Obsession (Dangerous Love #1)

CHAPTER 8

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THE ECSTASY OF SURRENDER

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I heard voices behind me calling my name. They belonged to my friends, but I didn’t stop. I ran on quickly, bumping into other students and looking for him. I couldn’t believe he had beaten up Zac and threatened him to stay away from me. Who the hell did he think he was? Had the same thing happened to Joshua? Was that why that maniac hated me for no reason?

“Miss Wrise!”

The raspy voice calling my name this time caused me to stop in my tracks.

I turned on my heels and saw the principal walking towards me. So, my bad day was getting worse by the second. The drug was pulsing in my veins, and I had a strong hunger for scandal.

“You, practice, now!” She commanded as she reached me.

“What?!”

“You’re a cheerleader, your father confirmed. And it’s been brought to my attention that you were late this morning. Good on you, Katherine, keep up the good work and you’ll be attending high school for several more years.”

“I had a prob…” I began, but she waved me off and dismissed me.

“I didn’t ask for an explanation. I just want you to come to training and be on time.” I sighed, pressed my lips together, and looked down at my feet. “I know what happened yesterday, and I’d advise you to stay away from Harris Stone. It’s for your own good.”

Her tone turned serious at the end of her sentence, and without waiting for an answer, she left. I rubbed my forehead with my fingertips. Everyone had been telling me that since I’d arrived, and what was I doing? I was on my way to him. I realized that I knew where I would find him: with his girlfriend.

My gear was in the laundry basket at home, so I had to make do with what I had. I had to get rid of my anger somehow, and suddenly an encounter with Amber didn’t seem so bad.

I knew I was going to do something very, very bad, I could feel it in my blood pressure. My heart rate was too fast, and I tried to relieve some of the tension by kicking the walls a few times on the way to the gym. But it didn’t work. I crossed the changing room and climbed the stairs to the field. When I found myself on the green grass, I felt the pressure go to my head like lightning splitting the sky. Amber and the other girls were already there, the whole school was there, including… him.

He let her caress and kiss him, seemingly uninterested in her affection. Her hands stroking his neck made me see red, because I had kissed that neck not too long ago.

I clenched my fists and directed all my anger at them.

Amber noticed me first.

“You’re late,” she barked, but that was all she could manage because the next second she was stumbling on her feet.

I slapped her with all my strength.

I had no idea why I did that. I had come to training to get revenge on someone else. I didn’t regret it though, the adrenaline rush felt good. It wasn’t as if she didn’t deserve it. I’d nearly broken my neck because of her the other day. I would have it if Harris hadn’t caught me. You see, I found a reason to kick her ass.

There was shock in her eyes; her mouth was wide open as she ran a hand over her face.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” she screamed, trying to come at me.

That was exactly what I wanted.

“There’s a lot wrong with me. Want me to show you some?” I growled and was about to grab her hair when I felt two strong arms stopping me. Arms I already knew.

“Katherine, what are you doing?” Harris’s strong voice vibrated through my veins.

Suddenly, I remembered him.

“Get your hands off me. How could you do that to Zac? He was trying to protect me,” I shouted, turning to face him, and freeing myself from his grip.

“You didn’t need his protection,” his voice was low so as not to be heard by the people around us.

No one wanted to go to lunch anymore.

Wasn’t he the one who wanted attention? I was on the verge of giving it to him.

“Oh, but I needed yours?! The demon savior,” I taunted him, but he didn’t answer as his lips pressed together.

“What’s going on?” the same voice that had stopped me earlier spoke up. The principal appeared next to us, along with the coach. “Miss Wrise, this is supposed to be practice.”

Amber and I both looked at her, but then I realized she was talking to her. Fucking name.

“I’m sorry, but as you can see, some people have no business being here; they are just getting in the way,” the blonde replied, giving me a hateful look.

I felt my anger grow as Harris’ arm wrapped around my waist and held me in place. He probably knew that the drugs were the cause of my behavior. So, once again, it was all his fault. I was acting like a drunk in the mood for a fight.

“Well, let’s see if there’s enough room on this team for two Wrises! Show us what you’ve got, Katherine,” the principal demanded.

