Page 15 of Crazy Obsession
Chapter Seven
The Confrontation
Adam
Small towns don’t keep secrets.Not the big ones or the little ones.Someone will buy a pregnancy test at the pharmacy and before they get home to use it, ten people already know.So, by the time I roll into Blake’s Sunday afternoon, I already know.
Lenor Daniels went on a date.With Mason Holt.
I hear it before I even sit down at the bar.Old man Carter is telling anyone who’ll listen that Mason was seen holding her car door open like a “proper gentleman.”Mercy’s behind the bar, lips twitching, clearly dying to spill the details.I don’t ask.I don’t have to.
Because the second I see Lenor walk in with a basket of muffins in her hands, her thick hair down, and her lips pressed tight, I know it’s true.And my blood goes ice cold in my veins.She actually went out with him.She let him sit across from her, talk his boring hardware talk, and probably touch her hand.Maybe she even let him kiss her.The thought makes me want to put my fist through the wall.Or Mason’s smug fucking face.
I push off my stool, ignoring Wesley’s muttered curse behind me, and stalk straight across the room.She sees me coming and stiffens, her jaw tightening like she’s bracing for impact.
“Morning, Lennie,” I drawl, too sharp, too cutting.
She sets the basket on the counter with more force than necessary.“Don’t start, Adam.”
I plant a hand on the bar, leaning in close enough that she can’t pretend she doesn’t feel me.“Heard you had dinner with Holt last night.”
Her eyes flick up, flashing with her signature defiant heat.“So what if I did?”
The possessive growl that rips from my chest nearly shocks me.“So what?He’s not good enough for you.”
She laughs, a hard, bitter sound.“And you are?”
The words slam into me.For a second, I can’t breathe.Because yeah, that’s the truth, isn’t it?That’s what everyone thinks.That’s whatshethinks.Reckless Adam Blake.The guy you keep for fun, not forever.
My jaw locks.“I’m not Mason.”
“No,” she snaps, whirling to face me fully now, fire in her eyes.“You’re not.He’s steady.Reliable.Safe.You’re...”Her voice cracks, but she barrels on.“You’re chaos, Adam.And I can’t survive chaos again.”
Her words slice me open, but I can’t back down.Not when I see the truth trembling underneath her anger.
I step closer, my body crowding hers against the bar.My voice drops, low and rough.“You didn’t feel safe with him, did you?Not like you felt with me.”
Her breath hitches and her eyes darken.And I know I’ve got her.
