Page 50 of Ruthless Royalty

My muscles coil, ready to spring into action, my heart pounding with anticipation.

“One.”

I take off after her, the cold night air whipping against my face as I sprint through the trees. The forest is dense, but I know these woods like the back of my hand. I know where she’s likely to go, where she thinks she can hide. But there’s no hiding from me.

“Ready or not, I’m coming, Kitten,” I call out, my voice echoing through the trees.

I hear her curse in response, a flash of satisfaction running through me. She’s fast, but I’m faster. And I’m not just hunting her down—I’m enjoying every fucking second of this.

I can hear her ahead of me, her breath coming in ragged gasps, her footsteps frantic as she tries to put as much distance between us as possible. But it’s pointless. She doesn’t stand a chance. Not against me.

She glances over her shoulder, and our eyes lock for a split second before she whips her head back around, realizing how close I am. The fear in her eyes only fuels me, makes me push harder, my breath coming in sharp bursts as I close in on her.

“Fuck you, Giovanni!” she shouts, her voice laced with anger and desperation.

“Only when I catch you, baby,” I taunt, a grin spreading across my face.

She veers off to the left, trying to throw me off, but I’m right on her tail, matching her every move. I can see the strain in her face, the way her muscles are starting to tire, her steps becoming less sure. She’s running out of steam, and she knows it.

“Is this how you get your kicks?” she pants, glancing back at me. “Chasing girls through the fucking woods like some psycho?”

“I’ve got my reasons,” I reply, my tone dark, cryptic.

“Yeah?” she snaps. “Well, they’re fucked up.”

“Of course they are,” I admit. “But so are you, babygirl. You just don’t want to admit it.”

She tries to veer to the right this time, heading toward a thick cluster of trees, but I’m on her before she can change course. She stumbles, nearly falling, but I catch her before she hits the ground.

She tries to fight me off, her fists pounding against my chest, but I don’t let go.

“Get off me!” she screams, her voice raw with desperation.

“Not until you admit it,” I growl, holding her tight against me. I grab her hands and pin them above her head. “Admit that you wanted this. That you wanted me to chase you.”

She freezes, her eyes narrowing as she looks up at me. “You’re out of your fucking mind.”

“Am I really?” I ask, my grip on her unrelenting. “You can’t tell me you didn’t feel it, Chiara. The rush, the excitement. You likedit.”

She gasps, struggling to break free, but I’m not letting her go. Not this time.

“Let me go!” she demands, thrashing in my grip, but I hold her tight, refusing to give an inch.

“Not until you understand,” I growl, my voice low and rough in her ear.

“Understand what?” she spits, her eyes blazing with fury as she glares up at me. “That you’re a fucking lunatic?”

“No,” I say, tightening my hold on her. “That you can’t keep running from this. From us.”

Her expression falters, just for a moment, and I can see the doubt flicker in her eyes. She’s scared, but she’s also angry—angry at me, at the situation, at herself.

But there’s something else too, something deeper that she’s been trying to bury. And I’m not letting her do it anymore.

“There’s no‘us’,” she snaps, but there’s no conviction in her words. “And I’m not running from anything.”

I lean in closer, my lips brushing against her ear as I speak. “Liar.”

She stiffens in my arms, her breath hitching in her throat. She wants to fight me, to push me away, but she can’t. Not when she knows I’m right.

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