She gives a taunting laugh above me when I push up and lift my head to see her standing a few feet away looking at me. “I’ll give it to you, Alonzo, you’re as stubborn as an ox.”
“When it comes to you, I’m a lot of things,” I gasp out, getting to my feet. “Do you really think that I want to be so messed up over a woman? Especially one that has made it clear she wants nothing to do with me?”
“Then you should probably take the hint. Or is it that you just don’t understand how a woman can walk away so easily? Not used to rejection I suppose.”
“Not from a woman that clearly wants me too.”
“Wanted,” she corrects. She melts back into the darkness. “You destroyed any trust I had in you, Alonzo. Coming here won’t change that.”
I rush after her. I guess we’re going to be doing a run through the woods tonight. Thank fuck I wore something a little morecomfortable this time. “I know I did,” I tell her as I run in the direction she went, but I stop, listening, trying to figure out where the hell she’s gone now. I know she’s still close. “Rori, I’m sorry. I really am. If I could go back and take it all back, I would. Every fucking thing I said, did, or tried to do.”
“And I already forgave you for it.” Her tone is exasperated, but this time it comes from above. I look up, but curse when she launches herself from the tree directly above me, going too fast for me to catch her properly. The force of her hitting me sends us both falling to the ground, but instead of the far more pleasurable repeat of this move earlier, her pussy doesn’t end up in my face, and she’s already rolling, twisting my hands between us in a move that few I know have mastered. Her body straddles mine and I try not to groan at the feel of her ass brushing against my cock.
A now hard cock, because, fuck, I love the feel of her. I’m probably a dick for getting hard in this kind of situation, but around her, it can’t be helped. The chemistry we have is explosive, and I can tell she feels it too when she adjusts, the movement pushing her ass tighter against me. But the look in her eyes doesn’t change. Her face lowers inches from mine, eyes direct. “You are playing a dangerous game that you will not win, Alonzo. I don’t have the time or patience to do this song and dance with you. So unless you want to piss me off enough that I force you to do it, you will drop this, go back to the house and stay the hell out of my way.”
“We both know that I’m not great with following directions.” I smirk, arching my hips and digging my cock into her ass. She doesn’t shift away, and I see a flash in her eyes. Desire? I fucking hope so.
“You really think that trying to tempt me with your cock is going to work?” She pushes her hips back, making me groan at the pressure on my aching dick. I strain against her grip, needingto grab her, hold her close again, feel her grinding over me. Her grip is tight, but I can tell it’s not going to last forever. She must too, because she suddenly releases my hands, but she’s rolling away before I grab her. She gets to her feet, all lithe and smooth skill. “The sex between us was never a problem, Alonzo, but that’s the only part we were good at. Go back to the house.” Then she sprints off.
I jump to my feet, rushing after her. Running with a hard-on is a new one for me, but I won’t let it slow me down. I love a good chase. Maybe this is what we’ve been missing. If she wants to run around in the woods all fucking night, then I will too. And when I catch her, I’ll remind her of just why we work. Screw the rest of it, we can deal with that later.
It’s time to go back to basics, and Aurora O’Brien is about to see that no matter how far or fast she runs, I’m never giving up.
28
RORI
I really shouldn’t be enjoyingthis. Hell, I should just go back to the house myself, lock myself in Ilya’s office, and pretend none of this has happened. It’s not like I’m going to find out if anyone is hiding out here. Not with the amount of noise Alonzo and I are both making. But I can’t seem to stop myself from doubling back, watching as he tries to figure out where the hell I’ve gone.
Hades is following him, but he never goes too far away from me. When he comes back to me, he’s panting, his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth, but his eyes are bright with happiness and excitement. At least he’s having fun.
“I forgot how much you liked to be chased through the woods,” Alonzo calls out, voice rough. “That was what you told Sienna, right? That first night in the pool. You wanted someone to chase you, push you down, and fuck you. Is that what this is, Aurora? You want me to chase you and prove how much I want you?”
The arrogance of this man has no bounds, but the memory of that discussion instantly fills my head. A small shiver skitters down my spine. That was a fun night, but something tells me that if I were to play that kind of game with Alonzo, he’d blow that memory right out of the water.
No, I can’t do that. I can’t allow him to distract me.
“Or maybe you’re just afraid that you won’t be able to outrun me.” His taunt hits his mark, and it pisses me off that I feel anything. Damn him. It should be the other way around. He should be afraid of what will happen if I catch him.
An evil plan fills my mind. If he wants to have a little fun, who am I to stop him? And maybe this will make him realize that he’s up against someone far craftier than him and send him running back to the house, tail between his legs.
It’s time to take Goliath down a few pegs. He’s the prey, not the predator in these woods.
Alonzo keeps moving through the trees, getting closer to me, but still far enough away that I can move around him without alerting him to my presence. I send Hades off again to chase and herd him to where I want him to be. I scale the thick tree, my hands scraping along the bark. Thank fuck for gloves, but it doesn’t dull the pressure. My muscles burn by the time I reach the branch I need, and I crouch, bracing my weight evenly to keep the branch from squeaking or breaking.
“Oh, you’re going to try and prove me wrong, huh?” Alonzo calls out, moving a little slower, like he can sense me, but still can’t figure out where the hell I am. A part of me wishes we had done this before all the bullshit. It’s far too fun and exhilarating. Especially when it’s supposed to be about teaching him a lesson. “I know you’re close, Rori. I can hear Hades moving. He’s good, but he’s getting tired, and he’s going to make mistakes.”
He’s right, but I won’t let him know that. Hades lives for this, and he’ll go as long as he can. Besides, I’ll be done with this before we get to that point.
Alonzo’s face lifts, eyes scanning the trees, but the moonlight doesn’t fully penetrate the thick foliage. He’s relying on shadows and movement, and I won’t give him either.
He turns, walking away again. “When we get back to the house, I’m going to enjoy reminding you exactly of why the two of us work so well,” he continues, his voice a rich baritone of temptation. The sound shoots straight to my core, arousal burning. But it inflames even more when he adds, “And this time, I’m going to fuck you so hard that walking won’t be possible for most of tomorrow. Like I did before.”
I barely hold back my snort. Cocky bastard. He never made it so that I couldn’t walk.
I quickly calculate the trajectory, and with a burst of speed and power, I launch myself from the trees, knocking into him hard, and sending him falling to his knees. I wrap my arm around his neck, making him let out a choked grunt, his hand coming up to pull at my arm. Damn his thick neck, because he almost manages it. I tighten my grip and grit out between clenched teeth, “No one, including you, Cattaneo, have ever made it so I can’t walk the next day. You better up your game for the next girl, because other than being able to find a clit on the first try, you’re going to leave them disappointed.”
That pisses him off, and he pushes to his feet, leaving me dangling, but I recover quickly, wrapping my legs around his waist to keep my grip. He grunts and gasps as he tries to get my arm from around his neck, but when he throws himself forward, like he wants to flip me over his head, I quickly unwrap myself, releasing him, and making him fall forward as I manage to fall to the side.
