This is unfair. Completely and inexplicably, wrong.
But really, it just doesn’t make sense. I’ve spent months learning the city I thought I already knew. I’ve studied blueprints and maps, and everything else that could help me plan my runs and escape routes.
In the end, none of it does anything to help because the better I get at hiding, the better he gets at finding. Which is good in a sense, because when he catches me, ugh swoon, but also, it’s incredibly frustrating because it means hunts never last more than fifteen minutes, and I’ve learned I love to run.
Last month, I decided to devise a plan. A full-proof way to outlast the usual time and get him to cry uncle–a word we still haven’t needed.
It’s summer, and with most people starting their cruises and summer vacations, the hotel is in its slow season. This week, I made sure only the first floor was booked so that the second and third were completely empty.
I was confident that with the split wings, access stairs, and all the rooms, I’d finally get him flustered, so I made a wager.
If he calls uncle, I get to hunt him. Where if he wins, we do a hunt on the vacation we’re taking in the fall. He thinks I’m shy when it comes to a little voyeurism, but really, this bet is a win-win.
Still, I wanted–want–to freaking win.
But the radiating burn in my calf as I make a desperate climb to the roof with Adrian only a few meters behind me, has me on the verge of defeat.
“Come on, Bambi, there’s nowhere you can go.” The deep rumble of his voice echoes up the hollow stairs. “And if I get you to the roof, I’ll fuck you right there for the whole city to see.”
A thrill shoots up my spine.
His words sink into my skin, lighting a fuse that reverberates through my limbs. It ignites a new fire for me to keep moving. To keep running despite the ache in my chest and the throb in my clit.
I want to be caught, but I want to win more.
Pushing through the top access doors, I spin around and shove one of the maintenance shovels through the two handles. It won’t hold him for more than a few minutes, but that’s all I need.
Leading up to today, I placed various things on the roof that I knew would be a good distraction. There’re stacks of heavy crates, a few oversized trash bins, and wide industrial laundry carts. All of which are big enough for me to climb through and hide, which will slow him down and allow me to get back inside and run out the remaining six minutes.
I race around and squeeze in between some trash bins on the side of the access doors at the same moment the metal clangs in the air.
My heart bangs into my chest as he slams his body into it again, the sound echoing in the air and making my core clench.
He’s hungry today, and it has me reconsidering if I want to continue to run.
Fuck.
No. I need to win. Just this once.
Another few seconds pass until the thick wood shovel splits, clattering to the floor as Adrian slams open the doors. From my position, I can see his back heave up and down with his heavy breaths. His head moves quickly from side to side as he takes in what I’ve done.
He chuckles. “I will rip this world from its roots to find you before the time runs out, little prey. Now come out.”
I bite into my hand to keep the whimper from escaping, the sharp taste of copper tainting my tongue. My nerves vibrate, the need so overpowering it’s beginning to wash out the adrenaline.
Still, I manage to suck in a shallow breath and hold it, waiting for the moment he moves enough for me to slip back inside.
A low chuckle falls from his lips as he takes his first step forward. “Have it your way, baby. But when I find you, I’m fucking you until your voice no longer allows you to scream.”
He tips a trash can over. “Until your muscles seize from the orgasms.”
He smashes a laundry cart over. “Until your pussy is raw and filled to the brink with my cum.”
My eyes roll to the back of my head before I squeeze them shut. I’m losing the will. I can feel it slipping with the constant pulse of my clit and the want driving me mad. He’s going to win again. He’s going to–
“There you are, Bambi.” His deep growl forces my eyes to snap open, my heart leaping into my throat as I shriek.
Adrian cages me in on either side of my head before running his nose roughly along the column of my neck. His inhale is deep. “I could smell you.”
I watch as the fire rages in his hazel eyes, the need just as strong in him as me. His dark hair is mussed, falling in front of his forehead as sweat drips down his temples. A nerve tics in his jaw as his gaze finds my lips.
“Thirty seconds.”
My eyes widen. He’s never given me more time. Ever. My pulse rages, whooshing through my ears so fast I become slightly dizzy.
“You’ve already wasted five.”
I drop down, dipping under his arm and sprinting back to the door. I don’t even make it down a full flight before I hear him call after me.
“Ready or not, here I come.”
Adrenaline spikes in my blood, but with my previous plan of escape forgotten, I run for the spare room, my thighs burning and veins throbbing. I nearly catapult inside the room, slamming the door behind me as I attempt to suck in air.
He most likely knew I’d come in here and won’t be far behind. I scan the room and make a quick decision to hide under the bed. On quick glance, he may think I’m not here and go check somewhere else.
I only need two more minutes.
Leaping over the bed, I fall to the floor, wincing when I hear the hollow thump of my knee hitting the ground. I know he’s probably heard it, but I can’t dwell on the mistake and slide under the bed frame.
The heavy pounding of my heart seems almost obscenely loud as it rocks against my rib cage. Pair it with my breathing and I don’t stand a chance.
When the door smashes open, I flinch, biting my tongue to keep the squeal stuck in my throat.
The bed skirt is too thick for me to see where he is, but I hear his sharp breaths. He’s moving around, unconvinced I’m not in here.
There’s only about a minute left. I know it. But before I can claim victory, two strong hands wrap around my ankles and yank me from my hiding place.
I scream out as I kick back, but his hold is an iron grip, bruising my skin as he flips me on my back. Adrian wastes no time ripping my shirt from my skin and tearing my shorts down my legs.
He pauses when he realizes I have nothing underneath, my skin bare, flushed, and ready for him. “Oh, little prey. How fucking perfect you are.”
I smile as he peels his own shirt off and frees himself from his joggers. “What time is it, Adrian?”
His nostrils flare when he looks up at the bedside table. I see it when it hits him. When he realizes his decision to give me a second chance caused me to win. His eyes flash down at me, and he smirks. “You win. But for now, I still earned my prize.”
Then he slams into me. I screech out, latching my nails into his shoulder blades as I try to adjust to the intrusion. He hisses as he draws out. “Fuck.”
He thrusts back in, his pace the hardest it’s ever been. I moan as the pain morphs into something delicious, the budding heat already beginning to expand. He leans forward, pressing his flexed abs against my stomach as he threads his fingers through mine.
The new position allows him to drive in deeper, the sensation making the pressure grow.
But then something cold wraps around my finger, sending a shiver down my arm.
I snatch my hand down and examine it, my heart fluttering when I realize what it is. Attached to my ring finger is a massive pear-shaped diamond, with a halo of smaller diamonds around it.
Immediately, my eyes well with tears, the overwhelming feeling of euphoria clogging my throat.
Adrian moves my hands and presses a soft kiss to my lips. “Marry me, Bambi?”
A warm tear streaks down my face. “Oh, my God, Adrian. Yes. So many times, yes.”
I wrap my hands around his neck, letting my fingers dive in his hair and pull him closer. Our kiss is greedy, and as hungry as ever, while we devour each other.
It isn’t until later, when we’re both out of breath, satiated beyond words, that we finally come down. I’m resting in the crook of his arm, tracing idle shapes on his chest, staring at the gorgeous ring reflecting hues of blue on his skin. His free hand strokes my hair, and I almost think I’m purring, I feel so good.
But just when I think there’s nothing more perfect than this moment, his whisper proves me wrong.
“Fourth of July, little prey.” He shifts and kisses me on the temple. “You can hunt me then.”
My heart soars as I climb on top of him, peppering him with sweet kisses and nips of joy. “I freaking love you.”
Adrian chuckles, allowing me a few more seconds before flipping me back over. “I love you more, Sam.”
The End.
