Page 2 of Surrendering to the Obsession

He turned to Mia, his hand seizing her arm. “Let’s go,” he said, and Mia let him pull her away.

They slipped out of the room together, leaving Janet standing there—face screwed up in rage, teeth bared. “Pretend all you want,” she spat after them. “But I know how madly you’re in love with me, Alexander Graves. You’ll be back in two days. I know you very well.” She scoffed angrily and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

Alexander led Mia to the back of the house. The private courtyard opened up into a polished pool framed by lounge chairs; the water caught the pale late-afternoon light.

He dragged two chairs together and pushed Mia down into one, then sat in the other, close enough that their shoulders almost touched. For a moment they both simply breathed—just the two of them in the hush after the storm.

Mia leaned forward, voice small and a little wry. “Maybe we should get a divor—”

“Don’t even think about it!” He said it in a flash, his voice cold enough to freeze the air.

Mia fell back, a sheepish, guilty half-smile flickering across her face. He watched her for a long beat, then spoke more calmly, each word sharp and measured.

“People kept coming at me at every damn party because I was single. They tried to set me up with their daughters, their sisters—hell, even their fucking wives. Everyone wanted a piece of me, everyone trying to get in my bed, and I’d had enough. So I signed a contract with Janet to act as my girlfriend at those business parties. She was blunt, crass, completely uninterested in me—the perfect wall to shut down all the noise. It was just a contract. A cover, nothing more, so people would finally leave me the hell alone.”

He paused, his gaze flicking to the mark on Mia’s cheek, lingering a moment too long. “It worked for years,” he said, each word tight, controlled, but laced with simmering anger. “The day we got married, that contract ended. She had no right to come here, no right to call herself anything, to pretend there was a relationship. I never gave her illusions of marriage—only a deal. She was never supposed to contact me again.”

His jaw clenched, his eyes flashing fire. “She was never supposed to show up at my house. I don’t know why she dared to call herself my wife. I never gave her a single reason to think we were anything more than a contract.”

Mia sat up straighter in her chair, her hands gripping the edges lightly. “Mr. Graves… she looked like she wanted to kill me. She looked really upset.”

Alexander’s jaw tightened. “I’ll make sure she gets her head straightened out.”

His gaze flicked to the bruise on Mia’s cheek and something darker passed over his face. “I should have cut her fucking hand off!”

Mia shook her head, her fingers unconsciously brushing her reddened cheek. “It’s not a big deal, Mr. Graves. I slapped her back. In fact, I slapped her harder. I didn’t go easy on her.”

Alexander’s expression didn’t soften, but the storm behind his eyes steadied.

“Wait here.” He stood, his posture tall and controlled, and walked into the house. The sound of his footsteps faded, and then returned.

He sat back beside her, an ice pack in hand. Without a word, he pressed it gently to her cheek, slow, careful, as if she might break.

Mia took it from him to hold it herself. “I can do it,” she murmured.

Alexander’s gaze sharpened at her reaction. His voice lowered. “Are you angry with me?”

Mia blinked, looking up at him. His face was unreadable — except for something unspoken buried deep.

“No, Mr. Graves. You’re so nice. How could I be angry with you?” she said with a small smile.

That earned the faintest curve of his mouth. “Mr. Graves? That’s not my name.”

Heat climbed her neck. “I’ll keep it in mind. I’m sorry.”

Before she could even finish her apology, Alexander’s hand shot out and gripped her wrist. In one fluid motion, he lifted her from the chair and eased her down into his lap. Her breath caught. His arm immediately circled her waist, drawing her flush against him. Every inch of her pressed to him, held firmly yet possessively, exactly where he wanted her.

“That’s alright,” he murmured against her ear, voice low enough to vibrate through her. “I’ll give you time to get used to it. At least in bed you moan my name so damn lovingly.”

Mia’s face went scarlet. Her heart pounded. She shifted, trying to scoot back and froze when something solid pressed against her from beneath.

Confused, she furrowed her brows. Her hand lifted as she hesitated before pointing downward. “Mr. Graves… I think… you’re poking me with something.”

Alexander blinked.

His sharp eyes widened for a heartbeat, processing her words, and then the realization hit him like a lightning bolt.

‘How… can just her sitting on my lap make me this damn hard?’