Temper Him by Caitlyn Dare

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Kennedy

He’s gone.

Warren is dead.

It should bring me absolute relief, but I can’t stop shaking.

“Shh, babe, I’ve got you.” Conner’s grip on me tightens as the SUV heads for the Jaggers house. Cole and Ace watch me through narrowed dark eyes. They look murderous.

“Knock it off,” Conner growls, running his hand over my head. “You’re scaring her.”

“Shit, Kennedy,” Ace chokes out. “I’m just... fuck.”

“It’s okay,” Conner says, his voice cracking with pain. “She’s okay.”

“Yeah, she is.” Cole gives me a small nod, his jaw working overtime. “That piece of shit won’t ever hurt you again, Kenny.”

A whimper crawls up my throat as I remember the feeling of the barrel of the gun pressed against my temple.

He was going to do it.

Warren was going to kill me to get back at Conner and his family.

“Conner, I think—"

“Shh,” he whispers against my hair, letting his mouth trail to the shell of my ear. “Not here.”

He saw it too: Warren’s wall of photographs, newspaper cuttings, and Post-its.

I start to crash, the adrenaline leaving my body so fast I feel lightheaded.

“You okay, bro?” Cole asks Conner.

“I am now.” He lets out a long, steady breath that I feel all the way to the pit of my stomach.

My eyes flutter closed as I lay half draped over Conner’s body.

He came for me.

Conner and his dad came for me.

There had been a moment when Warren had tied me to the chair in front of his camera that my life had passed before my eyes.

All the things I wanted and would never get to have.

It’s funny, I’ve never given much thought to my future—I’m a Heighter, I don’t have dreams and aspirations. But knowing I might never get them... it flipped a switch in me.

Because I do want things.

I want to travel and see new places. I want to get my diploma and graduate. I want to get married and have a family one day.

I want those things.

And they were almost taken from me.

A shudder rolls through me and Conner grips me tighter.

“K?” he whispers.

“I’m okay,” I breathe.

I’m okay.

Warren is gone.

He can’t hurt me anymore.

* * *

Iwake cradled against Conner’s chest as he carries me through the house.

“I got you, babe,” he says, staring down at me, his eyes glittering with fierce protectiveness.

He came for me.

I don’t think he’ll ever know what that means to me.

“T-thank you,” I murmur, every muscle in my body weak from my ordeal.

“Fuck, K.” His expression falters. “You don’t ever have to thank me. I’m just so fucking sorry you had to go through that.”

No more words are spoken as he carries me into his bedroom and lays me down.

“What do you need? Water? A bath?... A doctor?” Fear coats his words, and I know what he’s asking me.

Grabbing his hand, I shake my head. “He didn’t... I mean, not after he—"

“Shh.” Conner brushes his knuckles down my cheek. “The only thing that matters now is that you’re safe. You’re here, K, and I’m never letting you out of my sight again.”

A knock at the door startles me and he cusses under his breath. “It’s okay,” he says. “It’s just Hadley.” Leaning down, he brushes his lips over my forehead before going to open the door. But he only opens it slightly, speaking to Hadley in hushed whispers.

When he closes it, I spot the pile of supplies in his hands. “Hadley thought you might need these.”

I nod, sitting up. “Can I take a shower?”

“Of course you can. Do you want a bath? I can—"

“A shower is fine.” Gingerly, I shuffle to the edge of the bed and begin trying to undress. But my muscles protest, pain radiating through me.

“Here, let me help.” Conner drops to his knees and begins to work my clothes off my body. His touch is so gentle and uncertain it cracks something inside me, and I lose my fight with the torrent of emotion rising inside me.

“Shit, K.” Conner cups my face, catching my tears with the pad of his thumb. “Tell me what to do... tell me how to fix this.”

“I-I don’t know.” My chest heaves. “I thought he was...” The words get stuck in my throat. “I thought he was going to—"

“Fuck, FUCK!” Conner roars, pulling me into his arms and holding me so tight I think he might crush me.

“I’m sorry,” he chants, “I’m so fucking sorry.”

We stay like that, him holding me and me crying into his shoulder, for what feels like hours. But in reality, it can’t be more than a few minutes before Conner gently eases me out of his neck and holds me at arm’s length. “I will spend every second of every day trying to fix this. I am—"

“Stop.” I press a single finger to his lips. “You came, Conner. You came for me.” Tears drip down my cheeks as I lean in, touching my head to his.

“I will always come for you, Kennedy Lowe. I love you more than anything else in the world. And I fucking hate myself for ever letting you go back to that piece of shit.”

“It wasn’t your choice to make, Con.”

“Yeah,” his teeth grind together, “well, it should have been.”

