Page 80 of Primal God

His eyebrow raises. “And what would that be?”

“Your date.”

“It’s not a date.”

“Does she know that?”

“She knows.”

“Why is she in the pool house, then?”

“She’s looking at the layout to get an idea for her own pool house.”

“Old people sure go on weird dates…”

“Stop deflecting, Lilith. Now, are you going to play?”

I’m so damned aroused that it’s hard to think, much less move. But I nod.

“Yes.”

“Good. I’ll give you a head start.”

My heart pounds. “A head start?”

“Until I come after you.”

I moisten my lips. “Where should I go?”

“Good girl.” He dips his head to the left. “Go to the wooded area behind the house. See if you can make it to the greenhouse.”

“Can I at least grab my shoes?”

He snorts softly. “Sure you can, but that’s not going to stop me from counting. You have thirty seconds. Understand?”

“What happens if you catch me?”

“Whatever I want.”

I swear to god I almost come just by the way he says those three words.

“Lilith?”

I exhale. “Okay. Thirty seconds. Got it.”

I can see my shoes still next to the pool. He’s right that it’ll eat some of my time to grab them, but it’ll be better than running barefoot through the woods in the middle of the night.

I take off, rushing to grab my flip-flops. I slide them on my feet and then run like the devil is after me. Glancing over my shoulder, I find Dimitri standing there, watching me with a look on his face that makes my heart race faster. He might be worse than the devil.

I reach the wooded area behind the house and hear his voice drift through the air.

“Jackie, something has come up and I need to run.”

I don’t hear Jackie’s reply because I run even faster. My heart pounds. Each beat seems to scream, ‘he’s coming, he’s coming.’ The crazy thing is that I’m excited that he’s chasing me.

I think I hear a tree branch break behind me, so I turn to the left and then zigzag my way through the trees. It’s darker out here. Cooler, too. An owl hoots somewhere above me, but the sound blends in to the pounding of my heart.

A branch breaks to my right, so I swerve to the left and go faster. This body of mine is not meant for cardio, and I’m already slowing as I run out of steam. A large tree looms ahead. If I can make it to the tree, then I’ll be safe. I chant that mantra to myself, even though I’m so damn tired.

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