Page 44 of Abundance of Obsession

“If that’s what you want. I can teach you about sex. Show you everything. What it’s really like. How you should feel. What it means for a woman, but also for a man.”

“And you’d do that for me?” she asks in disbelief.

A light laugh escapes me. “Don’t fool yourself. I’ll enjoy this as much as you will. I may be a selfish son of a bitch, but I’m also a son of a bitch who knows how to give a woman pleasure. In this arrangement, we both win.”

“But?”

“But there are a few things we need to set if we’re to enter this arrangement knowingly. First, no one can find out about this.”

“That’s reasonable. I have no intention of standing in the street and shouting at the top of my lungs that the famous playboy Elijah Montgomery did me a favor and took my virginity.”

There’s a lot wrong with that one sentence. She labeled me a playboy, and although that might be true, it’s not something I’m comfortable with right now. Second, a “favor”? She’s clueless.

“Ash can’t find out either. Ryker will cut my head off if he finds out, and your sister will suck the last drop of blood from my veins.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t let them do that. But I promise Ash won’t find out from me.”

I nod because so far, we’re on the same page.

“And third, there’s no question of any feelings. Don’t delude yourself that this will have a happy ending. This isn’t that kind of story. It has nothing to do with damn love. It’s just sex, so don’t fall in love with me.”

My last point makes her cheeks burn even more. I love it. I like it when she blushes.

Looking at her face, I search for any signs that might suggest she’s hoping for just that. I don’t see it.

Her next words kill me. “What if you fall in love?”

I explode with laughter. Too loud. Too long. It’s like I’m trying to drown something out.

The conversation is serious, and I shouldn’t laugh, but this is stronger.

The laughter fades to a chuckle, and then it finally dies on my lips. “Don’t worry. There’s no chance of that. Not that it’s a bad thing, but it’s just not me. I’ll never fall in love. That’s why I want to spare you a broken heart and make sure you know exactly what you’re getting into.”

Zoe nods, pondering my words. She doesn’t seem to fully believe me, but that’s not my problem anymore. It’s her business.

“I agree,” she says eventually, rewarding me with a small smile. It spreads across her face with every passing second.

What now? In my head, I haven’t gotten past this conversation. Should I kiss her? Take her straight to bed?

That doesn’t seem appropriate.

“So we have a deal,” I say.

Just then, my phone vibrates. Taking it out of my pocket, I open the message. It’s one of my spies. I devour every single word he has written.

“Holy shit,” slips out of my mouth. My eyes dart up, and I see Zoe watching my every move. “Get dressed, Raven.”

“What? Why?”

“We have to go to Ryker’s.”

While I’m at it, I send a message to the group chat about an immediate meeting at Ryker and Ash’s apartment. My brothers haven’t responded, even though they’ve seen the message.

“What happened, Eli?”

“We need to meet. Now. And that’s not a request.”

Chapter 12