Page 23 of Save Me

His gaze drops to my lips. “I’ve already told you.”

I swallow and go to step back, but he holds me in place. Somehow, his hand has made its way to my waist, trapping me against his body.

“I don’t sell pussy for stories.”

He shakes his head. The hair that hangs free brushes against his shoulders. “I didn’t ask for just your pussy, Kennedy. I said I want you in exchange for answers.”

“I’m not for sale.”

“Don’t think of it as selling yourself. In exchange for information, I get you, your time,” he pauses, his dark gaze scanning my face, “and eventually, your pussy.”

I snatch away from him, almost tripping off the curb. I stop my fall by bracing my arm against the car. When Dae tries to reach for me, I jump out of the way.

He takes a step toward me but stops. Maybe it’s the fiery look on my face that stops him. He tucks his hands into his pockets.

“No, thank you,” I say. “This will be our last time meeting, Mr. Kim.”

He doesn’t say anything. Dae just continues to watch me with a blank expression. When I linger for a few beats too long, I realize now is probably the best time to exit.

I don’t bother to say goodnight as I turn and head for the front door of my building. I’m greeted by the doorman, with whom I’m on a first-name basis. As I pass through the main entrance, I don’t see if Dae remains standing there, watching me.

I can feel his eyes on my back.

I refuse to give him the satisfaction of turning around. No matter how much I want answers to my investigation, I will not sell myself to get them. And if there’s one thing I despise, it’s being toyed with. Being controlled, or treated as if I’m someone’s to possess.

That’s what Dae Kim wants. Men like him want to control, possess, and manipulate.

He can fuck right off.

CHAPTER 8

Dae

She was pissed, I think, as I recall how Kennedy and I ended things two nights ago. The fire in her eyes, the indignation in her voice, and the resolve in how she held her body as she walked away from me.

All of them made my dick hard.

It’s the one reason I didn’t go after her. It’s too early for her to know how she makes me feel with a few simple touches and words.

But I spent the rest of that night watching her from the view of my living room. She perched herself in her reading nook with what appeared to be her laptop. No doubt she was looking for answers that can’t be found online. But Kennedy is persistent. I know she won’t give up on her quest for answers about Blackmon.

And that concerns me.

“Mr. Kim,” Jake, the owner of the aquarium company, calls as he enters my downstairs office. “The tank has arrived.”

I rise from my chair to follow him out. This will be a long day, but it’s the final puzzle piece to finishing the six thousand square foot home I started building two years ago.

With the completion of my aquarium, the home will be ready for me to move into full time. Yet, I’m reluctant to do so. I could’ve moved into my house a long time ago, but it would have taken me farther away from her.

I don’t stay at my condo because I love living there.

I do it because she’s there, in her reading nook. From my condo, I can watch her the way I want.

The completion of my one-of-a-kind home aquarium means my time at the condo is coming to an end.

This also means that Kennedy’s time at her condo is coming to an end. She doesn’t know it yet.

“The crane needs to back into the driveway, sir,” Jakes says.

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