31. Thirty-one Freya
Thirty-one: Freya
I swiped through the gallery on my phone, glancing down at the photos of my father and me eight Christmases ago, smiling as we held up our favourite gifts we’d received. My father—a brand new electric razor, and myself—a set of expertly designed coloured pencils encrusted with my initials. It was the last time I’d actually seen my dad smile—even if it was fake for the camera.
Still, the police were idiotic if they believed I was going to allow them to sweep his case under the rug as if it were a pile of trash. He may not have been the greatest father, but he was my flesh and blood and was in trouble.
The police didn’t want to listen, but I was going to make them.
Freya: Heading to the police station to file another missing person report for Dad.
Kaleb: Brent is outside, so he’ll follow you there. I’m taking over his watch in around twenty minutes anyway, so I’ll meet you at the station after you finish.
Kaleb never questioned me when it came to my actions regarding my father, and that was something I liked about him. He knew I needed to do this for my peace of mind, and he was supportive no matter what—even if he knew it wouldn’t make much of a difference.
Brent tailed me as I drove. My paranoia was still jostling around inside my head, my eyes darting from side to side whenever a car overtook me or pulled out.
I entered the police station warily. It was significantly less busy than when Kaleb and I had visited, and I marched right up to the desk where a middle-aged man was waiting with a frown.
“Can I help you, Miss?”
“I need to file a report for a missing person,” I said, sighing. “Again.”
The man behind the desk hummed, and he gestured for me to take a seat.
After a few minutes, the sound of an office door clicking open gained my attention, and I gazed up to see Mr Walliams—Kaleb’s supposed work acquaintance—poke his head out of the doorway. He called me in, and I took a seat in the uncomfortable metal chair, the icy material biting into my flesh.
“What can I do for you today, Miss Henderson?”
“My father. He’s missing, and something's wrong. Not to mention I’m also being followed. I've already reported it, but nobody is taking any of this seriously.” Scowling, I inhaled deeply, causing Mr Walliams to click his tongue.
“I’m more than happy to add some notes onto your already open report,” he responded, “but as of right now, that’s unfortunately the best I can do until we get any leads.”
“No one is even investigating it,” I complained, running a hand down my face. "I'm sorry to be rude, but we're talking about somebody's life here. Something needs to be done."
As expected, the police weren’t willing to investigate the case any further than they claimed they already were, and I left the police station with frustration bubbling up inside me, threatening to boil over.
“How’d it go?”
I gasped loudly at Kaleb’s husky voice, and I spun around to see him smirking at me with raised eyebrows, the setting sun bouncing off his chiselled jawline and causing my heart to flutter. Everyone looked good in golden hour, but Kaleb was on another level.
“I didn’t expect them to actually care,” I replied, ripping at my nails. “If I keep at it, they’ll have to listen to me eventually, though.”
“We'll keep trying. Come on, let’s head back. I’ll follow you.”
Pulling out onto the busy road, I turned on the radio to drown out my sorrows, making a mental note to ask my mom to also visit the police station once she returned from her two-day business trip. Jackie had joined her since the hotel was included. She needed a couple of days off work to distract herself from Brie’s anniversary.
Suddenly, I gasped, honking my horn in annoyance when somebody swiftly pulled out behind me, almost clipping my bumper. I glowered at them through my rear-view mirror, noticing Kaleb’s Jeep a few cars back.
The dark SUV behind sped up, coasting along next to me and forcing me down an exit in the opposite direction of the house. I glared at the ghoulish man sitting behind his wheel, a slimy smirk plastered onto his lips.
Shit.
Kaleb was stuck in traffic behind me, and I had no choice but to press my foot on the gas and rush down the barely used road. Overgrown trees and bushes blocked part of it, causing me to swerve.
My potential kidnapper was right behind me with every turn, copying my manoeuvres and making my body break out into a sweat. My tyres screeched from underneath me as I took a corner too fast, my clammy palms gripping the steering wheel tightly as I narrowly avoided ploughing straight into a tree, sharply turning down a dirt road. The SUV flew past me at high speed.
