Page 7 of Obsessed Fox

"I'm . . ." I cut her off with the palm of my hand before she could give me the usualI'm sorry you didn't have a mother—or some variation of—speech. I’d heard it enough times.

"I'm not going to turn you in. I figured you were running from an abusive boyfriend, but if the reason you changed your name is because you're in some kind of trouble with the law, then I want to help you."

She looked at me skeptically. "Why would you want to do that? You don't even know what I did. Hypothetically, that is."

I smiled at her. If she wanted to play hypotheticals, then I was game. There was nothing I wouldn't do for this woman. She just didn't know that yet.

"Because I can. Now how about you come back to my place, and we discuss what you think is so bad that you need to leave the bakery you love so much?"

I knew I had her at the mention of Wickedly Delicious. It didn't take a genius to know the bakery was her baby. Everyone in town could see how much she loved the place by the detail she put into every aspect of the place. Not just the baked goods, but the decor and branding.

"Fine. But I reserve the right to leave after I tell you my story if I think I'll be spending the night in jail. No offense, but no one is worth that. Not even you."

“Ouch!” I clutched my chest and gasped. "And here I thought we had a special connection. I would absolutely do jail time for you."

Maisie jammed her shoulder into me as she pushed past. "That's because you're insane."

Obsessed.

The word I would use to describe my feelings toward her was obsessed, but sure, if she wanted to think I was insane, then so be it. She would find out soon enough.

The drive to my place was short, as was the distance to everything in this town. I managed to buy a small cottage on the street behind where all the shops were located, which made driving to work quick and painless. And on the days I was feeling spunky, I jogged to the office.

I barely got the car in park before Maisie was jumping out and strutting her fine ass up the sidewalk. I took my time getting out because really, what could she do? It was my house, so I had the key. She was stuck on my timeline.

"Eager to spend the night with me?" I teased.

Maisie scoffed and placed one hand on her hip. "Have you forgotten I'm a wanted fugitive? It's not smart for me to be standing out in the middle of the street."

It was my turn to brush by her as I put the key in the door. I leaned in close until I could feel her shiver at my close proximity."You're not in the middle of the street. You're standing on my porch and I promise I'll keep you safe."

"Can we please just go inside already?"

I pushed the door open and waved for her to enter ahead of me. In true Maisie fashion, she rolled her eyes but stepped over the threshold into my home. I'd dreamed of having her here since I first laid eyes on her in the bakery. I was just hoping it would be on better terms.

"Would you care for a quick tour?"

"No, thanks. I would rather get this over with."

Such attitude. If she knew how much that turned me on, I doubt she would be throwing it around like confetti.

"By all means. The living room is this way." I flicked the hall light on and showed her the way. My living room was nothing special; two reclining chairs and a large flat-screen TV on the wall. One end table sat between the chairs, but other than that, the room was devoid of any furniture or personal effects. I was a simple man who didn't need much.

Maisie dropped her bag next to the first chair and flopped herself down into it. I could tell already this was going to be like pulling teeth.

I mimicked her position in the other chair, except where Maisie was looking at the floor like it had all the answers, I was staring at her profile.

"Start whenever you're ready."

With an exaggerated exhale, Maisie kept her eyes on the ground as she spoke.

"My childhood wasn't what people would call normal. Sure, I had two parents and maybe, in some way, they loved me and my brother, but the life we lived was …unconventional, to say the least. My parents didn't give a shit about social norms or going with the flow. They did everything they could possibly do to go against the grain.

"It drove my brother and me crazy, so by the time we were teenagers, we agreed we would never be anything like them. We purposely did the opposite of what our parents wanted and maybe that's where we went wrong. We wanted so badly to be normal that we didn't see how naive we really were."

I didn't like where this was headed already. I could envision a young Maisie being taken advantage of because her parents hadn't properly prepared her for the cruel world.

"There was this group in our town that our parents insisted we stay away from, so of course Matty and I sought them out. We figured if our parents hated them, then it must mean they were normal law-abiding citizens." Maisie shook her head. "Boy, were we wrong."

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