Chapter 1

Chapter One

CARA

M y heart rate is through the roof and my lungs can't find the air they desperately need to inflate.

I do know this man. I mean, not really , but I do vaguely remember him. He was in Rustic Roast yesterday afternoon when Sloan and I were there getting our pumpkin spice lattes. He was sitting at a table, and we had an intense exchange of eye-fucks as I passed him. I've thought about him a few times since, but apparently he hasn't stopped thinking about me.

"M-my gift?" I stutter, trying to act like I didn't just see Jonah's head rotting three feet away from where I stand. Acting as though the putrid decay of his flesh isn't burning my nose.

Rhett chuckles, letting out a low and husky laugh. He's only a few steps away when he stops to watch me, and the amused grin on his face tells me he's enjoying this far too much. He's sick. What the fuck kind of person chops the head off of someone and carves it out like a jack-o'-lantern?

A fucking psycho, that's who.

Only I would be unlucky enough to pick up a psychotic stalker in a small town coffee shop.

"I can't say I've mastered the art of carving quite like you have, but I knew you'd appreciate my creativity." He grins as he takes another step toward me. "You do like it, don't you, Cara?"

Of course I don't, but what am I supposed to say? No? He'll kill me and put my head on a silver platter right beside Jonah's if I tell him what I'm really thinking. My heartbeat is pounding through my ears and I feel like I'm on the verge of passing out.

Forcing myself to swallow, I lie the best I can.

I nod as I choke out the word, "Yes."

Rhett's eyes immediately light up, and he takes another stride toward me, enthusiasm emanating from his sharp facial features. Without thinking, I instinctively take a step backward, clumsily bumping into my front door with a thud. My keys rattle when my foot rubs up against them, reminding me that I've dropped them.

The smile on Rhett's face immediately falls when he realizes how panicked I am. Sweat beads on my forehead while he watches me, rolling his tongue around before clicking it against the roof of his mouth. He folds his hands behind his back and begins pacing at the base of my porch, clearly agitated.

"Don't lie to me, Cara," he spits, making my heart sink into my stomach. "I did you a favor. How could you be so unappreciative? I did this for us. Why can't you see that?"

He's losing his patience quickly. Less than a minute ago, he was giddy and smiling over his "gift," and now he's looking at me like I'm the next name on his hit list.

Trying to buy myself time while I figure out how the fuck to get my keys off the ground, unlock my door, and get inside before he can reach me, I say the only thing I can think of. "Why?"

Rhett suddenly stops pacing to meet my eyes, furrowing his brows. "Why?" he asks, confused in his expression. "Because you're mine, and he was in our way. He touched you, Cara, and we can't have that. He didn't give a fuck about your needs, did he?"

I'm frozen in place, unsure of what to say, but it doesn't even matter because he continues despite my lack of words.

"I watched you with him last night. My blood boiled each time I watched his cock slide in and out of your tight little pussy, taking far more than he was giving. You were nothing more than a hole for him to fuck, weren't you, Cara? But me?" He sighs while running a hand through his dark hair. "I can give you the world. I can make you feel things you'd never felt with anyone else. Isn't that what you want ?"

"How would you know what I want?" I question between shallow breaths, still stalling. "I don't understand why you thought killing Jonah would make me want you . This," I point to Jonah beside me, "is not what I wanted. You can't go around mutilating and murdering people because they touch what you want . I'm not yours."

There's zero hesitation in his voice as he plants his foot on the bottom step. "You said it yourself when my cock was buried deep in your cunt. You are mine. Every fucking inch of you belongs to me, and I'm going to spend every day reminding you who you belong to."

I shake my head, tears forming in the corners of my eyes. "No," I whimper, my voice barely above a whisper.

Rhett climbs another step, and I watch his eyes darken even as the porch lights begin to illuminate his face. He's not going to let me go. I thought I was home free and would wake up tomorrow feeling like this was nothing more than a fever dream, but as the seconds pass, it's looking more and more like that's not going to happen. This is a nightmare I'm not going to wake up from.

This is my reality.

Without him noticing, I twist my arm behind my back, reaching for the door knob, jiggling it with my fingers. A small puff of air slips through my lips when I find it locked. I knew it was locked, but a small part of me hoped that by some fucking miracle I had forgotten to lock it when I left.

I need to buy myself time. He's mentally unstable and I need to use it to my advantage if I want a sliver of a chance to get away. If I can get my keys and unlock the door quickly enough, I can get inside and call the police. They'll at least be on their way even if he gets inside, and there's a slim chance that they'll get here before he can do any real damage.