Answering my ringing phone with shaking hands, I continued down the dirt stretch, having no clue where it led to, pinching my brows together when my car groaned and tilted.
I had blown a fucking tyre.
“I’m about to be right behind you,” Kaleb said through my speaker, his voice laced with fury. “Ditch your car and get in.”
Killing my engine, I leapt out of my creaking car once Kaleb’s Jeep screeched to a halt at the entrance to the road, and I threw myself into the passenger seat.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” he questioned me with frantic eyes as he scanned my body while trying to pay attention to the unkept road we were barrelling down.
“I’m fine,” I said breathlessly. “Where’s he gone?”
“Put your seatbelt on.” Kaleb’s veiny hands encased the steering wheel as his gun sat between his legs, and his jaw ticked with displeasure. “He’ll most likely be doing a loop to come down the road you turned onto.”
My gaze remained glued to the car's rear, and I stared at the winding road we were leaving behind, muddy tyre tracks coating it from the Jeep’s large wheels.
“I’m going to fucking kill Will,” Kaleb growled.
“He was right,” I said, shaking my head. “He’s never going to stop. He’s always going to be after me.”
Adrenaline was filling up the car, forcing itself down mine and Kaleb’s throats as we breathed heavily, and once I spotted the SUV speeding up behind us, I almost began choking.
“Shit,” Kaleb cursed, quickly grabbing his gun from in between his legs, undoing his window. “I’m going to need you to steer for me, baby.”
I hadn’t even registered what he’d said before he released the wheel and leaned out of the window, firing his gun at the man behind. Yelping, I clutched onto the wheel, swerving us harshly back into the middle of the road, avoiding rolling down into the muddy ditch beside us.
The black SUV veered to the left, and my stalker leaned out of his own car, aiming his gun at us and firing. The back window of Kaleb’s car smashed into a million pieces, and I cried out and ducked my head down, keeping my eyeline just above the wheel so I could see the road.
“Kaleb!”
“Just keep your head down and drive,” he ordered, firing another couple of shots, the blast of the gun echoing through the cold air, causing my ears to ring.
Luckily, there were no other cars on the road. There was no way I’d be able to live with myself if I was the reason to get an innocent person killed.
I bit down harshly on the inside of my cheek, and my eyes widened once the SUV behind us buckled—Kaleb having hit one of its tyres. The man behind the wheel slammed down on it in fury, taking a few more shots before Kaleb’s next bullet hit him in the chest.
He slumped against the wheel, the car flying down into a ditch and smashing against a large tree, the sound of crunching metal being carried by the wind.
Kaleb pushed himself back down into his seat and took the wheel from me casually, offering me a small nod. “Thank you, beautiful.”
My mouth popped open, and I exhaled as I took one last glance at the deceased man inside the battered SUV, nausea causing my stomach to twist and turn.
Kaleb had just killed a man. For me. And for some psychotic and fucked up reason, it lit something ablaze inside.
Rain beat down against my window, pounding onto the glass and frustratingly keeping sleep at bay. I usually found it comforting, but every time the noise of a droplet of water hitting the framework sounded from behind me, I couldn’t help but convince myself that it was somebody outside attempting to get in.
Sitting up in bed, I peered outside for the tenth time in thirty minutes, only to—yet again—see nothing but the sidewalk and tufts of grass beneath me.
My stalkers could have moved, though. They could be at the front door with their guns ready, about to press them to my forehead and force me out of the house and into an unmarked car.
Sweat accumulated on my upper lip, and I shoved the covers off my clammy body and opened my bedroom door, padding towards Kaleb’s room. Lingering outside, I took a deep breath, leaning against the wall next to it and fiddling with the lace of my white pyjama shorts.
I didn’t want to be alone.
“Freya, you don’t have to hide outside.”
My cheeks became flushed at Kaleb’s words, and I inhaled deeply as I pushed his door open, taking in the sight of him sitting at his desk on his phone in just a pair of black boxers. The fabric clung to his body tightly, and he stood up with questionable eyes, my own instantly dropping to his defined abdominal muscles.
“Did you come in here to gawk at me or because you also can’t sleep?” he asked with a chuckle, and I snapped my gaze back up to his face.