I freed myself from Harris’s grip and walked with purposeful steps until I was standing in front of Amber. I probably looked demonic because I noticed the fear that crossed her face when I stopped.

I gave her a challenging look; this was my chance to get off this stupid team, but I would not in a million years make a fool of myself in front of that idiot and the whole school. My pride and the adrenaline the drugs gave me were too much, and I was about to make sure that bitch would swallow her tongue because she’d been asking for it ever since she’d put me on top of a pyramid while I could barely stand.

Demonic energy coursed through my veins.

I took a deep breath, pushed my chest forward and straightened my spine, then stamped my feet on the grass in a sprint. I jumped into a handstand, bent my body in the air and threw myself as high as I could. I repeated the flip a few times, but that was the easy part, any self-respecting cheerleader could do it, but I could do something I was sure many of them couldn’t.

Out of the last flip, I landed straight in the splits.

I gritted my teeth. I hadn’t done it for a long time and my body didn’t like the adrenaline rush, but I managed. My heart ached at the memory of being able to do something like this a few months before without feeling a thing. There were much more complicated moves, like aerial pirouettes, those were a real challenge, but I’d bragged enough.

I smiled a winning smile and waved to everyone. Some even clapped enthusiastically. Amber was boiling, and Harris was smiling like he was… proud.

Oh, don’t even think about it. I’m not done with you yet.

I rose from the grass; glad my jeans hadn’t ripped because of the stretch. The only way those people hadn’t seen me was with my butt on display.

The principal had a far too satisfied grin on her face.

“You said she doesn’t belong, Amber? I think I should replace you with her,” she turned to the blonde, but got no response.

Amber was white and red at the same time. “Go back to training without further incident,” she demanded and walked away from us, her heels digging into the grass and throwing her off balance.

“I’m not done with you yet,” I turned to Amber, planning to deal with Harris later.

“What’s your problem, freak?” Her hostility was obvious, and I was beginning to hate the nickname she’d given me. “Get this through your thick skull, Harris is mine!”

I looked at her for a few seconds, then burst out laughing hysterically.

“You think that’s my problem? No, silly, you can keep your stalker. In fact, I’d be grateful if you could get him to stop chasing me; he’s starting to get on my nerves,” The defiance in my tone shook the whole field.

Slowly, I turned my gaze to Harris and noticed his face glowing red with anger and his veins on his forehead and neck standing out. Oh wait, he was turning purple. God, those veins looked so good on his neck.

If I didn’t hate him so much, I would have wanted to sink my lips and teeth into him again.

Fuck. Me.

“Don’t tell me you haven’t already imagined yourself on top of him,” she spat the words out.

“Not as much as he imagined himself on top of me,” I replied with a wicked grin on my lips and bent over her face.

I saw the switch flip inside her before she raised her hand to strike me, but it was caught by a larger hand that pushed her back. Harris stood in front of me, his hot breath brushing across my face, his eyes showing pure rage.

“You’re coming with me. Now,” he demanded, grabbing me by the wrist and pulling me behind him.

“Let go of me! Do you want to kill your girlfriend? She’ll have a heart attack,” I scoffed and tore myself away.

The whole school stood around, watching us as if we were a play. One they didn’t pay for tickets to.

“Katherine, stop it,” he growled again, coming towards me.

“Or what? You have no right to tell me what to do. You heard her, you’re hers,” I spoke, maintaining my smile as I pointed at Amber, who was on the verge of spontaneous combustion.

“Harris!” she screamed, her voice a loud screech as she stomped her foot.

I laughed again.

Adrenaline pulsed through me, and I wanted to mess her up so badly. Even though Harris had pissed me off more, she was the one I wanted to take my anger out on.

He didn’t seem to hear her. His large palms cupped my face and pulled me toward him.

“Katherine, stop before you do something you’ll regret. Come with me,” his whisper sounded stern.

My breathing became labored, his gaze and hot breath brushing over my face made me dizzy.

I blinked repeatedly and lost myself for a few moments. He took advantage of my moment of weakness and pulled me behind him, almost dragging me across the field towards the changing rooms until we were out of sight.

In the locker room, Harris closed the door and locked it. I took a few steps away from him and stumbled towards the wall, which was filled to the brim with red and white lockers.

“You…” was the only thing he could say, then he exhaled angrily.

