I grit my teeth and increase my pace. I’m panting more from lust and the thrill of the hunt than from exertion. I could keep up this pace for hours, but I’m far more winded than usual.
Then I hear twigs snap beneath a heavy footfall behind me, and I can’t hold in a sharp gasp.
His low laugh threads through the trees to caress my skin.
How did he get so close without me hearing him? I expected him to stumble and crash through the brush like a wild beast. But he’s a careful predator, far more cunning and dangerous than I gave him credit for.
I take off again, barely dodging thick tree trunks and branches as I scramble to put distance between us.
It’s gone quiet behind me. I can’t hear him at all over the sound of my own sawing breaths and the buzz of the vibrator.
I take a precious moment to glance over my shoulder, and I slam into something warm and solid.
Strong arms close around me. I shriek and kick out, but I immediately recognize the low, cocky laugh.
He caught me. Somehow, he actually ranpastme to block my path.
It should be impossible for such a big man to be that fast and that quiet.
My mind blanks in disbelief, and he takes advantage of my moment of weakness.
He spins me easily, and his gloved hand clamps over my mouth as his body folds around mine. He doesn’t shove me tothe ground, but the takedown is swift and strong. In the space of a few racing heartbeats, he has me tucked beneath him. My breasts press into the damp earth, and his bulk at my back keeps me nearly immobile.
My fingers scrabble uselessly in the dirt, and I thrash. His hand tightens on my face, smothering my impotent scream.
“Calm down, kitten. Don’t injure yourself.” His words are meant to comfort, but the mocking lilt to his voice betrays his dark amusement at my predicament.
I scream louder, a muffled curse at him. I try to get purchase on my knees to push to my feet, but his corded thighs pin the backs of my legs.
“So disobedient.” He tuts. “You’re a wild little thing, aren’t you? Don’t worry. I’ll tame you.”
Two thick fingers hook through the collar at my nape, drawing it tight around my neck. I can only draw shallow sips of oxygen through my constricted throat.
My next outraged scream is a garbled whine. I clutch at the ground, and dirt presses around my fingernails.
I’m reduced to a purely animal state, struggling between my instinct for flight and the primal warning that I should submit to the more powerful predator at my back.
I become keenly aware of the persistent vibration against my g-spot, and I groan into his hand. Violent desire rushes through my body, intense enough to make me shake in his restraining hold.
“Should I let you breathe?” The taunt is hot on my neck. “Or are you going to scream again?”
A soft, wordless plea is trapped behind my forcibly closed lips.
“That’s better,” he approves. “The next time you scream, the only word I want to hear is my name. I want everyone on this estate to know who’s mastered you. You’remine, Karolina.”
A thrill of alarm tingles down my spine at his rough possessiveness. It’s not the first time he’s said it, but this is real now. We’re not on a remote video call.
He interprets my stillness as submission, and he releases the collar.
I draw in a desperate breath through my nose, and the heady rush of fresh oxygen makes my mind float for a few euphoric seconds.
While I’m limp with the hit of bliss, he flips me onto my back.
He looms over me, little more than a dark red skull leering at me. With his black clothing covering the rest of his body, the macabre mask is all I can see other than the darker shadow of his muscular form. He blots out everything else, commanding my full attention.
My pale pink dress practically glows in contrast to his leather gloves as he fists the delicate material in both hands. With one jerk of his powerful arms, the silk tears.
Cool night air washes over my heated flesh, and my nipples tighten. My back arches, offering my breasts to him. I’m mindless with lust, reduced to his helpless prey.