“I couldn’t sleep,” I admitted. “I feel like… someone is out there.”
Kaleb’s face softened, and he sighed, shuffling his way over to his bed and patting the space next to him. “Come here.”
I crawled in next to him, contentment encasing my soul as he wrapped his arm around me and pulled me to his chest, my leg hooking itself over his waist. He was pure muscle—lean without being too bulky. I’d expected him to be uncomfortable to lie on, but it was like resting on a cloud. A lumpy cloud, but still a cloud.
We hadn’t wrapped ourselves around each other like this before, even when we’d slept in the same bed at the hotel. I’d awoken with his arm draped over my waist, but this embrace felt desperate—as if we needed to be in each other’s arms after the danger we’d faced earlier.
“You have no idea how much I want to rip Will’s heart from his chest.” Kaleb’s eyes were shut, and his thick fingers danced across the skin of my thigh.
I traced his tattooed chest, eyeing up the intricate ink. “You’ll end up getting yourself killed if you do that, and if not dead, at least in a lot of trouble.”
“At this current moment, I don’t really give a shit.”
I rolled over so I was on my stomach facing him, our lips dangerously close. “Don’t be reckless, Kaleb.”
He opened his eyes, studying me, and he smirked. “Why not? Doesn’t that excite you?”
My throat suddenly felt thick. “No.”
Yes.
He chuckled, his hand sliding up the curve of my back and resting on the back of my neck, gripping it tightly, knotting his fingers in my hair. “Is that so, my little artist?" A hum sounded from his chest. “You don’t like it when I’m reckless? Would you prefer me to let you get away with anything and everything, then? To keep my desire in check?” He moved his lips dangerously close to my ear. “You and I both know you don’t want that.”
I shivered at his words, arousal pooling between my legs at the feel of his hard cock pressing against my thigh, and I had to muster up all the strength I possessed not to gyrate myself against it.
He arched his hips into me, and I gulped, my eyes hazy as all thoughts that didn’t involve Kaleb flew out the window. I crushed my lips to his, and his tongue invaded my mouth, his body pressed impossibly close to mine as I moved to straddle his waist.
Kaleb shuffled upwards so he was sitting up on the bed, his back against the headboard as he cupped my ass, pressing my core against his erection. I wasn’t wearing underwear, and my thin cotton pyjama shorts provided little protection from the intense and pleasurable friction.
I rested my forehead on his broad shoulder as he trailed his hands down the front of my shorts, dipping into the waistband. His fingers found my wetness, moving up to my clit, causing a loud moan to sound from my mouth.
“Nobody’s here tonight,” he whispered, slowing his fingers down, teasing me. “Be as loud as you need to be, sweetheart.”
“Fuck,” I breathed, clutching onto his forearm as I ground against his hand, my nails digging into his flesh. My eyes widened as Kaleb gripped the back of my neck and straightened me up, pulling me away from his shoulder. "That feels so good.”
“I want to see your face when I make you come,” he said huskily, lifting my hips off him with his free hand and yanking my shorts off, throwing them to the other side of the room, leaving my bottom half bare. He pushed me in between his legs—so I was resting my hands behind me—and continued to rub my clit, his fingers slipping into me and pumping in and out slowly.
My hands found their way to his thigh, and I gripped at the fabric of his boxers, begging Kaleb to move his fingers faster. My legs shook as he hit my sweet spot, and I kicked my head back and attempted to control my breathing as my orgasm crashed into me, my muscles contracting and jolting. “Kaleb, shit. Holy fuck.”
“Look at me, baby.”
I met his gaze, drawing my bottom lip into my mouth as I cursed and whimpered, the heightened pleasure slowly dimming.
My muscles were tight and achy. However, that didn’t stop me from dropping my eyes to Kaleb’s hard dick, barely hiding beneath his boxer shorts, and I reached forward to toy with the waistband, slowly dragging the fabric down until his cock sprang free.
Fuck. I still wasn’t over his size.
Wetness was sticking to my thighs, and I crawled up Kaleb’s body so I could press my lips to his, his hands cupping my cheeks as he groaned. Wrapping my hand around his thick cock, I positioned it against my entrance, and Kaleb pulled his lips from mine, arching a brow.
