Obsession (8 page)

Male cursing came from my left and I blinked through my tears to find Leo at my side, his irritation moving through the air in skin-prickling waves. “I see I can’t leave you alone for one moment.”

I held my arm out, biting my trembling lower lip before I asked, “How bad is it? Did I lose much skin? Will I need plastic surgery?”

He surprised me by laughing softly, then placing a gentle kiss on the unharmed skin of my inner wrist. “No, I think you’ll be okay.”

I peeked and was almost disappointed to find my skin an angry pink color when it felt like it should be covered in blisters, and I lamely said, “It really, really hurts.”

“Be brave for me, just a little longer, and I’ll take care of you.”

The deep rumble of his gentle tone made my belly flutter more than a little bit. “Okay.”

He smiled, and I swear I gasped as he rumbled out, “Okay.”

I was only able to function after he turned away and led me out of my work and into the night. With his hand on my lower back, he guided me to our adjacent parking lot where a sleek black sedan idled. I may not have born into wealth, but Kayla’s family had serious money and I’d spent a lot of time at her house while we were growing up. Plus, I loved to read those gossip columns about the rich and famous doing stupid things, then dream about what it would be like to have that kind of money. Because of my love of celebrity dirt, I knew the car in front of us was a Rolls Royce, and I knew it probably cost over half a million dollars. One of the stars I read about in an entertainment blog had bought his girlfriend one to make up for cheating on her with his maid.

A man got out as we approached, dressed in a suit similar to Leo’s. He had light brown hair and his gray eyes that matched his suit studied me intently. His gaze went from Leo, to me, to the arm that I was clearly favoring, and he frowned.

“Mark,” Leo said from behind me as we approached. “Call Dr. Gardener and let her know we’re coming in. Hannah burned herself and refuses to go to a hospital.”

Feeling like a scolded child, I frowned at him and resisted the urge to step on his big foot. “Hey, not all of us are rolling in a Rolls, bro. Some of us have to work for a living.”

Mark gave me a shocked look while Leo stared at me like I was some kind of weird insect. “Rolling in a Rolls…
bro
?”

My arm had begun to throb, making me more snippy and irritable than usual. “Can we just get to wherever we’re going? It’s starting to really hurt.”

Leo brushed away a tear that had managed to escape. “Of course.”

He helped me into the car and I got situated in a way that the top of my forearm wouldn’t touch anything. Leo got in next to me and it wasn’t until we were moving that I had a chance to look around inside. Though it was dark, I could see through the tasteful and dim lighting to the back of Mark’s head, above the cream and dark gold leather seat. I’d never been surrounded by such luxury, and I took my time studying it, wanting to memorize the details so I could tell my friends. They’d never believe it, and I wondered if Leo would think I was weird if I took a selfie in his car.

“Where are we going? The hospital’s the other way.”

“My downtown office.”

“Why are we going to your downtown office?”

“That’s where the doctor is.” He studied me in the passing light, and I tried to keep from squirming beneath his intense regard. “Do you believe in destiny?”

“Um—pardon me?”

“Never mind. If you’ll excuse me for a moment, I have some messages I need to check.”

Confused, tired, and hurting, I tried to relax and get as comfortable as I could without jostling my arm. This led to me sniffing back tears and shifting restlessly, which drew Leo’s attention back to me. When I noticed him watching like a hunter assessing his wounded prey, I stilled and pretended to examine the buildings we passed in the business district of Phoenix. This kept my mind off the sting for approximately ten seconds, and I tried to not whine like a baby. If Leo could be typing a text message with his injured hand, the least I could do was suck it up just sitting here, so I stared out the window and tried to resist the urge to stare at him instead.

We were let off in front of one of the newer office buildings and I was tempted to throw my coat over my shoulders to hide my uniform, but just the freaking breeze felt like someone was briskly rubbing my arm and my hurt overtook any embarrassment.

Leo must have seen me flinch, because he ducked down to look me right in the eye. “Just a little bit farther and we’ll take the pain away. You are doing so well, being so strong for me.”

I blinked back tears then wiped under my eyes with my good hand. “Crap, is my makeup all messed up?”

He cupped my face and I was instantly aware of a sense of calm and safety enveloping me. I’d never felt anything like it before, and I could barely breathe as some kind of energy flowed from his body into mine, leaving me trembling in his power. When he closed his eyes my knees went weak, and I closed mine, anticipating his kiss, hoping I didn’t faint.

To my disappointment he didn’t press his lips to mine. Instead he kissed my forehead, but if a forehead kiss could be erotic, this one was. The slow brush of his lips against my skin, the faint scruff of his stubble, his musky smell that all men had, even the faint scent of detergent from his shirt overwhelmed my senses.

Oxygen rushed into my lungs as he drew back, an almost wild look in his eyes that froze me in place.

A predator stared down at me with a possessiveness I found both frightening and intriguing. What would it be like to have a man like this in my life? Someone I could trust, someone who thought I was a treasure? A man like Leo would guard me with his life. Well, that is if he didn’t accidentally play with me too rough and kill me first. I had no illusions that I was anywhere near this man’s league and even if he did want me, he wouldn’t want to keep me. No guy ever did.

I’m a clinger. Like being-threatened-with-a-restraining-order, girl-you-have-a-problem clinger. It’s a failing of mine and I’m aware of my problem, but I can’t stop myself. When you’re starving for affection, and someone finally gives it to you, you’ll always want more, leeching on to them until you drain them dry. Unfortunately for me, in my past relationships, that desperate need for attention scared guys off pretty quick. I was my own worst enemy when it came to men.

My injured arm brushed his and I hissed, jerking back.

Leo’s firm lips thinned and the lines around his eyes deepened. “You distract me. Come on, I’m failing in my duties.”

“What?”

