Page 100 of Arranged Obsession
“Please.”
I clear my throat. Suddenly, this couch is deeply uncomfortable, and my throat goes dry and scratchy. I don’t know why, but I want to get up and run away.
“I haven’t admitted this out loud yet,” I say slowly, forcing myself to calm down. This is agoodthing. “But he and I…” I search for the right way to put it. “We’re working out.”
Her eyebrows raise. “Better than expected?”
“I’m falling for him.”
There’s a short pause. She seems surprised, but in a good way. She laughs, pours more wine, and we toast. “Lord knows he already fell for you,” she says as we drink together. But her smile slowly fades. “I just want you to be careful, okay? I’m sure his attention is intoxicating right now. Everything’s new and exciting. But your feelings might fade, or they might turn into something normal and good, except you have to understand that his… won’t.”
“What do you mean?”
“He’ll always be like this. That’s the thing with my son. He’s all or nothing, and with you, it’s decidedlyall and more. There’s no going back from that.”
I hadn’t even thought about that. I frown over my shoulder toward where the men are sitting together and try to picture myself twenty years from now. What if my emotions really do fade? What if I drift into comfortable domesticity?
But that’s the thing with Cormac. Even if I start to drift, he’ll be there, always ready to pull me back in. That’s why falling for him is so exciting and terrifying. The depths are scary, but they’re also incredible. Much more than I’ve ever experienced before.
“I don’t want to go back,” I admit, blinking back some tears.
Siobhan smiles and comes to sit beside me. “I’m very happy to hear that. Still, be cautious with him.”
“I know you’re concerned. He’s your son and everything. But I think we have a good thing going. I think it’s something I want to pursue. Do you know what I mean?”
“Absolutely.” She hugs me tightly. “Welcome to the family.”
Chapter 33
Bianca
“When you said you had a surprise for me…” I squint out the car window as we roll down a quiet Brooklyn block. “I was expecting flowers. Maybe sex.”
“Sex is still a possibility.” Cormac doesn’t look at me, but he’s smiling as he glides the car to a stop in front of a nondescript apartment building. The area is a little corner with a few shops with offices above them. Families walk down the street, an older couple pushing a stroller, probably with their grandchild in it.
“What are we doing here?”
“I wanted to do something nice for you.” He leans over and kisses me lightly. “Since you were good with my parents.”
“You don’t have to thank me for that. Your mother makes it easy. Although your father?—”
He waves that off. “My father is an old prick. He’ll come around. Don’t worry about him.”
“I got the feeling your mom’s the one I should be focusing on anyway.”
“That means you’re a very smart girl.” He smirks as he nods toward the apartment building. “Now let’s go upstairs and enjoy ourselves, shall we?”
My stomach does a little nervous twist as Cormac gets out of the car. I quickly follow after him. “What’s here?”
“A place I rented recently. Turns out the landlord of this building loves money more than he loves asking questions.” He buzzes us through the front door and into a lobby with sticky floors and rusty mailboxes. The stairs look like they’re vaguely safe as we take them to the second floor. The smell of cooking and the soft sound of music floats from the different units.
“Right, butwhydid you rent an apartment here?” I hesitate, frowning at the rusty, beat-up doors. “I mean, it’s not the best place in the world.”
“Oh, no, it’s actually perfect.” We keep going up and up to the fourth floor. I’m a little out of breath by the time we reach number 407. “You’re going to love it. Trust me.” He unlocks the door and we step inside.
The place is totally empty.
There’s nothing in the dingy kitchen. Nothing in the cramped bathroom. Nothing in the living room either. No furniture, no sign of life at all. I stare around me before frowning at him.
