Obsession Without Rules: Boundless Desire.

Amara Cross POV

"Where do you think you're going, you tempting beauty?"

A strange man’s voice cut through the quiet street. I turned around, only to find myself surrounded by a group of men with disgusting faces. One of them let out a sharp whistle that pierced my ears with mockery.

"Look at that body. What a slut. Full, tempting curves. Keep her, Chris. What if we take turns with her? That would be amazing."

Those filthy words made my stomach churn with nausea. The moment he finished speaking, I jolted violently, trying to pull my wrist from his grip as his fingers dug painfully into my flesh, but he was stronger than my desperate attempts.

"Shh... don’t be scared, little one. You’re going to enjoy this a lot."

At that moment, with tears blurring my vision, survival instinct took over. I gathered what was left of my dignity and spat in his face with all my strength.

He didn’t give me a second. I felt his fingers dig into my scalp as he yanked my hair brutally, forcing a muffled scream out of my throat before throwing me to the ground like a lifeless body.

I tried to push myself up on my trembling hands, but a sudden kick to my stomach sent me crashing back down. I curled into myself, pulling my legs to my chest like a terrified snail.

He grabbed my collar while I lay curled on the ground and forced my face toward him. His large fist tightened, veins bulging as he prepared for a deadly punch. I squeezed my eyes shut, my breath frozen as I waited for the darkness, but suddenly, the weight crushing my chest disappeared, and the filthy body blocking the rain from me was gone.

I opened my tear-filled eyes and gasped in shock. A stranger stood there, gripping my attacker by the collar and raining down rapid punches with no mercy. I looked around and found the others had vanished, running away.

"How dare you, you filthy bastard, attack a girl young enough to be your daughter?"

His voice echoed through the place. I stared at his broad back and felt a strange warmth seep into my heart despite the cold.

"Please, sir, stop. You’ll kill him like this."

I begged in a hoarse voice, but he ignored me. I tried to stand, but my stomach screamed in pain from the kick.

"Please, stop. I hate seeing blood, and I’m afraid you’ll kill him."

He finally turned to me. He straightened up and released the man, letting him fall to the ground.

He bent down calmly, picked up my scattered bag, and handed it to me.

"I really... thank you. I don’t know how to express my gratitude. I... I..."

My words got stuck in my throat, and the trembling inside me hadn’t faded yet.

"No need to thank me. Any decent man would’ve done the same."

I looked at him carefully, trying to carve his features into my memory. He was extremely handsome.

"Do you want me to take you home, or can you manage on your own?"

His calm voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I gasped softly and cleared my throat in embarrassment. He had definitely noticed the way I was staring.

"No, no need. I think I’m fine. I don’t want to trouble you. Thank you so much again for what you did."

"If you were going to trouble me, I wouldn’t have offered to help in the first place, right?"

He paused, then added with a hint of concern in his tone, "You don’t have to get in the car if you don’t want to, but your knee is bleeding, you look pale, and the rain is getting heavier."

I looked down at my knee. A red drop of blood slowly traced its way across my pale skin from a scratch I hadn’t even noticed. The cold rain stung when it touched the wound, and I closed my eyes in pain.

"Alright... I guess I’ll accept, instead of freezing to death here."

I said it with a shy smile, followed by a soft laugh, and walked toward his luxury car. I opened the door, but froze when I saw the elegant leather seats and looked down at my soaked clothes.

"What’s wrong? Go ahead, sit."

I tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear, feeling heat rise to my face.

"I think my wet clothes will dirty the seat. It’s not nice to ruin your car."

His eyes slowly dropped to my chest, where the soaked white fabric clung to my skin, clearly outlining my bra, then moved to my pants that had become like a second skin, shaping my thighs. He didn’t look away. He kept staring at me without shame.

A strange shiver ran down my spine, and this time it wasn’t from the cold.

"Don’t worry. Whether your clothes get wet... or something else does, it won’t be a problem like you think."

"Leave it to me. Now... sit."

I nodded and sat beside him, my heart pounding.

I drifted into my thoughts until I could no longer hear the rain outside. I only snapped out of it when a strong masculine scent filled my lungs, and his arm suddenly moved in front of me.

"Little one, did you lose your hearing? Looks like I’ll have to fasten the seatbelt for you myself."

He said as he reached for the belt beside my head. My body shivered when his chest brushed against mine for a brief second. Just one second, but it was enough to send an unfamiliar tremor through me.

"Oh... I guess I zoned out for a moment. I’m really sorry. How silly of me."

In the university

"Good morning, sir. I’m Amara Cross. I was accepted into the university with a scholarship, and I came to register."

He looked up and smiled warmly. "Welcome, Miss Amara. Did you bring your documents and the scholarship paper?"

I handed him the file I had guarded like it was my life. He began reviewing the papers carefully while I watched his eyes move between the lines.

"Your documents are in order, and your grades are very impressive, Miss Amara. It seems the university has gained a hardworking student."

He chuckled lightly, and I let out a breath of relief, smiling shyly.

"Thank you, sir."

He suddenly stood, holding my papers. "You’ll be officially registered in a few minutes, and then I’ll direct you to the new students department to receive your schedule and university ID."

I bowed slightly in gratitude. "Thank you, sir."

He gestured for me to sit while he finished, so I sat and looked around the office, unable to believe I was really here. All of this started because of that man who saved me. I was still wearing Mr. Dorian Val’s jacket. He had introduced himself before leaving. I hugged it to my chest.

Suddenly, the vice principal returned.

"Miss Amara, you’ll need to come back tomorrow morning to receive your materials and start your classes right away. What do you think?"

The car finally stopped after twenty exhausting minutes, letting me out.

I walked forward and knocked lightly on the door. My heart pounded against my ribs with tension. This was our first meeting in years. Before I could take another breath, the door swung open violently, revealing Asla.

"Amor!"

Her voice shattered the quiet street with my childhood nickname before she threw herself at me, hugging me tightly and squeezing the air out of my lungs.

"Wow! I can’t believe you’re really here! Did you get taller? Wait a second... let me check!"

I raised my eyebrows in confusion, my forehead creasing. "What?"

She stepped back and rubbed her chin, studying my face.

"Hmm, I’ll get a measuring tape. You must have grown five full centimeters since the last time... although it’s not really noticeable."

She burst out laughing as she circled around me. I tightened my grip on my bag and tossed it at her playfully. "Stop it! I’m not short like you think!"

She raised one eyebrow sarcastically. "Oh, you are. I swear I saw a bird fly over your head without hitting you because you’re that short."

She poked my arm lightly as she laughed again.

"Asla!"

"Alright, come sit, my little princess. Tell me, how was the trip? Did you get lost on the way?"

I collapsed onto the couch, my body exhausted, and let out a deep breath, pushing away the remnants of fear.

"Asla... I almost got kidnapped."

Her laughter vanished instantly as if it had never existed. She sat beside me, her expression turning rigid.

"What?"