“You grabbed my leg like some kind of cryptid!”
I darted into the hallway, down the hallway to my room, slammed the door shut, and dove behind the dresser. I pressed a hand over my mouth, my body vibrating with adrenaline and something way moredangerous than fear.
Silence. Then silence again, even more charged this time. My breath came in fast pants behind my hand.
Where was he?
A floorboard creaked just outside the door.
“Tori…” He sounded close. Too close. It was a warning and a promise all wrapped in one.
The door eased open and I held my breath. Why had I never noticed before how loud my breathing was? This was ridiculous, I sounded like a goddamn locomotive.
Another heavy step. And another. He should be right next to the bed now, right?
My quads were trembling, and I made the split-second decision to spring up and hope I was fast enough to dart past him and out of the door.
But before I had even made it halfway, his big arms wrapped around my waist and lifted me clear off the floor.
Goddamn it. Guess I underestimated his reflexes.
I squeaked in surprise and Kai chuckled darkly, the delight unmistakable.
I twisted in his grip, shoving my shoulder under his arm and dropping my weight, my muscle memory kicking in. He stumbled just long enough for me to throw him off balance, flipping us over so his back hit the carpet with a thud.
“Didn’t think it would be this easy, did you?” I panted.
Kai looked up at me, his expression half-hidden by the shadows. It was an expression that absolutely should not have made my knees weak in the dark.
“Good.” His chest was heaving beneath me. “Fight back. You know I like it.”
Before I could react, he surged up, using his strength to flip our positions.
He ended up above me, one hand braced beside my head and the other pinning both my wrists firmly to the carpet.
Thunder clapped once more and the sound of the rain picking up drowned out all other sounds except our own harsh, uneven breathing.
“Look at me,” he commanded softly.
I obeyed and my lungs forgot how to function.
“You can’t hide from me.” He snapped his hips forward, his already hard length grinding against my clit. “I’ll always find you.”
Why did the idea make me so hot?
We locked gazes and he tilted his head to the side in question. I knew what he wanted, so I nodded.
Yeah, I’m absolutely okay with how this is going down. Please continue ravishing me.
Pinned under him, breathless and trembling with adrenaline, I realized two terrifying yet exhilarating truths.
I’d underestimated Kai. He wasn’t a pushover.
And … this was as much a game to him as it wasn’t.
“Maybe…”
His nose brushed my cheek slowly and deliberately.
