Page 50 of A Twisted Gift

She swallows, and I feel her throat working against my lips. Her voice is the quietest of whispers as she tells me, “I want you to chase me.”

I go so still that even my breathing halts. There’s no way I heard her correctly. No way that when I was dreaming of it, she was, too. But… maybe it’s only natural. I’ve spent my entire life chasing after her. And while she wasn’t intentionally hiding, that doesn’t mean she didn’t want to be found.

“Say it again,” I manage hoarsely.

Squirming against me, Raina tries to look away. “It’s silly. I shouldn’t have—”

“It’s not. Now say it again.” Gripping her chin, I guide her gaze back to mine. “I need to hear it.”

“I want you to chase me. For me to—to run and hide, and for you to find me. And then…”

“And then what, little rose?”

“I want you to worship me.”

Her words are hesitant, desire shrouded in worry. It unlocks something inside of me that’s been lying dormant for far too long. One second, I’m staring into those blue eyes, the ones I dreamed of every night. And the next, I’m capturing her mouth with mine, eating up her startled moan and holding her when she melts into me.

My dick hardens at the way her body softens against mine. At the thought of running after her and pinning her to the ground, keeping her trapped against me until she comes on my cock.

“Made for me.” My hand slides up her back until I’m gently gripping the hair at the base of her neck. I tug until she’s looking up at the ceiling, leaving her throat open and vulnerable to me. Starting at the base of her chin, I kiss my way down her neck, reveling in the way she shudders against me. “And I was made for you.”

“You think so?” she whispers.

Straightening, I take her face in mine, my mind whirring with all the possibilities. All the things I’ve wanted to do to her,withher. God, she has no idea what it means to me, hearing her voice similar desires to mine.

“I know so, Raina.” I kiss her again. “So yes, of course I’ll chase you. I’d chase you to the ends of the earth if you let me.”

She beams, and I’m pretty sure I could live off the sight alone.

“Now, come with me.” I slide my hand into hers. “We need to get ready.”

But she doesn’t budge. “Are you a sadist?” she blurts.

“For you, I could be. Are you a masochist?”

“A… a what?”

Again, I find myself amused by Raina’s knowledge gaps. How did she learn what a sadist is but not a masochist?

“Someone who takes pleasure from pain.”

“Oh. I—” A frown dances over her features, and she shakes her head. “I don’t think I’d like that.”

“Then I’m not a sadist.”

The truth, although I’d do anything—becomeanything—for her.

All she has to do is ask.

Chapter sixteen

Raina

It’s freezing as we slowly make our way through the dark forest. Erik goes first, saying he knows the best way. He’s already assured me that we won’t run into any bears. He explained hibernation to me, something Father conveniently neglected to tell me about.

When we get close enough to the mansion, Erik stops. His gloved hand brushes against my cheek, and then he presses something hard into my palm. I can barely make it out in the dark—a sheathed knife.

“I’m going to take out the guards first,” he tells me in a hushed voice, “and then I’ll come back for you. Stay right here, and stay quiet, all right?”

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