by Caitlyn Dare
I wake startled in a dark room. Fear grips me in a chokehold as I fight to fill my lungs with air.
I can’t breathe. It feels like the walls are closing in around me and he’s close... so close.
“No,” I cry out. “No.”
“Kenny?”
Blinking, I strain against the darkness to find Conner. Relief slams into me. It’s Conner.
Conner is here.
He fumbles to the side and switches on the lamp.
“What’s wrong? What is it?”
“Bad dream...” I give him a weak smile, running a hand through my damp hair. The towel I fell asleep in is long gone, and Conner’s eyes flare as he takes in my naked form.
“Come here,” he says, his voice thick with sleep.
I lie back down, snuggling into his warm body. My hand trails up and down his chest, tracing his abs. Silence settles over us, but I know sleep won’t find me again. There’s too much nervous energy coursing through my veins.
My leg slides through his, making us impossibly close, and it’s then I realize he’s also naked. I drop my hand, letting my fingers graze his abs.
Reaching out, he wraps his hand around my wrist, stopping my descent. “K,” he swallows. “We should sleep.”
“I-I’m scared.” I peek up at him, afraid of seeing the sympathy in his eyes.
“Fuck,” he breathes, his brows pulling tight.
I lean up, pressing a kiss to his jaw. “Make me forget, Conner. Please.”
Chapter Thirty
Conner
"K, you really need to rest." I force the words out through clenched teeth, knowing that my refusal to do what she wants is going to hurt her.
"Please," she begs again, her eyes boring into mine. I can see the fear she admitted to feeling only seconds ago and I wish I could take it away and make it my own.
Kennedy stares into my eyes, silently pleading with me.
"What are you doing to me, babe?" I whisper, lowering my lips to hers. She opens for me almost immediately and my tongue sweeps into her mouth.
I pull her tighter into my body, ensuring as much of our skin is touching as possible. My cock swells as her tiny hand slides down my back until she grabs my ass, but I ignore it. As much as I might want to take her right now, I know I can’t.
She’s exhausted, in pain. She must be fucking traumatized after everything that happened.
“I need you, Conner. I only ever need you,” she whispers once our kiss ends.
“And I only need you, K. Always. But right now, you need to rest.”
“But—”
“K, listen to me.” I cup her jaw with my hand, forcing her to look into my eyes. “I want you, I want you so fucking badly, I’m sure you can feel that. But right now, I’m going to do the right thing. What you’ve been through… fuck, K. You’re so fucking brave, so fucking strong. I’m in total awe of you. I didn’t think it was possible for me to love you any more, but fuck, I think I do.”
“Con—”
“No,” I breathe, sliding the pad of my thumb over her lips. “Don’t second guess any of this. I don’t care about any of that. Everything I’ve told you, it’s the truth. It doesn’t matter what happened. It’s all in the past. This is us now. Me and you. And you never need to worry that I don’t want you.”
“But I need—”
“I know what you need, K. I always know what you need.”
I lean closer and gently brush my lips to hers. They’re so dry and cracked, I don’t want to hurt her even more than she already is, but when her hand grips onto the back on my neck and presses me harder to her, I lose my fight and slip my tongue past her lips.
“Conner,” she sighs into my mouth, and my heart damn near explodes in my chest.
“I’m right here, babe, and I’m going nowhere.”
I kiss across her jaw and down her neck. Goose bumps race across her skin as I graze my fingers down her body to her ass, pulling us tighter together, ensuring she feels just how much she affects me.
Unable to totally resist her demands, my hand slides across her stomach and down between her thighs. “Always so wet for me,” I groan, slipping two fingers inside her.
She gasps as I stretch her open. “Conner.” Her back arches as her head presses deeper into the pillow.
“You need to escape for a few minutes. Who am I to deny that? I’ll always give you what you need, K. Always.”
I drop my lips back to hers and slide my tongue into her mouth as I push deeper inside her.
Swallowing her moans of pleasure, I lose myself in her kiss, in the warmth of her body against mine.
Kennedy’s fingers thread through my hair, her nails gently scratching at my scalp as her body begins to tremble with her release.
“Come for me, K,” I whisper against her lips.
Her body stills as her orgasm hits her. It’s the only sign she gives me as no noise leaves her mouth.
I startle when I pull back and find tears trickling down her cheeks, but her lips pull up into a wide smile and I relax once more.
"Thank you," she murmurs.
"Oh, babe. You are more than welcome." I chuckle, my palm landing on her cheek as my fingertip wipes away her tears.
"I didn't mean... I meant thank you for waiting for me, for still wanting me after—"
"Shhh," I say, lifting up so I can look into her eyes to ensure she believes every word I'm about to say. "I told you, nothing can change how I feel about you. You're in here," I say, dragging her palm down until it's resting over my heart. "You're so fucking deep in here that I'll never let you go."
"Con," she sobs, but the sound of her stomach grumbling concerns me more than her tears.
"You need to eat, babe. When was the last time you had something decent?"
She shrugs, and my heart aches as I imagine what she's been through these past few days.
