Page 124 of Forbidden Game

Parker’s hand closes around mine. “I think my idea of fun is better.”

The husk in his voice pulls my attention, and I look up at him. The blue of his eyes is so much brighter against the deep red paint dripping down his face. My breath hitches as my hand comes up to trail his sharp jaw.

Creaks and groans sound around us. There’s even a whistling of wind. It all adds to the moment, increasing the urgency.

Parker backs me against the wall in the narrow hallway, his hands clasped around my wrists as he lifts my arms above my head. My chest heaves.

Parker leans down, not once breaking eye contact. The tip of his nose dances lightly against my own, and that contact of skin makes me break out in shivers. His lips remain a breath away, but I can feel the ghost of them.

I squeeze my thighs together, something thick and warm mixing low in my abdomen. Desire surges through me as Parker closes the distance and brushes his lips against mine. I try to deepen the kiss, pushing forward, but he doesn’t let me. He just continues to tease me with the soft brushing of his lips.

My hands twitch, begging to touch him, somewhere, anywhere. But they’re trapped. I groan in frustration.

Parker smirks. I’m about to complain, but then his tongue coaxes the seams of my lips. I open myself to him, humming in pleasure as he deepens the kiss. I lift one of my legs to wrap my ankle around his calf, pulling us closer. Everything fades away, and I start to forget exactly where we are.

The freedom he instills within me is euphoric and dangerous.

That is until Parker screams into my mouth and reels back.

Shock ripples through my body, and it mixes with my growing arousal, creating a cacophony of confusion in my brain.

What looks to be some sort of zombie clown looms over Parker. Even my own heart starts to beat faster in its presence. They weren’t kidding about the special effects being out of this world. The guy looks as if someone had taken IT and thrown acid at him.

As soon as Parker makes eye contact with the clown, he screams again and starts running down the hallway.

Without me.

It takes a second before my brain catches up through the love-drunk fog and I start after him into the darkness.

“Parker,” I yell at the disappearing angel. “Parker!”

It’s useless.

My core is still tight with the memories of a few moments ago, unreleased want leaving me wired, but fear begins to crawl through my system as I attempt to follow him through the haunted mansion.

Room after room of jump scares. It’s one thing to be going through this with someone, but navigating it on my own is way worse. Don’t get me wrong, it’s fun but in a seriously terrifying way. The mansion gets darker the farther I go, and it feels like it gets colder, too.

I round a corner and shriek when some creepy doll girl pops out of nowhere with an axe, true fear bleeding into me for the first time.

Shivers wrack through my body, but I push on, picking up the pace and looking over my shoulder to make sure the doll isn’t following me.

What I thought was a cool idea has turned very, very uncool.

I am going to kill Parker.

A screech rings out from nearby that sounds oddly like my boyfriend.

I pivot and head in the opposite direction. I didn’t think you could get lost in the haunted mansion; it isn’t supposed to be a maze. But the more I run, the less confident I become.

I’m halfway up a set of rickety stairs, doubting every decision I’ve ever made, when a burst of white starts barreling down the stairs.

For a second, I just pause.

The bloody angel running toward me is beautiful.

“Run!” Parker’s hand closes around my wrist, and he pulls me with him.

I let him lead us through the mansion. He alters direction whenever we come across an employee, his throat going hoarse with each screech. I think lose my sense of self along the way because I start laughing.

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