He wasn’t the only one who could get angry. I answered fire with fire as he walked towards me.

“Why the fuck did you bring me here?”

My protests died down as he got a little too close to me. I automatically backed away because I didn’t want him to touch me.

He narrowed his eyes. I had no idea what he was thinking or what he was capable of.

“Go back to her! Leave me the hell alone, I’ve had enough of you.”

“Katherine…” he breathed out again.

He was still just as tense as he was in the car, but there was something different in his eyes now, something much more explosive.

“Do you have any idea how much I’m beginning to hate you? How much I hate what you’re starting?”

“Shut up!” He came at me, grabbing my hips as he pushed me against the locker, my breath catching in my throat. “Fucking hell, Katherine! Just shut up for a fucking moment,” he growled, leaning his head over me.

“Why? So you can sell me more lies?”

“No… so I can do what I’ve wanted to do from the first fucking second I saw you,” his hot breath brushed over my lips, then his mouth collided with mine.

I froze in place, perplexed, dumbfounded, completely immobile. His body pressed against mine as his lips moved furiously over mine. I tried to pull away, but I couldn’t.

His lips kneaded mine in the most venomous way possible, leaving me breathless. His tongue battled with my mouth, and I had no chance of resisting him.

His large, tense hand traveled up my body, bunching my tank top at the hips and gripping the flesh there in his fists. Soon after, they traveled over my thighs, picking me up and pressing me against the metal of the locker, forcing me to wrap my legs around his waist. I couldn’t protest in any way, and I didn’t know if I even wanted to.

I began to understand why he was holding back on such a kiss, because I could feel his control slipping away faster than mine. The euphoria induced by his lips and touch crept into my body, his cologne clouding my judgment and replacing the drug in my veins with the drug his essence exuded.

Temptation won out, and I gave in.

I raised my arms, pushed my fingers brutally through his hair and pulled him closer to me. I tugged at his curls, ready to give in the same destructive way he did.

His body clung to mine, pressing me against the cold lockers, and I snuggled into him even tighter. The feeling that position triggered in me was maddening.

Harris was stronger, and more passionate than I had imagined. It would be a lie to say I hadn’t been obsessively thinking about this moment.

There were moments when I couldn’t stand him, he drove me crazy and sometimes scared me, but at the same time I desired him with terrifying fierceness. I had never behaved like this before. I always knew what I wanted, but with Harris, nothing was logical anymore and I had no idea what to do afterwards.

I guess that was the definition of obsession.

His hand snuck under my top, traveled up my back, and goosebumps formed on my skin. My breasts remembered him, and the bites he’d left began to ache again. I wanted more. My arms dropped to his neck, lightly grazing his taut, sweaty skin before I sank my nails into it.

A lustful groan escaped his throat and filled the empty room.

I had no idea where we were headed, but I couldn’t stop. The fire left by his touch burned the skin from my bones, and my blood pulsed wildly in my veins. No matter how many drugs I had consumed up until that moment, none had the same insane effect as Harris’ hands, his kiss, and his breath.

My head fell back as his lips traveled over my neck and began to bite and kiss the seemingly boiling skin there. I swallowed and felt the moan climb up my throat and escape my mouth in a deep exhale. My fingers clawed into his hair, the gesture expressing the lust that coursed through me. I felt his smile spread across my neck, proud of himself for provoking the sound.

He returned to my lips and devoured them until I began to whimper for air.

Slowly he pulled back, just enough for me to breathe, and another dazzling smile settled on his mouth.

“I was right.” I looked at him, confused, too dazed to think straight. “Your lips are sweeter than any cookie in this world.”

I swallowed.

His fingers roamed over my back, and my body trembled under his electrifying touch. I closed my eyes in response to the euphoria he induced.

He groaned as my body shook, returning his lips to mine and engaging us in another passionate kiss. His hands fell over my back, grabbing my ass with his large palms and pulling me forcefully against his chest. He pulled me off the cold metal surface and then sat me down on one of the benches in the middle of the changing room. It was cramped and uncomfortable, but when I saw Harris lying on top of me, I lost it.

