Page 21 of Escaping Wonderland

She looked up at him. “Or you’re just very…tall.”

And he was. He towered over her, standing atleasta foot taller—likely more.

“I’m exactly the size I’m meant to be. You, on the other hand, have changed sizes. It’s quite inconsiderate.”

“In…considerate…” she said slowly. “Well, don’t you think it’s inconsiderate thatyoutook off and forced me to run after you in heels?”

He pursed his lips and furrowed his brow, making another thoughtful humming sound. He sank into a crouch, extending an arm and settling his palm on her bare thigh just beneath the hem of her skirt and above the top of her striped stocking. She sucked in a sharp breath. His hand was so warm, so soft, and yet also so solid and strong, that she found herself unable to immediately react; it feltgood.

Shadow slid his palm down her leg, catching the stocking and drawing it down, too. He brushed his thumb over her knee, and his fingertips grazed the sensitive flesh behind her knee before moving lower. His hand cupped her calf. A shiver stole through her, and warmth pooled between her legs.

“What are you doing?” She couldn’t muster the willpower to pull away from him.

His hand finally stopped at her foot, which looked tiny compared to his long fingers.

“Your legsarerather shorter than mine. Though I must say, they are”—his tongue slipped out and ran over his lips—“perfect.” With his other hand, he lifted her foot and peeled the stocking off completely, his fingers trailing over her sole.

His touch, combined with his words, sent a bolt of desire straight to her core. She couldn’t tell based on the hungry look in his eyes and the flash of his fangs whether he intended to bite her ortasteher, but she found both options oddly thrilling.

Eat me.

Did I seriously just think that?

The thought—combined with her sudden mental image of him leaning closer and pressing his mouth between her legs—was as startling as it was arousing.

I’ll just have to make good on this later, he’d said as he pocketed her bracelet at the Hatter’s. She found herself suddenly wishing he’d do sonow.

“Um, Shadow,” she said, a bit breathlessly. “Shouldn’t we…go?”

He tucked her bunched-up stocking into his coat. “Why are you in such a hurry? Our destination isn’t likely to get up and move somewhere else—at least not anytime soon.”

Whywasshe in such a hurry? Why not just let him touch her? Why not lie upon the grass, spread her legs, and let him devour her with his tongue and lips just like she craved?

Because this isn’t real.

But wasn’t that only more reason to immerse herself in this fantasy?

It would be so easy to forget that this was all a simulation, so easy to just live in this make-believe world and embrace the madness. So easy to let go of all the things she was desperate to remember. Somehow, she knew this place would takeeverythingfrom her if she submitted to it.

The thought shook her.

Reaching down, Alice cupped Shadow’s chin and tilted his face toward hers. “Please, Shadow. I…I feel likeIam running out of time, like I’ll just…”

His stunning, teal eyes searched her face, and his features smoothed; even his grin faded. “Lose yourself?”

Alice nodded. “Yeah.”

Shadow covered her hands with his own, squeezing them gently. “I won’t let you get lost, Alice.”

For a moment, there was clarity in his eyes, and Alice saw the man—therealman—behind the grinning mask, a man who was just as lost, just as vulnerable—if not more so—as her.

She smiled down at him. “Thank you.”

He smiled back, but his smile spread slowly until it was that huge grin again. Unsettling cheer sparked in his eyes. Just like that, his moment of lucidity had passed.

He leapt to his feet, simultaneously lowering her hands from his face, and tugged her into a spin that would’ve been well-received in a dance competition. The forest was a blur around her; when she finally came to a stop, he was holding her in a low dip, one arm around her lower back and the other still holding one of her hands.

“Let’s away to Jor’calla, my dear. I’m sure we’ll find some fun during our journey.”

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