I look over toward the house. It’s completely dark. My heart is beating fast. I’m scared, but I don’t want to be. I don’t think this will be like any game of hide and seek I’ve ever played. “Okay,” I repeat, this time agreeing.
Rafe lets out a heavy exhale. I reach for the door handle with shaky fingers. “Not it!” I cry and hop out of the car. He’s much slower than me to exit, so I end up waiting for him at the door.
“Next time, I’ll make sure you have a key,” he says, then he pushes the door open for me to enter ahead of him. The house is dark, but it doesn’t seem as intimidating as yesterday.
Walking slowly backwards, I ask, “What are the rules?”
Rafe stalks through the door, and it slams behind him. I sense him moving closer but hold my ground. Near my ear, he whispers, “There are no rules. Now run, little Lucy.”
My breath catches, but then I’m off. I can’t run because it’s too dark, but I hustle away from him with my arms outstretched to feel my way around.
In the distance, I hear Rafe counting. “One, two, three…” The numbers are slow and measured, but it makes my heart beat even faster. I think about going to his room, maybe hiding next to the bed, but that seems too easy. The windows from the living room cast enough light that I’m able to get my bearings. Instead of going down the hall where his room is, I head up a flight of stairs.
When I’m near the top, I pause, thinking maybe this isn’t the best idea, but then Rafe gets to one hundred. “Ready or not, here I come,” he announces, already moving closer. I dip forward and get on my hands and knees so I can feel for the wall and find a door. I hear his footsteps below me as he stalks right down the hall to his room.
I inch forward until I feel the indent of a door. I grab the knob and silently turn it. The door swings soundlessly inward, opening to a large room with no curtains on the window. It looks completely empty. I leave the door open as a decoy and look back down the stairs. I can’t hear Rafe, but that doesn’t mean much. As slowly as possible, I decide to double back and head toward the entrance.
“Lucy,” Rafe singsongs, and I make a run for it. I pass the front door and head down a long hall. There are lots of windows so I can see better, but that means he will be able to see me too. Out of breath, I duck into a room that has some boxes piled up on the floor, but still no furniture. I push open a door on the other side of the room, and it opens to complete blackness. I’m so tempted to feel for a light switch, but I don’t want to give away where I am.
The lack of windows makes me think it’s a closet, so I put my hands out and feel my way into the room. I bump my shin against another box and freeze to make sure he didn’t hear the thud. After a long second, I maneuver myself behind the box and sit on the floor, pulling my knees up to my chin.
Now that I’m here, I’m anxious to be found. It’s a wonder my breathing alone isn’t enough to have him locating me. I hear a noise that has me covering my mouth and nose to try and keep quiet. The door bangs against the wall loudly, and I jump. Seconds later, I hear Rafe say, “I’ve got you now,” but his voice is far away. He thinks I’m the one who made the noise. If it wasn’t him who opened the door, what was it? Because it sure wasn’t me.
I peek out and investigate the room. All I can see are low, lumpy shapes which I’m assuming are boxes. I catch movement out of the corner of my eye. My fight-or-flight instinct kicks in, causing me to scramble forward until I’m upright and running from the room, yelling for Rafe.
There’s a crash behind me, but I don’t look back to see what it was. Fear makes my senses keener, so I can tell where the darker shadows are that make up the halls. Just as I’m about to yell for Rafe again, something slams into me from behind. If not for the tight grip on my body, I would have been eating carpet. It takes me a second to catch my breath before I let out a piercing scream.
“Lucy,” Rafe coos in my ear with a soft chuckle. Every inch of his body is pressed against mine, locking me in place. “I’ve got you, sweetness.” He kisses the side of my neck roughly before he nips me.
I can’t even speak yet, I’m too busy making sure I’m not having a heart attack. Rafe walks us forward until my front is plastered against the wall. I can feel how turned on he is, and even though I’m still scared, I want him. He slides his hand up and cups my breast. I push my ass back against him, and he hisses.
I wantto rip her pants off and fuck her against the wall. Goddamn, this girl has wrecked me. Why do I crave her fear and her devotion at the same time? I have never wanted so much from one person. I’m terrified I’m going to break her and be the one who takes the light from her eyes.
I palm her tit, and she shoves her ass against me hard. “I’ve been thinking about you all day.”And every other day.You’re all I ever think about.I press my lips to the back of her head in a tender kiss.
“Me too.” She looks at me over her shoulder. Her cheeks are pink, and she’s still breathing hard from running through the house, or maybe it’s because of the position we’re in. I’m not in much better condition. When I run my hand down her body and grab her hip, her lips part as I grind my dick against her. There’s no question what I want. She answers with a roll of her hips.
I step back abruptly, and her body sags a little without the pressure of mine to hold her against the wall. She turns to face me, her eyes dancing over my face as she takes everything in. Few people dare to look into my eyes, but she does without hesitation. Lucy steps forward, coming to me. She has a confidence I never witnessed when she was on stage. Even though it would have been well deserved there, she saved it all for me.
As the distance between us closes again, I know I will never get enough of her, never tire of her. It’s not a shocking thought, but it’s one I rarely allowed myself to dwell on. Some small part of me believed once I tasted her, touched her, ruined her, I would finally be able to move on, but she’s changed me, left a stain on my soul that I will never be able to erase.
“I’m sorry.” I had no intention of uttering those words, but I do it all the same. Lucy’s face pinches, and she frowns.
“Sorry?” she repeats and slows her saunter toward me.
I extend my hand, and she takes it, even while questioning my apology. “I’m planning on keeping you.”
Her eyes soften, and her features relax. “I don’t think that’s such a bad thing.” I can tell by the lightness in her tone she doesn’t understand the magnitude of my statement. But someday, she will.
“Remember you said that,” I warn and scoop her up with her ass in my hands. She wraps her legs around my waist so tight, I almost forget to breathe. How many times have I thought about this exact scenario?I always thought she would be unwilling, that I would have to force her, but this is even better than I could have imagined. She doesn’t look at me like I’m a monster. Not that I’ve really shown her what lurks beneath the surface, but when I’m with her, it doesn’t feel so close. I don’t feel like I’m hiding who I am, more like I’m just becoming something more.
Chapter 23
Rafe lays me out on the bed with gentle hands, as if I’m the most fragile creature on earth, and then stands back and examines me. The sheets are still a mess, just like they were when I left earlier this morning, and I like knowing I was already in them with him.
“I got you something,” he tells me, then darts his eyes over to another area on the bed. I follow his gaze and see a beautifully wrapped box. It’s slim, but rather large, with a huge scarlet bow circling it.
I sit up and glance between him and the box. “Why? You didn’t have to do that,” I say, even though I have no clue what’s inside.