He was… unreal. Now that he had more options, his hands began to greedily explore my entire body, stroking it from my hips to my ankles and then back up again. My legs wrapped around his thighs, his massive muscles vibrating through his skin and tensing under his own actions. His hot breath flowed past my lips and down my throat.

In that moment, I tasted the strongest drug in the world: Harris Stone.

My hands traveled down his back and released his curls from my grasp. They dug into his skin as I slipped them under his T-shirt.

His body temperature was rising at a rapid pace.

I wanted him. At that moment.

And he seemed to want me just as much, because he was on the verge of tearing my clothes off again. His mouth robbed me of my air, my mind, and my soul. And I offered it willingly.

He reached for my zipper when the rattling of the doorknob interrupted us.

Our heads turned towards the door at the same time.

Someone on the other side really wanted to come in.

We had completely forgotten where we were.

“Fuck,” Harris cursed hoarsely, voicing my thoughts exactly.

He quickly stood up and lifted me with him. I could barely stay on my feet; my hormones were in the middle of an epileptic seizure.

“Come with me,” he whispered, pulling me towards another door.

“Where are we going?” I asked as the banging on the front door got louder and louder, probably a group of students who had a gym class and wanted to change. The idea of Amber catching me in the locker room with her boyfriend scared and satisfied me at the same time.

Harris was frighteningly hard again, and I imagined it was quite painful.

“To the gym,” he replied, opening the door and we both entered a dark room.

I exhaled as Harris closed the door behind us and complete darkness surrounded us.

“Isn’t there a light in here?” I asked, still breathing heavily.

I liked the darkness, but at that moment it didn’t suit the company. It didn’t suit my own well-being. But maybe it was better not to see temptation in the flesh. His presence, even if he was invisible, was enough to cloud my judgment. I could still feel his scent on my skin, his pressed kisses on my neck, and the passionate force of his lips on mine.

Harris didn’t let go of my hand, but I could feel him moving, trying to barricade the door.

“What are you doing?” I murmured, leaning over him even though I couldn’t see.

He didn’t answer, then I felt myself being lifted up and pressed against something else, probably a wall. His body was glued to mine, and his hot breath reached my lips again.

“Harris,” I breathed out, a little startled, especially since my anger-coated fog was beginning to clear.

He muttered a few curse words.

“Stop me, Katherine, because I’m in no condition to do it anymore,” he admitted while his lips were glued to mine, “I want you so bad…” his moan was no longer just pleasure, it was raw torture.

His hands roamed over me, then he wrapped my legs around his waist. The moan he let out sent a shiver down my spine, and his last ounce of control crumbled to dust. The way he kissed me, touched me, his breathing, the way his member pressed into me, even through the barrier of his pants… it was all too much for me to find the strength to stop him.

He rolled his hips again, mimicking a thrust, and we both moaned, then he cursed again.

“Stop me, baby, because I don’t want to destroy what just started between us.”

The air was ripped from my lungs for a myriad of reasons, and I was lucky he was supporting my weight, or I would have collapsed.

He sounded like he was in pain as he struggled with himself while all his instincts pulled him back to my body, to the need to finish it.

What he called me was what brought me back to reality. The wild arousal disappeared and was replaced by something much hotter, but it helped my feral mind calm down.

I hadn’t imagined the word ‘baby’ in the car.

His behavior was entirely caused by me; I was the one who admitted that I wanted him to touch me and then pushed him away.

I took his face in my palms, breaking away from the kiss and touching his forehead to mine.

“Not here,” I breathed out. He was breathing like a madman as his teeth gritted together. “It’s not the right time, nor the right place.”

He took a deep breath, which he held for a while, and shook his head before finally exhaling.

We sat in the same position in silence for seconds as we calmed our breathing and our bodies. We were aroused to the point of madness.

I couldn’t see anything, but I could feel everything. I felt every part of him, his whole being, capable of killing me with a single touch. Sometimes he was truly demonic, especially when he reached the euphoria of arousal.

“I knew I’d lose my head if I kissed you, I fucking knew it, but I didn’t expect it to be like this,” he spoke, his forehead still pressed against mine, my legs wrapped around him.

“But you stopped,” I smiled.

An agonized sigh escaped him.

“Don’t praise me, I’m still thinking about taking your clothes off and fucking you against this wall…. fucking fuck,” he cursed angrily, his own words stirring him again.

