Page 58 of Her Secret Santa

“Don’t make me wait too long,” I tease, stepping out of his embrace.

“Never,” he promises, eyes crinkling at the edges with a warm smile.

I head out toward the parking garage as Zade makes his way toward the back of the ballroom. Matty, Zade’s driver, waits for us in the sleek black BMW that Zade favors, and he steps out to open my door for me when he sees me coming. He nods when I thank him and waits until I’m situated before closing the door and heading back to the driver’s seat.

“Zade should be out in a moment,” I tell him, settling into the backseat. “Thanks for braving the New Year’s traffic for us.”

Matty is usually a bit more chatty with me than he is with Zade, but instead of answering me, he passes me an envelope. It’s thick black cardstock, the kind that I haven’t seen since before Zade and I became official.

From Eternity.

I don’t get official invitations these days, showing up on Zade’s arm whenever we please instead. My heart trips overitself in my chest as I rip it open and snag the card from inside. The car is already moving, but I can’t pay attention to anything but the words on the page.

Little one, I have something special planned for tonight. Cain shut Eternity down for us, and I’ve set up a bit of a hunt. Take your shoes off before you get here and be ready to run, because I have every intention of chasing you down.

– Z

My face flushes with excitement, and I’m already wet just with the anticipation of it. I fumble my shoes off and leave them lying on the floor.

It feels like it only takes seconds to reach the club, and Matty pulls the car to a stop outside the unadorned black door that leads to Eternity. The sidewalk is roped off surrounding it, a red carpet rolled out so I don’t have to step on the bare pavement. It’s the first time I’ve walked in without being welcomed by one of the bouncers, and the quiet of the building is eerie.

Most of the lights are off, hardly enough left on to see by, and the shadows seem larger and more imposing than usual. I’ve gotten quite familiar with the layout of the club over the past year, so I can pick my way through the hallway and out to the balcony that leads down to the dance floor with ease. Zade and I have spent many,manynights here, exploring both of our limits and finding new heights of pleasure. He had a playroom built for us at his penthouse too, but Eternity has such an addictive energy to it that we find ourselves here once a week at least.

I make my way out onto the balcony, the metal landing cold beneath my bare feet. The silence is daunting, and I can hear my pulse rushing in my ears.

Zade steps out of the shadows on the balcony opposite me, all predatory grace and a wide, hungry smile. His sleeves are rolled up to his elbows, tie nowhere to be found, several buttons of his shirt undone to bare just a tease of his well-muscled chest. Both of our faces are free of a mask, and it feels vulnerable in a way I’m not used to. We often ditch the masks once we’re in a private room, but this is the first time we’re standing in this part of the club bare-faced.

Anticipation thrums under my skin, my nipples hardening beneath the silk of my dress and my thighs tensing.

Zade is looking at me like he wants to eat me alive, and I’m a bit lightheaded at the thought of what he’s going to do to me. His grin widens as he trails his gaze over me, eyes even darker than usual in the half-shadow of the club.

“Run, little one.”

I dash down the stairs, bundling my dress up in one hand so I don’t trip over the hem. His laughter echoes as he watches, obviously giving me a head start. I skirt the edge of the usually packed dance floor, sticking to the shadows at the corners of the room. It’s been rearranged a bit, the couches and tables in different positions than usual. He doesn’t want me to have the comfort of familiarity with surroundings this time.

We’ve not played this game before, not like this. We’ve talked about it, Zade telling me all of the ways he wants to chase me down and claim me, mark me as his in the most primal fashion.

The clip of his shoes against the stairs sounds through the club as he makes his way down, his steps measured and certain. My heart pounds in my chest, rabbit-fast and pumping adrenaline through my veins. I hide in the shadows, keeping myfootsteps as soft as I can as I edge my way toward the door against the back wall that leads to some of the private rooms.

Zade walks down into the center of the room, tilting his head back and letting the dim lights catch on the sharp line of his jaw. I keep my eyes trained on him, keeping my pace slow and steady.

And then my foot hits a bottle.

The sound of glass rolling against concrete has my heart rate spiking straight through the roof, and my eyes blow wide as instinctual fear spears through me. The hell is a bottle doing there?

Zade’s grin blooms slowly, wolfish and prideful and starving, and he tuts at me disapprovingly before he even looks in my direction. When he does, his eyes find me instantly, seeming to cut through the shadow like he knows exactly where I’ve been this whole time, and my entire body goes hot.

“Should’ve been more careful, pet,” he croons, his voice low and dark and dripping with satisfaction. “I didn’t expect you to fall for such an obvious trap.”

I bolt out of my hiding place before he takes a single step toward me, throwing caution to the wind and dashing straight for the door. He cuts me off before I make it even halfway there, and I pivot on the ball of my foot to rush toward the stairs instead.

I can’t stop myself from laughing in pure excitement, the thrill of the chase so much more intense than I ever expected it to be, and his laugh echoes mine.

I run up the stairs, just barely managing to save myself from tripping, and head straight toward the door that leads to the private rooms up here. I half expect it to be locked, but it swings open easily under my weight, and I slam it closed behind me the second I make it through. Zade chuckles from the other side of the door as I flip the lock, and it sends pleasant tingles down my spine.

“Oh, sweetheart,” he says, his voice dripping with disdain. “You think adooris going to stop me from getting what I want?”

I step back, starting down the hall as quietly as I can and testing the doors to the rooms. One by one, they’re all locked, and I start looking around for somewhere to run.

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