"Jonah didn't deserve what you did to him," I say flatly.

Rhett perks up, anger immediately filling his body. "Didn't he? He used your body and then shoved your head under water until you almost drowned. He's a user , Cara. How do you not see that?"

I scoff, rolling my eyes and shifting my weight between my legs.

It's an act. He's not wrong, and that makes my stomach churn. I don't want to find any truth to his words because that means I'm equally as fucked up as him. There can't be truth to what he says.

"At least Jonah had enough sense to leave me the fuck alone when I wanted to be left alone. He wasn't crazy. "

" Crazy ?" Rhett bursts out laughing, holding his hand to his stomach like he's actually amused. "You want crazy? I can show you crazy."

He ascends the rest of the steps, taking them two at a time, and I back into the door as he approaches, but he walks by me, heading straight to Jonah's head. Plucking it off the chair, he turns to look at me, a deranged twinkle in his dark eyes.

"I'll show you crazy," he repeats, slightly more unhinged this time.

He's falling apart before me, losing himself in the madness of his sick obsession. I'm terrified, but I can't allow myself to unravel with him, not when my life depends on it.

Rhett turns away again, walking toward the edge of my porch. I take the opportunity to squat to the ground, reaching for my keys. I wrap my entire hand around them before picking them up, not giving them any space to jingle. They're silent as I jerk my body upright, bringing them with me. I quickly throw my hand behind my back and begin fumbling through them for the right key.

My head jerks back in Rhett's direction when he rotates toward me. " This is crazy," he blurts, holding Jonah's head between his hands. Coagulated blood and torn chunks of flesh drop from the base of Jonah's head, littering my porch as they hit the wood. Rhett reaches for his pocket, pulling out a knife and flipping it open. The click makes my body jolt, reminding me of how he slid it along my skin no more than an hour ago.

I continue feeling my way across the surface of each key behind my back, holding them tightly to keep them silent. Shakily, I find the right key and position it in my hand to fit the lock. Jabbing at it, it takes me a few seconds before it slides into the hole.

All I need to do is twist and I'm in.

Rhett holds the blade to Jonah's head, rotating him in one hand until he's in the right position. The knife slices through Jonah's ear like it's soft butter, gliding with no resistance. The ear hits my porch with a soft thud, and then Rhett cuts off the other. Reaching down, Rhett pulls both ears from the wood, making eye contact with me briefly before running them over Jonah's mutilated mouth, pushing them inside. Rhett makes a gurgling, gagging sound as he pretends to fuck Jonah's mouth with his ears.

As much as I hate to see Jonah dead, I'm actually glad he can't feel this right now. He can't experience the monster as he plays with his food.

"You like that, Jonah?" Rhett asks, grinning from ear to ear as he fills Jonah's mouth.

My eyes snag on the growing erection in Rhett's pants. He's rock hard, getting off to the stiff flesh between his fingers.

I groan internally. This is so fucked.

"Take, take, take. " Rhett mocks Jonah, thrusting his fingers to the back of his throat. "That's all you ever did, wasn't it?"

Rhett's movements become more erratic and unpredictable. Harder . He runs his blade down the center of Jonah's face, opening the flesh like he's skinning an animal. Almost all of his blood has already drained out the base of his head, and what hasn't is coagulated by now, but there's enough still trapped within his skin to make my stomach flip as Rhett cuts. Pushing a finger between the open layers, Rhett runs it through the thickened blood, coating it completely.

He doesn't turn to look at me as he whispers, "You want Jonah to fuck you one last time, little nightmare?"

My blood runs cold, draining from my face and sending chills down my spine.

I hear Rhett's zipper come undone, and I can tell he's freeing his cock from his pants. Running his finger through Jonah's blood once more, he covers it in a thick layer, and then his hand disappears to where I know his cock is hard and waiting. Rhett groans, letting his head fall back as he strokes himself.

Turning the key in my hand, the door clicks when the lock lets go. Rhett hears it, immediately snapping toward me and dropping Jonah. He lunges, but I'm already moving. The door pops open, and I'm through before I've even let myself breathe. I press my hands on it, shoving with as much force as I can muster.

But he's too fast.

He's there in a heartbeat, wedging his combat boot between the door and the frame to stop it from shutting. I slam the entirety of my body weight into it, but it's fucking useless. I stumble backwards as he forces it open. Rhett bursts through the door easily, shutting it behind him before anyone can hear my screams for help.

