28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Ethan

Smiling, I gently pry the large kitchen knife out of Kayla's hand. She's fast asleep on her sofa, clutching the knife in one hand and a pepper spray in another. My stubborn warrior bunny.

She made a valiant effort to stay awake, even going as far as downing several cups of coffee, but she made the mistake of drinking her nightly cup of tea. Once the sleeping drug was in her system, she didn't stand a chance.

I watched her fall asleep with trepidation. As she jerked herself awake, the knife in her hand came too close to her stomach for comfort. Luckily, she didn't stab herself, but I was tempted to come over earlier and snatch the blade away from her.

Today, she found out that her dreams weren't really dreams, and she took it surprisingly well. I was worried she'd be devastated, but she's mostly just angry. That I can deal with. If she wants to slap me to feel better, she'll have a chance. After all, I deserve it.

I won't let her come at me with a knife, though. Not because she could hurt me, but because she could hurt herself, and I can't let that happen. Nobody hurts my bunny, not even her.

Letting her sleep on the couch, I pack some of her clothes and toiletries. I have more of everything for her at home, but she might find comfort in having familiar items on hand as she gets used to living with me.

My heart speeds up at the thought. Starting tonight, Kayla will be staying with me. Forever. She might be angry and scared for a bit, but I think she'll acclimate fast. After all, she already likes me. Well, maybe not right now, as she just found out about the sex, but before that, she was excited to have me "back" after my short absence.

The guilt over how badly I messed up Oberman's case tries to overcome me, but all it takes is cuddling Kayla to my chest and breathing in her scent to keep the guilt at bay. She's truly a treasure, and I don't know what I would have done without her. Put a bullet through my head, probably.

Stamping the ominous thoughts, I focus on the task at hand—getting Kayla to my house without anyone noticing. Kidnapping someone is a risky business, even when they're petite and unconscious. There's always a chance someone might see me and blab to the police.

Right now, there's also the added risk of Benjamin Adams following Kayla. After he wrecked her car, I put trackers on both his cars and used his phone service provider's system to keep a constant watch on Adams' location. So far, he's been spending most of his time at home, and based on his phone location, he's there even now.

That's good. Not only is he the last person I need to watch me carry Kayla's unconscious body from her house to my car, but I'm also so mad at him I'd probably kill him on sight if he showed up here.

Once packed, I recheck all the cameras around Kayla's property to make sure nobody's watching. Then I sling the duffle with her things over my shoulder and gently pick Kayla up. Murmuring something in her sleep, she snuggles into my chest and rests her head against my shoulder.

I lock the door behind me using her keys before carrying her through the small patch of trees surrounding the cemetery. Her head lolls back and she snores, making me chuckle. She's adorable even when snoring.

The bushes nearby rustle as I carry her. I pause to peer into the darkness, but can't make out anything, and the noise stops. A raccoon, maybe? Or a different animal? It couldn't be a person, could it?

I'm tempted to take a closer look, but Kayla's weight in my arms reminds me I have more important things to do. I need to get her to my house. That's the only thing that matters right now. Even if someone was around, they wouldn't be able to recognize me with my hood obscuring most of my face. Someone calling the police would be unfortunate, but I can deal with that later. Once Kayla accepts she's mine, everything will fall into place.

Kayla

As usual, my bed is toasty warm. What an amazing feeling! Gone are my constantly cold feet and the times I'd wake up shivering. Since moving to Bluebell Springs, my bed has become my favorite place in the world. The ever-present scent I still haven't been able to identify is making things even better.

I take in a deep breath through my nose, humming my approval. The scent is even stronger today, the bed even warmer. In fact, something behind my back exudes extreme warmth. A shiver of fear crawls up my spine when I realize what that "something" is.

A body. A living, breathing body of someone sleeping in my bed. Or…is it even my bed?

Determined not to wake up the sleeping person just yet, I stay still, cracking my eyes open a little. Dim light illuminates a room that is very much NOT my bedroom, and I have to bite down on my lip to stop myself from crying out in alarm.

It looks like my stupid wish came true. My stalker kidnapped me. At least I hope it was him and not some other psycho. Wouldn't that be just hilarious?

To quell the tidal wave of panic threatening to overtake me, I focus on slow, deep breaths. In and out. It doesn't take me long to realize I'm timing my breathing to the soft inhales and exhales of the person behind me. I ignore that random tidbit of weirdness and concentrate on my surroundings instead.

We're in a basement room. There are no windows, but I can make out a staircase heading up in the far corner of the room. Too far to run before the stalker catches up with me. Besides, the door on the top of the stairs is no doubt locked. You don't keep kidnapped people in unlocked rooms.

