
Desire and Obsession
Cherese Nortje · Ongoing · 82.9k Words
Introduction
Laramie Hale never meant to fall for her English professor.
Ethan James is everything she shouldn't want - older, married, expecting a child, and far too good at hiding the darkness behind his charm. But when he looks at her, she feels seen in a way that no one else ever has. Their secret affair begins like a dream - sweet, passionate, intoxicating - and ends like a nightmare she can't wake from.
When Laramie discovers the truth about Ethan's life, she tries to walk away. But Ethan isn't ready to let her go. His love becomes control. His affection turns to obsession. And suddenly, the girl who once felt chosen becomes the one he wants to destroy.
Caught between the dangerous pull of Ethan, the unexpected gentleness of Noah, and the quiet comfort of her roommate Elodie, Laramie must face the truth: love isn't always redemption. Sometimes it's ruin.
Chapter 1
Laramie:
The college bar was dimly lit. But not in a weird or creepy way - rather in a way that suggested romance and mystery. A sweet scent hung heavy in the air. Soft slow music pulsed somewhere in the distance. It was the kind of atmosphere that made you feel like anything could happen.
The place was mostly empty, except for a barkeep, lazily wiping down the counter, a couple sitting in the far corner, deeply staring into each other's eyes and whispering sweet nothings, and a man sitting alone by the bar.
He had his back to me, so I couldn't see his face, but something about the way he sat there, isolated and silent drew me in - made me curious. About what he would look like if he turned around. What would his voice sound like? What did he smell like? Maybe even what it would feel like if his fingers were to graze the delicate skin of my inner thighs.
I walked into the room fully and headed over to the bar. No one seemed to notice me and if they did, they didn't seem to care. I had just finished moving into my new dorm room and had some time to kill while I waited for my dad - he was in a meeting with the Dean about his new job as the head of the English department.
I was excited about college. It would be different than high school in the way that no one cared who you were or where you came from. Everyone seemed too busy minding their own business to pay any real attention to anyone else.
College would be a place where I could get lost and eventually find the me I wanted to be. I could be anyone here. Do anything. I could be reckless and wild. Or I could simply disappear completely. Both would be fine. Both would be acceptable.
"A beer, please?" My voice sounded a little uncertain as I sat down on one of the empty stools.
The barkeep looked up from his labouring, regarded me with vague interest before shrugging. "Sure. Coming right up." He turned and a few seconds later, put an ice cold beer down in front of me.
"Thanks," I sounded a little more confident after clearing my throat.
He gave me a tight nod and returned to his work as if our encounter never happened.
I glanced over my shoulder at the couple in the corner - their mouths were devouring each other, their bodies twisted together in passion, hands exploring eagerly. Like they had somehow completely forgotten that they were in public. What it must feel like to be that free... After watching them for a few seconds, I began to feel awkward, so I slowly turned my head back toward the lonely stranger sitting by the bar.
He had shifted on his stool - enough for me to see his profile. God, he was gorgeous: broad shoulders, strong hands, dark hair. His sharp features softened slightly by the glint of his glasses and the sensual curve of his full lips. He was older - not by much, but enough to make him forbidden. A hot sensation began to swirl between my thighs. I pushed them together and took a sip of my beer, trying to calm the unexplainable ache rising from between my legs.
I almost choked when the stranger spoke to me.
"You okay down there?"
His voice was deep, sultry. Like velvet. When I looked at him again, he was staring at me - his eyes dark, hungry. As if they were stripping me naked, memorizing every curve of my face. His stare pinned me to the spot.
I couldn't move - wasn't sure that I wanted to.
Maybe I should have minded, looked away even. But I enjoyed the way he was looking at me. I liked seeing the desire on his face - the need in his eyes. I relished in the fact that I was the reason for it.
"Fine, thanks," the words came out in a seductive sort of whisper that made them sound more like an invitation than an answer.
A slow smirk crept across his face as he stood, slowly, and made his way over to me. He sat down on the stool next to me, moving closer than he needed to be, his drink in his hand. I caught his scent - it was even better than I imagined: strong, masculine, sensual.
The flood of desire I felt almost made me slip off the stool.
"You look nervous. Is this your first time in a bar?" He drawled in an effortlessly sexy way.
"No... I... no," I tried to sound sophisticated - grown-up, but he made me feel nervous instead.
He smiled. "Okay."
"It's the truth," I could feel the colour rushing to my cheeks. Why was I defending myself to this stranger? Why did it matter so much what he thought of me?
He kept his eyes on me. His hand was so close to mine on the bar that his fingers brushed mine slightly. A moment of silence fell between us - the air grew thick with anticipation. I had to swallow hard.
