30. Kennedy #2
I’d never mentioned that particular guilty pleasure snack to anyone before, but Malachi must’ve seen me eat it when he was watching me through my security system all those times.
My mouth started to water, and I picked up a strawberry and popped it in my mouth, followed by a tiny spoonful of the Nutella. As I chewed, I couldn’t help but let out a groan of satisfaction, and I quickly swallowed before gobbling down three more strawberries mixed with chocolatey goodness.
It suddenly occurred to me that this might be the perfect moment to begin my manipulation.
I could pretend I was so starved for comfort after all that time in the cell that the food and little luxuries were totally overwhelming me, leaving me no choice but to fling myself at my generous captor out of sheer gratitude.
I set the spoon down and slowly walked toward him.
“Thank you,” I murmured, keeping my voice gentle, almost shy, as I sank down next to him on the edge of the bed.
His gaze lifted to mine. “For what?” he asked, brows lifting. “Locking you up?”
“No, just… for not lying to me,” I said.
“Before you brought me here, I wasn’t sure if trusting you was the right decision.
But now I know it was. You’re actually taking care of me, just like you promised, and you’ve obviously put a lot of work into making this room nice for me.
So if I have to be trapped somewhere… well, I’m glad it’s here .
It beats the hell out of that horrible cell. ”
Malachi nodded slowly. “I knew you’d like it in here,” he said. “I’ve known what you like for a long time now.”
I hesitated, fingers knitting on my lap.
“I guess I was wrong the other day, when I said you can’t get to know a person just from watching them,” I said.
I paused, inching a little closer. “And I guess the cold hard reality is: you didn’t have to do any of this for me in the end.
You could’ve just left me to rot and die. But you didn’t.”
I let the silence sit for a beat.
“So… thank you again,” I added, softer now.
With that, I leaned even closer. Our lips were only a breath apart when Malachi exhaled sharply and caught my shoulders in his hands, pushing me back. Not harshly, but firmly.
“Stop,” he said in a low voice, shaking his head. “I know you don’t want to kiss me right now.”
I blinked. “But I… I do.”
It wasn’t a total lie. He was still the most devastatingly handsome man I’d ever seen, after all, so kissing him wouldn’t exactly be a hardship for me.
A faint smile tugged at his mouth. “I’m not stupid, Kennedy. I know you’re just trying to manipulate me,” he said. “You’re hoping I’ll start to trust you and drop my guard around you so you can eventually steal a key from me, or something like that. Right?”
Shit. I’d made things way too obvious.
I really should’ve been more patient. Bided my time until my sweet compliance didn’t seem so suspicious.
“That’s not true,” I said, still hoping to salvage the situation somehow.
Malachi stood, putting space between us. “I kidnapped you and kept you in a cell for five days. I’m also planning on killing your beloved father in three days,” he said, eyes narrowing. “You really expect me to believe that you want me after all that?”
“Look, I know it’s messed up, but you know me.
You know what I’m like,” I said, rising to my feet as well.
“I can’t help wanting things, even when I know they’re dangerous or bad for me.
And I’ve always wanted you. Even after all the terrible, fucked-up things you’ve done to me. I… I can’t help it.”
His expression flickered, something unreadable passing behind his eyes. “You never wanted me, Kennedy,” he said in a low voice. “You wanted the Carver. Or at least the man you thought was the Carver.”
“That’s not true,” I said, cheeks flushing hot.
“Yes, it is. You didn’t even know it was me under the mask until a few days ago,” he said evenly. “It was all a fantasy to you. So you would’ve wanted whoever was beneath that mask, no matter who it turned out to be. That’s not the same as wanting me , is it?”
I froze as I considered his words. What he’d said about my dark fantasies might’ve been true once upon a time, but somewhere along the line, something had changed.
If he’d taken off that skull mask the other night to reveal anyone other than him , my fantasy would’ve been shattered. But that didn’t happen. Instead, the fantasy had deepened.
“You’re wrong,” I said, shaking my head. “There were other people I suspected, and I never wanted them. Like Jacob King. If it turned out to be him, I would’ve been horrified. Especially after what he did to me at the recording studio.”
Malachi’s gaze sharpened. “Who else did you suspect?”
I hesitated. “Well… it also briefly crossed my mind that it could’ve been my stepbrother. He’s been acting kind of weird lately.”
“Dec’s not a bad-looking guy,” he said, brows rising. “You’re telling me you would’ve been horrified if it was him under the mask?”
“Yes. I know he’s an attractive guy, but I’ve never seen him that way.
He’s like family to me. So if that mask had come off and it was him underneath it, then honestly, I think I might’ve thrown up,” I said.
I paused, tilting my head slightly. “But you … I actually really liked you, Malachi. I thought about you in that kind of way. A lot .”
A shocking realization hit me as I said the words.
This wasn’t just a manipulation strategy now. I was actually telling the truth.
Malachi really was the only man I'd thought about recently in romantic terms. When he’d kissed me that night a couple of weeks ago, I’d practically melted, and the only reason I hadn’t let it go any further was fear.
Fear that my masked stalker would get jealous and hurt him, and fear that my fantasies were too dark for someone like him.