At least the room doesn't look like some creepy cell where a sadist would dismember their victims. In fact, with the flat screen, the darts target, and a small fridge quietly humming in the corner, the room gives the vibe of a man cave rather than of a place outfitted to keep prisoners.

I bet there was a couch and chairs in front of that screen not too long ago. Someone probably watched football there with his buddies. When that "someone" decided to kidnap me, he replaced the couch with a bed. I can't decide whether that's thoughtful or terrifying.

Then I remember the test results and all those dreams where someone fucked me while I wasn't awake and settle on terrifying. Terrifying and completely fucked up.

My panic flares again. I slap my hand over my mouth to smother my whimper, but a soft sound escapes me anyway. I freeze when the body behind me moves.

My stalker has been sleeping on his back, but now he rolls onto his side and wraps himself around me. "Shh," he whispers. "It's alright. You're safe, bunny. I'd never hurt you."

Against my better judgment, I find myself relaxing in his arms. Seriously, what the hell is wrong with me? I should be frightened out of my mind, but instead I'm…content?

I wriggle around a little. Not to move away from him, but to find a more comfortable position. He indulges me, then puts his arm back around my chest once I settle. I suck in a sharp breath when his thumb grazes my nipple. Mortified, I realize my body responds to his touch, my pussy getting wet and tingling in anticipation.

Jesus fucking Christ, I'm the worst captive ever! Or the best one, I guess. It really depends on perspective.

His body is responding too, judging by the hard cock poking my backside. I shudder, mostly in terror. There's a tiny bit of excitement in there somewhere, but I choose to ignore it. I'm not that messed up.

I should probably say something.

Ask him to let me go? After all the trouble he went through to kidnap me, he's unlikely to comply.

Beg him not to hurt me? He just said he wouldn't, and that's probably the best reassurance I'm going to get.

Besides, if he wanted to hurt me, he could have done it already. He could have done it a million times before. He could have hurt me while having sex with me, and yet, I was barely even sore in the mornings. He'd been so considerate while raping me that I hadn't even realized I'd been raped until the test told me! Still…

"You raped me," I whisper the stupidest thing you could say to a crazy person who just kidnapped you.

Tensing up, I brace myself for his anger, but he just kisses my shoulder. "I did. I…" He hesitates, then brushes the accusation off with ease I somehow know is fake. "You're just so perfect I couldn't help myself. If it's any consolation, I wished you were awake the whole time."

"Why wasn't I? How did I not wake up when you were fucking me?"

He traces kisses from my shoulder to the base of my neck. I think he's smiling. "You're a creature of habit, my little bunny. You drink a cup of tea every single evening."

As the meaning of his words reaches my brain, I want to smack myself. "You drugged me." Of course he did. How did I not see that coming? I guess my ostrich strategy worked a little too well if I didn't even realize how sleepy I became after drinking my tea. Every single day. God, I'm so stupid.

"Mmm," he hums against my neck, anticipation making me shiver. "Don't worry, it's a safe drug. No side effects."

"How considerate of you," I grumble. I try to focus on how I should be scared and on plotting my way out of here, but the way he lightly nips at my neck is distracting. It evokes all kinds of emotions in me, and none of them are fear. Dammit!

He brushes away the stray lock of hair that has escaped from beneath my sleeping bonnet. I don't even remember putting it on last night. He must have done it. Oddly enough, it makes me feel cared for. And grateful, because my curls get all tangled if I don't cover them before going to bed.

A moan escapes me as he sucks my earlobe into his mouth. An earlobe! I'm so doomed. "Wait," I protest, both against his ministrations and my body's response. "Who are you?" It's hardly the most important question right now, but it's the only one I'm able to focus on.

I wriggle out of his arms and turn to face him. He doesn't stop me.

The room is too dark for me to make out anything but an outline of his face. A familiar outline. Do I know him? His voice sounds vaguely familiar but not enough for me to distinguish who it belongs to or when or where I've heard it.

"Let me see you. Please."

He kisses my forehead. "Need to confirm I'm not an ugly monster?" he asks, amused.

"I just… I've been imagining you for so long. I need to know. I need to…to make sure you're real." I sigh, knowing I'm not making any sense. "Please?"

To my surprise, he doesn't protest. "Your wish is my command, my precious bunny," he proclaims as he reaches over me and flips on the light switch.

It takes my eyes a few seconds to get accustomed to the sudden light. Then my mouth drops open. Lying in front of me is the last person I'd ever expect, even though it should have been obvious from the start.

Ethan fucking Bennet.