My stomach flips at the implication in his response.He’s not taking me to his hometonight?Does he plan on taking me to his creepy stalker lair some other night?
I cross my ankles and pull my shoulders in, suddenly feeling the need to make myself small.My hands latch on to the edge of my dress.I rub the fabric between my fingers, which seems like a better option than watching them shake in my lap.My breathing becomes heavy, or at least it seems heavy in the quiet space.
I glance toward him.If he notices my anxiety, he doesn’t show it.His proud nose remains forward, eyes firmly planted on the road ahead.Slivers of moonlight seep in through the windshield, highlighting the strong features of his face and reflecting off of the black locks that surround it.Even in the dim light, he’s devastatingly gorgeous.
His full lips curl into a wolfish grin.“See something you like?”he asks.
I blush, realizing I’m no longer glancing at him from the corner of my eye.My entire head has turned toward him as I stare.I whip my head forward before replying in the snarkiest tone I can manage, “There’s nothing I like about you.”
His smile widens, clearly indicating that he doesn’t believe that.I’m not even sure that I believe that, but I’m entirely unwilling to explore that particular issue right now.I press my cheek against the window, hoping the cold glass will cool my heated face.
We sit in deafening silence for what could only be minutes, but feels like hours.Nervous energy twitches in my veins, demanding that I verbalize something…anything.
“What’s your name?”The question pops out of my mouth before I can think better of it.
“Grayson,” he says, “but you can call me Gray.”
“Gray?”
His voice is light, reflecting the smirk on his lips.“Or you can call me master.”
My lips turn down into a grimace that I hope he can hear.“That's never going to happen.”
The car slows as the road morphs from an arterial thoroughfare into a winding, rural road.Towering forests surround us, making the tree line more dense.The sign for Windon Farms zips by my window, telling me exactly where we are.There’s a bend in the road about two miles ahead of us.In order to stay on the road, we’ll be forced to slow down significantly.It may be my only chance.
With the ghost of a plan scarcely formed in my head, I quietly unbuckle my seatbelt.Then, I steel my nerves and wait.
The car slows, lurching forward just slightly as we edge around the angle in the road.I flick my eyes toward the man I now know as Gray.He’s staring at me intently, his eyes sparking with something dangerous.
“Don’t even think about it,” he demands through his clenched teeth.
But I’ve thought about it and there’s no going back.I feel my lips peel up into a smile, though I don’t have time to think about why the Hell I would be smiling at a time like this.My fingers are already gripped tightly on the door handle.I shove my shoulder against the door, forcing it open and let myself tumble from the car.
Covering my head with my arms, I let the momentum take me.My body bounces and rolls, careening straight down a hill and into the woods below.The frigid night air stings against my heated skin.Branches nip at my arms and legs, scratching my skin as I plummet downward.My stomach crashes into the trunk of a heavy oak tree, stopping my movement and forcing my breath out in a gasp.
The sound of screeching tires echoes through the woods, reminding me that I can’t stop.The bark of the tree scratches my palms as I hoist my aching body up.Fallen leaves tickle my ankles as my heels sink into the moist dirt below.Knowing that I won’t get far with the inconvenient shoes, I rip them off and toss them behind me.
My eyes dart around, scanning the trees for a path.A round, autumn moon hangs high overhead, bathing the area in a faint, silver light.With no straightforward path ahead, I rush forward, darting around stumps and trees.For the second time tonight, I run as fast as my legs will carry me.Ignoring the biting pain in my feet, I dash over sharp rocks and upturned sticks.
My heart thunders in my chest.I suck in deep breaths, my lungs burning against the cold air.I pump my legs desperately.Branches whip by, slashing my legs and ankles as I sprint.I refuse to look down at the damage they’ve caused.I refuse to acknowledge the pain radiating up my legs.
When it feels like I’ve run for miles, the pain has become dull.My legs are shaking and numb from the cold.I press my hands into the bark of a huge tree, using it to keep myself upright as I circle around it.Behind the shade of the looming tree, where all the moonlight is blocked, I let myself fall to the ground.I press my hands to my mouth to quiet my breathing.
As my body calms, I realize how cold I am.If I don’t get out of here, I’ll freeze to death.I pull my knees up to my chest and wrap my arms around myself.I reach around myself, feeling under my arm for my purse, only to realize that it isn’t there.Did I leave it in his car?Did I even have it when I got into the car?Realizing that there’s no way for me to get help without my phone, my eyes fill with tears.They stream down my cheeks, leaving cold trails behind.
“It’s okay,” I whisper.“It’s going to be okay.You just have to wait him out.He’ll leave.You’re not worth the trouble.He’ll see that.Then when he’s gone, you can find a way out of here and get help.”
Hours, or maybe only minutes, pass while I sit with my back against the hard tree bark and listen.The muted sounds of the forest float around me.A soft wind howls, rustling the branches of nearby trees.Crispy leaves clatter against each other as the wind carries them.Somewhere in the distance, an animal chitters.I close my eyes and listen to the symphony of the forest.
A sharp crack sounds behind me as a branch snaps.My eyes rocket open.A startled scream climbs up my throat.It barely passes my lips before it’s smothered by a hand clamping down over my mouth.My body is yanked up and pulled against a hard chest.
The scent of vanilla and leather surrounds me, invading my senses.Gray's hands grip my upper arms, pinning my back to his chest.Without my permission, my body sinks back into the delicious warmth of his body.
His arm wraps around my stomach, tightly securing our bodies together.He leans down until I feel his hot breath against my neck.Goosebumps prickle over my skin and I shiver.I try to tell myself that it's a reaction from the cold and not his nearness.
His voice rumbles in my ear.“Hasn't anyone ever told you, you can't run from monsters?”
I lift my foot and jab it out behind me.It meets its target, connecting with his shin.Unfortunately, with my near-frozen bare feet, my hit has all the power of a rabbit hitting a black bear.Realizing how epically my attack has failed, I lace my voice with as much venom as I can before I spit at him, “Fuck you.”
