All Chapters of My Stepfather's Deadly Obsession: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

SALVATOREI stood in the warehouse, flipping through a stack of papers, my eyes scanning numbers that didn’t add up. I hated this, but John had insisted that I come here. I wasn’t in the right state of mind, and I didn’t need this stress.John was hunched over a table nearby, receipts spread out, his pen scratching quickly on some papers as he made calculations. The guy running this place, Eddie, stood in front of me with his arms crossed tight, his face pale. His eyes were wide like he thought I’d snap his neck. Maybe I would. I hated incomplete figures and messed-up calculations because they hinted at stealing.Sincerely, I wanted this to be a case of stealing. I would finally have a place to push all these pent-up emotions into. But even as I worked, I couldn’t focus my attention on the figures. There was a reason Miguel was doing everything he could to fight me, and sincerely, it was infuriating. I couldn’t think of one reason why he didn’t see me as a good fit for him. My profe

SALVATOREI sat at the bar with a glass of whiskey sweating in front of me. The ice was melting slowly, just like everything else inside me. Marco, my contact, sat across from me. He was a wiry guy with a scar on his cheek, always looking like he hadn’t slept in years. He slid a folder my way.“Routes are clean,” he said, tapping the papers. “The product moves across the border with no hassle.”“Show me.” I flipped it open. My eyes hit the map, but my brain wasn’t registering anything. My phone was silent on the table and it was driving me crazy.With Paul’s car trailing behind me the previous night, I’d driven around the city, going around in circles. No Miguel. No signs of him. By midnight, I sat in one of my warehouses waiting for a call from John telling me that Miguel was probably out cold somewhere, or that Miguel had arrived home. But nothing came.I even had an argument with Paul when I parked by the sidewalk and started searching the alleys. The bastard was hot on my heels,

Okay. More like flipped.Salvatore’s eyes burned into me like fire. The weight of his stare was suffocating, thick with want and promise. A dangerous, unrelenting promise. His jaw tightened, sharp under the soft lighting, and he dragged those eyes all over me slowly as if memorizing every inch. There was no mistaking it. That look said one thing: he intended to wreck me. And when he was done, I wouldn’t be able to stand, let alone think.And, fuck, I wanted that.I didn’t look away. I met him head-on, my lips warm, stretched around him, my tongue moving with purpose. I let it glide over the tip of his cock in one slow, calculated stroke, my eyes still locked on his. He inhaled sharply, his entire body jerking with the force of it.“Fuck,” he hissed, his voice rough like gravel, deep in his chest. His hands twitched at his sides, his fingers curling like he was fighting the urge to grab me. “Do that again.”So I did. Slower this time. I dragged my tongue over him with aching precisio

SALVATOREI blinked, staring at him, unsure if I was supposed to laugh or feel like I was punched in the gut. Was he being sarcastic? Was that what he really thought this was about? Did he really think that I was just after his body, that this was just a quick fuck in exchange for a cheque? The realization crashed into me like cold water. I’d been so caught up in the heat and want of him that I hadn’t stopped to consider how it might have looked to him. I sat up slowly, the sheets slipping down to my waist, exposing the parts of me I didn’t mind him seeing. But now, it wasn’t about that.“Miguel.” My voice was low, rough with the weight of everything I hadn’t said right. “This isn’t just about that. I’m not here for some deal.”He sat up too, his arms crossing over his chest like armour. His eyes were narrowed in confusion.“It did not look that way from the start,” he said, sharply. “You swoop in, clear debts, throw money around like it’s nothing. What else am I supposed to think,

MIGUELEmily’s reaction made me happy. I couldn’t get over that look of surprise on her face when she realized that I was not stranded.I slept off with that happiness.I was asleep with the sheets tangled around my legs, the air in the room cool against my skin. It was the kind of quiet that settled deep into my bones and filled the space. Maybe my life was finally starting to take form.A soft creak at the door pulled me from sleep. My eyes fluttered open, adjusting slowly to the dim light leaking through the window.Salvatore stood in the doorway.His silhouette was familiar: broad shoulders and messy hair that he effortlessly carried like armour. There was a softness to his face, even in the dark, but his eyes were sharp, watching me. He stepped inside and gently closed the door behind him.Then he crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed. The mattress dipped under his weight as he pulled me slightly toward him. His hand found the bare skin of my back, sliding up to my neck