She didn’t care.
The ground got more uneven as she kept running and the terrain was starting to go up. Shit, she couldn’t run uphill from them for long. Her muscles were already screaming and her lungs burning.
She glanced back and found Ezra caught in a couple of bushes so she headed that way to catch him off guard.
Sure enough, he almost fell backwards once he realized she was running back.
“Damn it!” He broke free of the bush. “She’s going back!”
That was the smartest thing—get them stuck and go back to the van. She couldn’t run through the forest forever.
There was no sign of either of them after a few moments, and she could feel her muscles begin to give. This place really was beautiful. The trees were budding, and the ground had that deep, earthy scent of petrichor.
Up ahead, there was a gap in the trees. She could get some good distance if she made it through that space.
She made it to the clearing, and just as she was trying to figure out if she was going the right direction, a heavy figure slammed into her. Arms encircled her body as they spun and landed on the ground. If he hadn’t cushioned her fall, the air would have been knocked right out of her.
As she tried to roll out of his grip, she got a glimpse of blond hair.
Ryker.
Chapter 26
Willow
She wriggled under Ryker as he flipped her onto her back and pinned her wrists. Willow tossed her head side to side in frustration. “Let me go!”
“No, Willow,” he growled, his chest pressing against her as he struggled to catch his breath. His messy blond hair had fallen into his face, making him look more wild. “It’s all been fake, huh? All of this?”
The hurt in his voice cracked something deep, and the look in his light eyes turned her body limp in his grasp.
“No…” she managed to say.
Footsteps approached from the right, and a glance revealed Ezra’s boots.
“Then what the fuck?” Ryker’s grip tightened momentarily.
“I think it’s time everyone came clean,” Ezra said smoothly as he squatted down. “You go first, sweetheart. Why isn’t Ry surprised by you trying to steal my van? I thought we were all having fun.”
She clamped her eyes shut, trying to avoid their scrutinizing stares. The ground was cold and damp, seeping into her clothes she’d just washed. There wasn’t much she could do now.
“I tried to play you two so I could get the keys and escape.” She took a shuddering breath. “I’m sorry.”
“So it was all nothing,” Ezra said, prompting Ryker to clench his jaw.
Willow groaned. “No. It was so much not ‘all nothing’ that I fucked up big.”
“And how’s that?” Ryker asked, tension in every syllable. The position they were in and her thin pajama pants were making her all too aware of his erection pressing against her. There was something strangely thrilling about the way they’d hunted her down.
She didn’t want to say the words. It was stupid. Stupid and crazy.
Ezra reached down and pinched her chin. He tipped her head so she was looking at him. “Talk.”
“I just… I like both of you, okay? At first, I didn’t trust that you two would actually let me go, so I tried to get your guard down to take the keys. The bridge might be blocked, but there would still be help somewhere.” She looked into Ryker’s hard blue eyes. “Obviously, my plan got out of control.”
“Why run now?” Ryker asked, his tone softening. “What happened? You’ve been acting weird all morning.”
Could she tell them everything yet? Would it make their opinion of her worse after all the crap she’d pulled?
