Under His Care

Under His Care (For His Pleasure, Book 22)

By Kelly Favor

© 2014 All Rights Reserved

Kennedy left Easton’s townhouse and walked out the front door, shutting it behind her with a slam that sounded all too final.

She’d been hoping to hear Easton come after her.

If only he’d tell her to stop—that he didn’t truly want to kick her out in the middle of the night in the city, especially not with a strange man screaming out on the street.

And yet there she was, moments later, alone with her insane stalker—her neighbor Blake. Blake stared at her as if she’d appeared outside by magic.

“What are you looking at?” she asked, and then she headed quickly down the front steps and past Blake as she decided to head for the corner and see if she could catch a taxi.

“Please, wait a second,” Blake called out desperately, rushing after her.

Kennedy was crying, both out of sadness and anger at Easton for heartlessly kicking her out of his home, and frustration and humiliation that Blake had created problems in her life yet again.

“Don’t follow me, asshole!” she shouted back at Blake, walking that much faster.

“Listen, I really need to talk to you,” Blake called after her.

Kennedy had had enough. By the time they’d gotten close to the corner of the street near the stoplight, she turned around to face her pursuer.

Blake was halted in his tracks by the mere expression on her face.

“What do you want?” she said, her jaw feeling as though it had been frozen shut and she was speaking through teeth that were wired together.

“I—I just want a chance…”

“A chance?” she said, her hands clenching. The look on Blake’s face was enough to make her want to choke him. “A chance to do what? Ruin my life for a second time? Betray me again?”

Blake put his hands out as if he was trying to calm down a child or an irrational and potentially dangerous adult. “I wasn’t trying to betray you, I was trying to help you.”

She laughed, a high-pitched, wild cackle of disbelief. “You must be seriously nuts, Blake. Do you realize what your little stunt did to me? Everyone thought
I
sold that story to the tabloids. They blamed
me
. My sister, Easton, Red, all of the important people that I care about were questioning whether I sold them out for fame and profit. I got fired, I got yelled at, I felt like a total piece of garbage thanks to you.”

Blake swallowed and looked down momentarily, his eyes searching the ground as if it held answers. “I knew that your boss had some sort of psychological hold over you, some power, like mind control. I wanted to get you away from him so you could see the truth before it’s too late and you compromise your integrity.”

“Was it my integrity you were really worried about?”

“Of course.”

“Because from where I’m standing, it seems like you just wanted to get in my pants and you were angry that Easton had gotten there first.”

Blake licked his lips. “No, no, it wasn’t like that, Kennedy. I mean, of course I care about you, I love you—“

“Don’t say that to me,” she growled, stepping towards him.

“But I do love you and I think you love me too, deep down—“

Suddenly she slapped him across the face. It surprised them both. It wasn’t that hard, but it had been a slap just the same, and Blake touched his cheek as if he couldn’t believe it.

Kennedy felt the tears come faster now, as the anger and pain boiled over. “You don’t listen, Blake. You’re a fool, a stupid, stupid man who thinks that he can just bulldoze his way to get what he wants. I don’t want you, Blake. I didn’t want you then and I certainly don’t want you now. Acting like how you’ve acted towards me is just pathetic, and it makes me wish I’d never met you, it makes me wish I could snap my fingers and make you fucking disappear so I could just live my life.” By the time she’d finished speaking, her ears were ringing and she was hyperventilating.

Blake looked beyond stunned. He blinked, opened his mouth, then closed it again. Just when he seemed ready to speak, his mouth opened, but once again, nothing came out.

“Finally,” Kennedy said, her voice softening as she saw the recognition in his eyes of just how wrong he’d been about her. “Finally you understand that you don’t know me, Blake, and you don’t have a damn thing to do with my life.” She turned and walked away from him.

At the corner, she looked both ways and saw that there was very little traffic and no cabs. The one cab that sped by didn’t slow down as she waved at it.

“Kennedy?” Blake called out, having not moved from where he stood.

She looked back at him, sighing. “Yes, Blake.”

“Are you okay?”

She stared at him, in awe of his persistence. “I’ll be better when you go away.”

“I won’t bother you again, Kennedy. I swear. It’s just that you came out of the apartment and you’re really sad…and…well, it just seems like maybe something’s wrong.”

“And why would I be stupid enough to talk to you about what’s right or wrong in my life?” She shook her head. “I learned my lesson last time you and I had a heart-to-heart chat.”

Blake stuffed his hands in his coat pockets and moved a few steps closer, but was clearly being cautious not to come too close. “Listen, Kennedy. I’m done chasing you. It’s clear that you can’t stand me and I guess I can see your point. I’m really sorry that I went to the tabloids. I had no idea everyone would blame you for what I did. But honestly, I do care for you. Even if I was misguided.”

Kennedy looked at him, and oddly enough, she believed him. She believed that something had snapped him out of his love fog—whatever spell he’d been under that had made him act so creepy and deranged. Now he just looked sad, broken, lost.

Kind of like me
, she thought, and smiled.

“I must be even crazier than you,” she told him, walking back to where he stood, “because I’m choosing to forgive you, Blake. But don’t ever mess with me again or go against my wishes.”

He nodded, seeming to take her words in before finally responding. “I get it,” he said. “But the one thing I want to know is, are you okay?” This time when he asked the question of her, his eyes were sensitive, not judging her, just truly wanting to know.

“Not really.” She sniffed and wiped at her eyes. “I’m pretty sad, actually.”

“You and me both,” Blake smiled.

“Please don’t make me regret this,” Kennedy told him. “Don’t make a fool of me for choosing to forgive you.”

“I won’t, Scout’s honor,” Blake said, holding up his hand.