His cock is out, fully erect and smothered in Jonah's blood as he locks the door behind his back.

I cry out, begging for my life as I turn and run toward the kitchen. My feet pound against the wooden floor, and each step feels like it's in slow motion. Like I can't run fast enough, no matter how hard I push myself. Rounding the corner to the kitchen, Rhett is trailing me closely. I make it to the knives, pulling the biggest one from the block before turning toward him, freezing the monster in his tracks. Clutching it with both hands, I shake as my lower back hits the counter behind me.

"Take another step toward me and I'll fucking gut you," I threaten, my voice more unstable than I want it to be when I'm threatening a predator, but I can't help it. "I'm not dying tonight."

A low, deep chuckle rises in his throat, and he smiles like I've just cracked the funniest joke he's ever heard. "Little nightmare," he pants between breaths. "If I wanted you dead, you'd already be dead. You're mine, Cara, and I take care of what's mine . Like I just took care of you in that cornfield. Then again in the fucking pumpkin patch. Did my gift not show you how far I'm willing to go to take care of what is mine? What belongs to me? Because right now, that look in your eyes is telling me you need me to remind you how well you take my cock."

Glancing down, my eyes land on the blood coating his hard length. My lips twitch as my mouth waters, a traitorous reaction my body is giving him. My heart is pounding through my chest, but I can't help but feel the pulsing between my thighs return as I take him in.

Rhett's mouth twists upward as he watches me, observing the reaction my body is having to him. He doesn't need me to speak to know what I'm thinking. My body tells him more than enough.

He's probably right. If he wanted me dead, he would have killed me in the pumpkin patch. No one would have heard me. They wouldn't have found my body until tomorrow morning when the farmer goes out to clean up the rotting pumpkins and vines.

He doesn't want me dead . He just wants me .

A sick, twisted feeling bubbles in my stomach. How fucked up am I for considering the fact that I might actually want him to fuck me right now? In my kitchen, Jonah's blood coating his cock as he bends me over the counter, pummeling into me from behind.

Fuck.

The heat between my thighs spreads, and I can feel myself getting wet when I press them together. My mouth drops slightly as I reminisce on what it felt like to have him buried deep inside me.

Rhett swipes his hand out when my mind wanders and my guard drops for half a second, slapping the knife from my hand. It hits the floor with a loud rattle as it slides away from us. Grabbing my wrist before I can pull away, Rhett twists it behind my back and forces me to turn, bending me over the granite countertops.

His bare cock presses against me from behind, and a soft moan slips through my lips when I feel how big he is against me.

This is wrong. So fucking wrong.

"I'm going to take care of you, Cara," Rhett breathes into my ear from behind, making goosebumps raise along my flesh. "Your pussy will weep for me, beg for me every second I'm not filling it."

"You killed Jonah," I whisper as I close my eyes, reminding him what a psycho he is.

Rhett's hand slides around me, reaching for the front of my torn dress. His breath is hot against my ear. "It was the only way for us to be together."

My eyes open, widening as he snakes his hand down my stomach, bunching up the fabric of my dress and hiking it over my hips. I gasp when I feel the velvety skin of his cock rub against my ass. The grip he has on my wrist is hard, but he's not hurting me. His body jerks behind me, and I can tell he's stroking himself, preparing to fuck me. Using his thighs, he pushes my legs apart, spreading me wide for him as he pushes me harder into the counter.

Rhett's hand moves from his cock back to my stomach. Descending down my skin, his hands find my pussy. A groan erupts from him the second he finds out just how wet I am. I should be embarrassed and this shouldn't be happening. I should be putting up a fight, screaming for my life, but I can't find it in myself to do so.

I want him to fuck me like he fucked me in the pumpkin patch.

I need him to fill me with each bar of his Jacob's ladder until he's buried to the hilt, completely consuming and dominating me.

He skims his fingers through my arousal, spreading it around my clit. I bite my lip, holding back the moan trying to escape as he dips lower, slipping a finger inside of me. My body shakes as he begins pumping into me, moving his fingers slowly at first, and then picking up the pace when a soft whimper leaves my lips.

"You're dripping for me," he says, his voice low and throaty as he removes his fingers, bringing them to my mouth. "Open."

My bottom lip quivers as I contemplate fighting him, but I don't really want to fight him. The truth is, I'm enjoying this. I fucking love the euphoric high I'm riding from the adrenaline of fearing this man.

