Page 67 of Whispers of the Water

“Two.”

Another step back.

“Run.”

I whipped around and raced down the left path, trying route after route. Five minutes. Surely I could lose him in five minutes. Hell, maybe I’d actually find the exit by then and win. Although part of me did want to know what it meant to fall prey to his predator.

I turned down another stretch of corn and came face to face with the third dead end since we’d separated.

“Shit,” I hissed.

I turned to go back the way I’d come when the sound of approaching footsteps headed toward me. My heart skyrocketed, and I looked around frantically for somewhere to go. There was nothing but rows of corn. I had no idea if the approaching person was Rune, but if so, I’d be caught.

Thinking on my feet, I faced the dead end once more and quickly pushed my way into the corn. Was it cheating? Probably, but technically, he’d never said I couldn’t hide in the corn. I crouched low and weaved my way as far into the tall stalks as I could before turning around to peer past the vegetation.

Voices drifted closer until I was able to make out Akira’s voice.

“Another dead end. Great. I think I should lead now,” he huffed.

“No. I’ve got this, I’ve got this,” Bassel said calmly. “I was getting us a little lost on purpose to give everyone else a head start since I’m nice like that. We want to give everyone a fair chance of winning.”

Grinning at Akira and Bassel’s exchange, I prepared to leave the cover of the thick corn when a large hand covered my mouth from behind and pulled me firmly against a hard chest.

“Got you,” Rune whispered against my ear.

Goosebumps broke out along my spine at the feel of his chest against my back, his hand stifling my sounds, and his arm wrapped around my waist. The position made me hyper aware of him, as well as the hard mass in his pants, which pressed against my butt where I knelt on my knees on the ground. Hot need pulsed through my core like a steady heartbeat.

I pulled away from Rune’s hand and looked over my shoulder at him to whisper, “How the hell did you find me? And how did I not hear you moving through the corn?”

“I’m a predator, Bria. It’s what I do.”

I swallowed hard at the stipulation his words recalled. He’d caught me, his prey, which meant he’d get his reward. To feast. He’d never elaborated on what that meant, so my mind was left to fill in the blanks.

At least for a split second.

His arm shifted. He ran his palm across my stomach, dipping beneath the fabric of my sweater. My heart lurched when his hand drifted further down until it stopped on the button of my jeans. He flicked the button out of the hole and slowly unzipped the front, passing his fingers into the opening it created.

I quickly gripped his roaming hand and hissed as quietly as I could, “What are you doing?”

Something primal, unrestrained, and dangerously sexy flashed in his eyes as he pushed past my hold and settled his fingers beneath my panties. His digit slicked in between the crease of my folds, and I had to bite my lip against the urge to gasp from the electric jolt of pleasure.

“I’m feasting,” Rune answered in a low voice against my cheek.

Rune’s other hand reclaimed my mouth, covering it as his finger slid back and forth against my now-aching core. I was thankful for his muting me because, without it, my uncontainable moan would’ve been broadcast to anyone passing in nearby paths.

I knew this was a bad idea. We were in public, barely hidden amongst the corn at a very popular event. Anyone could come to this dead end, hear us or spot a peek of clothing amongst the stalks, and we’d be shamefully caught.

But as his digit circled, rubbed, and flicked against my clit, I found myself not caring. My head fell back against his shoulder, and my eyes slipped shut. He buried his face in my neck where his tongue traveled across my skin. A moan slipped past my lips, only to be caught by his palm, all while he worked my heated desire higher and higher.

Voices drifted near as people came closer to the dead end. My eyes shot open in alarm, and I quickly grabbed Rune’s wicked hand to make him stop. This only fueled him though, and I shivered in his arms, gasping against his hand just as a couple headed in our direction.

“Shh,” Rune whispered into my ear. He moved his hand down my lips and over my jaw, until he gripped my neck. “We have company. You don’t want them to hear you, do you?”

“Rune,” I hissed in a harsh whisper.

The people were close enough that I could make out one person’s camo cargo pants and another with blue jeans. Rune still didn’t stop. His finger beckoned me in exactly the right spot, and I bit my lip, fighting to hold in my cry, which only served to make the fire in between my legs hotter.

“Another dead end,” a female voice said beyond the stalks.

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