Page 72 of Unlawful Seduction

And not now.

“Goddamn it. Live a little, Beckett. What’s it going to hurt you? We have time. We need to burn off energy.”

I snagged the coat from the floor, shaking it a few times. “Fine, but you wait right here. I’ll be right back.”

“Come on.”

“Right there. You move, I’ll punish you.” I was teasing her, but I gathered a sense she was aroused.

She frowned and cocked her head to the side. “Two minutes and all bets are off. Do you hear that, buster?”

Yeah, I heard it. She had no understanding that all I wanted for her was for her to return to her life where she could remain that way in one piece.

I’d come to a solid conclusion and the only one that would allow her to enjoy the town and the friends she’d come to rely on.

As soon as I ensured she was safely tucked away, I’d follow protocol.

Within twenty-four hours, I’d be gone.

And she’d never hear from me again.

CHAPTER 18

Mallory

The crisp air assaulted my senses and brought an immediate smile to my face. I took a deep breath, holding the air in my lungs. When I blew it out, Jax’s tail swished back and forth before he jumped into the air to bite the frost I expelled.

Why was it that at this moment all I could think about was painting my life with bold colors? No, the timing sucked, but there was something so innocent yet inviting about a recent snowfall that I’d always felt as if there was nothing I couldn’t do.

I’d craved passion and something wild for as long as I could remember, finally indulging in beautiful, kinky acts I’d only managed to fantasize about. My ex hadn’t been interested. At all.

In the two days, I’d felt a needy tug of something dark inside of me. While I’d tried to shove it back into a dark corner or padlock the desires away, I’d failed. Every time I looked at Beckett, the darkness feasted on a little more of the light resonating inside of me.

A moment of forbidden heat pooled between my legs as I walked further from the house. The snow was even deeper than I’d realized, crunchy under my feet. Jax leapt from the shoveled pathway to the packed landscape of snow, already doing zoomies back and forth across the yard. I had to climb, laughing at myself for being winded once I’d safely maneuvered my way to the surface.

I turned around in a full circle. The view was more incredible than I’d imagined. Every tree was covered in ice and snow, every shrub lost in a sea of white. There was no sound whatsoever and a peaceful feeling rushed through me. Jax ran closer, challenging me by dropping down until his elbows were dragging the snow.

Woof.

“What, baby? You want to play? Then let’s play.” I took off running, or attempting to run, struggling from minute one for the energy it took to take three steps. It had been a long time since I could consider myself a mountain girl.

At least I wasn’t crunching all the way through the foot and a half of snow, the heaviness of the snowfall and ice mixture keeping me close to the surface.

Woof. Woof!

Jax was having no issues whatsoever. He bounded back and forth, daring me to keep up with him.

“You are without a doubt the most disobedient woman I’ve ever met.”

Even from where I stood, I could see his dark, glinting smile. He’d caught me in a disobedient act and was happy with himself.

I laughed and turned toward the sound of Beckett’s voice, marveling at how it echoed in the dense atmosphere. “I didn’t go far. Trust me. I don’t think I could if I wanted to.”

He stormed toward me and I instantly realized why he’d gone down the hallway.

To retrieve a weapon.

While it no longer troubled me in the same way the knowledge had initially, I still took a few seconds scanning the perimeter. There was no one within miles. The snow was fresh and unblemished for as far as the eye could see. Perhaps I didn’t know the exact location of his house, but I did know Mount Mansfield.

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