"Let me look after you, K."
She nods at me, tears still swimming in her eyes as my own burn the backs of mine, but I refuse to shed any. She's hurting enough right now, she doesn't need to see how badly this is ripping me up inside.
Rolling off the bed, I grab a pair of sweats and tug them on before finding her a clean shirt and pair of boxers.
"Here, put these on. We're going for a midnight snack," I say after glancing at the clock and seeing that it's already well past that time.
She pushes to sit up slowly and I panic. She's so weak, so broken and bruised.
"Let me help."
I drop to my knees before her and look up. She wants to argue, I can see it in her eyes, but she doesn’t even have the strength to do that.
I probably shouldn't have just done that. Guilt rips through me. But she asked for it—asked for more—and I have a real hard time saying no to anything my girl wants.
"You've got nothing to prove, K. Let me help you, let me be what you need. Let me f-fix you." My voice cracks and I hate it. I hate that she looks at me with sympathy in her eyes when she's the one who's really suffered.
My body might still ache from the beating I took, and the two of us might be sporting similar bruises, but the pain I feel is nothing compared to hers, I'm sure.
I hold my boxers out and she steps into them slowly before lifting her ass from the bed so I can pull them on. I drag the shirt over her head and then swing her into my arms. Right where she belongs.
Her lips part to argue, but I cut her off before a word even passes.
"Don't even think about suggesting you'll walk. It's not happening."
She smiles up at me and the love I see in her eyes weakens my knees.
She's here and she's mine, and all that heartache is over.
The image of what I saw on that wall in the warehouse hits me, but I swallow it down. Now is not the time for that.
The house is silent and in darkness as we make our way to the kitchen. Kenny hits the light switch as we enter, and I place her down on one of the stools.
"Any requests?" I ask after making su
re she can stay upright.
"Just not crackers and water."
My steps falter as red-hot anger races through me. How dare that cunt treat her like that?
I swallow down my anger and force my muscles to relax. She doesn’t need to see it right now.
"You got it, babe. Sandwich? Conner special?" I say, ensuring there is a lightness into my tone that I don’t feel.
She throws her head back and laughs as everything I was feeling only seconds ago washes away.
"A Conner special used to be peanut butter and bananas," she points out.
"Right? I had to make do with what was in the trailer."
"I know, but if I'm being honest, I'm not a fan of either."
"Wait," I say, holding up my hand to stop her saying more. "You're telling me that you don't like peanut butter or bananas?"
A sly smile plays on her lips before she shakes her head. "Sorry," she says with a wince.
"K, I used to make them for you like, every weekend when we were kids. Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because, like you just said, it was the only thing in your trailer. You were so happy making me food, I just ate it."
"K," I sigh, shaking my head. "Want to know a secret?"
She nods at me.
"I wasn't all that fussed either. I just did it for you."
"Oh my God." She laughs.
Loving that I can make her laugh even when shit is hard means everything to me.
I pull the refrigerator open and stick my head in to see what Ellen has left us.
When I emerge it's with an armful of food. I lay it all out in front of her before turning to get the bread, but my eyes land on something else first.
"Oh... look what we have here," I say, spinning back to her with the Tupperware in my hands.
"Conner, you can't eat cookies before a sand—"
"Why?" I mumble around a mouthful.
She laughs at me, her eyes twinkling with a happiness that I haven’t seen in weeks, and my heart threatens to burst open at the sight.
Everything is going to be okay. In a few days, her wounds will have healed, and eventually her memories will fade and it'll just be us.
The road trip I'd planned in my head when my eyes landed on Betty seems almost in touching distance now.
Just me, my girl, and the open road. I can't think of a better way to spend my summer.
After I made Kenny the biggest sandwich I could last night, almost all of which she devoured, we took the cookies up to my room. But the second I placed her down in bed, she fell asleep almost instantly. I, however, couldn't switch off. The images from the warehouse wouldn't leave me, and it wasn't until I'd eaten my way through my stash that I finally managed to drift off with my girl cuddled against me and her soft snores filling the room.
The next time I wake, the sun is streaming through the open curtains and I feel like I'm being watched. My skin tingles with her attention and I can't help but smile.
"I know you're staring at me," I whisper in the hope I don't startle her.
"He made me watch," she says, gently brushing her fingertip over the healing cut on my eyebrow.
I turn to face her and pull her into me.
"Watch what, babe?" I ask, not awake enough to connect the dots.
"Your fight. It was a set-up. He had it live streamed so I could watch you lose."
"Motherfucker," I growl, my fists clenching. It doesn't matter that he's dead, I want to go and kill him all over again for everything he's done.
"He forced me to watch all of it. It was... it was awful."
"Why did he do it, K? Do you know?"
"He kept saying that he wanted you all to suffer. He wanted to k-kill me and ruin you. But I don't know why."
"Did you know he was Charlie's son?" I know she was in my arms when James admitted the truth, but I have no idea if she heard or saw anything that happened.
Her wide eyes give me her answer. "He was... he was your... cousin?"
"Apparently so. James only told us last night."
