Page 98 of Collect the Pieces

“Do we need some rules?” I ask, my voice quivering with excitement. “Are you going to count to ten? Your legs are a lot longer than mine. To make it fair, you should give me a good head start.”

“Margot, it’s just a game.” He strokes his knuckles over my cheek. “It doesn’t matter where you run or how fast. We both know when I catch you, I’m going to fuck you,” he says in the most maddeningly seductive tone possible. “That’s the only rule.”

Need throbs between my legs. If he keeps talking to me like that, I won’t be abletorun. This clearing actually looks like a perfectly good spot. He could sit with his back to that tree while I pull my dress up, straddle his lap and…

He sets his hands on my shoulders and turns me around. “If you go up this hill and to the right, you’ll eventually come to a clearing where there’s a semi-circle of tiered stone benches and a big slab of stone.”

I peer at him over my shoulder. “Sounds very Roman Empire.”

His lips tilt. “Ifyou make it that far. Don’t keep going. The path will narrow again and hook up with the trail that leads right to the parking lot.”

“Wait, what if someone sees us?”

He tilts his head toward the path. “Garage was empty. They brought the kids down to Teller’s earlier. Wrath went to work.” He shrugs. “I don’t think anyone goes out there unless there’s a formal event or something.”

Wow, he gave this a lot of thought. My desire ratchets up about a thousand degrees. “But you don’t know for sure…”

“That’ll be part of the fun.”

I frown, hating that I’m asking this. “You’ve never done this before, right?”

“No.” He shakes his head. “You’re the only woman I’ve ever wanted to chase.” He presses his lips to my ear. “To hunt down. Fuck like a savage. Only you.”

I’m breathing hard but my nose tingles, like I’m on the verge of crying for some reason. How can something so crude also be so sweet?

He squeezes my hips, then releases me, almost like a wild animal he’s setting free.

That’s exactly how I feel as my feet start moving.Wild.Absolutely nuts. A little silly. And frantically praying he catches me soon.

My sneakers crash and pound over the mossy earth. My pulse is so loud in my ears, it feels like I’m covering more ground than I actually am. I’m tingling all over. Desperate for him to catch me but also afraid of our game ending. My heart’s on fire.

How long will he wait before coming after me?

The crunch of a stick echoing behind me propels my feet faster.

Don’t look back.

Another snap of a branch.

I squeal and dodge around trees, leap over branches, and skitter over pine needles.

But I keep going.

More crashing through the woods. Leaves crunching. Twigs cracking.

Heavy footsteps accelerating.

My heart pounds.

My clit throbs.

The clearing Jigsaw mentioned must be ahead. Tall, gray stones and overgrown grass are just barely visible through the trees.

Will I make it?

My body trembles with the thrill of being captured. Can’t wait to feel his arms around me. But I still keep running.

He’s close.

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