My lips part, and he plunges his filthy fingers inside my mouth. I instinctively close around them and begin swirling my tongue, sucking down every drop of my arousal. His other hand moves from my wrist to my hair, pulling my head back as he begins pumping his fingers further and further down my throat.

Rhett growls, and I feel his cock pulsing against my ass as he gets more excited. "That's it," he moans as he fucks my mouth with his fingers. "Swallow it down like that good girl I know you are, and then I'll reward you with my cock."

My eyes flutter, rolling back as I take it, letting him fill my mouth and shove himself so deep down my throat that I can't breathe. He moves faster until I'm gagging, unable to speak or cry out. My scalp is screaming from how hard he's pulling on it, but it's a welcome distraction from my inability to breathe. Tears stream down my face as I near the point of passing out, but he doesn't stop.

My knees buckle beneath me but I'm immediately forced back to my feet when Rhett lines his cock up against my entrance, thrusting himself inside me before I can realize what he's doing.

My vision begins to fade and everything is going black. Just as I'm about to lose consciousness, he pulls his fingers from my throat, letting me gasp for air. I inhale sharply, frantic to fill my lungs. He doesn't stop for a single second, only moving his hand to my hip to grip me as he fucks me harder. The intensity of each thrust has me choking for air as I cry out.

Pleasure rips through me, shattering every part of me. An orgasm hits me so immediately that I'm screaming, begging for more. He's filling me with the entirety of his cock, leaving no space between us each time he slams into me. I press back against him, meeting him with each stroke as I come all over his cock.

"Say my name," he spits when he yanks my head back again, forcing me to arch for him. "Say my fucking name, baby."

I stutter on his name, but I eventually get it out. "R-Rhett," I pant. "Oh, God."

My entire body is vibrating as waves of pleasure roll through me. I can feel it in every fiber of my being. This is what good sex looks like. This is what I've craved all these years but I've never been given.

Everything feels like a fucking lie.

When he's fucking me like this I can't imagine ever stopping. Why would anyone get off this ride when they could stay on forever?

"Yes," he hisses under his breath, panting as hard as I am.

Just when I think he's about to come, he pulls out and drops to his knees, spinning me around to face him. My heart runs wild as I watch him before me, lifting my right leg over his shoulder and positioning his mouth over my pussy.

"Oh, fuck," I cry out when his warm tongue hits my clit. It's so fucking swollen. My orgasm ended seconds ago and he's already drawing another one out of me.

Rhett moans against my clit, sending his vocal vibrations into it. He sucks at my flesh, devouring me like I'm his last meal. He buries his face so deeply into me I feel like I'm going to explode. Moving his hand from my hip, he uses his fingers to spread my lips wider for him, exposing my clit as he blows lightly on it before flicking his tongue across the bud.

"I'm going to come again," I whimper, barely able to think straight enough to form a complete sentence.

He reacts by spreading his tongue flat, and then runs it along my center as he eats me. I know I've lost all control when my hands wrap around his head, forcing him to use more pressure against my pussy. My hips instinctually grind against his face, and I start riding him. He licks at me with more intensity as I move, force-feeding me every bit of pleasure he can before I explode all over his face.

My body is on autopilot now, legs spread as wide as they can while he tongue-fucks my pussy. I'm moving in a steady, heated movement against him. The wetness of my arousal and his saliva mix, dripping down my legs.

I fall apart, crying out for him and pulling on his thick strands of hair as I come. He lets me take every bit of pleasure I want, not rising to his feet until I've come down from the orgasm. With my legs still spread, he lines his cock up against my pussy, and thrusts inside me.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" I plead. I don't know how much more I can take. I'm having an out-of-body experience and I don't know that I'll be able to find my way back down without completely crashing.

Rhett wraps his hand around the back of my head, driving it forward so that I have a front row seat to the view of his cock filling me. Bracing the counter behind me, I watch each bar of his Jacob's ladder as my pussy swallows him whole, taking him like he wants me to.

His body begins to shudder, and I can feel him coming. His seed spills out from me, seeping around his cock as he empties himself inside of me. Letting out a final groan before pulling out, he lets his cock fall, and then we both watch his cum drip out of me. Rhett brings two fingers to the white liquid, catching it before it falls and pushing it back inside me. I bite back another moan as he fills me back up, not letting a single drop escape.

"Such a good fucking girl," Rhett says as he plants a hard kiss to my lips. "See, your body knows exactly who it belongs to, and I'll make sure you never forget."