TWISTED OBSESSION

Chapter 10 : Unraveling

I followed Ethan out of the gym, my heart pounding in my chest, my thoughts a whirlwind of
confusion and desire. We had just had one of the most heated arguments I'd ever
experienced, but even in the middle of it, I couldn't ignore the way he looked at me, the way
his voice, dark and smooth, sent shivers down my spine. He was infuriating, manipulative,
but damn it, he made me feel things I couldn't explain things I wasn't sure I should be feeling.

"Why are you always like this?" I snapped, trying to catch up with his long strides. "One minute, you act like you care, and the next, you disappear. What is it, Ethan? What the hell
do you want from me?"

He didn't slow down. If anything, my words only seemed to fuel him, his muscles tensing beneath his tight black compression shirt, each step he took radiating barely controlled anger. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he stopped abruptly and turned around, forcing me to skid to a halt just inches from him.

His dark eyes locked onto mine, and I immediately felt that familiar tension in the air, thickand dangerous. "What do I want?" he repeated, his voice low, mocking. "I thought I made it pretty obvious, Lily."

I glared up at him, refusing to back down, even though my heart was pounding in my chest.
"No, you haven't. You play these games with me showing up one day, vanishing the next. I can't keep doing this with you."
A smirk curled at the corner of his lips, one that sent both a thrill and a warning straight through me.

"Oh, I think you can. In fact," he leaned down, his face just inches from mine, "I
think you enjoy it."

His words were like gasoline on the fire already burning inside me. "I don't," I shot back, though even I could hear the unconvincing tremor in my voice.

His eyes glinted, seeing right through my lie. He was far too close now, his scent invading my senses, the heat of his body rolling off him in waves. My pulse quickened as he reached
up, tracing a finger along my jawline, so lightly I almost thought I imagined it.

"You can lie to yourself all you want, Lily," he murmured, his voice a dark caress, "but I can see it in your eyes. You feel it too, this pull between us. You can't fight it. No matter how
hard you try."

I shivered at the way his words seemed to wrap around me, pulling me deeper into this dangerous dance we were caught in. I hated that he was right, hated the way my body
reacted to him, even now, even after everything.

"I'm not one of your toys, Ethan," I said, my voice shaking despite my best efforts to stay firm. "I won't be played with."

He chuckled, low and dark, his hand moving to the back of my neck, pulling me even closer. "Who said anything about playing? I don't play with things I want, Lily. I take them."

I swallowed hard, my breath hitching as his grip on my neck tightened just enough to make me aware of the power he held over me in this moment. His lips hovered over mine, close
enough to kiss, but he didn't. He was torturing me, knowing exactly how much I wanted it, how much I hated myself for wanting it.

"Stop..." I whispered, though my body betrayed me, leaning into him despite my words.

His smirk deepened, his other hand sliding to my waist, holding me in place. "You don't want me to stop," he whispered, his breath hot against my lips. "Tell me, Lily. Tell me to walk away right now, and I will."

I couldn't. The words wouldn't come. Every fiber of my being was screaming at me to push him away, to break free from whatever this twisted connection was between us. But I
couldn't. I was trapped, not by his hands, but by my own desire for him.

"I can't," I breathed, my voice barely a whisper.

"That's what I thought," he said, satisfaction dripping from his tone. His lips brushed the corner of my mouth, teasing, before pulling back slightly to look me in the eyes again.