Avery stopped at the window. “Idon’t—”
My hand was around her throat, pushing her to the wall, my grip tight enough to make it hard for her to breathe. “Do I need to fuck you here? Make you scream so loud, the entire house knows who owns you?”
She tried to shake her head. “No,” she gasped.
I pushed her toward the window, releasing her. She crawled over the windowsill, turning to look at me once her feet hit the ground.
“One,” I started, and she immediately turned and ran for the trees.
It had to be a dream, right? I was actually still in bed, fantasizing about the masked man who took my virginity in a maze. But the beating in my chest and the wind whipping through my hair felt too real, as did the electric pulse between my legs.
Michael had tracked me down somehow.
There was no way he’d followed me home from the club. They made sure I drove away without him. It would have been impossible for him to trail me.
And yet, he’d found me, crawled into my bedroom, and wanted to chase me in the forest behind my house.
What the fuck, Avery?
The club was supposed to be a closed, safe experience. No strings attached, hidden identities,no stalkers.If I made it out of tonight alive, I would be calling the club and telling them they messed up—after calling the cops and demanding a 24/7 watch until this psycho was behind bars.
I didn’t dare look back. It wasn’t a game, not like the maze. It was real life, and I had no idea what he was capable of or planning to do to me if he actually caught me.
When I reached the tree line, I darted to the left, dodging bushes and branches as I ran as fast as I could, my fingers aching from holding my breasts so they didn’t fly all over the place. The initial adrenaline was wearing off, and my feet screamed with each step, the bumpy earth and sharp rocks pulverizing my soles.
I was running frantically, trying to get as far as possible, and once I was at a good enough distance, I ducked behind a group of trees and crouched.
One of my hands flew to my chest while I covered my mouth with the other, forcing back a sob. I tried to sink into the trees, making myself as small as possible.
I had no idea how much time had passed or where Michael was. I didn’t even know if he’d actually chased after me or just scared the shit out of me and left.
You know that’s wishful thinking.
I couldn’t play naive. He was after me, hunting me, a shadow I wasn’t sure I could outrun. The way he’d cornered me wasterrifying, and his threatening words sank deep, curling inside me, refusing to let me go.
Despite the panic and fear, I still shivered at his touch when I stared up at his mask, wondering what his lips would feel like pressed to mine.
Spooked. Alarmed.Scared shitless.
That’s what I should have felt.
And I did a little, but sitting there against that tree, having caught my breath, I could hear my mind wandering.
What if he catches you?
Would he throw me to the floor like he did in the maze? Use my body like a toy? Take what he wanted, no matter how hard I begged for his mercy?
Why does that excite you?
“It doesn’t,” I whispered to myself.
Great. I was having conversations with my sex-obsessed brain—which couldn’t tell the difference between a fun, consensual-non-consensual scene and a legit deviant psycho with a gigantic dick chasing me through the woods after stalking me against the ruleswe bothagreed to!
“Here, kitty kitty!”
Shit!
He was close—too fucking close.