He didn’t answer me, merely leading me through enormous spinning glass doors and into the cool interior of the office building. The entryway was flanked by large white marble desks on either side, each manned by four intimidating security guards who looked nothing like any security guards we had on campus. Those men were older, often with a gut and lazy eyes as they drove modified golf carts around the campus of Arizona State. The four guys flanking us were fit, in their prime, and they all stared at me like I was something interesting.

It had to be because I was with Leo. I wasn’t the kind of girl who attracted male attention of this caliber on my own. They were probably wondering what he was doing with a mousy little girl who smelled like French fries and coffee when he probably dated supermodels. I found the thought more depressing than I should and forced myself to pay attention to my surroundings, when all I wanted to do was snuggle into Leo’s side and hold his hand despite my self-doubt.

How peculiar.

When we reached the elevators, I examined the stone and polished-steel lobby, softened by an array of massive potted plants.

The doors to the elevator binged open and Leo followed me in. He tapped a code into the keypad then the buttons for the top four floors lit up. After selecting the twenty-first floor, Leo stepped back, ignoring both me and my curious looks. He didn’t say a word as he escorted me down a long hallway to what appeared to be a cross between a room in a hospital and a high-end hotel suite. It was windowless, but somehow managed to be bright and cheery with sunflower paintings on the walls and an enormous flat-screen TV that played some crazy-high-definition picture of a tropical sunset. The whole place screamed money and I wondered what it would be like to do post-surgery recovery in a room like this, rather than a regular hospital. Bet their food didn’t suck.

Turning, I found Leo studying me, his hands shoved into the pockets of his pants.

“Um—where are we?”

“This is one of two medical floors in this building. There’s also a lab, an executive floor, and a surgery suite.”

“Surgery? Why?”

“The corporation I work for has a vast number of holdings and investments, one of which is with a team of world-renowned plastic surgeons. There’s also a dental surgeon, an optometrist, and a gym. My employers believe in taking care of their people. It’s probably why the Cordova Group is one of the highest-rated corporations in Arizona for employee satisfaction.”

“So…you work here?”

He closed the door behind him and studied me intently, making my nipples peak again beneath the cheap fabric of my work shirt.

Suddenly reminded of the fact that I smelled like greasy food, and probably looked like blotchy shit warmed over from my crying, I turned away from Leo on the pretense of exploring the room. I could feel his presence behind me, an intangible caress that drew my attention like nectar to a bee.

“I do.”

“And what’s your job?”

“Everything security related.”

I snorted. “That’s helpful.”

“I’m one of the heads of security.”

“Must be an important job if you can afford a Rolls.”

He shrugged. “What about you, Miss Hannah with no last name? What is it you do?”

“It’s Hannah Barnes. You mean what do I do aside from working at a diner?”

“Yes.”

Taking a seat on the edge of the bed, I tilted my head and looked up at him, admiring the way the light brought out the strands of gold among the brown of his tied-back hair. With the scruff and muscles, he had a “Dangerous Viking Marauder in a thousand dollar suit” air about him.

For a moment, I entertained the fantasy that he was interested in me as a woman, instead of some girl he was making small talk with while we waited for the doctor.

“I’m going to ASU.”

He nodded as if he expected me to say that. “Let me guess what you’re studying…childhood education.”

I blinked at him, totally thrown for a loop. “Oh my gosh, how did you know that?”

His grin was playful, and absolutely devastating to my panties. “Lucky guess.”

A knock came from the door and it swung inward, revealing a very pretty woman around Leo’s age, maybe a little older, in a lab coat. She had her dark hair pulled back into a bun and wore these really cool cat-eye glasses. Tattoos peeked out on her wrists from the edge of her jacket and heavy black liner highlighted her big green eyes.

The way she smiled at Leo was openly affectionate and I let out an inner sigh. Of course he had a girlfriend. He was a hot-as-ballz rich guy, even if he was a bit scary. And of course she’d be uber beautiful and cool in a way I could never hope to be.

“Hello,” the woman said in a honeyed voice. “I’m Dr. Gardener. It’s nice to meet you, Hannah. I hear you’ve been burned.”

The flirty looks she kept giving Leo irritated me and I called myself a moron for reacting like a jealous shrew. Pulling myself together, I gestured to my arm, then Leo. “Hi, Dr. Gardner. Yeah, I accidentally spilled hot coffee on both of us. Check out Leo’s hand first, I think his is worse than mine.”

“Leo?” the woman asked with raised brows as she looked over at the man in question. “You mean Mr. Brass?”

Moving to my side, he placed a hand on my shoulder. “Hannah has permission to call me Leo. Her needs come first. Take care of her, and I’ll wait.”

Confusion followed by hurt flashed through Dr. Gardener’s eyes, but she forced a smile. “Of course. Well then, let’s take a look at your burn.”

Less than ten minutes later, my arm was covered with a blissfully numbing salve and lightly wrapped in a clean white bandage. I’d been given some painkillers and they must have been stronger than I thought, because I was having a hard time keeping my eyes open. My muscles were loose, relaxed, and when someone said my name, I could barely keep my eyes open.

“Hannah,” the vaguely familiar man said again. “Lay back, sweetheart.”

“Tired,” I mumbled as I frowned with my eyes closed.

“You’ve had a long night. Go to sleep. I’ll watch over you.”

“M’kay.”

In my dream, I was listening to two men talking in a Victorian house, their voices distant but compelling. Dressed like a 19
th
century lady in a green and black taffeta gown, I walked down the long corridors of the manor, following the baritone sounds of their conversation. Soon I came to an ornate, closed door and I paused. The men were on the other side and I could almost hear them, so I sank to my knees, the fabric of my dress rustling loudly around me, and pressed my ear to the keyhole.

The voices were still faint, going in and out, but I managed to hear them speak.