Unruly Obsession (Insidious Obsession #3)

Chapter 1

LILY

The sun kisses my skin, and my eyes close as I embrace the idea of momentary freedom. The ocean offers a refreshing scent, the sand and breeze prick my senses as I savor this moment along the Italian coastline, avoiding the chaos slowly creeping into my life back in Manhattan.

A heavy sigh gets trapped in my chest when I think about my father’s recent pressure for me to close down my floral business and focus on finding the ideal suitor to marry. I'm expected to fall in line to accommodate his unspoken agenda.

Don’t talk back.

Do as I’m told.

Be the good girl.

I’ve been conditioned to all of these things, but it’s becoming harder to oblige, even for the sake of upholding my family's name and reputation.

It didn’t go down well when I told my father I was spontaneously flying to Italy with Ara and her husband, Luca, leaving out the fact that I was crashing their "babymoon.

" It was Ara's suggestion, and I’m grateful for the temporary out so I can figure out how to convince my father to change his unreasonable expectations.

He’d forbidden me from going and called me a brat for not taking his "request" to close my business and get married seriously. I walked out and was on the private jet within two hours.

I should be able to marry the person of my choosing, someone I truly love. I’m not spoiled goods just because I don’t have any prospects at twenty-eight years old.

I’ve done everything I can to stay out of my friends' way since we landed two days ago. But there's one person I haven't done much to avoid.

I crack open one eye and glance over at the larger-than-life Italian man sitting beside me, looking far too uncomfortable under the sun as he shifts ever so slightly in his black suit.

Surely, he’s sweating under that. He’s been sitting at the edge of a fold-out chair that looks far too small for him for thirty minutes, staring at the beach with absolute disdain.

Although I can’t see his eyes through the black shades he wears, it’s obvious in the way his lips tilt down, he’d rather not be here.

The few times I’ve encountered this man, I’ve never seen him smile.

He's beautiful, though, in a stoic, silent way.

He looks like he’s been carved from stone, and part of me wants to reach out and check for his pulse just to see if he has one.

“Didn’t your parents teach you it's rude to stare?” he says, and a chill runs down my spine from the gravel in his rough voice. It’s so intimidating that my gaze immediately redirects to the beautiful ocean.

Heat rises to my cheeks, but I ignore it as much as possible, trying to push away my embarrassment at being caught.

“I was just making sure you’re okay,” I bluff.

I’m not shy around men, but there’s always been something about him that makes me tense and nervous.

I'm curious about his past, present, and what type of man he truly is. Maybe it’s because he’s the biggest person I’ve ever seen, or perhaps, it’s because he has a dangerous vibe not often found among our inner circle of the wealthy, which makes it hard for me to look away.

There’s just something about him that’s different from anything I’ve known.

“Why wouldn’t I be okay?” he scoffs, only making it more obvious he doesn’t want to be spending his time with me.

So, why are you? I want to complain. I didn’t ask him to join me.

The conversation he and my best friend's husband exchanged was short but loaded with so much tension, I thought better than to question why Luca had convinced him to join me on the beach. I don’t know either of the men too well, but my impression was that under no circumstances did Lorenzo want to leave the vacation villa.

Though it would probably be more correct to say he didn't want to leave their side.

He’s been hanging around Ara a lot lately, and he definitely has the build of some kind of bodyguard, and he gives off that impression.

It wouldn’t surprise me if Luca Armani is the protective type, especially with his wife being pregnant.

It’s a little insulting, though, to know Lorenzo will only sit with me because he’s been told to do it.

Life can’t be that bad if we’re on a private beach that the Armanis own. He even grumbled his complaint about the ten-minute walk down to the beach from the villa because I didn’t want to take a car. He just shadowed me every step, his silence filled with enough tension to slice the air.

“Well, aren’t you hot in that suit?” I ask as I bring the pina colada to my lips and take a sip. He hasn’t so much as touched the bottled water the server offered him from the makeshift bar.

Trips like this are meant for winding down and taking it at a slower pace.

Lorenzo, however, seems to work on an entirely different level. I wouldn’t be surprised if the man runs on oil and diligence.

