Page 96 of Twisted Obsession

Kami made no comment as she picked idly at her food. Occasionally, she nodded or made some non-committal sound but seemed content moving a piece of fried broccoli from corner to corner on her plate. Her silence was a scream I was powerless to do a damn thing about. It took every ounce of restraint I possessed to keep from touching her, just a nudge to get her attention, to see her thoughts in those expressive eyes. I knew if I could just get her to look up, just for a second…

I didn’t.

I didn’t trust myself.

My moment to get her alone came when everyone was helping clear the dishes, distracted by where to stow all the extra food and who had more space in their fridge.

Kami offered to stack the containers of leftovers by the front door, the ones that were getting divided between me, Edmund, and the girls while the others continued to fill and seal them. I took the opportunity and slipped into the hall after her, waited until she’d placed the first pile down before capturing her hand and tugging her into the first room we came across — the powder room.

“Talk to me,” I murmured.

Kami exhaled quietly. “What’s there to say?”

“I didn’t know,” I stressed. “I don’t know why my father thinks—”

Small, pale hands pressed flat against my chest, silencing me. “You have to do it.” Big, solemn eyes lifted to my face. “It doesn’t matter why, but your father is right. This is the right move. I don’t know who Abilene Beaumont is, but if she’s as influential and powerful as your father says, this is our only solution.”

I stared at her, stared into the face of the one person I loved more than life itself and I couldn’t believe the words coming from her beautiful lips.

“Kami, you don’t—”

“I do though,” she corrected, misunderstanding my protest. “She will keep you safe. She will be the partner you need. I hate it,” her face lowered with the sharp hiss of the words, “but I will do whatever is necessary to keep you alive even if that means I have to lose you.”

I caught her chin and raised it back to mine. “But I don’t know if I can.”

A deep hollow appeared between her brows. “That’s too bad, Medlock. You know as well as I do that life isn’t fair and we alldo things we don’t want all the time. I have a family I have to worry about. I have you and the girls, and your family. These are people I would risk my life for in a heartbeat. So do you. This is so much bigger than both of us. It’s not about our l…” she broke off abruptly and rephrased the words I knew she was about to use. “What we have. What we feel and want isn’t important when there are so many people we’re putting in danger because of it. We can’t be selfish or stupid. If making this small sacrifice will protect the people we both love, we need to be adults about it and do it.” She sucked in a sharp inhale of air as if that solidified her decision. “So, you will listen to your father, and you will do whatever you need to do to … to convince Abilene Beaumont that this is a good idea.”

How could she be so rational when every word she spoke so calmly tore into my chest as if she were carving them there? How could she be so sure, so absolutely decided when I knew in my very core that it was wrong? It was unfair and the mature thing to do, but she didn’t understand. She had no idea who Abilene was. She didn’t understand how absolutely insane this request was, but she was right. I had to be a leader about this. I had to be the man my father raised me to be. I had to put feelings aside and use logic and control. This was no longer about what I wanted, but what was needed.

“Kami…”

She touched the side of my face. The absolute heartbreak and devastation in her eyes reflecting the one I could feel thrashing deep in the pit of my stomach.

“Kiss me,” she whispered. “Just one more time.”

I did.

I would have even if she hadn’t said a word.

If this moment in a cramped bathroom was all we would ever have again, I couldn’t just walk out without tasting her one final time. I would have pressed her like a flower in a book into myvery self if possible and carried her with me always, but all I could do was crush her into my chest until she whimpered into my mouth and her bones cracked beneath my hold. With great reluctance, I yielded, relaxing the fist in her hair, unclenching the arm hooked around her waist. I softened the motions of our mouths, allowing myself to savor.

I love you,I wanted to tell her, died to tell her. It burned in my chest and begged to melt all across her lips. But both our hearts were breaking already. I couldn’t add to her pain, or mine if she said them back. All I could do was break my bones releasing her when she pulled away and watch as she slipped out of our sanctuary, leaving me alone.

CHAPTER 11

Kamari

Iwasn’t a coward.

I didn’t hide from problems or pretend they didn’t exist, and I wasn’t hiding now, I told myself. I wasn’t angry. I really wasn’t. What I was, to the very core of my being was sad and accepting. The two things were conflicting and confusing, but they resided in the place in my chest where I used to hold unrealistic hope.

I knew my time with Darius had been limited. We were always at the mercy of a vengeful clock. What we’d shared that weekend had been a fleeting gift, one that came with conditions we’d both agreed to pay. I myself had told him he needed to find another woman and shouldn’t have been surprised that his father would find him someone.

Someone from his world.

Someone he wouldn’t have to worry about.

Someone who understood the rules.