me as I dipped my toes into the dark pool of uncertainty. I was about to ask how he could tell, but he cut me a knowing glance. “You’re easy to read.” He sighed. “Stop being paranoid about ulterior motives.”

“When you saw me with Jace, you told me I wasn’t being paranoid enough,” I countered.

He stilled, disbelieving my audacity to bring up the argument over Jace. He thought he had me all figured out. By the look on his face, he hadn’t expected me to be confrontational.

Satisfaction ran through my veins. I doubt my thoughts were written on my face, as he claimed. Even in the short time I had known myself, I didn’t wear my heart on my sleeve, and his uncanny ability to read me felt more than mere guesswork.

“Let me clarify,” he replied smoothly. “Stop being paranoid aboutmyulterior motives.I stand by my statement where others are concerned—don’t let your guard down around strange men.” There was a possessive glint in his eye, much like the one I had seen when he chased Jace out of the room. “In fact, never talk to other men when I’m not around.”

It was my turn to freeze.

When I didn’t immediately agree, he grabbed my elbow. “This is nonnegotiable. Is that clear?”

Nerves rattled, I studied his stupid, perfect, impassive face, trying to come up with a clever comeback. I had nothing because I was entirely at his mercy. I merely gave him a quiet nod.

An unbearable silence stretched between us, and I tried to break the tension by changing the subject. “So… Do you like being a doctor?”

He regarded me skeptically for disliking the deafening silence and initiating a conversation.

I rolled my eyes. “Let me guess. You hate small talk.” He didn’t seem the type to entertain unnecessary chats, or, at least, that was what Amelie told me.

I was stunned when he bothered to provide an answer. “I prefer research.”

I sighed in relief. It was our first pleasant exchange of the day, and I wanted to keep it going. “Then why go through medical school and do your residency at one of the best hospitals?”

He smirked. “You seem to have done some research of your own,” he remarked dryly.

I dropped my gaze, embarrassed to admit I had spent the day learning about him. How else would I have known the specifics of his education?

He put me out of my misery with another unexpected response. His words were measured as he applied antiseptic to my right leg with a cotton ball. “I was interested in becoming a surgeon but saw an increasing number of patients getting addicted to opioids post-surgery. Addiction is impossible to cure in most cases, so I didn’t see the point of pursuing surgery.”

No way.

The doctor opened up to me. These were the most words he had spoken since meeting him. But didn’t the women tell me he was notoriously private, and even his so-called twin didn’t know the extent of his affairs?

“You pivoted because you didn’t want to cure someone only to leave them with a worse disease,” I pondered. Having seen the effects of addiction firsthand, I couldn’t blame him for losing faith.

He shrugged. “My career would’ve done more harm than good. Finding a non-addictive pain medication was a better use of my time.” His tone was monotone and detached, despite his surprisingly beautiful intentions. He didn’t want to cure someone with a bigger evil.

“So, you went into research to find a non-addictive drug?” I asked.

He nodded, leaning over to check my other leg. The whiff of his enticing aroma—cashmere and amber—distracted me entirely.

What were we talking about?

Why did his smell affect me this way? It comforted me while also initiating the first strokes of a distress signal.

My leg bounced nervously, and I tried to steer us back to neutral territory. “Thank you for checking on me tonight. Amelie told me you were busy with work calls. You didn’t have to do this.”

He paused midway through wrapping the gauze around my calf. “I never do things unless I want to.”

My eyes threatened to widen at the explicit meaning behind his words. Hewantedto be here with me. This was about more than a doctor’s oath to care for the sick.

This man was something else. He flabbergasted me at every turn. He gave up a career for a noble cause, only he made it sound like it was for practical reasons—what was the point of healing the sick only to leave them worse off?

From the beginning, he had a knack for calculating my emotions and drawing accurate conclusions. But I didn’t know what to make of him, and suddenly, I wanted to know.

“Will you tell me more about yourself?” I asked.