Page 5 of To Obsess

Landon has always had money, even before his mom became a successful realtor. Growing up, he always acted like he was better than everyone else, but he’d been humbled quickly when he stepped into the real world. Mommy’s money doesn’t mean a thing when you get a job where nobody knows her.

From what I’ve heard, he’s been a lot more down to earth since then. He went to school to become a nurse after quitting that first job, putting in the work to get his RN license and make a life for himself.

He. Smells. Divine. As he saunters closer to me, the smell of his cologne is carried on the breeze, caressing my senses in a lover’s embrace. I don’t know that I’ve ever smelled something quite so enticing. It’s a mix of sandalwood, cedar, and smoke. Heavenly.

“Well don’t you clean up nice?” I tease, leaning in to hug him.

“I do my best,” he says, offering me his elbow as he pulls back. Looping my arm through his, we make our way to the front doors.

I can’t help the smile that tugs at my lips as he pulls the front door open, stepping back to allow me room to enter first. It’s a small gesture, but all those people who said chivalry was dead never met Landon.

We’re seated quickly, order drinks, and peruse the menu. I decide on a six-ounce sirloin, complete with fries and steamed vegetables, while Landon settles on a country fried chicken dinner with green beans and mashed potatoes. The waitress takes our menus, leaving us alone once again.

“Thank you for inviting me out tonight,” I begin, placing my hands in my lap as I wring my fingers to fight off the nerves. “I haven’t been out in years.”

“It’s my pleasure,” he says before taking a sip of his water. “I’ve been dying to take you out since senior year of high school, so I’m glad you finally gave me the time of day.”

It takes a full two seconds for me to pick my jaw up off the table. “There’s no way. I had such a crush on you back then! You were with Lindsey all through high school, though. I didn’t want to interfere in that.” My mind spins with those memories. I used to pray he didn’t catch me staring at him in the hall between classes, or think anything of it when my shoulder accidentally bumped into his one too many times as we passed each other. Regardless of how I had felt about him then, he had belonged to someone else, and that was that. It was nothing more than a high school crush, long forgotten.

“We were never really good for each other,” he continues with a shrug. “It was always so on and off with her. Every minor disagreement had her dumping me and going out with some other douche bag for the weekend, then begging me to take her back on Monday morning when reality hit again. It was toxic as fuck.”

The rest of dinner flew by in a flurry of conversation, never lagging but never forced. We talked, laughed, and reflected on high school and all the years since. We talked about the future, our dreams and goals, and where we see ourselves in another decade.

Landon took care of the check and walked me back to our cars, ever the gentleman. “Not to be too forward, but can I see you again, Violet? I had a wonderful night,” he says as I lean against my door.

The butterflies in my stomach go wild like I’m a teenage girl all over again. It’s been so long since I went out on a date at all, let alone one that was enjoyable. “Absolutely. I had a great time,” I admit, feeling a blush creep up my neck at the admission.

“Great! I’ll text you this week then,” he says as he grins. Looking at him, I realize most people smile but it never reaches their eyes. Landon is different.

“That sounds great,” I nod, leaning in for a final hug and whiff of his cologne. God, this man smells amazing. With that, I slide into the driver’s seat and shut myself inside, nearly vibrating with giddiness.

I make my way home, tapping out a quick text to Abby when I park the car out front. She’d kill me if I didn’t let her know I made it home safe, but I’ll fill her in on all the details tomorrow morning. For now, I’m beat.

The stairs creak as I drag myself up to the front porch. Somehow, I manage to unlock the door, kick off my shoes, and snag a bottle of water from the kitchen before slipping out of my clothes and into the pair of pajamas I left waiting on the bathroom counter.

Memories of the date have me smiling out of nowhere, and soon I curl up in bed with my latest read, pulling the comforter over my lap and snuggling down into the pillows. Two chapters in, my eyes are so heavy I can’t keep them open anymore. I mark my page and give in to sleep, more than happy about the way the day has gone.

Ding! My phone dings with a new message, making me nearly jump out of my skin. I was dozing off, seconds from being totally unconscious. Reaching over, I slip the phone off the wireless charger on the nightstand, squinting at the bright light as the screen turns on.

Chapter 6

KILLIAN

Fuck.

I sent the message before my hand was able to catch up with my brain.

I hadn’t even intended to watch her tonight. Okay, that’s a lie. I had intended to watch her, just the same as every other night, but I was unaware that fuckboy had swindled her into going out with him tonight.

Somehow, that had slipped past me.

We all get comfortable in our routines. Humans are, as they say, creatures of habit, and I am no exception. I’ve been watching Violet off and on since she moved out of her parents’ house to go to college half an hour away. She’d decided to assert her independence by moving into a little apartment on her own. No dorms for my girl.

It started innocently enough, I’ll admit. I watched her a couple nights a week, just to make sure she had gotten home safe and sound. She wasn’t ever big into drinking, thank the gods, but I would keep a closer eye on her during the weekend nights when she might be tempted.

Through those nights, my fascination grew. Everything about this woman was magnificent. The way she moved, the way she danced around her apartment to whatever song she was obsessed with at the time, the way she presented herself to others, and even the way she snuggled down into bed with a book most nights, leaving only a lamp on.

I quickly found myself jonesing for a fix before the weekend, so I would watch on maybe Tuesday night. And then Wednesday. The next week, I’d throw in Thursday for the hell of it. Before I realized what was happening, I was watching her every week, and I loved every single second of it.