Chapter 37 Chapter 37
“Go ahead, beauty, bite me, scratch me, scream,” he whispered, kissing my cheeks. He kissed me as he started thrusting into me, and I moaned out loud.
“Good girl,” he said as he thrust into me deeper, harder, and faster.
“Such a good girl. With time it’ll be easier,” he said as he continued playing with my clit. I would never get used to that feeling. He was huge, and stretching me out, he was deep in me. He started fucking me with long, slow strokes, increasing the speed and power of the strokes. I started moaning; it was too much.
“Kai,” I moaned as his hands closed around my throat, squeezing. “Hearing you moan my name only makes me want you more,” he said with a growl, squeezing my throat harder. I felt my orgasm building, and he pressed my clit, and my body took over.
“Oh fuckkkkk. Kai, I’m coming,” I said with a moan.
“Good girl,” he replied as my body shook. His hands on my clit sent me over the edge, and I came with a scream and squirted.
He pulled out and slammed into me hard; my entire body lifted off the bed. “Fuck, you’ve taken every inch of me,” he said, squeezing my throat and fucking into me harder and deeper.
“Oh godddd. Kai. please. “Too… too much,” I moaned, my nails sinking into his shoulder. He leaned forward, and I bit him to stifle the scream as my body shook and my orgasm crashed over me, but he didn't stop; he continued fucking me harder and deeper.
“You are mine, Tessa,” he said with a groan. I screamed as another orgasm took over me. “Fuck,” he said with a groan as I felt him cum deep in me.
When I finally came to, I sat up instantly. Did I pass out? The room was dark, and the only light was the faint glow of the city lights cutting through the curtains.
I could see his silhouette was standing near the door; he was just standing there. He already knew I was awake.
He turned his head; his voice was low and steady. “You need to understand something, beauty.” I sat up straighter, pulling my knees up to my chest.
“You’re mine to protect,” he said. “And I will protect what’s mine.”
My stomach twisted, part fear, part frustration, part something I didn’t want to name. “I’m not yours, Kai.” He didn’t argue; he walked closer, slow and controlled, until he was standing right beside me.
“You can tell yourself that, Tessa,” he said softly. “But the world you’re running from disagrees.” My throat tightened. “You can’t keep me here forever.” He tilted his head slightly, as if he were studying me like he was piecing something together.
“No, I’m not trying to keep you as a prisoner,” he said, his voice dropping. “But I’m trying to keep you safe. And until Alex is nothing more than a memory, this is where I need you to stay.”
“And after?” I asked. He was quiet long enough to make the question hang heavy between us.
“That depends on you, Tessa,” he said.
He walked to the door before he walked out. He added, “Get some rest. Tomorrow will be worse.”
“Worse?” I whispered.
“For him,” he said, voice edged with something dark. “Not for you, baby.” The door clicked shut behind him. Silence settled over the room again.
I sat on the bed, blanket pulled to my chin, heart still hammering. The orchid sat in the same spot, glowing faintly in the dim light.
I stared at it and exhaled a shaky breath. I wasn’t free. Not yet. Not even close. But for the first time, the fear wasn’t the only thing keeping me awake; something else was waking up too. Something dangerous and reckless that wouldn’t let me stay passive anymore. Whatever tomorrow brought, I wasn’t going to face it broken.
Kai
Most people think obsession hits like a switch. One moment you’re normal, the next you’re breaking laws for someone. That’s not how it worked for me. Mine built slowly, like pressure under the ocean floor. Quiet. Patient. I knew exactly what I was, and I made peace with it a long time ago, but I hid it carefully behind silence.
But Tessa… She woke something up I hadn’t dealt with in years, something ugly, possessive, protective, and violent all at the same time. Something I didn’t plan on facing ever again.
After I left her apartment, I didn’t get far. Hell, I barely made it five steps down the hall before stopping. I knew I should’ve gone to the security office, gone through camera footage, and gone through the leads I had on Alex, but my head wasn’t calm. My pulse wasn’t calm. My control wasn’t calm.
I leaned against the wall and closed my eyes.
Tessa slept in that apartment the way prey sleeps in tall grass, aware that something is always watching, always hunting. She didn’t understand the difference between me and Alex. She lumped us in the same category: dangerous men. Accurate, just not identical. Alex stalked for pleasure and
I stalked for purpose. Alex hurts for chaos, and I hurt for control. Alex collected fear, and I collected obedience.
But Tessa, she didn’t know the difference, and that made her shaky, reckless, and unpredictable. It also made her vulnerable in a way that pissed me off.
I pushed myself off the wall and headed for the elevator. I needed to go downstairs. I needed to breathe actual air before I strangled someone who didn’t deserve it. When the elevator doors slid open, Jax was inside, leaning against the back wall with his arms folded.
“How bad was she?” he asked.
I stepped in. “Manageable.”
Jax snorted. “If that’s what we’re calling that now.”
I ignored the comment. His sense of humor didn’t interest me. “Did you secure the flowers?”
“Already destroyed,” he replied. “We pulled the footage, too.”
“And?”
“Nothing. He used a delivery kid. Cash. Gloves. Hat. In and out in twenty seconds.”
Smart, predictable, and fucking annoying.
I stared at the stainless steel doors and imagined Alex standing on the other side, smiling that smug, unhinged smile he always had when he knew he was winning. It tightened something in my chest I didn’t like.
“Boss,” Jax said carefully, “this changes things, doesn’t it?”
“No,” I said. “It confirms them.”
He held the elevator door open before it could close. “You think he’s already in the city?”
“I know he is.”
“Then why no contact? Why wait two months if he wants her?”
I rolled my neck. “Because he doesn’t chase. He waits. Watches. He learns her routes, her patterns, and the weak points. He stalked her for months before he first made contact. He’ll do it again.”
Jax nodded slowly. “So he’s studying the tower.”
“He’s studying me, no matter who he thinks I am,” I corrected. “He knows she’s under someone's protection now. That complicates his plans.”
“And pisses him off,” Jax added.
My jaw tightened. Which meant the next time he made a move, it wouldn’t be roses. It would be blood.