Adrian kissed me. Really kissed me.
And it wasn’t only the fact his kiss brought me to the edge of the world, shown the vast universe, then plunged back into gravity. It was how right it felt. Utterly and indisputably right.
I think after being friends with someone for so long, ruining a good friendship isn’t the only concern that arises. It’s also the fear of no spark. Of realizing you wasted a certain amount of time waiting and wanting and wishing, only to be let down.
But what just happened makes me angry with myself that I didn’t do anything sooner. In fact, I want to spend the rest of my night doing nothing but drowning in his kiss, but there’s something I want more.
His truth. The entire thing. And in order to get it, I want to continue this game of cat and mouse. Why?
Because whatever we did, was fun. It was exhilarating and childish, but sexy and terrifying. It made me feel alive, and why not lessen the strain of the heavy questions we’ll ask with a game of tag?
“So, let me make sure I understand you correctly, Sam.” Adrian rolls up his sleeves, exposing the strong arms that were holding me in place just moments ago. “You want to run outside? Through the crowd of paraders, down the back alleys, and into the wooded park of Boston Common.”
I push the curtain back into place as we move from behind it and into the ballroom. “You did a very good job of repeating me word for word.”
He rolls his eyes, but I hear the genuine seriousness in his words. “I’m big on complete and total understanding.”
“Ah, being explicit. I gathered as much.”
Adrian sits down at the edge of the piano bench, leaning his forearms against his knees. “Full comprehension and consent are important, Bambi. As are safewords.”
Safewords. Now, I’m not inept, so I know safewords generally involve things that could get out of hand, but never have I been with someone who needed them.
“Something tells me he likes more adventurous things than a little self-exploration.”
Willow’s words replay in my mind, the connection suddenly becoming glaringly obvious. My steadily thumping heart is the only audible thing in the room as we stare at one another, understanding settling between us.
“So I’ll need a safeword?”
Adrian stands and catches my fingertips in his hands. He doesn’t pull me closer but keeps us connected, his eyes softening as he searches my face. “Yes. Is that something you’re comfortable with?”
I try to nod, swallowing around the lump lodged in my throat. He gives me a soft smile, and I realize what he wants. “Yes, I am.”
He takes a small step closer, forcing me to lift my chin to keep our gazes connected. “I need you to know something, Bambi. I’ve waited a long time for this. I won’t be sweet, soft, or anything remotely close to gentle. This will be years of pent-up desire, unleashed in a way that will leave you a fucking mess. Are you sure this is what you want?”
His admission stops my breath. It slows time and splits my heart in two. Everything aches and feels so terribly good at the same time, my body can barely form the necessary speech to tell him how badly I’ve wanted him to say that, how long I’ve waited to hear it.
Somehow, I push it out. It’s an almost inaudible whisper, but my conviction is impossible to miss. “Yes.”
A delicious smirk stretches across his face, lighting up my insides all over again. He presses a soft kiss on my nose. “Good. Are you ready to play your game of tag?”
“We don’t have to if you…” I trail off, with the knowledge of everything wedging in between us, making me realize the important questions I had before have already been answered.
“Oh no, Bambi. We’re playing this game. And it won’t be the only one.”
My pussy clenches around nothing, and the low-bearing ache starts up all over again. Why am I so turned on by the thought of him chasing me? And not only that, but the need to have a word to keep me safe?
All our lives, I’ve only ever known Adrian to be a gentle giant. He’s big, brawny, and scary as hell, with a sharp jaw and hooded eyes. On the field, he’s even worse–a total savage, really. But with me, he’s simply Adrian. Expert foot massager, wonderful at picking random monster movies that actually end up being good, and popcorn throw-it-across-the-couch-and-into-your-mouth extraordinaire. He’s kind, compassionate, and refuses to use single-use plastics.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m tired of slow and sweet. I want something to take my breath away. I want him to devour me whole and leave me curled up like a dead little spider. But to picture him as anything other than what I’ve known is impossible.
Still, I’m dying to find out. “Uncle.”
His brows snap together. “What?”
A vicious blush takes over my face. “The, um, safeword. If it’s dumb–”
“No.” He presses a kiss to my forehead, making me melt. “It’s perfect.”
Something about him approving my word choice makes my heart flutter. Like I’ve read his mind and plucked it from his head. I like that.
“Be safe, Sam. Don’t trip and fall, or run into anyone. Don’t be so caught up looking for me that you aren’t paying attention.” He drops my hand as he gives me the pregame speech, as if this was his idea. “The point is to have fun, and not get hurt. Not until I find you, at least.”
My nerves prickle. “You plan to hurt me.”
He nods once. “In the best ways. And not more than you can handle.”
A tremor runs through my spine at his promise. At the possibilities of what he could mean. “Okay.”
“I’ll count to thirty, Bambi. Then I’m coming for you.”
The nighttime crowd is much thicker than I anticipated. Hues of bright colors mix as I make a pitiful attempt to maneuver around them on the congested sidewalk.
The parade is in full effect. Rows of men in kilts blowing into heavy bagpipes move down the center of the road. They’re led by a red-haired leprechaun wielding a staff of sorts in one hand and a water gun in the other. He’s dancing around in front of them, hyping the spectators up while women twirl around him, tossing out beads and glowing necklaces.