So to discover that he was both Malachi the protective nice guy and the masked stalker who could fulfill every dark, sensual wish I’d ever had... well, that gave me the best of both worlds, didn’t it?
It was twisted, and it was sick, but in the most fucked-up way imaginable, he was quite literally everything I’d ever wanted or needed.
“You’re all I want, Malachi,” I whispered. “Honestly.”
He didn’t say anything. His expression was tight, unreadable, as he studied me like he was trying to decide if I was lying or just painfully naive.
I held my ground and kept talking.
“Look… after everything you’ve told me, I get why you stalked me for so long,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady as I met his eyes. “You were looking for my father, or at least some sort of proof that I was in contact with him. So yeah, it’s messed up, but I get it.”
His jaw tensed.
“But what I don’t understand,” I pressed, bolder now, “is why you had sex with me. More than once. What exactly did that add to your plan?”
His eyes flicked back to mine, expression unreadable again.
“And why did you kiss me that night in my room?” I added, voice softening again. “After we talked.”
Malachi’s jaw tightened again, like he’d been expecting the question but still didn’t like hearing it.
“Please,” I said, taking a step toward him. “Just admit it.”
“Admit what?” he finally said, voice gruff.
“You aren’t just obsessed with me because of my father.
I know it started out that way, but somewhere along the line, I think you actually started to have feelings for me,” I said.
I took another slow step toward him. “You act like you can’t feel anything, but I don’t think that’s true at all.
And I know whatever you feel for me isn’t like the sweet, sappy stuff that you see in movies.
But it’s still real , and you can’t deny it just bec—”
I didn’t get to finish my sentence.
Malachi moved in a blur. One second he was standing across from me, and the next his hands were clamped around my arms as his mouth crashed down on mine. The force of it almost stole my breath, his lips hard and hungry.
A startled gasp escaped me, and he seized the moment, tilting my head back to deepen the kiss. His fingers dug into my shoulders, and then one hand slid lower, curling into the plush robe at my waist.
With one harsh yank, he tore it open, and the soft fabric fell away from my body, pooling on the floor. A cool draft rushed over my bare skin, but all I could focus on was the rough, possessive grip of his hands and the heat of his body.
He pulled one hand away for a second, and I heard the faint sound of a zipper going down. Then I was suddenly slammed onto the bed, landing so hard the breath flew from my lungs.
Malachi slid his hands beneath my legs, hoisting me up and hooking my thighs over his arms. The head of his cock rubbed between my lips, and without a word, he thrust inside me.
I let out a strangled moan; a sound that was half-delight and half-shock as my pussy stretched to accommodate the sheer size of him.
“You feel so fucking good,” he muttered as he began to fuck me with long, hard thrusts. “You always do.”
I couldn’t speak. Could only moan and gasp out my pleasure. I’d been locked in darkness for days, both literal and emotional, but this feverish tangle of bodies and breath felt like light. Like life.
“Just look at you,” Malachi growled through gritted teeth, driving harder, his breath ragged against my skin. “Look at you taking me so well. Such a good fucking girl.”
I trembled, caught between shock and need as every hard thrust sent a jolt through me. Then, without breaking rhythm, Malachi’s lips found the side of my neck. Still warm, still claiming me, but a little softer now, like an unspoken apology.
This wasn’t the same brutal, animalistic sex we’d had in the past, laced with fear and hatred and pain. It was still rough, but there was a subtle tenderness to it now. A softness that hadn’t been there before. Still, it felt strangely familiar, like we’d done it this way many times before.
My chest rapidly rose and fell, moans filling the air along with the sound of skin slapping skin as waves of pressure built inside me, increasing in intensity. It peaked again and again until I finally had to let myself go.
I curled my hands into fists, squeezing the blanket beneath me, and a guttural moan tore from my throat as white-hot pleasure swam through my veins.
“That’s it, baby. Just like that,” Malachi whispered through harsh, ragged breaths, dropping my legs slightly so he could lean back down and press his forehead right to mine. “I’m right there with you. Right… fucking... there .”
With that, he groaned and buried himself as deeply as he could, cock twitching as he emptied himself into me.
He didn’t pull out right away, simply holding me up and massaging the skin of my thighs where he’d harshly gripped me.
Then he leaned down again to brush his lips against my cheek before finally pulling out.
I lay on my back, struggling to catch my breath.
I thought Malachi might stay with me for a while, but he got up and zipped himself back into his pants before the heat of pleasure had even faded from my body.
Then, without a word, he stepped out of the room and locked the door behind him, leaving me alone once again.
I lay there for a long moment, heart pounding and skin still tingling from his touch.
What had happened between us just then… it clearly wasn’t just sex. Somewhere between Malachi’s hunger and hardness, a fragile thread of something more had woven itself into the rhythm of his movements.
That told me I was right earlier. Malachi really did have feelings for me. Part of him had kissed me and fucked me to silence my questions about it, but another part of him had done it because those feelings had seeped into every touch, every breath.
So whether he wanted to admit it or not, it was there. It was real.
The question now was… what the hell did it mean for us?