Page 97 of Ignite

“What do you mean ‘run’? You think I’m going out in those scary-ass woods in the pitch black? A leisurely jog isn’t what I’m after from you, beastie.”

I laugh, digging my fingers into her thighs.

“Nothing leisurely about what I’m going to do to you once I catch you.”

She studies me now. Eyes flicking between curiosity and something darker.

“What is this? Some sort of chase kink?”

I shake my head, keeping my face hard.

“No, trouble. This isn’t me chasing you… this is me hunting you.”

I lean in, tongue sliding along her jaw. She sucks in a breath, head tipping back, so damn responsive. Too perfect to just be my friend.

But if I let her in, I might never let her go.

“Now fucking run,” I whisper, stepping back.

She slides off the hood. Staring between me and the door. Her chest rises and falls fast.

There’s a hesitation in her. The kind that tastes like adrenaline. Like she’s balancing on the line between fear and arousal. That mix drives me wild. I want her to feel it. I want her to see me.

“What will you do if you catch me?” she asks, voice barely audible as she smooths her dress.

“It’s not if. It’s when. It’s up to you to decide if you want to find out.”

She chews the inside of her cheek.

“Do I need a safe word?”

A slow, dangerous smile spreads across my face.

“You think a safe word will save you? Sure. Go ahead.”

Her brows knit, and I shrug.

All she has to do is say stop. And I would. For her, I would. But this game? It’s mine.

“You know what? I don’t want one.”

I lean back against the hood of her Shelby, arms crossed, waiting.

“Good girl.”

Chapter 32

HALLIE

Aflash of darkness crosses his eyes as I stumble back toward the door. The way he told me to run lit a fuse under my skin.

So that’s what I’m doing.

I cut a sharp left, skirting the edge of his unit and bolting for the tree line. No footsteps yet. Just the wind needling across my face, cold against the fire building in my chest.

The second I cross into the woods, the air shifts. Branches scrape past my arms as I weave through the trees. Everything’s shadows and movement, like the forest is watching. But all I feel is him.

My blood’s roaring in my ears. My lungs burn. I’m not built for sprinting like this, especially not with a six-foot-six beast chasing me down like prey.

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