Page 3 of Abundance of Obsession

I shake my head and take the last empty seat.

In a typical possessive way, Ryker grabs the back of Ash’s chair and pulls her a little closer. She doesn’t scold him for it, though I suspect she might. She just smiles and plants a kiss on his cheek.

I can’t take my eyes off them. Sparks shine in Ryker’s eyes when he looks at her. Even a blind man could tell he’s head over heels for her. And she for him.

Deep down, something tightens inside me when I see the two of them. Ry has always been an ice-cold asshole, full of scornful quips. A ruthless, silent killer. But for her? A completely different person.

The smile slips from my face. I don’t have the strength to keep it there any longer.

Regardless of its cause, this knot in my stomach is highly unwelcome.

Ash gets up. “I’ll leave you guys to talk business in peace. I need to look up a few things.”

Taking her arm, Ryker says, “If you’re thinking of having some fun with your new target soon, I want to be kept in the loop and be involved.” Never looking away from her, he raises her hand to his lips and kisses it.

“To think those rings on your fingers might put a damper on your kinky games,” I say, and Ash smiles before leaving.

“If anything, I'd say it's made them more determined. They are like hyped-up teenagers,” Theo adds.

Ryker shakes his head when I grab a plate and pile on whatever I can just to fill my stomach. That brings another thing to mind right away. “Do you have any painkillers? I think my head is going to burst in the next fifteen minutes.”

“I’d like to see that,” Theo mutters under his breath.

“You're a dick. What crawled up your ass?” I ask.

Ryker hands me two pills. I swallow them and wash them down with a sip of coffee.

Theo is silent, and Ryker sighs. “Guys, cut it out. Eli, you had a good night, I take it, judging by the marks?”

“Yeah—I think so. Don’t remember much. Not even how I ended up here. This bacon is excellent.” I chew, hoping the churning in my stomach will settle down soon.

“What do you mean?”

With a shrug, I answer, “I woke up in the car outside your building. Took it as a sign.”

Theo snorts. “A sign from God to stop drinking everything in sight and sleeping with any woman who’ll have you.”

I jab my fork at him. “That’s not nice, Theo. You might be right to think of me as a drunk and a man whore, but I don’t judge your life.”

Lately, the rift between Theo and me has grown even bigger. It pisses me off, and I won’t pretend otherwise. But he has never criticized either of us like this before, never judged us.

Something’s been going on with him for a while now.

Ryker sighs again. “Eli, did you take your presence here as an invitation to join us for breakfast? I called you last night you dumbass.”

Trying to recall what he’s talking about, I scratch my chin. “You did?”

“Looks like he met a woman yesterday who knocked his socks off,” Theo comments, pouring himself some coffee. “Maybe he’s fallen in love?”

My fork clatters on the plate, my mouth drops in disbelief, eyes wide. As I shift my gaze from friend to friend, I notice the amusement in their expressions.

“Me? In love? Have you lost your mind, Theo? I’ll never fall in love.”

I shove the loaded fork back into my mouth, seeking a moment of peace.

However, Ryker has a different idea. He's just caught a fish and is about to reel it into the boat. “Why not, Eli?”

It’s hard to swallow. There’s no way I’m getting into some therapeutic mumbo jumbo about me. But giving him something to shut him up seems inevitable. “Not everyone is cut out for it. That’s me. I’m a bachelor at heart, meant to hop from flower to flower, drink the nectar, and have fun. That’s all.”