“I really want to get out of these clothes,” I whisper against the corner of his mouth. I want to kiss him, to let him carry me away and forget all about what happened... but I’m exhausted.

“Come on.” Conner stands, pulling me up with him. But he doesn’t stop there. He lifts me into his arms and carries me back out of his bedroom and across the hall to the bathroom. Sitting me on the counter, he turns on the shower and hangs a fluffy white towel on the back of the door.

“I’ll be right outside if you—"

“Stay.” The word tumbles from my lips. “I don’t think I can...” My eyes flick to the shower.

“You only had to ask.” He begins pulling off his t-shirt. His jeans go next, along with his boxers, until he’s standing naked before me. My mouth waters at the sight of him. Tanned, tatted, and ripped. Conner catches me ogling him and the corner of his mouth tips. “See something you like?”

A nervous chuckle escapes my lips. I don’t need to be nervous—it’s Conner, the boy who knows me better than anyone else on the planet. But something feels different between us. Or maybe it’s me. Maybe it’s the fact that I had a gun pressed to my temple less than an hour ago.

I guess being on the verge of death changes you.

“Babe?” Conner brushes my cheek, pulling me back to him.

“Will you wash me?” The words sound so stupid on my tongue, but it’s what I need. I need him to erase all the bad memories from my mind. I need to feel safe and loved and cherished.

“Come on.” He grabs my hands, gently guiding me into the walk-in shower. Water cascades down on me as I move further under the spray. It feels good on my dirty skin.

Conner grabs the sponge and applies some soap to it before slowly gliding down my stomach. My breath hitches. It feels so good, but no matter how much I try to focus on Conner, all I can see is the cage and Warren’s hateful eyes as he stares at me.

Tremors rip through me, and I bury my hands in my face.

“K, it’s me, I’m right here.” He pries my hands away. “There she is, there’s my girl.”

Tears roll down my cheeks, blending with the spray. Conner continues cleaning me as I stand there, barely holding on to reality.

I feel numb, my stomach empty and hollow.

He moves around me, lathering my hair and rubbing his fingers through my scalp. A moan slips from my lips. Conner leans down, pressing a chaste kiss to my shoulder.

“I’ve got you, babe. I’ve got you.” He leans around me to shut off the spray, and we stand there for a second, letting the events of the night settle over us.

“Come on, let’s get you dry.” Conner leads me out and wraps me into a big fluffy towel, and then secures another at his waist before scooping me up and carrying me back to his bedroom. He pulls the sheets free and lays me down on the bed.

“What?” I ask, noticing how quiet he’s gone.

“I just... fuck, K... when I saw that live feed of you, sitting there...”

“It’s okay, I’m okay.” I say the words, but they don’t feel real.

“Nothing about this is okay, babe.” He climbs in bed beside me and spoons me, curving his body around me like armor.

“I’ll never let anyone hurt you again.”

“I know.” I do.

“Graduation is in less than three months. As soon as the wedding is over, I want us to take off. Just you, me, and Betty.” Conner kisses my neck, nuzzling closer. “We’ll get as far away from Sterling as possible.”

“Y-yes,” I breathe. “I want that.”

He seems to relax behind me, his legs brushing mine, stirring my body to life. But I’m so tired. Bone-deep weary.

My eyes begin to flutter closed as Conner brushes his fingers up and down my arm. He must feel me begin to relax, because the last thing I hear him whisper is, “Sleep, K. I got you... I got you.”

* * *

Iwake startled in a dark room. Fear grips me in a chokehold as I fight to fill my lungs with air.

I can’t breathe. It feels like the walls are closing in around me and he’s close... so close.

“No,” I cry out. “No.”

“Kenny?”

Blinking, I strain against the darkness to find Conner. Relief slams into me. It’s Conner.

Conner is here.

He fumbles to the side and switches on the lamp.

“What’s wrong? What is it?”

“Bad dream...” I give him a weak smile, running a hand through my damp hair. The towel I fell asleep in is long gone, and Conner’s eyes flare as he takes in my naked form.

“Come here,” he says, his voice thick with sleep.

I lie back down, snuggling into his warm body. My hand trails up and down his chest, tracing his abs. Silence settles over us, but I know sleep won’t find me again. There’s too much nervous energy coursing through my veins.

My leg slides through his, making us impossibly close, and it’s then I realize he’s also naked. I drop my hand, letting my fingers graze his abs.

Reaching out, he wraps his hand around my wrist, stopping my descent. “K,” he swallows. “We should sleep.”

“I-I’m scared.” I peek up at him, afraid of seeing the sympathy in his eyes.

“Fuck,” he breathes, his brows pulling tight.

I lean up, pressing a kiss to his jaw. “Make me forget, Conner. Please.”