"You're kind of adorable."
"Gee thanks," a different kind of heat was rising inside me then.
"I meant it as a compliment," his eyes still lingered on my face, the smirk still on his lips.
"That's something you say to a puppy, or a baby."
"Or something innocent... pure."
"What makes you think that I'm innocent?"
His face grew serious then. He reached out and brushed a strand of hair from my face, his touch was electric.
"Aren't you?" The question felt loaded.
I had to look away then - I suddenly felt vulnerable beneath his intense stare.
My fingers twitched slightly, and when he lay his hand on top of mine it felt so natural - so right. My skin tingled beneath his. Images of his naked, sweaty body rubbing up against mine found their way into my mind.
He looked at me, his eyes searched mine, patiently waiting. I could feel my nipples harden as they strained against the lace of my bra. My heart raced, blood rushed - my breath hitched. I wanted this man. And I was sure that he wanted me too.
After a beat, he turned in his stool and began to swirl his drink in his hand. He sighed -
"Do you ever wish that you could just be someone else for a while?"
The question caught me off guard, and for a moment I couldn't answer. It's exactly what I've been thinking.
"Yes," I said finally. "All the time."
His eyes found mine again. He looked pleased with my answer. Like I had somehow just given him permission.
"Then come with me,"
He stood up, pulling me to my feet as well, and led me to the back of the bar. I stopped and hesitated for a second. He never took his eyes off me as he stepped closer, putting his mouth next to my ear. The rasp of his breath was hot and slightly wet against my skin - it sent a delicious shiver down my spine.
"Be someone else with me for a while."
I remained frozen. A part of me was screaming at me to turn around and leave - that there was something dangerous happening here. But another part of me, a much louder part, was urging me to surrender to this handsome stranger.
I wanted to be reckless and wild. I wanted to follow him - not just to the back of the bar, but to the end of the earth if he allowed me to.
I wanted to lose myself in this man. But somehow I knew that I would never be the same if I did... nothing would be.
I turned my head toward the door - walking away was the easy, obvious choice. Or at least it should have been.
Last Chapters
#72 Chapter 72 Torn.
Last Updated: 2/1/2026#71 Chapter 71 Running into him.
Last Updated: 2/1/2026#70 Chapter 70 Back to where we started.
Last Updated: 1/29/2026#69 Chapter 69 Making up for lost time.
Last Updated: 1/29/2026#68 Chapter 68 A different side.
Last Updated: 1/29/2026#67 Chapter 67 He's back.
Last Updated: 1/29/2026#66 Chapter 66 Uneasy possibilities.
Last Updated: 1/29/2026#65 Chapter 65 Irony.
Last Updated: 1/28/2026#64 Chapter 64 Nowhere to be found.
Last Updated: 1/28/2026#63 Chapter 63 Where the hell is he?
Last Updated: 1/28/2026
You Might Like 😍
Bound by Fate, Freed by Choice
Her escape leads her to Alpha Rowan, the commanding leader of the Blackwood Pack, who offers shelter, protection, and an unexpected chance at a new life. But Rowan’s fierce and jealous fiancée sees Lyla as a threat, and the pack’s charming Beta is drawn to her quiet strength.
As a dangerous attraction simmers between Lyla and Rowan, they begin to unravel a dark web of secrets that implicates Kaiden and threatens both their worlds.
With her hidden power awakening, Lyla must navigate treacherous loyalties, face the alpha who shattered her, and decide: Will she follow the destiny fate forced upon her, or claim the love and strength she has chosen for herself?
HER ALPHA, HER SAVIOUR
Kane Hellboud, charm and wealth personified, wanted only me in exchange for her treatment. No cameras, isolation, or noose-like rules were part of the deal. Behind his smile? Cold, violent possessiveness that destroyed our fake marriage.
Most of all, I didn’t know the supernatural walked among us, hiding in the cracks of ordinary life. Not until Abel Stone stepped into mine—dark-eyed, sharp-tongued, and oozing dangerous promises. He’s my new boss. He shouldn’t make my skin tingle or my pulse race. I shouldn’t feel this primal pull, this illogical recognition that tugs at something deep in my bones.
Around him, lights burst, electronics fry, and something ancient in me awakens.
Kane feels it. His grip tightens, punishments turn brutal, and he hides the truth of what I am.
Trapped between two powerful men, I’m no prey, no pawn—no helpless victim.
Prisons burn. Monsters bleed. As for me? I'm the storm in skin—deadly beyond suspicion.
Bound By Power, Torn By Love
She regards him as her only salvation, but he regards her as a pawn for revenge. When two enemies dance on the sharp knife, what will be the final outcome?