I clung to my sense with everything I had to hold myself back, my mind blank of any thought except the picture he painted of us giving in right against that fucking wall.

I moved in his arms, over his still hard erection.

He moaned over my neck.

“Does it hurt?” stupid question.

“Like hell, and you’re not helping when you move like that.”

I was about to apologize, but I stopped myself because that was stupid, too.

“Then maybe you should put me down,” I whispered, both my palms still on his cheeks.

“I don’t want to,” he whispered back. “It’s agonizing, but I don’t want to let go of you yet.”

I didn’t say anything else because I didn’t want him to let go of me, either. His warmth, the embrace, the pounding of his heart in his chest, his breathing, it all felt like a new world I had entered with a single kiss, a world I didn’t want to leave.

Eventually Harris pulled away, but he didn’t let go of me. He walked through the darkness with me in his arms. I couldn’t figure out how the hell he’d managed to find a gym mattress, but I assumed he knew the room well enough.

I heard the sounds coming from the other side of the door. If they caught us, the perks of being a cheerleader would come in handy. Too bad I couldn’t transfer them to Harris.

He was sitting on the mattress and still would not let go of me, so I stayed sitting on his lap. He leaned back and I could hear his deep breathing.

I decided to take the initiative and stood up.

“You couldn’t go back to normal while you were holding me.”

He didn’t object, but I felt him sit up, his hands found my hips and pulled me closer to him. I felt his breath over my abdomen.

I closed my eyes, trying to think clearly, searching for something that would break this state of arousal that neither of us could escape.

“Harris, what happened to Joshua?” I asked, choosing a serious subject.

His movements stopped, an angry exhale spreading through my stomach.

“Forget about him. He won’t bother you again.”

“Is he a friend of yours?”

“No.”

“Was he ever?”

“No.”

“Was the first time you hit him also because of me?”

“Yes.”

I sighed, annoyed at the easy answers with no details.

“I want to know what happened. He said he was going to take me with him, right before the other guy told him you came to school because of me, and something about some transport. What does that mean?”

Harris seemed to tense up after I finished, then sighed.

“He saw you on Monday. He wanted to… court you, that is, get into your pants, and I had a little chat with him.”

I gasped, and his hands stroked my back soothingly. My head was spinning, full of theories I couldn’t piece together.

“Don’t you want the same thing, though?” I asked, voicing one of the hypotheticals.

If Joshua wanted this and Harris was defending me, that just meant Harris wanted me for himself. Nothing more.

“I could have done it a few minutes ago, and I didn’t.”

My mouth opened again, but no words came out. I wanted to protest his answer somehow, but as hard as I tried, I could not think of the right argument.

“You asked me to stop you.”

The giggle he let out sounded a little dangerous.

“And you think I would have asked you that if I just wanted to fuck you? I would have taken you blindly, you probably would have given in, and then you would have really hated me. I don’t want us to end up like that.”

The air escaped my nose, but I didn’t disagree. As he spoke, his lips continued to trace over my abdomen.

“Where do you want us to end up, Harris? Where do you want this all to go? Because on the other side of that door, you’re with someone else and I… I don’t even know what the fuck I am anymore.”

He massaged my hips beneath my top.

“You’re what I desire most right now, Katherine. That’s all that matters.”

Maybe that was all that mattered to him, but not to me. He said it like I was a new favorite toy. How stupid I had become! I was just that: a new toy for him. He would get bored with me as soon as another caught his attention, and until that moment, there was no telling how far gone for him my heart would get.

“Why did you beat up Zac?” I changed the subject, and he didn’t seem amused by the question.

“I think you know why.”

“He was just trying to help,” I continued, and he bit down on my top.

“How could he have helped you? He would have taken you to the nurse, and you’d be in a hospital or on your way to rehab right now. Is that the help you want?”

I sighed. “No! But what if he pressed charges against you? Him or Joshua. You nearly disfigured both of them.”

Harris chuckled, warming my skin.

“Would you want that? Whose side are you on? Mine or theirs?” he continued in a dangerously passionate tone as his lips dabbed kisses on my abdomen.

I swallowed. Whose side was I on? I had no idea. My mind was still foggy after what had happened in the changing room. I definitely wasn’t on Joshua’s side, but I was having a hard time deciding between Harris and Zac.

