Page 39 of Deepest Obsession
Unfortunately, Everly finds me first. She wraps a hand around my arm, and while her grip is weak, her nails dig into my skin.
“Stay away from my son,” she hisses. She reeks of an overbearing floral perfume. “He deserves better than you do. You’re just getting in the way.”
I yank my arm away from her, noting the scrapes from her fingernails. “Listen, Everly. Your son is an adult. So why don’t you start treating him like one?”
The two of us have never gotten along, but I’ve never been so frank with her before. I was too young, too afraid of her. So the shock on her face doesn’t surprise me. When she stumbles back, I smirk and walk away.
“God, there you are!” Felix appears out of thin air, falling into step beside me. “I lost you while Blaze and Tristan were hogging the dance floor. Damn, talk about sexual tension.”
I can’t help it. I let out a laugh, almost snorting a sip of champagne out of my nose. When I spot Dominic and Alexander walking toward us, I straighten up, waving at the two of them. Dominic still looks pissed, but Alexander is as put-together and calm as ever.
“Sorry about that.” He kisses my head, planting his hand firmly on my lower back. “Where’s Blaze?”
I open my mouth to explain, but Felix cuts me off with a look. “He spilled his drink all over him, the clumsy oaf. He’ll be back soon.”
I smile, keeping my mouth shut. Maybe it’s for the best that Alexander doesn’t know Tristan tried to get his hands on me again.
Thankfully, the rest of the evening flows by smoothly. We chat with the guys for a while before Alexander and I break off from the group. He introduces me to a couple people, making small talk with some other men I’m sure he’s trying to strengthen relationships with.
A couple of times, I catch Tristan staring at me. It sends shivers down my spine. Blaze eventually drapes his jacket over my shoulders, but when Alexander notices, he yanks it off of me and gives me his.
It might sound silly, but it makes me smile. I inhale Alexander’s scent of bergamot and citrus for the rest of the night, staying close to him. And to my delight, his hands rarely leave me.
When he catches me yawning behind my hand, he plants a kiss on the top of my head. “Are you ready to head out?”
“If you don’t mind.”
It’s been nice to catch up with the guys, but I’m tired. And I can practically feel Tristan’s stare on me wherever I go. So when we start our goodbyes, relief floods me. By the time we’re sitting in the backseat of the car, I’m ready to curl up on Alexander’s lap and fall asleep.
Before I’ve even settled, he pulls me onto the middle seat. “I want you close to me,” he murmurs in my ear, reaching over and buckling me in.
I smile, pressing my lips to his. His hand cups my face.
In this moment, it really does feel like Alexander loves me. And when he deepens our kiss, his tongue running across my bottom lip, I want his words to be true.
But then an image of Vanessa standing with her arm around him flashes through my mind. Tristan’s words, implying that I’m just a fling, are like tiny stabs at my heart.
When I pull away, he tightens his grip around my waist. I dip my head down and rest it on his chest.
He’s only possessive of me. Dominic said so. I’m special to him.
But he didn’t stop Vanessa from running her hands all over him.
Besides, do I really want someone who’s overly possessive?
But he said he loves me.
I close my eyes as tears start to well up. Alexander is playing with my heart enough, but apparently he’s also playing with my life. What the fuck does that mean? How? What was Dominic implying when he said that Tristan might try using me to get to Alexander?
Yet again, I come back to the same place I keep finding myself.
Of course I want Alexander. He’s smart. Gorgeous. And I’ve always felt safe around him. But can I trust him?
That’s what I just can’t quite figure out.
HUSHED VOICES AND sunlight wake me in the morning. I blink my eyes open, seeing Alexander at the door, pulling in a cart and talking quietly.
Breakfast in bed, again? Anna is an angel.