He planned this.
I drifted off to sleep before I could figure out why he would go to the trouble of keeping me against my will.
I awoke sometime later to the feeling of his long fingers circling my wrist. He unlocked one cuff and then the other before silently turning away. I ignored the dull ache in my wrists as I sat up and fought away the remains of sleep.
“Anything?”
His face remained impassive as he spoke. “We went back to the house in Camden, but there was no one there. I don’t think anyone has lived there for years.”
“How did you get in?” Instead of answering, he sent me a look that said I needed to use my head.
“You broke in.”
“Yes.”
I silently sat back and tried not to let the slump in my shoulders be visible. Our leads were dropping like dead flies, and each day, it seemed less possible that I would ever see Kennedy’s face again or hear her voice.
“Are you ready to tell me who you’ve been seeing?”
“You are unbelievable. How could my dating life possibly help us find her?”
“Use your fucking head, Shelly. It could have been anyone. We need to explore every option.”
“Isn’t that what the FBI is for?”
“We haven’t heard anything from them in days. They know less than we do. How long before this case goes cold for them?”
I didn’t want to think about that. “There is no one. I told you that.”
His eyes narrowed as his jaw hardened. “If I find out you are lying to me, I will make you pay, and you will never see her again.”
“You can’t keep my daughter from me.”
His hand flashed out to grip my ponytail, pulling my head back until my neck felt as if it would snap. “I can if you’re dead so think hard about who you really need to protect.”
With that, he released my hair and stormed from the room.
There was no reason to put Eric in that kind of danger. The consequences of revealing his name were far too deadly. Eric had never even met Kennedy. I never talked about her to him. I’d always been careful. A part of me never wanted her to mistake anyone as her father and the biggest part was the maternal instinct to protect her. What kind of mother would I be if I brought someone in her life at such a tender age? I wasn’t in love with Eric, and deep down, I knew I never would be.
I had no reason to feel guilty.
I wanted to find her more than I wanted to breathe, but finding her shouldn’t mean the innocent life of another, should it?
I cried myself to sleep thinking about everything I had lost and everything I would still have to sacrifice.
Sometime during the night, my restless sleep turned into an erotic dream. It started with my lips followed by a light touch on my neck. My breasts were begging for attention by the time every inch of my neck was blessed with sensual kisses.
“I want you to open your legs.” Dream me obeyed happily. My legs spread under the command. “Now open your eyes.” The familiar voice floated into my dream, corrupting the bliss and turning it into something real.
Oh, fuck.
My dream wasn’t a dream, and I was currently spread open like a wanton slut.
Keenan stood next to me, shirtless, like a sexy shadow in the darkness. The intention in his dark eyes was very clear even as my vision fought to adjust.
The moonlight highlighted his chest, and I held my breath as the full vision of his chest became clearer. Were those nipple rings? Silver barbells protruded from each of his nipples giving his chest an exotic appeal. Intricate tattoos adorned almost every inch of skin.
It was disturbing how much my body responded to his. Even now, I could feel my sex clench and release with anticipation. I sat up in a panic and desperately pulled the covers up over my body. His t-shirt I turned into a sleep shirt was cut down the middle, revealing my naked body underneath. I choked down the sorrow from the ruined shirt that I could never again find comfort in.
“What are you doing?”
“Are you going to pretend you didn’t know this was coming?”
“I would like to think I have a choice in the matter.”
“You can decide how you want it.” He lifted the covers from my hands and peeled them back, revealing my body once more. “But decide fast because fuck you or hurt you, I’m going to do it all, and when I do, you’ll feel me. I can stretch and fill you over and over until you come, or I can make you scream another way.”
“Keenan…” I could barely manage his name. It didn’t matter anyway when he flipped me onto my stomach without warning and peeled the remains of his shirt from my body.
“Raise your hips.”