Page 9 of Hunted in Holly

“What kind of game?” My words were as weak as my resistance, every time he grazed that perfect spot.

“It’s a simple game. I think you’ll be good at it.” He traced my ear with his tongue, and his body near shivered at my taste. “There’s a large forest at the flank of my fortress.” The moan on his lips as he touched me heated my cheeks more than I’d admit. “I’ll let you go, and you’ll run from me. You’ll hide. You’ll try so hard to escape.” He started moving his fingers faster. My hips pressed into his hand in a moment of foolish instinct, and I was too overwhelmed by every perfect tingle to correct myself. “If you can evade me until Christmas, you win. I’ll let you have my head and my kingdom.” Another nip of my ear, another shameful whimper on my lips. “But when you fail, and I catch you, I win.” His tone was a growl that felt more animal than man. The coarse feel of his stubble brushing my cheek only added to that sense of danger. “I’ll fuck you raw, make you mine, and keep you in this pretty cage, forever.” I could barely focus on his words as he continued drawing the soul from my goddamn body. I was ashamed to acknowledge that I’d started to rhythmically rock my hips against his fingers. That at some point, I’d started gripping his shoulders, while my own arousal soaked him in a sticky mess.

I’dneveradmit that the desire for more—to finish on him—was overriding all of my good sense.

I bit my lip in an effort to quiet the accidental sounds and shaky breaths he was forcing through me. Brilliant ecstasy was difficult to resist, and he knew exactly how to get me there.

“So needy.” Nicholas was merciless as he finished me off. He plunged a finger inside me, then used both his thumb and forefinger to work me inside and out. “You’re making it incredibly difficult to wait right now. But it’ll be so much more satisfying when you really make me work for it.”

No longer able to rationalize, I pulled him down on me, pressing our chests together, my body needing contact, as if he provided any security.

“Fuck.” His voice was completely undone now. Our stifled breaths were synchronized as both of us kept climbing. “Come for me, Dove.”

I couldn’t hold back my cry as I crashed over the edge. My body spasmed until I was seeing sound, knees shaking, and brilliant pleasure spreading warmly through my fucking soul. I’d been so tightly wound by stress and anger, I didn’t have any will left to fight that release. I threw my head back and let myself feel. All of it. That intense orgasm tearing through me was nothing like any sensation I’d ever known. I felt tears dribble down my temples, and I made no effort to find equilibrium. As much as I hated him, I needed that release as much as I needed my revenge. Whether it was by his touch or not, it was still my body that created every endorphin and ounce of dopamine that was lifting me up. That was the only power I had now, and I was going to ride it into the damn sunset.

His hot tongue swiped along the trail of my tears, first on the left, then on the right. Then he connected our lips, sealing the pact in a kiss. I let him in my mouth, and I don’t know why I didn’t bite off his tongue, or why I let him dominate mine, pin my tongue in place, and stroke it as he receded.

He withdrew slowly, sliding that thick muscle over the delicate skin of my lower lip, then he whispered, ever so quietly, “Good luck, Sweet Noel.”

Losing his body heat was a shock to my system.

He pulled away and stood at the foot of the bed, looking down on my ravaged body with a pleased expression. He sniffed along his finger, as if to add my pussy to his scent database for the hunt, then he sucked that digit between his lips. His tongue lingered on the pad of his fingertip as he withdrew, then he addressed me again with a disarming smile.

“Get some rest. You’ll have three days to survive, and I want you to be at your full strength.”

I was still too deeply in shock to know what to say. He turned on his heel, then walked to the door. He unlocked it, opened it, then paused to face me.

He offered one last smirk before he shut the door between us. The lock echoed loudly through my once again silent room.

I just stayed there, on my back, disheveled by orgasm, and staring at the bright red dot on the ceiling.

Unexpected clarity seeped into my mind as I fully came down from the intense high.

He… He was going to hunt me. Through his own woods, he was going to make me his prey, chase me down like an animal, and take me as his queen?

I moistened my lips and inhaled deeply.

Arrogant.

And foolish.

I had a second chance.

Let’s see if the great Saint Nicholas can really outsmart the daughter of Mother Nature in a romp through the woods.

Chapter 5

My winter green coat, pine colored boots, and flattering base layers were returned to me, fully laundered, three days before Christmas morning. I was given some simple survival supplies, namely a rope, some nonperishable sweets, and a pocket knife, and my captor was kind enough to offer me a map of the dense pine forests and mountains that surrounded the back half of his North Pole fortress. He was as arrogant as always, so confident he would win that he was giving me any edge he could offer.

Not that this could ever be a fair game. No matter how much food, weaponry, and topographical maps he provided me with, he’d lived in this forest for thousands of years. My powers were still undeveloped, but at least I had my knowledge of theplants and snow to my advantage.

I pulled on my boots and brushed out my hair before the castle guards escorted me from my room. I followed them obediently through the halls until we arrived at a massive set of double doors colored with intricate red and gold patterns.

Nicholas stood against the doorway, but he made no qualms about looking me up and down as I approached.

“You look good enough to eat, Sweet Noel.” Nicholas said. “I wonder how long you’ll be able to hide from me.”

I narrowed my gaze. Three days was plenty of time to escape. I’d evade him, and I’d run. Even if my kingdom was destroyed, I could always hide in the countless forests, jungles, deserts, and plains throughout the world. Now that he’d told me how to kill him, I just had to bide my time until I was strong enough to execute.

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