Page 113 of Indecent Obsession
“Of course. I can send Theo over to help you guys. He’s our best.” Keys clack over the line. “He’s available in an hour. Where should I send him?”
“The office of Stone, Lawson, Hawkins & Morris. Thank you so much, Noah.” Part of that fist that’s got a grip on my heart loosens. At least we’re doing something.
“This one’s on me, Sara. I still owe you a favor.” Noah’s voice is gruff but it settles something inside me. He’s a genuinely good guy, and if he hadn’t been in love with Madison, I would have been lucky to date him. But I wasn’t ready back then.
“Thank you.”
We end the call and Wyatt shifts in his chair.
“If he wasn’t in a relationship, I’d worry he could steal you away.” Wyatt’s dark eyes lift to mine.
“You and I have an agreement. Not a relationship. There’s nothing to steal away.” The words are bitter on my tongue, but that doesn’t make them less true. I should be happy with what we have.
His eyes narrow. “Come here, trouble.”
I arch an eyebrow. “No.”
His fist clenches, but he relaxes back into the chair. “Fine. You want to play games. We can play games. I didn’t come in here to punish you. I came in to talk since we opted out last night.”
“I had energy to burn off.” Shrugging, I can’t meet his eyes. I avoided him last night. This morning, he still made sure I had breakfast but we didn’t really talk.
“I’m sure Finn was good at that.”
My cheeks flush, but I lift my gaze to his. I’m not embarrassed that Finn fucked me. But remembering it makes my insides boil.
“Sorry.” He runs his hand through his hair. “I didn’t mean to sound like a jealous lover.”
“But you are?” I lean my elbows on the desk and hold my chin as I narrow my eyes on him.
“Am I jealous that you have other lovers than me?” He swallows and it fascinates me. Watching Wyatt is a longtime hobby of mine. “If I’m not present when they fuck you, more so than if I’m there.”
I cross my legs against the growing ache. “Did you come in to discuss your jealousy or mine?”
“I don’t want to take her if she’s going to cause issues. I don’t want to take her at all, if I’m honest.” He runs a hand through his hair and stands abruptly. “Fuck. I figured it must not be an issue if Tom set us up, but I also know that he doesn’t want you and me together. Maybe I wanted to cut that tie too. Maybe seeing me with her would undo whatever crush you had on me.”
Okay, now my insides are boiling for another reason.
“I’m fucking this up.” Wyatt’s eyes capture mine. There’s an apology in his. “I’m not going if I have to take her.”
I straighten and shake my head. “There has to be a reason other than being an asshole to me that he wanted her to come. He knows she wouldn’t go with him, but it would hurt me the most if she went with you. Which is exactly why Tom did it.”
Wyatt comes around the desk and lowers to his knees in front of me. “He’s an asshole.”
It surprises me that he would submit to me in this way. That’s not who Wyatt is. It helps to untangle the pain around my heart.
“She wants to hurt me any way she can.” I shrug. “She’s always known I want you. To her, you’re the best way to make me hurt.”
“Why does she want to hurt you?” Wyatt puts his hands on my legs. There’s something satisfying about having him on his knees before me.
“I wish I knew.” It’s the best answer I have. I never really understood it. “I always thought we were best friends. But the whole time she was working everyone else against me. Being nice to my face while saying mean, nasty things about me behind my back.”
Wyatt is quiet but his hand glides down my calf, gently massaging it.
“She called me a stalker and it stuck. She made me the bad guy and everyone believed her because, from the outside, it made sense.”
Wyatt’s brow furrows and I stroke his forehead to smooth the lines out.
Before he can speak, I go on. “She knew my obsession with you. That the guys I dated, I wasn’t really into. That I didn’t date much. It wasn’t hard for her to make that into something it wasn’t. To cast me as the villain. I just didn’t realize she was doing it until it was too late.”