I squeeze inside the group, my thirty-second head start now a mere ten as I push through. The noise of the crowd grows louder, shrieks of sheer giddiness filling the air. Suddenly, a cluster of people right in front of me part, avoiding a woman who’s getting doused in some type of glowing paint shooting out of the leprechaun’s squirt gun.
Three. I veer to the right, then circle the people behind her.
Two. Just a few more feet and I can turn down the alley.
One. My heart flutters.
He’s coming.
With a few hushed “excuse mes” and another round of narrowly missed paint, I make it to the alley. It’s a free shot to the woods, which backs into the entire strip of businesses. My feet pick up pace, adrenaline whooshing through my system, giving me the false confidence I’ll actually make it.
I only move about five yards.
A smaller back street opens up behind the tire shop I passed, and Adrian must have been waiting. He careens out of the dark and barrels into me, catching me around the waist and nearly throwing me against the wall of the business.
My ass hits the hard brick, sending a sharp bite of pain down my legs, but his arm protects my back from the same fate, squeezing me close to him.
His free arm is pressing into the wall on the other side of my head, effectively caging me in. Our matching heavy breaths mingle in the cool air, my breasts brushing against him with every intake of air. My nipples tingle, hardening under the feel of his hard chest as I examine his face.
His jaw is clenched tight, a nerve pulsing on the side, as his eyes rove over my face. “Are you hurt?”
I start to shake my head, but stop. “No.”
He smiles. “Hmm. Good.”
“How’d you catch me so quickly?” I internally curse how out of breath I sound.
“Did I spoil the fun?” he whispers, running his nose along the shell of my ear.
I shiver, my hands tingling at my sides to thread my fingers through his hair and pull him closer. “No.”
“Well then, it seems I’m owed another secret.”
“What do you want to know?” The words are barely audible above the crowd a few yards away. My eyes flash down the alley, with the realization that anyone who turns around would see how incredibly intimate we appear. But instead of deterring me, it excites me more, sending another wave of shivers down my arms.
“I want to know if I slip my fingers inside of you right now how drenched you would be.”
The overwhelming need pulsing in my clit fuels me. “Find out.”
Adrian jerks his head back and meets my gaze. He must see something in my eyes that tells him how serious I am, because he lets out a deep growl of approval. It rumbles through my chest and settles deep in my core.
He unhooks his hand from around my waist and lightly trails it around, lifting my shirt enough for his fingers to make tortuous contact. The entire time he moves, he never breaks eye contact, watching as my face undergoes the shifts from my increasing arousal. By the time he reaches the button of my jeans, I’m nearly panting.
“Let’s see, shall we?”
I saw my bottom lip between my teeth as I nod. “Let’s.”
A delicious smirk curls one side of his mouth before he somehow pops my button in one swift move, then drags my zipper down so slowly I feel each click of the metal separating.
When his hand slips beneath the thin lace of my panties, I can’t keep the moan from slipping out, or my eyes from squeezing shut.
“I need your eyes on me when I’m touching you, Bambi.” His fingers dip dangerously low, the whisper of his touch against my clit causing me to hiss and my eyes to fly open.
Adrian smirks and slides the fabric to the side before gliding a finger from my entrance to my throbbing clit, the sensation causing a moan to get stuck in my throat. “Cocky little thing. You wanted me to see how wet you are. All for me.”
A deep, involuntary rumble vibrates through my chest at the sound of his voice taunting me, matching the neediness of my strangled moan. My back arches on instinct while I tilt my hips into his palm. That one little swipe felt so damn good. “Again.”
He leans forward, nipping my chin. “For another secret.”
“Anything.” I can’t help my hips from searching for more friction, but his hand holds me still.
“Oh, Sam. Don’t say that.”
“Adrian.” My voice is a borderline plea. “Ask me what you want to know.”
He chuckles against my throat before withdrawing abruptly. My chest nearly caves, the loss of his touch tearing the seams of my fragile edges. Before I can make a smart remark, he holds his finger up between us.
My arousal coats the digit, the evidence shimmering in the low light of the alley. He presses his fingertip into his mouth and licks it clean. My stomach clenches as his eyes roll and he groans against the taste.
When he’s done, I’m half delirious, my heart fluttering so fast, I feel it everywhere. Finally, he drops his hand from the brick, buttoning my pants up.
I start to protest, but a gleam in Adrian’s eye stops me. He steps forward, dipping his head, and his hands find my hips. His fingers dig into the soft flesh, his warm breath coasting along the column of my neck as he rumbles in my ear.
“I want to play again.”
He takes a wide step back, allowing the cool air to sprout goosebumps down my arms.
“Now?” Still half dizzy from the moment, I almost forgot I was supposed to reach the woods.
But then he smirks, and every nerve I have tingles in unison all over again. “Go on, Bambi. Don’t make it easy on me.”
My pulse soars, my heart thumping against my rib cage as I watch him give me more space.
“This time I want to hunt you. I want to struggle to find you.” He glances down at his finger and then back at me. “I’ll give you a ten second head start.”
I suck in a sharp breath; the idea of being not only chased, but hunted, making my skin hot all over. Adrian’s smile fades, and a heavy realization settles in. He’s serious, and when he catches me this time, I know exactly what’s going to happen.
Finally, I take a step forward, halting in enough time to see his eyes lower, a hooded, predatory gaze taking over.
“Run.”
