Then, he steps out.
I sit frozen.
The driver swings the door next to me open, and I’m hit with a rush of cold air, the scent of damp grass. Hayden’s silhouette stands a few paces from the car door.
I don’t move.
“Out,” he says.
I exhale shakily, my body screaming at me to stay put. But I know better.
I step into the dark and feel myself unraveling. The wild animal inside of me is desperate for release.
The second my heels hit the gravel, I move. I don’t think, without hesitation, I run.
Once I bolt past the gravel driveway, I run through the grass as the mud sucks at my heels. It had rained this morning, a beautiful indication of how today would turn out.
My breath rasps in my ears as the house comes into view, but I turn left instead, drawn to the trees that border the property and the darkness they offer.
“Martine.” Hayden’s voice cuts through the night, steady, dark, and almost amused.
I don’t stop. I can’t stop. I won’t.
The damp earth swallows my steps, my dress tangling around my legs as I push myself to run faster. Cold air sears my lungs, and a sharp pain jolts through my foot as I realize my shoe must have come undone, but I do not slow. Twigs snap beneath me, and my heart hammers so violently I feel sick.
I cannot let him have me. I try to hop on one foot to kick off my remaining shoe, nearly tripping in the process, and instead of gaining speed, I stumble forward in a clumsy, flailing rhythm.
I hear him now. Not running, walking at a much slower, unhurried pace behind me. Like he knows exactly how this will end.
“Keep running, darling,” he calls, his voice low and soft. “See where it gets you.”
A sob catches in my throat, and I focus on getting to the edge of his property. I push harder, finally making it to the treeline, darting through it to find some cover. The branches clawing at my arms, my hair, my already-ruined dress. I can’t see, can barely breathe, but I keep going, keep going—
Until I don’t.
The fabric of my dress wrenches tight, snagging on something. My body lurches forward, balance tipping, arms flailing.
There is a clearing up ahead with the gate not too far beyond, but in the cover of the trees, I can barely see in front of me.
My breath rips from my lungs as I let out a scream and begin to tumble down. My dress tangles around my legs, the delicate silk shredding against the rocks and mud. The impact of my fall will be brutal, and I try to curl my body to anticipate it. My body crashes against the wet earth, rolling hard, my limbs twisting as I skid down the embankment I didn’t see right ahead of me.
Suddenly, a strong, merciless hand clamps around the back of my neck, jerking me back so hard my feet lift from the ground. A gasp rips from my lips as I collide with him, my body folding to his will, his grip unbreakable.
“Fucking foolish,” Hayden growls against my ear, his breath hot, his voice thick with something that makes my stomach twist and coil.
I claw at his hand, my nails biting into his skin, but he only wrenches me tighter against him. His chest is iron at my back, the heat of his body scorching through the rain-chilled air. His arm locks around my waist, keeping me pinned against him as if I weigh nothing. Every shift, every movement only makes me more aware of him, of the firm ridges of his muscles pressing into me, the way his breath stays controlled while mine comes in sharp.
My breaths come in frantic gasps as I thrash and kick, but it is useless; he is stronger, faster, and far more ruthless.
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” I spit, my voice shaking with fury and something else I refuse to name. I can’t see his face as he still holds me trapped, my back to his front.
His fingers flex at my throat, tilting my chin up, forcing me to feel the steady beat of his pulse against my back. His body is taut, a solid cage around mine, his grip just this side of punishing.
“You don’t want me to answer that,” he murmurs.
I gasp as he pushes me down onto the dew-dropped ground, the impact knocking the wind from my lungs. The ground is cold and rough against my back, leaves and dirt clinging to my skin, but the shock of it barely registers over the sheer presence of him hovering above me. The air is chilly, and a bit of rain has started falling around us, moistening my already sweat-slicked skin.
He’s so close.
