Page 64 of A Dance With Obsession

I sigh. How did it go? Not great, but not bad either. “I need to do better with her. It’ll just take time. I’m not sure if she believes me yet, but I told her I’m going to come home more. Be here for my parents and her more.”

I don’t know how I’ll work it out with my schedule, but I need to. Tonight showed me just how much Sam is hurting. She needs me, and so do my parents. I need to figure out a way to make it all work.

“That’s good, SJ. I can tell your family cares so much about you. They want to see you happy, but they aren’t scared to admit they need you, too. I don’t know how it’ll work out, but I hope like hell it does.”

“Me, too,” is the only response I can come up with because I’m fucking worried about the logistics of it all. One way or another, I need to figure it out, though.

“They took the news of my stalker better than I expected,” she says as she toys with her ring on her finger.

Without thinking, I reach over and run my index finger over her hand, grazing the ring in the process. She doesn’t bat an eye.

I nod. “I didn’t think they’d be upset over it exactly, but I also didn’t want to worry them unnecessarily. From those pictures, he’s still thoroughly obsessed with you. I’m just a byproduct of that. Someone caught in your orbit.”

“You don’t think they’re in actual danger, then?” Nora asks with a hopeful tone.

“Yes and no. I don’t want to underestimate him, but I don’t think his focus has changed, which would make it less likely that he would go after them. Either way, we won’t take any chances.”

She blows out a frustrated breath. “I just wish he’d fucking go away. All of this is too much to deal with, and I can’t stand the thought of putting you or your family in danger. Maybe I shouldn’t have come here. Maybe it would have been better if Colin or Donovan were my bodyguard.”

I growl. I actually fucking growl at the thought of her not being here with me and instead with one of them. Her eyes snap to mine, nothing but concern and worry in her brown irises.

“Not fucking necessary. I want you here, my parents want you here, and I think you want to be here, too.”

“It isn’t about if I want to be here. It’s about if it’s right for me to be here. It would be easier for everyone if I didn’t stay.” She sits up on the bed and swings around to face me.

I follow suit, my blood pressure rising just from the thought of her leaving.

Oh, this is not good.

Not fucking good at all.

“Easier for who? Not me, that’s for sure! All it’ll do is distract me because I’ll be worried if they’re watching over you good enough,” I whisper forcefully.

My parents have gone to bed, so I’m trying to keep my voice down, but her talking about leaving me isn’t helping with that endeavor.

“SJ,” she says sternly.

“Nora,” I say right back, my eyebrow raised in challenge. We stay like that for what feels like forever, but it’s likely only a handful of seconds before she finally breaks the tension.

“I’m tired, and I’m sure you are, too. We can table this conversation for now, but don’t think we’re done. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you or your family because of me,” she states brokenly.

I know she feels defeated. I would too if I were in her shoes. However, we’re far from done and far from giving up.

“We can talk about it again, but you aren’t going anywhere. Not without me, at least,” I say, leaning forward to brush my lips against her temple. It’s only a whisper of a kiss, but it felt right. “Goodnight, cupcake.”

She breathes in deeply, and sighs before whispering out a choked, “Night.”

It takes everything in me to get up and leave, but I can’t stay with her. We both need to think and regroup. I’m sure this isn’t over, but I won’t back down. I just hope she’s willing to stay.

Nora Reyes is mine to watch over, mine to protect.

I slept like shit, partly from trying to stuff my big ass frame onto that tiny ass couch and partly from the conversation with Nora last night.

I groan as I arch my back, trying to work the kinks out. It cracks about eight hundred times, effectively making me feel twice my age. I need to get a cane now and shake it at the neighbor kids from the porch, yelling something grumbly about the lawn.

“Did you not sleep well?” Mom asks as I take a sip of the coffee she just made.

I groan for an entirely different reason. Damn, it’s good, and I’ve missed it.

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