
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 😍
The Pack: Rule Number 1 - No Mates
"Let me go," I whimper, my body trembling with need. "I don't want you touching me."
I fall forward onto the bed then turn around to stare at him. The dark tattoos of Domonic's chiseled shoulders, quiver and and expand with the heave of his chest. His deep dimpled smile is full of arrogance as he reaches behind himself to lock the door.
Biting his lip, he stalks toward me, his hand going to the seam of his pants and the thickening bulge there.
"Are you sure you don't want me to touch you?" He whispers, untying the knot and slipping a hand inside. "Because I swear to God, that is all I have been wanting to do. Every single day from the moment you stepped in our bar and I smelled your perfect flavor from across the room."
New to the world of shifters, Draven is human on the run. A beautiful girl who no one could protect. Domonic is the cold Alpha of the Red Wolf Pack. A brotherhood of twelve wolves that live by twelve rules. Rules which they vowed could NEVER be broken.
Especially - Rule Number One - No Mates
When Draven meets Domonic, he knows that she is his mate, but Draven has no idea what a mate is, only that she has fallen in love with a shifter. An Alpha that will break her heart to make her leave. Promising herself, she will never forgive him, she disappears.
But she doesn’t know about the child she’s carrying or that the moment she left, Domonic decided rules were made to be broken - and now will he ever find her again? Will she forgive him?
Cursed Fates
Let Them Kneel
Cast out by her pack. Forgotten by the Lycans.
She lived among humans—quiet, invisible, tucked away in a town no one looked at twice.
But when her first heat comes without warning, everything changes.
Her body ignites. Her instincts scream. And something primal stirs beneath her skin—
summoning a big, bad Alpha who knows exactly how to quench her fire.
When he claims her, it’s ecstasy and ruin.
For the first time, she believes she’s been accepted.
Seen.
Chosen.
Until he leaves her the next morning—
like a secret never to be spoken.
But Kaelani is not what they thought.
Not wolfless. Not weak.
There is something ancient inside her. Something powerful. And it’s waking.
And when it does—
they’ll all remember the girl they tried to erase.
Especially him.
She’ll be the dream he keeps chasing… the one thing that ever made him feel alive.
Because secrets never stay buried.
And neither do dreams.
The mafia princess return
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.
Where The Ice Gives Way
Blake Atlas scents his mate the moment Charlotte arrives. The bond hits hard and unmistakable, but Charlotte doesn’t recognise it. She doesn’t know why her chest keeps pulling toward the one boy she absolutely cannot afford to want. Blake is Charlie’s new hockey captain. Charlie’s chance at making something good. Charlie makes it clear; his sister is off-limits and Blake tries to do the right thing, but secrets don’t stay buried forever. Rogues prowl the edges of town. The ice cracks. The bond tightens. Then Charlotte’s rare white wolf awakens, the very thing that makes her powerful, also makes her a target.
Shanti needs Shakti. (Peace needs strength.)
Where the Ice Gives Way is a slow-burn YA paranormal romance filled with fated mates, protective alpha energy, fierce sibling loyalty, found family pack bonds, hurt/comfort, and quiet, aching tension. It’s a story about first belonging, learning to be cared for, and what happens when the girl who has always held everyone else up finally falls, and someone catches her.
Twin Prince Alphas Student Mate
As her 18th birthday approaches, her brothers warn her about the powerful pull she might feel toward dominant wolves. But it's not just any wolves they need to worry about—it's her teachers. Cameron and Samuel are more than just older, wiser, and off-limits; they might just be her fated mates.
While navigating complex relationships, academic pressures, and the normal trials of young adult life, an unexpected threat jeopardizes the academy. Explosions rock their world, forcing Lyla and her love interests into a chaotic swirl of heroism, heartbreak, and hard choices.
Will Lyla follow her heart and let destiny lead the way, or will the very rules that bind their world tear them apart? Amidst turmoil and taboo, Lyla must make choices that could forever change the course of her life and the lives of those she holds dear.
