Read A Little Harmless Obsession Online
Authors: Melissa Schroeder
Tags: #Red Hots!, #Contemporary Romance
A Little Harmless Obsession (15 page)
“I already own you. You just have to come to terms with it.”
“I may want you, but it doesn’t mean this is a good idea. I need time to think.” 84
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He looked down at her, irritated, frustrated, needing nothing more than to slip into her body and find relief.
“You remember how you felt? The way you felt when you came? You were so fucking wet.” She shivered again, her breasts moving against his chest, her hardened nipples easy to feel through their layers of fabric.
“I do want you, I have never denied that. What I need is a day. Jesus, Evan, one day.” He could tell from the look on her face that she wasn’t playing games. Her breath was coming out in short little gasps, her skin was flushed, and her heart was beating a wild tattoo against his chest. He could press his advantage, take her now. If he did, she would submit to him, he felt it in his bones. But he didn’t want that, not just one night. He didn’t know what the hell was going on with him, but he did know it would take more than one night to work her out of his system.
“Okay. I’ll give you two days. But I want your answer by 5 p.m. on Wednesday. Understand?” She quickly nodded and he had to fight a smile. She might not want to say yes right now, but there was no doubt in his mind she would. And just who’d have thought May was such a good submissive?
He leaned in and took her mouth in a quick, hard kiss. Even the brief contact had both of them breathing heavily.
“You think about that for the next two nights.”
He walked away, knowing he was damn sure he would too.
May squinted against the hot sun beating down on her as she pulled into the parking lot. It had been a rough two nights. Just as Evan had predicted, she had thought of that kiss and all the wondrous things it would lead to. She’d lain awake for hours each night, her body hot, her mind racing with the possibilities.
Even reading some of her favorite erotic romances or time spent with her vibrator could not relieve the ache.
Why had she put herself through this? Oh, she had thought it would teach Evan a lesson. Smart move, Maylea. Seriously, who was she fooling? They both knew she was going to say yes, but she figured at least this way he knew she wasn’t a pushover. And now she was too tired to function. For the first time in her adult life, she seriously thought about lying and calling in sick, but it would do no good. Until she agreed, she would get no relief.
With slow movements, she got out of her car and slammed the door. She was half way to the back entrance when she realized she had forgotten her purse. She cursed, did a one-eighty and trudged back to her car. After grabbing her purse, she headed back to the entrance. She found mail already delivered, a large envelope addressed to her on the back stoop. Odd, but then it was too big to fit in their box outside and sometimes they delivered mail early.
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She unlocked the door, slipped through and remembered to flip the lock when she was inside. Chris was a bear about security, especially since the incident. If he were to pop in today and find the door unlocked, he would throw a fit.
Dropping her purse on the desk in the office, she grabbed a letter opener and pulled out the contents of the envelope. Pictures landed on the desk face up. Her breath clogged her throat as she recognized her front porch and the man there with her. In red marker there was a single word written across the glossy paper.
Whore
.
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Chapter Twelve
Evan’s heart hammered against his chest, his blood blazing through his veins as he strode into the Honolulu Police Department. He wanted to smash something, beat it to a pulp. He’d been at the Aiona house when May called her father to tell him what had happened, and he had immediately left. Her father acted as if it were no big deal, probably because May told him it wasn’t one. But dammit, it was. This was the third time in less than a month she had been targeted. When he had called Chris, he could tell his friend was more shaken up than May’s father. When Evan had said he would go to the police department to check on her, Chris had been relieved.
The need to punch something, to tear someone to shreds still burned in his gut. It took every bit of his control to keep himself from acting on the need to destroy. The days of using his fists were long gone.
Since he’d learned to manage his anger, he had never allowed anything to push him this close to the edge.
But with May being threatened, possessiveness and a need to protect held him by the balls.
He needed to keep it under control. He couldn’t let this one incident send him over the edge. He had fought long and hard to control his temper, and he would be damned if he would lose it now.
He couldn’t stop the impotent rage that thrummed through him right now, and when he saw her sitting at a desk drinking coffee, he didn’t slow as he marched toward her.
Everything in him, the rage, the terror, the feeling of helplessness, came rushing back to him as he neared her. He couldn’t take the fear that tasted bitter on his tongue and stabbed him in the stomach. So instead of comforting her, he attacked her.
“What the hell is going on?”
Her head jerked up and her eyes widened when she saw him standing there. Her face was pale and he could tell from her expression that she was barely holding it together.
“I got a note today.” Her voice was small in the noisy room and that pissed him off even more. When Evan got a hold of the person who’d scared her, he would make the bastard pay.
“I’ll say.” A detective had come over and it took Evan a moment to realize it was the same man from the night her car had been damaged. “Would you have a seat, Mr. Chambers. I’m glad Ms. Aiona called you.”
Instead of sitting, he placed his hands on his hips and stared at her. “May didn’t call me.” The mulish expression on May’s face said he would pay for this later, but he ignored it. The idea that someone had done something to threaten her again made him want to tear the bastard to pieces.
Melissa Schroeder
“Please have a seat and I’ll try to explain.”
Evan dropped to the chair and waited.
“It seems that this person has taken pictures of Ms. Aiona…and you.” He shot her a glance, but she was studying her finger nails intently. He returned his attention to the detective.
“What kind of pictures?”
The detective cleared his throat. “You were kissing Ms. Aiona.” He whipped his head around. “In front of your house?” She nodded without looking up. To keep himself from grabbing her and shaking some sense into her, he turned to the detective.
“What the fuck are you going to do about this?”
The man grimaced. “I offered to have a police detail protect Ms. Aiona—”
“As you should.”
“And she refused.”
Again he stared at the woman who had been driving him out of his mind. She was looking at him now and lifted her chin.
“You idiot.”