Lily, don’t be so rude.

I don’t know why I'm so anxious around him; maybe it has something to do with my obvious attraction to him. I’m certain it has to do with his six-foot-two height and the obnoxious amount of muscle that makes it hard not to imagine what he might look like without a shirt on.

He has dark hair, brown eyes, thick eyelashes, and a perfectly shaved shadow of stubble along his jaw.

He looks like he was molded by the gods themselves, but his aura warns not to get too close.

Damn it, I'm staring again. I take another harsh slurp of the drink, trying to drown out the heat rising to my cheeks.

“Is that how you usually hit on men?” he asks, his face turned in my direction for the first time since being here.

“Excuse me?” I whip my glasses off to glare at him.

“You’re trying to get me to remove my shirt, no?” he asks, still with that grimace staining his face.

“I was being polite because I thought the temperature might be intense with your twenty layers of clothing.

" I huff out a breath. "You know what, I think I’ve had enough sun for today,” I say, snapping my book shut and moving to sit on the side of my lounge chair.

I push to my feet, wrap my sarong around myself, and begin walking away, immediately regretting it as the sand scorches my feet, but too proud to go back for my shoes.

“You forgot your shoes,” he calls out behind me, as if I’m a nuisance more than anything.

I can’t believe I was ever attracted to this guy, but maybe it’s because I looked at him from a distance. I can appreciate beauty, but I can also categorize someone with a sour attitude.

“Another drink, miss?” the bartender asks as I storm toward him.

“No, thank you. Thank you for today. The pina colada was incredible.” I attempt a bright smile, reminding myself it’s not him who’s ruined my peace.

Lorenzo is only a step behind, infuriating me even more because the guy just doesn’t take a hint. I internally curse his name the moment I hit the coarse gravel of the road, but continue to charge on with a cool indifference.

“Would you at least put your shoes on,” Lorenzo says dryly from behind me, as if he’s speaking to a child.

My feet stop of their own accord, and I look over my shoulder to glare at him again.

If anything, he’s probably happy because he thinks he’s getting his own way since we’re returning to the villa.

I don’t entirely understand his relationship with Luca Armani, nor do I care to give in to his antics.

I came here for me. And I’m not going to be pushed around; I get enough of that from my father.

I snatch my shoes out of his hands and put them on. His expression doesn’t change, only infuriating me more.

Flipping my hair over my shoulder, I decide I’m not giving in to this brute of a man. Instead of walking up the grassy path that goes directly toward the villa, I continue along the gravelly road.

“Where are you going? The villa is in that direction,” he says with a trickle of irritation in his tone. Good, at least I’m not the only one who's annoyed.

“Surely you don’t need me to escort you there, do you?” I say, turning and popping my hand on my hip. It’s rude, but I don’t care for his attitude toward me. “I’m going to find a nice, quiet place to read my book. Please, leave me alone.” I tighten my grip on the paperback.

He probably thinks it’s stupid that I enjoy reading romance novels. He seems like the type, anyway.

Stop being judgmental. You don’t know anything about this man.

What I do know is Lorenzo gets under my skin.

Exhaling a frustrated breath, I try to bring myself back to the polite and polished version of myself that people expect.

“You can read at the villa,” he says matter-of-factly.

“I can read wherever I like.”

He remains silent as he continues to walk a foot behind me, and I release a cleansing breath before I can face him once again.

“You really don’t have to join me. We’re literally in the middle of nowhere, and I can make my way back to the villa.

I’ll even promise to be back before dark.

So, please, don’t feel obligated to be by my side because Luca said so. ”

“If only it were that easy,” he grumbles.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask as a car comes speeding around the corner. My stomach drops, and I freeze as it lines up in my peripheral.

Oh my God, it’s going to hit me.

I’m jerked to the side, the car narrowly missing me, as I watch everything unravel in slow motion. My body is already beginning to tremble as adrenaline pumps through my veins. Lorenzo pushes me behind a tree with ease, caging my body with his, and my mind goes blank as he pulls out a gun and aims.

My entire world spins as he pulls the trigger, and I realize with startling clarity that I’ve stepped into another world entirely.