Their names.
Their reputation.
Only missing one.
Beckett Sterling, Wade Cross, and Ozwald Ashbourne. If Blue Ridge had royalty, it would be those three. They live in one of the most expensive homes off the lake. They also co-own the company I work for. An up-and-coming law firm in our town.
Who am I kidding; they are the only law firm in Blue Ridge, and they pay well. Mainly due to the millionaires who use them. Never mind that the commute is so short I can walk.
Back in college, Dee and I had gone to Beckett’s for a party. It was back when they first opened the law firm. He inherited a four-story mansion on the water from his parents, who are apparently so well off they could just give him it. Fully loaded, with every room you could think of—including a movie theater—and a beautiful view of the water and mountains in the distance.Not to mention a hot tub and a huge infinity pool overlooking everything.
Besides the massive parties they were known for back then, they are also very open about the fact they share—everything. The stories alone make me blush thinking about them now. And the memory of walking in on them with that lucky girl back then still haunts my waking moments.
Especially when I’m tasked with bringing any of them anything while they are in the boardroom. But they are the picture of professionalism in the office. No matter how damp they make my panties.
They may be the picture of prestigious lawyers while they are out on the town. But in the confines of their home, I saw the truth. And right now, danger bleeds off Wade and Oz, encouraging my heart to try to get a head start on the hunt. This isnothow they make me feel when I fetch a cup of coffee or bring them a file they are working on. This pure primal instinct to run, to be caught, is animalistic, setting me on fire.
Warmth radiates off of a body behind me, locking me in between two of them, and I pull my face away from Wade’s hold and hazard a glance. I know who it will be before my eyes even land on him. Swallowing, I make a mental image of him. He wears a grizzly bear mask, his chest bare, his muscles on full display with wide shoulders that don’t look so big when he’s sitting behind a desk in his expensive suits. His hair is trimmed close to his skull with neat lines. And the darkest eyes I’ve ever seen.
Beckett.
My palms go clammy. My bosses are here, as hunters, and it’s every fucking wet dream I’ve had come to life.
“What do we have here? A little bunny.” A shiver washes over my entire body, making me feel funny all the way down to my toes at his low tone.
He runs two fingers down my bare shoulder to where the cuffs hold my wrists together in front of me. His breath ghosts over the side of my neck, carrying with it a strong hit of his musk. Tart lemon, sour and then sweet. The sort you'd add to sweet tea on a warm summer day if you want a slight bite.
“Don’t worry, we will get these off of you. You’ll have your best chance to get away. But if we catch you, I hope you’ve read the fine print.”
Chapter
Two
The rules wentin one ear and out the other as I focused on my breathing. Now, Wade steps in front of me, his violet eyes halting any progress I made with the air in my lungs. They sparkle at me beneath his mask, the curl of his lips barely visible beneath the beak covering his nose.
He inserts the key into the cuffs; the click of the lock echoes loudly between us. Then he leans forward, the feathers from his mask brushing against my cheek as the cuffs drop to the ground.
He inhales deeply, pulling my perfume into his lungs. Memorizing it. “Run.”
The whispered word is like a shotgun going off, and I jerk away from him before sprinting into the maze. At least fifty of us signed up to be hunted, and there are just as many hunters. Our head start sounds like a lot—five minutes—but with the way my heart’s beating, I may just have a heart attack exactly like a scared bunny before then.
Dried, fallen stalks crunch beneath my feet as I track deeper into the maze. We win if we make it out the other side. Find my way in the dark? I can do this. And the ten thousand will be nice for some new furniture and to catch up on some bills.
Pivoting left with no idea if it's the right direction to run, I commit to the decision, keeping my left hand out, following the wall of dried corn stalks. I can't hear a thing over my breaths, and time has no meaning.
The caw of a crow echoes above me, kicking my heart rate into overdrive. Too human to be real.
Wade. Too close.
Husky laughter slips between the dried blades of the wall, sending a shiver down my spine. It sounds like it's coming from all sides. A squeal alerts me to the fact someone has been caught, and I hurry my pace while attempting to quiet my breathing.
A wolf howls, and it feels like it's close enough to be breathing down my neck. Ozwald.
Musk reaches me—warm, earthy, and full of the sweetness of honey. Amber wood.Shit.
Stumbling over my feet, I fall through the stalks, getting turned around in the process. Foot falls sound to my right, and I freeze as a girl dressed like a mouse scurries past the dead-end opening. A hunter hot on her heels.
Another startled scream cuts though the darkness, and I scramble upright.