The Family Books 1-3 (A Mafia romance)
The saint to my sinner. with her innocent eyes and devilish curves.
A Madonna that was meant to be admired but never touched.
Until someone took that innocence from her.
She left.
The darkness in my heart was finally complete.
I avenged her, I killed for her, but she never came back.
Until I saw her again. An angel dancing around a pole for money.
She didn’t know I owned that club. She didn’t know I was watching.
This time I won’t let her escape.
I will make her back into the girl I knew.
Whether she likes it or not.
2/ Judge and Jury- I can’t stop watching her.
I’m not even sure I want to.
Taylor Lawson, blonde, beautiful, and totally oblivious to how much dangers she’s in.
She’s also the one juror in my upcoming murder trial that hasn’t been bought.
The one who can put me behind bars for a very long time.
I know I should execute her.
After all that’s what I do.
I am the Judge.
I eliminate threats to The Family.
And Taylor is a threat.
But I don’t want to kill her.
Possessing her, making her love me seems like a much better plan for this particular Juror.
3/ Rags and Ritches-
The Shattered Moon King
Lena is a survivor. For years, she has weathered the harsh, post-apocalyptic landscape by following one rule: trust no one. But when she finds an amnesiac man near death in the wilderness—a man with kind eyes and a strength that is anything but human—she makes a choice that will unravel her solitary existence.
She calls him Cain, but the shattered-moon tattoo on his back brands him as Kaelen, the long-dead Alpha of the powerful Sky-Fall pack. His return triggers a brutal civil war with the usurper who stole his throne and his fated mate. Hunted by Lycan assassins and a fanatical human commander desperate for the secrets locked in Lena's own past, their only hope lies in embracing the very power Kaelen can't remember and Lena has always feared.
As they uncover a conspiracy that threatens not just the pack, but the future of every living thing, Kaelen must fight for a kingdom he doesn't know and Lena must confront a legacy she tried to bury. In a world of broken thrones and fated bonds, they will discover that the greatest choice is not between love and duty, but between who you are told you must be, and who you choose to become.
What the Heart Wants (Book 1 of the Alpha Faros Series)
Not loving him will cost more.
Derek has one goal: survive high school without drawing too much attention or pissing off his pack’s alpha.
As the youngest son of the alpha, his life is governed by lycan hierarchy, tradition, and politics. With no signs of awakening a lycan spirit, his only value is what he can do for the pack’s image. He knows he’s only ever one misstep away from exile… or worse.
Then, he finds a boy trapped in a locker on orientation day, and everything changes.
Derek shouldn’t want Nikolias. He’s off-limits. A risk Derek can’t afford.
So why does it feel like he’s the only thing worth fighting for?
Nikolias has just lost everything: his parents, his home, and any sense of peace. Sent back to the town his family left years ago to live with his prejudiced and controlling uncle, who wants nothing to do with anything—or anyone—not human, he’s trying to do everything in his power to get out quickly.
But then he meets Derek again, and all of his plans vanish in the soft, yearning flecks of gold in Derek’s green-hazel eyes. He’s drawn to Derek in a way that’s impossible to deny, and he thinks Derek feels the same way, despite the danger their relationship holds for him.
As Moonshadow's politics turn deadly, Derek and Nikolai are caught in the crossfire of a war that had started long before they were born, and their bond becomes a threat and a lifeline that neither can afford to sever.
Because the heart wants what it wants….
And it never asks permission.
TW: Graphic Violence, Suicide Ideation, Suicide Attempt, Child Abuse, Cult-Like Behavior
From Sacrificed Slave to the Dragon King's Obsession
His fangs glinted as he gripped my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. Dragon scales shimmered along his neck, breath scorching my skin.
"Your Majesty... I beg—" He shoved me onto the bed. Silk tore with a sharp rip, cold air rushing over my exposed body.
"Scared?" He smirked, palm sliding down my waist, fingers tracing slow, burning circles. "Yet you shiver... not from cold."
I lunged for the candlestick, but he caught my wrist, pinning it overhead. His knee forced my legs apart.
"When your father gave you to me," his lips brushed my ear, voice a dark rumble, "you were already mine."
On the eve of freedom after ten years of servitude, Lina Valeria stood one night away from reuniting with her betrothed. But Dragon King Augustus condemned her to the Abyss Mines on false charges—a trap forged from obsessive desire.
Augustus Ashenwing, Supreme Sovereign of Skyhold Citadel, is ruthless and feared by all races. His obsession stems from ancient grudges and dragonkind's most dangerous instinct: possessive desire. He demands her submission, binding her to his throne as his consort.
From prisoner to queen, Lina battles him through court intrigue and twisted passion—fighting for her mother, her freedom, her dignity.
