By him lurking in the woods. By him watching me from a distance.
…by the idea of him in the house, unbeknownst to me, leaving gifts like it’s part of some sick game.
And as he pins me to the ground and explores me in a way no man ever has—basking in the natural scent of me, nuzzling and nipping at my throat like an uncivilized brute, I realize a small part of me wanted him to catch me.
I wanted to continue what we started yesterday; I wanted to experience more of his untamed bestial energy and masculine heat.
No you don’t! You don’t want this!
You’re just confused!
The other half of me screams in protest, pulling me from the lusty haze that’s started to emerge. I blink against the snowflakes falling onto us as we lay in the snow, then a jolt of energy rushes me.
Nonononono!
I grunt and jerk my knee up and ram it into his abdomen with as much strength as possible. It catches the masked predator off guard and he loosens his grip long enough for me to slip out from under him.
I scramble to my feet, already panting and frantic to get the hell away.
But I’ve lost all sense of direction. I have no clue where we are. When you’re this deep in the forest, everything starts to look the same.
I dash to my left, praying it’ll take me back toward the front of the Taylor estate. I’ll come out around the area I went in, somewhere by the tall iron gates.
The snow-packed earth is so deep, running becomes an exercise in patience. Not only am I weighed down by my soggy, snow-damp clothes, but my boots sink into the white frost ith every step I take.
It slows me down significantly as I fight to go faster, my heart practically in my throat. But I’m fooling myself. I’m struggling to make an escape that’s impossible.
The masked predator easily shows me this within seconds.
As I’m slogging through the snow, he’s coming up from behind, closing the gap between us. He’s barreling toward me with the same heavy pants and footsteps I’ve come to expect.
“AHHH!” I scream in alarm as I’m ripped off my feet.
For a second time within minutes, I’m seemingly sailing through the air as he scoops me up into his arms with little to no effort at all. He’s so large and muscular, picking me up is basically nothing to him.
The trees, snow, and overcast sky pass in a blur of motion.
I’m spinning, body twisting in his hold. Then I’m suddenly turned right side up as my back collides with a solid but rough and frayed surface. I’ve been slammed up against a thick tree, once again pinned by the Santa Clause hunter.
But it’s not in the same explorative way as before—he’s angrier, more aggressive as he grunts and wrestles me up against the large pine.
I have no chance of fighting him off. No hope or prayer of escape.
When you’re snatched up by a man as massive as him, there’s no pretending you aren’t in the submissive position. Still, I writhe in his hold, another pulse of panic thrumming through me.
He doesn’t take his time. He’s run out of patience as I’m pressed against the tree and the bark digs into my back, scraping the skin through my clothes.
One arm keeps me pinned while the other slides down my body. I forget how to breathe or even think as his powerful hands shove aside my coat and then fondle my breasts. He grunts as if in approval, clamping one large hand over a breast and giving it a vicious squeeze.
I gasp at how rough he is, how primitive the clenching touch feels.
Yet it ignites a hot pulse between my thighs. The same throbbing desire I’d distantly recognized moments ago when he tackled me into the snow. The disturbing epiphany that I craved him as much as he seems to crave me.
I can do nothing but stare into his rugged masked face, the black holes that make up his eyes darker and bleaker than ever. Somehow more menacing and terrifying yet thrilling enough to ignite an electric current through me.
My mouth hangs open as he continues his groping. He goes from squeezing my breast to dragging thick fingers down the flat expanse of my stomach. The way I tremble as he does seems to turn him on even more. He releases another guttural grunt and then grinds his hips against mine.
So beast-like and primitive I find myself breathless.