“My side! I’ll end up a lamb to the slaughter between you two,” I finally replied, and he chuckled again.

“They won’t report it,” he spoke adamantly, almost amused.

I wrinkled my nose in frustration. It was impossible to get any information out of him while he was learning everything from me like it was no big deal.

“How long do we have to stay here?” I sighed, ending the discussion, and trying to pull away from him.

“As long as we want.”

He seemed aroused again as his nose brushed over the fabric of my shirt. I swallowed and refrained from responding, but winced when I heard a loud bang from the other room.

“Hmm, looks like they got in,” confirmed Harris, not moving away from my abdomen.

“What if they come in here?” I asked, because the thought terrified me.

He began to murmur softly, biting at my top and tugging at it like a playful lion. Apparently, the darkness was turning him on. Now it was up to me to wake him up.

“Stop it,” I demanded, tearing myself out of his grip and taking a few steps back.

I wondered why there were no windows because that was really annoying. But then I remembered that we had to climb about ten steps to get to the field, so this room was underground. Obviously.

Suddenly there was light. Not very strong, but strong enough for me to see him. It was coming from his phone.

He stood up and walked towards me. In the dim light, he looked like a real demon, his black eyes overshadowed by the dark curls that fell over his forehead. Not to mention his predatory gaze. His enormous physique seemed larger than usual.

“I want to get out of here.”

We stood face to face, but he didn’t reach for me.

“That’s not possible at the moment. This door is the only way out.”

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. I was sure I’d tied it up earlier, but now it was loose.

“Shut up!”

An angry shout vibrated through the walls, and I recognized that annoying screechy voice.

Harris turned his head as well.

“Come on, Amber, admit it; Stone tossed you aside!”

An amused voice teased her.

“Yeah, he seems to have a bit of a crush on the new girl,” another spoke up.

“Harris is mine,” Amber raged in a tone that made the walls shake. “I don’t care what I have to do to get rid of that freak, but I will destroy her.”

There was no more talking back, a graveyard-like silence spreading beyond the door.

I turned my head to Harris, who was standing at the door, frowning. I realized that what Amber was saying wasn’t just annoying me, but him as well.

I squinted and tried to come back to reality. What the hell was I doing? I didn’t like Amber, but she didn’t deserve that. I didn’t even know her, and if I had been in her shoes, I would have reacted the same way. I wouldn’t have liked another girl coming on to my boyfriend, let alone him giving her so much attention.

I repeated this every time, but somehow, I always ended up in his arms.

“When we get out of here, we are going our separate ways,” I heard myself say, and the determination in my tone surprised me.

“Katherine…”

I raised my hand to stop him.

“No, Harris, this has gone too far. Yes, I’m attracted to you; you drive me out of my mind, and you know it without me admitting it, but every moment with you is also torture because I don’t know what you want. I have been through a lot lately; I am not going to put up with being a sexual plaything, too.”

I left his side and headed for the door. The noises on the other side had stopped, and I hoped they were all gone, because I couldn’t be next to him any longer.

I realized immediately that I had no way out. Two of the doors were blocked by a huge barbell wedged between the handles.

Harris was standing right behind me, and my eyes widened as I saw him lift the heavy object with one hand and clear a path for me. It appeared to weigh about seventy pounds.

Before I had a chance to free myself, his arm wrapped around my waist and held me tight.

“Our situation is difficult, but don’t think, not even for a second, that you’re a toy to me, that this is still a game.”

Then he let go of me, I blinked a few times, then he opened the door. I walked into the other room without turning around and he didn’t follow me.

He let me go, and I was relieved, I couldn’t stand the tension between us anymore. In the bathroom, I filled my palms with water. I couldn’t pour it on my face without ruining my makeup, but I splashed it over my neck and arms. Two other girls were watching me with curious eyes, but I ignored them.

My lips were red and swollen, my neck stained with bite marks, my eyes sparkling. I didn’t recognize the girl in the mirror. My pale skin was a vibrant color, as if the blood was finally flowing normally through my veins again. I usually looked like shit after a dose, but now my body felt so damn good despite the whirlwind in my head.

But my heart was feeling fucking sick.