Kennedy glanced at the townhouse, and even from down the street, she could see lights on in the upstairs windows.

“Come on, walk with me,” she said, wrapping her arm around Blake’s arm and starting to head down the street in the general direction of her apartment. It was a far enough walk that they’d need to catch a cab eventually in order to get home in a reasonable amount of time.

“Want to tell me what happened?” Blake asked, after a time.

Kennedy thought about Easton’s final words to her. He’d gotten angry because she’d wanted softness and sensitivity for just a few moments, and because she’d told him the truth about his obnoxious father.

He’d kicked her out of his home in the dead of night for that, and the more she thought about it, the more she was starting to hate Easton Rather.

“Things just didn’t work out,” she said simply. It was still way too soon to trust Blake with any real details.

Blake, for his part, seemed to understand this. He nodded, but didn’t probe for more information.

“I know this is going to sound strange coming from me,” Blake said, halting their forward movement, “but I’m really sorry to hear that this happened to you. I’m really sorry.” He made eye contact with her and Kennedy could sense that Blake was being honest.

There was no expression on his face that even hinted at him feeling vindicated by Kennedy and Easton splitting up, no sign that Blake was happy because she was now single and potentially free to consider him a romantic option once more.

Kennedy nodded. “I’m really sorry too,” she said, and then gave him a tug on his arm and started walking again.

They moved in complete silence for a few minutes, and she was relieved to find that the silence between them was comfortable. It was as if their friendship, that had been tested by Blake’s bout of lovesick madness and her own anger and fury in response to his betrayal, was somehow stronger for all that they’d experienced in such a short time.

Yes, she realized, Blake was crazy and he’d been a fool. But just like she deserved forgiveness for her temporary insanity, so did Blake. And if anyone could understand the acts a desperate person could be capable of, it was Kennedy.

“Someone’s following us,” Blake whispered, pulling Kennedy out of her reverie and snapping her back to clear, cold focus.

She wanted to turn her head but was afraid to let on that she knew. “How many people?”

“Just one. I can’t tell anything about the person,” Blake said. “Whoever it is, they’re far back, but slowly gaining.”

“Are you sure we’re being followed? Maybe they just happen to be going the same way as us.”

“I don’t think so,” Blake said. “We made a couple of turns and every time I look back they’re still there.”

Finally, Kennedy did turn her head. It was Easton. She could see from his gait, the way that he moved, even though he was a couple of blocks behind them and it was dark.

“That’s him,” Kennedy said, grabbing Blake’s arm more tightly. “Just keep walking.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to stop and talk to him?”

“Definitely not.”

They kept going, but Blake was clearing his throat, coughing, and she glanced over and saw that his eyes were darting wildly to and fro.

“I don’t know about this,” he muttered, looking back. “Isn’t he going to be pretty pissed off when he finally catches up to us?”

Kennedy sighed. “You’re kidding me.”

“I just don’t want him to get the wrong idea—“

“You kept saying you wanted to protect me from Easton Rather, you pulled all that shit, stood outside his townhouse screaming, and now you’re having second thoughts?”

“Well, I’ve realized maybe doing all that wasn’t such a good idea, given everything you’ve said,” Blake admitted.

“Well, it’s too late now,” Kennedy told him. “You’re going to deal with this situation because I’m not stopping to talk to him.”

“Why not?”

“Blake,” she warned, pulling him as her legs struggled to move faster, “you’re slowing down.”

“Kennedy, this is silly. I know you want to talk to him—you care about him. It’s so obvious right now.”

She was angry because Blake was actually right for once. She did want to talk to Easton, she did want to see him—with every fiber in her being. The problem was, she couldn’t allow herself to fall victim to Easton’s power again.

What he’d done to her in kicking her out of his home was unforgiveable, the way he’d treated her was unacceptable. She wouldn’t cave in, not now. And she couldn’t trust herself to stay strong if she stopped to talk to him right then.

“Let’s keep walking,” was all she said.

After another block and a half, though, Easton’s voice finally rang out. “Kennedy!”

It wasn’t far away anymore, and when she turned for a quick look, she saw that Easton had almost caught up to them.

“Don’t stop walking,” Kennedy insisted, as Blake sputtered protests.

“I think we…I really think…”

“Don’t think. Walk,” she commanded, and he did.

But eventually, Easton was even closer. “Hey, buddy. Why don’t you let her go?” Easton demanded from just a few yards away.

Kennedy glanced at Blake and saw his eyes go wide with fear.

She turned. “Leave us alone!” she yelled back.

“I’m not leaving you alone with that maniac.”

“He might be crazy, but he’s way nicer than you!” she retorted. “Now please go away!”

Blake was paradoxically slowing his pace to what felt like a crawl. “Kennedy,” he whispered. “He’s going to beat the crap out of me.”

“No he isn’t. I won’t let him.”

“Buddy, I told you to leave her alone,” Easton said, and now his voice was so close that it sent chills up her spine.

Finally, they were both forced to stop and turn to face him.

Easton’s cheeks were red from the cold, and he wasn’t wearing a coat—just a t-shirt and jeans, and his eyes were intense and upset.

Kennedy wanted him so badly that she nearly broke right then and there. But she reminded herself how he’d treated her and looked down, not meeting his gaze.

“I think we need to all just calm down,” Blake said, but his voice was shaking slightly from fear.

“Calm down?” Easton laughed, stepping toward him. “You show up at my home and scream and yell like an idiot, and then you try and take off with my girl—“

“I’m not your girl,” Kennedy said, “and besides, you kicked me out of your home so how worried could you have been about me?”

Easton looked at her. “I was angry. We had a bad moment, but I came outside to tell you not to leave.”