Chapter 42
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
SERENA
“ L et me document your injuries.”
I stand there for a moment, absorbing Kai’s words as shame paralyzes me. I can’t stand the thought of him seeing evidence of what Dom did to me. The extent of it. Dom was so angry after my attempt at running that he completely lost all pretense of caring about appearances and left marks all over my body. It’s why I haven’t been able to leave the house for days. He was keeping me in seclusion until the proof of his abuse had faded away.
Sensing my hesitation, Kai steps closer, gently cupping my face in his hands and guiding my eyes to meet his. “Serena, it’s important that we can prove what he did to you. The longer we wait, the more the bruising will fade. You’re safe here with me. I swear.”
Staring into Kai’s warm, rich brown gaze, I get lost in a sea of memories. Hot chocolate after snowball fights during the blizzard of 2012. Late night movie marathons. Our between-class lunch dates that he always, always paid for. Study sessions. Kai holding me when I got the worst news of my life the night of my parents’ accident. Him being there every single day after to check on me and make sure I was still putting one foot in front of the other. I am safe with Kai. There is no one else on earth who makes me feel safer. Slowly, I nod in agreement.
A look of relief flashes across Kai’s face. “Alright, I’m gonna run out to the car and grab my gear. I’ll be right back.”
When Kai walks out the door, I decide to strip down to my underwear while he is out of the room. I’m afraid I won’t have the courage to bare myself to him while he’s watching. When Kai comes back, he’s looking down at his camera, checking the settings. He doesn’t see me standing in the middle of the room mostly naked, save for my bra and panties.
“I know this will be difficult, but we will go as slow…” Kai’s words trail off when he looks up and sees me, arms crossed in front of my chest, trembling, trying to hide how exposed I feel. His eyes don’t leave my face, and for that, I’m grateful. He is refusing to look until I tell him to.
“Are you sure you’re ready, ReRe?” His voice is soft, laced with concern. Kai wants to nail Dominick’s ass to the wall, but he doesn’t want to hurt me more in the process.
I close my eyes and jerk a nod. Tears sting the backs of my eyelids, but I refuse to let them fall. Dominick has gotten enough of my tears. It’s time for me to start taking my power back.
When I open my eyes again, Kai is still staring at my face, waiting for me to give him consent. “Let’s do this,” I say as I drop my arms, letting them hang by my side. Kai’s eyes slowly trail down my body, his face growing darker and angrier as he follows the pattern of red-purple bruises down my biceps, across my chest, around my hips to the insides of my thighs. Dom was so rough the last time he took me, it seemed like he didn’t leave any part of my body unmarked. Kai’s jaw pops when he clenches it. I watch him, waiting to see how he will react. He closes his eyes and inhales a slow deep breath, holding it for several long seconds before exhaling. He does that twice more before opening his eyes again. I’ve seen him do the same ritual before when trying to keep his temper in check, but that was years ago in high school when he was dealing with a bully.
When Kai opens his eyes again, there is a look of steely determination in them. He lifts the camera to his face, and I hold my arms out, palms up, offering up my darkest secrets in the name of justice. I close my eyes while he takes his photos, willing myself to feel even a fraction of the strength I saw in his eyes moments ago. He’s careful not to touch me, but I feel the heat from his body as he walks around me, crouches near me, getting images of my injuries from every angle. I’m so absorbed in the quiet click of the shutter as he works, I’m startled when he speaks again.
“Are you hurt anywhere I can’t see?”
Nodding, I reach behind me and unhook my bra, letting it fall to the floor. On my right breast, there is an angry red bite mark surrounding my areola. Kai sucks in a harsh gasp when he sees it. “Fuck, ReRe. I’m going to fucking kill him.” There is one more click of the camera shutter before he places it on the desk.
When our eyes meet again, there are so many unspoken words. I’m sorry. It’s not your fault. I know. I love you. My mind flashes back to the moment in the hospital when Kai confessed his feelings to me, and I want nothing more than to go back in time and make a different choice. The right choice.
My body moves before my mind realizes what’s happening. I close the gap between us, pressing my body against his. He opens his mouth to say something, but I quiet him with a kiss. Kai stills, his hands hovering inches away from my skin, his lips unmoving, unsure of what to do. My hands travel up his chest, grasping his shirt tightly in my fists, and I pull him to me, pressing my lips more firmly against his, begging for more. Desperate for him to erase the ghostly memory of Dom’s touch and replace it with his own. After a long, tense moment, the rigidity of Kai’s body melts away, and he pulls me into him, enveloping me in his embrace. His lips part, his tongue licking the seam of my own, seeking entry. I part mine, granting him entrance, and our kiss goes from timid, nervous and hesitant to all-consuming in the span of a heartbeat.
A soft moan escapes me as Kai deepens our kiss. I become dizzy and forget how to breathe. Everything about this feels so right, I can’t believe I didn’t accept it before. My skin burns under his touch. I want more. I want it all. Suddenly we are moving, the backs of Kai’s legs hitting the bed, forcing him to sit.
I push forward, climbing on his lap, never breaking our kiss, refusing to go another moment ignoring how I feel about him. Settling onto his lap, I feel the hardness of his erection pressing through his joggers. Grinding my core down on him, my panties grow damp from arousal from the effect his kiss is having on me. I lose myself as I rock my core along his shaft, shudders running down my spine as I build a rhythm that gets me close to release. Our breathing becomes erratic as our kissing becomes a frenzied tangle of tongues. And then I’m there, with one perfect thrust up from Kai, giving my clit the friction I need to go over the edge.
“Kai…” His name is a prayer on my lips. One I hope I will get to repeat over and over and over.