Discover a story where love isn't just complicated—it's forbidden, ageless, and defies all rules. In a world of supernatural beings and extraordinary stakes, will Lyla's love life be another casualty, or her saving grace?
The Alpha & The Vampire Queen
Whips crack against her skin, blood pooling on the cold stone floor, while her mother's pleas fade into silence, abandoning her to the monster's wrath. Xander's protective cries turn to accusations under Penny's dark spells, fracturing their sibling bond into shards of mistrust and isolation.
The Princess's Revenge
Alpha Logan is an illegitimate son whose mother disappeared when he was 10 years old. He grew up suffering from humiliation and lacking maternal love.
Alpha Logan saves Valencia at Marcus's funeral, which seems to be destined by fate—part of the Moon Goddess's grand plan.
As Valencia accidentally discovers prophecies in Logan's mother's diary that seem to be related to her, the truth gradually surfaces. Valencia appears to be merely a tool in a princess's revenge plot. How will Logan and Valencia navigate their path amid the national war and pack politics?
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-
Diaries Of A Hybrid And Her Mate
Beautiful Aubrianne Ivanov, raised by her single mom, had a tough childhood. With low self-esteem, she became an outcast and was alone one too many times for her liking. Time spent at her part time job, she eventually grew into a brave, confident, and determined young woman who walked right into an opportunity that would change her life forever.
Will Aubrianne truly feel whole? Will she find what has been missing in her life? Will she allow herself happiness and joy? Will she find love, and most importantly, will she survive what's to come?
Join Aubrianne on her journey as she discovers who/what she is and navigates all the heartbreak, betrayal, drama, and exciting and thrilling events that come her way...
Excerpt:
She lay before him in all her magnificent beauty draped across his king-size bed in the most compelling and provocative way known to man or beast. And for Alpha Zayne, it was the most captivating view he had ever had the pleasure of seeing with his own eyes.
She stared at his every movement, lips slightly parted, her stunning brown eyes scanning every inch of his gorgeously toned and glorious body while heat radiated off of hers. He was HERS.
Her body trembled in delight and anticipation; she was ready and wanted to be with him in every way.
As innocent as she was, she wanted him to...no need him to take her in the worse ways, bringing her to heights of pleasures she had never experienced before.
Fuck she is beautiful, one fine specimen, and she is all MINE, MY MATE. A wave of pure unbridled possessiveness vibrated through Alpha Zayne. He thanked the Divine Moon Goddess, for she has truly blessed him.
He drank her in, eyes trailing up her toned sexy legs spread wide for him, and she gave him that come-and-get-it look.
Falling for my boyfriend's Navy brother
"What is wrong with me?
Why does being near him make my skin feel too tight, like I’m wearing a sweater two sizes too small?
It’s just newness, I tell myself firmly.
He’s my boyfirend’s brother.
This is Tyler’s family.
I’m not going to let one cold stare undo that.
**
As a ballet dancer, My life looks perfect—scholarship, starring role, sweet boyfriend Tyler. Until Tyler shows his true colors and his older brother, Asher, comes home.
Asher is a Navy veteran with battle scars and zero patience. He calls me "princess" like it's an insult. I can't stand him.
When My ankle injury forces her to recover at the family lake house, I‘m stuck with both brothers. What starts as mutual hatred slowly turns into something forbidden.
I'm falling for my boyfriend's brother.
**
I hate girls like her.
Entitled.
Delicate.
And still—
Still.
The image of her standing in the doorway, clutching her cardigan tighter around her narrow shoulders, trying to smile through the awkwardness, won’t leave me.
Neither does the memory of Tyler. Leaving her here without a second thought.
I shouldn’t care.
I don’t care.
It’s not my problem if Tyler’s an idiot.
It’s not my business if some spoiled little princess has to walk home in the dark.
I’m not here to rescue anyone.
Especially not her.
Especially not someone like her.
She’s not my problem.
And I’ll make damn sure she never becomes one.
But when my eyes fell on her lips, I wanted her to be mine.












