I stride into the open field so she’ll see me. The sunlight blazes on my hair. Even at a distance, I can tell her expression goes from glee to shock, and then to horror.
I break into a run, charging like a bull toward her.
She’s frozen, staring at me long enough that I can see her eyes light with wild excitement.
Then she whirls and disappears into the trees.
Bella
* * *
He’s hot on my heels.
Getting closer.
I run, careening through the thick underbrush, and weave through poison ivy-covered pine trees. It would be a shame if Kaiser crashed into one.
I can’t stop the laughter bubbling out of my throat. I sound crazy. Maybe I am.
But this is the most fun I’ve ever had.
The sight of him, racing across the field toward me, sent a thrill through my nethers.
Am I scared or horny? Or an awesome, fizzy combination of both? Sc-orny!
I’m one hundred percent sc-orny for him.
It’s partially my fault. I primed the wrong neural pathways by picturing his face when I orgasmed.
I knew fantasizing about being murdered by him was a bad idea!
Now I hide behind an old oak, pressing into the poison ivy. My pulse pounds in my throat.
I hear a twig snap as he stomps after me. I wait, but he doesn’t appear.
He’s gone quiet.
Is he coming? Holding my breath, I peek out from my hiding place, feeling like the sacrificial blonde in a horror movie.
And there he is, staring back at me. “Boo.”
“YOLO!” I scream with delight and sprint in the opposite direction, straight into a bramble patch, but I’m small enough to duck and wriggle through a foxhole.
Kaiser tries to follow and bellows when the thorns tear his skin.
I drop to my belly and crawl the rest of the way. The back of our land ends with an overgrown orchard. Beyond that, there’s a long-forgotten graveyard bathed in evening light.
I’ve explored back here already. I looked up the history of the land, and apparently, it’s University property. I need to tell Honey; her advisor has her doing a huge project about the history of Unitas.
If Kaiser doesn’t kill me first.
My little obstacle course hasn’t deterred him at all. And instead of losing his temper, he’s even calmer and controlled. Makes me wonder what it would be like to let him catch me.
NO! BAD BELLA! Do not let him win!
He survived the gauntlet of the forest, and now he’s pushing through a patch of hogweed.
Bad call. That stuff will cause second-degree burns if he’s not careful.
