Page 77 of Hunted By the Headless Horseman
He vows to hurt me when he forces my skirt up, rips my stockings, and stabs his fingers inside me, forcing my arousal. He slams his mouth down on mine—stealing my moan.
Thaddeus wants my hatred. He wants every emotion because…he’s hunting me. A sick promise to break me down and rebuild me. He’ll seal me to him in a fog of lust and nightmares. A superficial, primal lust.
Thaddeus tries to master me. But I have a new master. I trade every damn moment with Thaddeus—including these— for every moment with Jack. Thaddeus moves in to claim me—to dominate me and own me. But Jack sealed himself to me first. I gave him everything.
Thaddeus gets nothing.
My ex-husband pulls me forward, grinding his hardness against the vulnerable parts between my thighs. Wet and soft. But not for him. Because I’m stronger. I’m ready. My mind races through the options as my fingers brush the counter’s edge, searching, calculating.
The scissors.
My fingers find them. Small, sharp, hidden near the register.
Thaddeus tilts his head, deepening the kiss with the new angle. When he rubs my folds, I whimper for good effect. Those fingertips still poise, not quite touching.
My heart pounds so loud, it roars in my ears, but I stay calm.He doesn’t expect it.
I play soft in his arms for a moment longer, luring him to drop his guard. My breath matches his, my lips parting beneath his with just enough submission to make him believe. He tugs down my dress strap.
And then?—
—I grab the scissors and plunge them deep into his shoulder.
Thaddeus recoils, his grip loosening for the precious moment I need as shock registers in his eyes—anger and disbelief mingling.
I don’t wait. I shove him with all my strength, pushing him back enough so I can scramble off the other side of the counter. My legs move on instinct as I bolt toward the back door, fear and adrenaline driving me forward.
Behind me, I hear the roar of rage as Thaddeus clutches his shoulder, his voice thundering, “You won’t escape me, Belle! I’ll destroy everything you love! Then hunt you down!”
I don’t look back.
I am Belle. I am Belladonna. Find Jack. I am Jack, Jackson Elias Moore. My own being.
I won’t stop. Thaddeus wants the hunt? I grin as I open the door and fly into the night. Because my headless horseman is the best hunter I’ve ever known. And he’s already won me.
30
“I will leave tonight and never return.”
JACK
Ifeelher before she shouts from behind me, “Jack!”
I should return to the manor, find Revenant, and ride far from Belladonna Holloway until she forgets the name Jack ever existed. She deserves more.
But I cannot and will not leave without saying goodbye. She also deserves this.
With a flurry of breaths escaping her mouth, Belle reaches the crest of the small forest path winding up the hill from her bookshop. The next thing I know, she is crashing against me, throwing her arms around me, shaking and crying. Tears fall down her cheeks in streams, hot and emotional. I stiffen but do not refuse her touch.
A few moments pass before she pulls away, her tear-stained eyes narrowing in confusion. Thankfully, it’s still far too dark for her to see my face. “What’s wrong? Why aren’t you?—?”
“I saw you.”
Her brows scrunch and she parts her lips, stepping back. “You saw me? What? What are you talking about?” I hear the hurt in her voice, the defensiveness.
Heaving a sigh, I run my fingers through my hair before dropping my hand to my side, clenching the leather. “I saw you withhim. My curse coming back to haunt me. My salvation, the woman I believed was my future wife?—”
“I still am,” she insists sharply.