“I don’t need protection all the time. I did ask for someone to drive by the house several times during the day, and Chris is going to update the cameras around the perimeter.”
“I don’t think—”
“I didn’t ask.” Her voice raised so high, several people turned to look at them. She apparently noticed it too and her face flushed. “I need to use the bathroom. Excuse me.” She strode away and he turned back to the police detective who held up his hands. “Hey, don’t give me a look like that. I tried to talk her into it, but she said she doesn’t need it except at home, although we are going to have more drive-by patrols of Dupree’s parking lot.” Evan nodded.
“I have to ask…do you have anyone who would want to harm you?”
“There are a lot of people who don’t like me, but I can’t think of anyone who would have known I was at May’s the other night.”
The detective nodded. “Okay, but if you think of someone, let me know. They didn’t just take photos, they also did some art work. The colored pictures spilled out in front of him. Each one of them with a filthy name, whore, slut, bitch. His blood started to heat again just as May returned. When she saw the pictures she paled. Evan wanted to yell, but he shoved the need down and stepped in front of the pictures to shield her from them.
“Come on, May.”
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She nodded then looked over his shoulder. “Thank you so much, officer. Please let me know if there is anything else you need.”
He followed May through the crowded hallways until they got outside. He squinted against the sun until he slipped on his sunglasses. Without a word, he took her hand and tugged her toward his truck.
“How did you end up here?”
“I was there when you called. Since your father seemed unconcerned with the fact you have a stalker, I felt I should call Chris.”
“And he ordered you down here.”
He stopped in front of the passenger door and released her. “No. I came because I was worried. The moment I heard someone had done this to you I wanted to find the bastard and kill him. Like it or not, I care about you.”
Her mouth opened, but no words came out before she snapped it shut. He nodded.
“Yeah, might want to keep whatever you wanted to say to yourself at the moment. I’m not responsible for my actions. I’m barely keeping myself from yelling.” He unlocked the door and helped her into the cab of his pickup. By the time he got seated and turned on the truck, she got her voice back.
“I don’t know what to say.”
The simple statement made him pause. Slowly he looked over at her. “Whether you say yes or no, if that night at Rough ’n Ready had not happened, I would still care about you. A little too much for my own comfort. I’ve been dealing with it for years…and now you can deal with it too.” May stared unseeingly out the window, her mind trying to deal with all of the things she had learned this morning. First the creepy photos and now this.
“What do you mean you’ve felt this way for a long time?” He didn’t say anything as he eased onto H-1 and around a pokey minivan.
“Evan?”
He glanced at her, the irritated look making her smile. The man did not like being backed into a corner, but what man did? Still, May needed to know.
“I’ve been attracted to you since I first met you.”
She rolled her eyes. “You have not.”
“Believe me, I know when I’m attracted to a woman.”
“You treated me like a sister.”
“Had to. Otherwise I would have had my hands all over you.” Again, he left her speechless—which was a hard thing to do. To think he’d been attracted to her all these years… It wasn’t possible. Evan wasn’t the sort of man who would keep his attraction at bay. He
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tended to live life to the fullest, which meant enjoying pleasures. He’d dated several women who worked at Dupree’s.
“You never asked me out for a date. And you can’t tell me it was because I worked at Dupree’s. You dated enough of the women there, including skanky Lee.” His lips twitched, but he didn’t take his gaze from the highway. “Skanky Lee. That about sums up her character.”
“I did fire her for stealing.”
Evan grunted and pulled to a stop when they reached the traffic lights that led to Hawaii Kai.
“What are we doing here? I need to get back to work.”
“Chris doesn’t want you back at work today. He wants you to take the day off.” She frowned and crossed her arms. “I can work. I’m not some wilting woman who can’t handle this.” He growled. “Jesus, May, give it a break. No one thinks you’re weak.”
“I don’t want anyone thinking that I’m shirking my duties, that’s all.”
“Chris said if you came in today he’d fire you.”
Instead of heading into Hawaii Kai, he turned on a street that lead up to the few houses on the cliffs…where he lived.
Her heart hammered against her chest as he turned onto his street. Everything in her tensed, her mind whirling with the possibilities.
“W-what are we doing here?”
“
We
are going to get a few things straight.”
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Chapter Thirteen
Every nerve in her body shimmered in anticipation as he slid from his seat and then rounded the hood to her. He opened the door, grabbed her arm, then yanked her out. He slammed the door behind him and dragged her to his front door.
Once they stepped into the foyer, she sighed. Even with her hormones doing the mambo, she definitely could appreciate this house. May knew he had bought it in horrible condition and spent two years doing the remodel, and it showed. The hardwood floors gleamed. The soothing earthy colors exuded a male elegance she had not expected. But she didn’t get the chance to appreciate the beauty. He gave her enough time to pull off her shoes then he dragged her down the hallway to what she expected was his bedroom. Her pulse doubled and her palms began to sweat. When they reached it, it wasn’t what she expected and it must have shown on her face. He chuckled as he released her.
“Were you expecting a dungeon?”
She rubbed her wrist. “No…it’s just so calming.”
Several different shades of blue were filtered throughout the room. Earth tones were used here too, but in contrast to the living area, this room immediately relaxed her. Of course, that was if she ignored the California King bed in the middle of the room.
“I haven’t agreed to anything.”
He quirked an eyebrow.
She rolled her eyes. “Okay, you knew the answer was yes.” He nodded, but he said nothing and continued to stare at her. His gaze roamed over her body, licks of heat following in its path. Holy mother of God. He had yet to touch her and she could feel the rise of heat in her blood. Hell, even without checking she knew her panties were damp.
“You didn’t contact me when you found those pictures.” For a moment, her mind stuttered to a halt at the change of subject. She was trying to control the need to jump his bones and he was talking about the pictures.