“Are you sure you want to go there, sweetheart?”
“I'm more than sure,” I said, fisting his dick a few times, causing him to curse and tilt his head back, kissing his teeth. A sudden gasp escaped my mouth as he flipped us over, pressing his body to mine, his dick dangerously close to my core. I wiggled against him desperately.
“You should know that the second my cock is inside of your sweet little pussy, you’re mine. You’ll always be mine, and I’m a very selfish person, Freya. I don’t share.” Kaleb’s thumb brushed against my bottom lip, and I nodded.
“Make me yours, Kaleb. Please.”
His jaw twitched, and he tucked a strand of my dark hair behind my ear before reaching over to his bedside table to grab a condom, ripping it open with his teeth and rolling it onto his length. A pleasurable whine left my mouth as he slowly pushed into me, the sensation causing my head to kick back. My muscles constricted, accommodating his size, the stretch pleasing.
“You okay?” Kaleb questioned me, raising his thick brows as he stilled, allowing me to adjust to his size.
I nodded, widening my legs for him. “Just fuck me."
His clouded eyes were glued to mine as he thrust in and out a few times, grunts escaping his lips. My walls tightened around him, gripping onto his cock as he fucked me to the perfect rhythm, the sound of our skin connecting filling the room.
“Fuck, baby, you’re so tight,” Kaleb grunted from above me, pushing my white tank top up and over my head, gripping my thighs in his large hands and widening them even more, allowing him to fuck me deeper and harder. He picked up his pace. The way he stretched me caused my eyes to water.
I’d never felt anything remotely like this, but it was as if my entire being was on fire, and the lapping tongues of flames were burning me to a crisp. I wanted nothing more than to give myself over to the flaming inferno, though. It felt too good being scorched.
“No other man will ever feel this pussy wrapped around his cock,” Kaleb said from above me, rolling one of my nipples between his fingertips. “Do you understand?”
“Yes,” I moaned between breaths, gripping the back of his neck, pleasurable tears pricking my eyes.
“What was that?” He smirked.
“Yes.” I shuddered. “Yes. Oh, my God.”
I was blinded with bliss, and I immediately began panting when Kaleb slipped out of me and gripped my hips, twisting me until I was on all fours. My heart slammed against my ribs when I felt his hot breath against my pussy, and he suddenly latched his arms around my legs and hoisted me towards him so his tongue was lapping me up.
“You taste incredible,” he told me as he sank two fingers into me, my head twisting to watch him. “Look at you, fucking dripping all over my sheets.”
“Kaleb, please,” I begged, and he chuckled, pushing his cock into me and pounding into my pussy until stars exploded in my eyes. I shook as grunts and groans sounded from his lips, and he reached around my legs to tease my clit, his fingers skimming over the sensitive spot.
“Let me hear how good it feels, Freya,” he said as he gripped my ass, squeezing it almost painfully. “Tell me how much you want to come."
“I want to come, Kaleb,” I whined, a sob of pleasure wracking my body as I pushed back onto his dick, meeting his every thrust.
Had I imagined what Kaleb's dick would feel like inside me a thousand times? Yes. But did I have any idea the intense sensation would envelop every one of my senses, filling every fibre of my being with serenity and bliss? No. It was akin to a gentle drizzle of rain after a long drought, each droplet a cool touch on my parched skin.
This man was otherworldly.
“That’s. It. Baby,” Kaleb grunted, his hips shuddering. “Come for me.”
I reached my peak as he instructed, and I released an anthem of deafening moans as my pussy clenched, and I came for the second time, white light taking over my vision.
I collapsed down on the bed as he continued to fuck me through my orgasm, the pleasure so intense my heart felt as if it was about to burst out of my chest, and after a few more seconds, he released, gritting his teeth and muttering my name in a husky tone. Kaleb sighed, and I could feel his smile as he pressed his forehead to my sweaty lower back.
My throat was too dry, and my breathing rate too elevated to speak. Words didn’t need to be spoken, though. Kaleb and I had just made a promise to one another. We were in this together.