Page 29 of His Coveted Obsession

“Yes?”

“Thank you for liking me and always being honest.”

I gently cupped his face with one hand because I sensed he needed something intimate. He closed his eyes and leaned into my touch. I’d seen this reaction countless times on television, and while I had no such feelings like the need for intimacy, I understood Thomas did. I didn’t mind meeting his needs because he metmine as well. Making him happy kept me happy. And in such a short time, he had exceeded in keeping me pleased.

With that, I left the bathroom and headed back to work.

Ihadabookabout intimacy and romance open on my lap, with the TV in the background, as I sat on the leather sofa at work. I’d recently purchased the book to learn more about Thomas’s needs. If I wanted to keep him and have my needs met, I would have to match his. But I had to find a balance. Thomas enjoyed my bluntness, which I found odd because most people who didn’t know me were put off by it. Regardless, I enjoyed not being forced to wear my mask around him.

I looked up at the sudden movement to find Luca headed my way. He had been a permanent fixture at The District for nearly two years, though he wasn’t a killer. He liked to help out around here to keep himself busy and feel useful.

I never quite understood the dynamic between him and Dante, who was an aloof killer, but Luca worshiped him. That was what I wanted—someone like Luca who worshiped and appreciated me. I may have found that in Thomas, but it was too early to tell, despite my brain already claiming him as mine.

Luca had blond curls that fell past his chin, and large blue eyes that were filled not only with curiosity but also with slight, perpetual fear. He’d gotten stronger and more confident over the years, but he’d been a sex slave in a past life, starting at only eight years old. I lost my innocence at that age as well. I understoodwhat it felt like to have your body used without your permission, although Luca suffered more than I had.

Dante had found him at one of his assignments and took him home instead of killing him. Eventually, the two men became intimate partners.

“Hello,” Luca said, sitting down next to me.

I handed him the remote. “You can watch what you want.”

He took it from me and flipped through the channels until he found a show about the animals of the Galapagos Islands.

“Where’s Rabbit?” I asked.

His stuffed animal was also a regular fixture around here. It was used as a comfort, but it had also been used as a safe place to store the diamonds he had stolen from his previous owner—diamonds he used to pay us for his revenge plot. I couldn’t help but respect that.

“Oh, he’s at home.”

“Why?”

He shrugged. “I’m trying to use him less and less. It’s hard… like trying to stop an addiction. I’ve had him for so long.”

I went back to my book, but nodded in agreement. “Weaning yourself is wise.”

“What are you reading?”

I lifted the book to show him. “I have someone I’m fucking, but because he pleases me, I want to please him in return to keep him.”

His blue eyes grew wide as he smiled broadly, reminding me so much of Thomas. Luca turned to face me, grabbing a throw pillow and holding it against him as if it were his stuffed rabbit. “Oh, you have a boyfriend?”

“I’m not sure I would call him that yet, but he belongs to me just the same.”

He bounced excitedly. “So exciting! Love is the best in the world, even better than chocolate.”

“I don’t feel such things, Luca.”

“Yes, I know, but that’s okay. We all deserve someone who makes us happy.”

I thought about his words before asking, “What is love like?”

He put his hands to his mouth and giggled. “Sully asked me that once.”

Interesting, though I shouldn’t have been surprised. Sully and I were a lot alike, except he experienced joy and pleasure, whereas I struggled to. Well, I could, but not to the extent Sully experienced it. “What did you tell him?”

He thought back, getting lost in the memory. “I told him about my angel and how he makes my tummy get all tingly. I want to kiss and hold him all the time, even after almost two years. If something happened to him, I would want whoever hurt him dead in the worst possible way.”

For such a timid young man, he lusted for his revenge. He didn’t shy away from death, probably because of his horrible upbringing, seeing the darkest in people. I didn’tfeelempathy for him as others did, but I understood him because I had similar feelings of rage.

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