[The Stables 02] • Obsessive Compulsion

Set in Dallas, Texas, this is a Contemporary Romance series with light BDSM elements and mature themes. Each book will be a complete story, no cliffhangers.

In book 2, Ian’s OCD draws him to Charlie at the same time it’s pushing him away from her, but Charlie isn’t about to let him control the way their relationship unfolds.

** *Ian* **

I’m trying to stop my eyes from staring at her, but that’s like trying to tell my brain to stop worrying about the fact that my apartment door might still be unlocked because I only checked it twelve times this morning instead of sixteen times like I do on Thursdays. Even after twenty-eight years of the same shit, my rituals still find ways to argue with one another. Well, I can only assume that I was checking the latch on my crib when I was a baby, but I’m willing to bet money that I was.

I’ve never had my place broken into, but it doesn’t matter. I’ve never had a fire, either, but that doesn’t stop me from making sure all my appliances are unplugged before I go to bed. And I mean all the damn appliances. You think it’s no big deal until you’re trying to crawl behind a dryer at two in the morning while you’re in someone else’s apartment. Yeah. No second date from her.

Girls don’t seem to like a guy who’s a little… obsessive about some things. Okay, everything. A lot. A lot obsessive about everything.

Might as well just let it all out, Rider, while you’re staring like a shopping mall puppy, waiting for her to turn your way, see your sad little expression and wagging tail in the window, and then take the more sane puppy next to you home. The one who’s been licking his butt for an hour like a normal dog should instead of obsessing about how unsanitary it is.

Yes, my brain spends as much time obsessing about these clever little analogies as it does making sure I remember to brush my teeth. Four times. Twice on Tuesdays. Only once if it's raining.

I can’t even have a moment alone to myself to admire Charlie’s fiery red hair from afar, because my own mind won’t leave me the hell alone. Her hair captivates me, though, especially on days like this when the sun is brightly filtering down into the factory through the skylights to reflect on her waves of copper as it falls down her back. To say that I’m a little obsessive over Charlie’s hair is to belittle the fact that I’m just obsessive about Charlie in general.

** *Charlie* **

My mom used to say I was just a mess waiting to happen. Disorder. Chaos. An Oklahoma tornado on two legs with fiery waves of hair trailing behind me.

Nothing in my life has ever been cut and dry. From Emma to Italy, and all the crazy in between, I never have a lack of inspiration for the paint I slap against blank canvasses. Maybe that’s what draws me to Ian. He’s too neat. Too tidy. Too reserved and way too damn uptight. He has a sense of humor, when I can drag it out of him, and he’s one of the most kind men I’ve ever met, but I wish he’d just let lose a little. Get messy and dirty with me.

The man counts light-switch flicks and organizes his desk like it’s a Sudoku puzzle where everything must be in its proper place. He’s also a better man than what I’ve had in my life lately. Maybe a little order could do my chaos some good, and maybe a little tornado-Charlie could bring some much needed upheaval into Ian’s organized world.

Available at Amazon, All Romance and Smashwords. Coming soon to B&N Nook, iBooks and Kobo

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