Silence falls around us as she absorbs that bit of information. "So he was jealous? That you weren't Charlie's… that you got all of this?" she asks, gesturing to the house surrounding us.
"Maybe, but I think it's more than that."
"You saw it, didn't you?"
The image of that wall hits me once more. "Yeah, babe. I did. What did it all mean?"
Chapter Thirty-One
Kennedy
Silence echoes around us as my words hang in the air.
“Fuck, I need to talk to James.” Conner leaps up, raking a hand through his hair.
“It’s first thing in the morning...”
“So? I need answers. Charlie. Donny. Warren. Hadley’s ex...”
“Hadley’s ex?” I frown. “The guy from Gravestone?”
“Yeah, he showed up before the holidays. Tried to hurt Hadley. James took care of it, just like he seems to take care of all our problems.” Conner scrubs his face.
“What are you thinking?” I climb out of bed and tuck myself into his warm body.
“I don’t know... he said he’s involved with some dangerous people. But those photographs Warren had... the newspaper clippings and notes...”
“You saw her.”
“Hadley,” he breathes, a shudder rolling through him.
“There was a picture of Remi’s car too,” I add. “I don’t think Lylah keyed her car... it was Warren. It was all Warren.”
“Yeah.” Conner hugs me tighter. “I know you don’t want to think about what happened, and I don’t want to make you—”
“It’s okay, I want to help. But honestly, I didn’t see much more than you. Warren didn’t say anything.” Except for his taunts and jibes, which Conner doesn’t need to know about.
He lets out a defeated sigh before kissing my head. “Come on, it’s time to have a little chat with James.”
He goes to walk away, but I yank his hand sharply. “Conner, I’m not sure I should—"
“Babe, you’re my girl.” He cups my face, lowering his head to mine. “My every-fucking-thing. We do this together. In fact, from now on, I think we should do everything together.” He drops his hands, winding his arms around me. “It’s you and me, K. You’re stuck with me.”
Warmth fills my belly. “I like the sound of that.”
Conner kisses me, hard and bruising, as if he’s sealing his promise with every stroke of his tongue. Liquid lust floods my veins, but all too soon he breaks away, inhaling a ragged breath.
“Later.” He smirks.
“I’ll hold you to that.”
Hand in hand, we leave his room. The house is quiet. Ellen hums a cheery tune somewhere deep in the house as we head for James’ office.
“Surely he’ll be sleeping?” I whisper.
It’s early, and after the events of last night, I feel like I could sleep for a week.
“Guess we’ll find out.” Conner doesn’t bother knocking, pulling me inside.
It’s empty, but the room is a mess. The huge desk is littered with papers and documents. There’s an empty glass on the sideboard and a half empty bottle of scotch.
“What is all this stuff?” I run my fingers over a couple of letters. Names I don’t recognize are printed along the top. Kingsley. Davenport. Cargill. “Rexford?” The word spills from my lips.
“What?” Conner leans in close and scans the document.
“It looks like some kind of roster.”
“But why would Hadley’s family name be on there?”
“What’s that?” Conner points to a watermark in the corner.
“It looks like some kind of cres—”
The door creaks open, startling us both.
“Why am I not surprised?” James says coolly.
“You owe us an explanation.”
He runs a hand over his stubble. There are dark circles around his eyes, and when I breathe in I get a faint whiff of liquor. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say Mr. Ja
gger was hungover.
“You should be resting,” he says to me.
“I’m okay, all thanks to you.”
Conner makes a derisive noise in the back of his throat and I cut him a hard look.
“Ah, it would seem my son hasn’t told you the entire story.”
“Conner?” Dread washes through me.
“I thought I’d save that for you.”
Letting out a resigned sigh, James closes the door and takes a seat in his fancy wingback chair. “Sit.” He motions to the couch. “I’d offer us all a drink, but it’s a little early.”
“It’s five o’clock somewhere,” Conner mutters, tension radiating off him in thick waves. I squeeze his hand gently, my eyes flicking to his. His dark expression softens. “We saw it.” He says the words to his father, but he’s looking at me. “We saw it all.”
“I suppose you want answers.”
“I do.” Conner’s eyes finally slide past me. “I want to know why the fuck Warren had photos of Hadley, Timothy Davenport, and Bexley Danforth on that wall.”
“Son, keep your voice down. The last thing I want is Cole to—”
“Seriously? You want to keep this from him? He has a right to know. They both do.”
James runs a hand down his weary face. “It’s not that simple, Son. There are things—”
“Yeah, yeah... things we can’t know. But you gotta see it from my point of view. My girl was kidnapped and had a gun held to her head by some fucking psychopath who wanted to hurt us... and you left her there because of what—”
“What?” The words whooshes from my lungs. Guilt shines in James’ eyes.
“You were always safe, Kennedy, I promise.”
“N-no, that’s not—”
“Shh, babe.” Conner pulls me into his side and I cling to him, trying to make sense of what James is saying.
“Warren discovered some things. Things about me and the people I work for.” He slumps back in his chair. “How much has Hadley told you about Gravestone?”