Yet this cold-blooded tyrant reserves all tenderness for her alone. He indulges her temper, bends his pride, compromises without limit—anything to see her smile. Gradually, her heart wavers. But loving him means betraying Kain, who waited eleven years. Torn between duty and desire, she drowns in agonizing guilt.
Love and hatred intertwined—a forbidden dragon romance in a realm of oppression.
The Contract Wife: Marriage Of Malice
He didn't finish. He didn't need to.
I didn't tell him to stop.
Instead, my fingers curled into his shirt, clutching the fabric as though it was my only anchor. Something in him snapped—something he had been holding back for too long. His mouth found mine in a kiss that wasn't tender, but hungry, desperate.
I gasped into him, his hand sliding up to cup my jaw, holding me as if afraid I might vanish.
"You drive me insane," he breathed against my mouth, his lips trailing to my throat. "I can't lose you, Ella. Not you."
My head fell back, a soft sound escaping me as his fingers memorized my waist. My anger melted beneath his desperation.
"James..." I whispered, more plea than protest.
His hand caught mine, fingers threading together tightly. "I'll bring him back. I swear it. Just... don't turn away from me. Please."
The word please—low, ragged, almost broken—undid me more than anything else could have.
Ella never imagined she would marry the man she had secretly loved for years in such a way.
When her brother Theo faced twenty-five years in prison for massive embezzlement, the ruthless business tycoon James Lancaster offered her a deal: marry him in exchange for her brother's freedom.
This wasn't a fairy tale proposal, but a carefully orchestrated revenge. Because in James's heart, Ella was the culprit who had killed his sister Cecilia. He wanted her to pay the price—to atone with a lifetime of suffering.
Mated to Her Alpha Instructor
Weeks later, our new Alpha combat instructor walks in. Regis. The guy from the woods. His eyes lock on mine, and I know he recognizes me. Then the secret I've been hiding hits me like a punch: I'm pregnant.
He has an offer that binds us tighter than ever. Protection… or a cage? Whispers turn ugly, darkness closes in. Why am I the one without a wolf? Is he my salvation… or will he drag me to ruin?
The Deadly Mafia Princess
Her gang take the matter in their own hands, to try to save their leader from the horror of her home. What none of them know, they wasn’t her real parents, and now Ro will be sent away to live with her real family. That makes her closest members in her gang pack up and move as well. They don’t want to be far away from their leader.
The Rogue King II
Under the weight of his grief and pain, along with of the uncertainty of the new mate bond forged between Silas and Nate, Silas decides that he needs help. The weight of being Alpha that nearly just lost his pack if his little sister hadn’t been there, Silas decides to push everything away to be a better and stronger Alpha. Using magic is father gave him, Silas loses so much more than his way.
Nate, struggling with the mate bond, what the bond means for him, has continued to fight Silas, his Alpha, his best friend, and now his mate. When their fight goes too far, both Silas and Nate must deal with the consequences. It both pulls them together and tears them apart. Eventually leading to a full break in any relationship they had ever had.
On his own, Silas has to navigate through the next chapter alone. Coming to realize his actions, the consequences, and just how much it’s going to take to repair the damage he has done.
Nate, also on his own, works through what it means to step up in more ways than one. Somehow, even after her death, Aelia is still reaching out and helping Nate navigate the world on his own. He vows to grow and step up into the wolf that she knew he could be.
Book 2 in The Rogue Kings following immediately after The Rogue Kings I - Solaris' Reign. Trigger Warnings. Rated 18+.
The Spy Who Left
"I still can't believe she actually did it. Aria Hart, filing for divorce. Who saw that coming?"
"How long do we think it'll take before she comes crawling back?" Another voice joins the conversation.
"Three days," Victoria declares. "Five at most. She has no money, no skills, no family. Where's she going to go?"
When Aria Chen divorced billionaire Leon Hart, New York's elite sneered, betting she'd crawl back within days. She never did.
Three years later, the world is rocked when Dr. Aria Vale, CEO of a revolutionary cybersecurity empire, steps into the spotlight. The mysterious genius who built a billion-dollar company from nothing is none other than Leon's discarded wife, the woman everyone thought was just a pretty ornament.
Now, every powerful man wants the queen Leon threw away a renowned scientist seeking partnership, a financial titan proposing an empire, and an actor offering devotion. Each sees the brilliance Leon ignored.
Then Leon discovers the truth: Aria's sacrifices, her secret double life, and the daughter she's been raising without him. For the first time, the man who once took her for granted must fight for her love. But can he compete with men who valued her from the beginning?
A story of love, betrayal, and power where the king must kneel before the queen who never needed saving.












