Page 49 of Blackwood

The stab of rejection sank deep inside me like a poisoned splinter. “Why?”

“You’re too…” His chest heaved, and his cock pressed against his jeans. “I can’t do this to you.”

His face began to blur as tears clouded my vision. “You can’t or you don’t want to?”

“It doesn’t matter.” He took another step away, then turned his back on me. “I won’t hurt you.”

“Fuck you.” I wanted to hit him, shove him, do something to show him that I wasn’t going to break. “I didn’t call black.”

His shoulders slumped. “I know, but I feel like…”

“Like what?” I demanded.

“I feel like if I do those things to you, those things that I want—” He let out a heavy sigh. “Look, it doesn’t matter. It’s just not going to happen. Things are good the way they are. Let’s keep them that way.”

I dropped my head and two tears plopped to the floor.

“I’m going to work. You, um, you get ready to start surveying or something.” He walked toward the library.

I turned my head away from him. I didn’t want him to see me cry. A flash of red caught my eye. My pea coat hung on a hook along with other jackets in the foyer.

I blinked hard, ridding myself of the tears. He opened the French doors to the library, his back to me. In a moment of pure impulse, I snagged the red coat and pulled it on. He still hadn’t turned around.

With a deep breath, I gripped the front door handle and pulled.

He turned then, and shot me a look so fierce I almost faltered.

“What are you doing, Red?” The warning notes in his voice only strengthened my resolve.

I gave him a smirk and my middle finger before taking off across the porch, down onto the lawn, and into the cold, shadowy woods.

Chapter Eighteen

Iranfast butnot hard enough to re-injure my leg. Sprinting across the leaf-strewn ground, I felt electric. Each stride carried me away from Garrett, but also right into his arms. I’d made my choice. I hopped a small stream and cut to the left, dashing down an easy slope.

My feet skidded on a patch of wet leaves. I slowed to keep from falling. That’s when I heard Garrett’s footfalls. A thrill coursed through me. My body kicked into a higher gear, and I sped away, endorphins telling me I could beat him, that I could get away even if that wasn’t my intent.

I passed the silent trees. They watched as I ran for my life, my mind conjuring a killer chasing me down. A killer with Garrett’s face. The fear took me higher, gave me wings as I sprinted through a clearing. Garrett’s footfalls grew louder, the earth thundering beneath him as I broke through the tree line and darted to the right.

Five more steps. That was all I got. Garrett tackled me to the ground, his strong arms wrapping around me as we fell. I hit the forest floor hard, my breath escaping my lungs with a whoosh. He grunted, and I threw an elbow back into his ribs as I tried to crawl away from him.

“Not a chance, Red.” He gripped my upper arm and yanked me onto my back. Pinning my arms above my head, he glared down at me. His pulse thundered in his throat, and his eyes were wild, the pupils huge.

He straddled me, his strong thighs keeping my legs pressed together. Transferring my wrists to one hand, he used the other to grab a handful of my t-shirt.

“I won’t let you go. I can’t. Not now.” He yanked the shirt, and it ripped at my shoulders. “Call black.”

“No.” I tried to pull my wrists free, but his grip was like an iron band.

He yanked again, and the shirt came apart. Cold air assaulted my exposed skin, and my thin bra was no match for the frigid temperature. He leaned down and bit one of my nipples through the material. I arched and whimpered as he tongued me, then bit the other nipple.

In one rough movement, he ripped my bra down, one strap shredding against my skin with a sting. He bit the inside of my left breast hard, and I squealed at the sharp burn.

“Call black.” He growled and ran his hand to my jeans.

“Fuck you!” I wriggled, a stick poking against my right shoulder blade.

He tugged at my jeans so hard my hips lifted from the ground. The button popped off and the zipper ripped. When his fingers snaked inside my panties and down to my clit, I threw my head back onto the hard ground.

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