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"You're going to get a short head start. On the count of three, you're going to take off into those woods." As realization dawned, my eyes widened, and a wave of nervous excitement slammed into me. He didn't miss it, and his grin seemed to get wider. "You're getting it now."

I nodded. "Yes."

"Good. Three…" He rolled his shoulders and took a step forward. I shifted and took a step back.

"Two…" I turned to face the darkened woods, trying to remember the last time I'd run through them in a game of hideand seek. My heart hammered so loud I just knew it would give me away.

"Run." The word was a growl that seemed like his lips were directly behind my ear. I didn't look back but bolted into the woods like I was running for my life. Fear-tinged excitement tore through my veins as I turned off the path and wove through the trees. I lept over fallen limbs and raised roots.

It wasn't long before I heard his voice in the distance as my hunter entered the woods behind me.

"Ready or not, Pet. Here I come." He spoke deliberately loudly, and I tracked his progress by the sound of him talking.

"This was always my favorite game as a kid, y'know? Since I was smaller than the other kids, I was always the best at hiding. So they stopped letting me do it after a while…" He kept talking as he made his way through the woods.

It was thrilling in a way I'd never experienced before. I slowed to a creep and pressed my back against a partially fallen tree. His voice was behind me. I clasped my hand over my mouth to stifle the sounds of my breathing. We'd only just started, but I could already feel hot adrenaline pumping through my veins.

"So I had to be the seeker after that… all the way up until they stopped being able to hide from me." He laughed, the sound dark and deep. "Just like you're not going to be able to hide from me, Pet. Iwillfind you."

His voice was closer now. How did he know which way to go? I moved slowly away from the tree, weaving through the downed branches and around a few more large trunks to put more distance between us.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are…" He sang, still sounding like he was closing in.

I hazarded a quicker pace, moving again to keep him from stumbling onto me. The sound of a twig snapping under my foot made me freeze as I dropped into a crouch. His tauntinglaughter floated around me. I could feel sweat forming on my brow, the savagery in his voice causing my fear to override my logic until a part of my brain wasn't sure if this was pretend.

"Oh, Pet. You're too loud for someone who doesn't want to be found. Do you want me to tell you what I'm going to do to you once I find you? Or maybe you want to be caught so I can just show you."

His voice was much closer than I expected, his taunts so assured as he laughed. My thighs were soaked, my breathing was ragged, and I was having difficulty sitting still in my hiding place. My head felt like I was floating on a high from the adrenaline pumping through my veins as anticipation lit up my nerves.

"I can hear you breathing. Closer now… I could be right. Behind. You."

The logical part of my brain knew there was no way he could see me. Something about the firm, dark confidence in his voice made the primal part of my brain light up, and I bolted from my new hiding place. I threw a glance over my shoulder as I ran. I groaned when I saw him, his lithe, agile form moving swiftly through the trees.

"Running from me now, Pet? Perfect. This is the best fucking part," he called out from behind me. His footsteps were hard against the ground as he broke into a run behind me.

Sweat started to pool between my breasts, in my hair, and along my back as I ran, lept, and wove my way through the trees. It didn't seem to matter what turns I made or where I went. Now that he was on me, I couldn't shake him.

"Come on, baby. Can't you go faster than that? Or are you giving up?" He was so close to me. Fuck. I pushed to move faster. My lungs felt on fire, but I couldn't stop. "I'm gaining on you, Pet. What are you going to do now?"

I couldn't stop the squeal that escaped my throat as I lept over another log, stumbled, and felt his arms circle around my waist. It split between a giggle and a scream.

"Got you!" We tumbled over each other as we hit the ground, and I squirmed to free myself from his grip. "Oh, no you don't. Come here."

He grabbed my hips roughly and pulled me underneath him, gripping my wrists and holding them above my head.

"Oh, poor thing. Struggle if you want now; you're not going anywhere." He grinned down at me, and I couldn't stop the moan that escaped me at how he looked at me. "You look so good like this, baby. Eyes wide, breathing hard, that wild look on your face."

He closed the distance between our lips in another kiss that felt like he sought to mark his claim through it. I parted my lips in invitation, the heat from the chase giving way to a wholly different kind as it spread through my body.

When he pulled away, he trailed those same scorching kisses down my jaw and neck. When he reached the nape, I felt the scrape of his teeth. Pain mingled with the tingling anticipation, and I cried out. It hurt, but I didn't want him to stop. I couldn't help the way my back arched into him.

"Good girl…" He whispered against my skin as he moved down to the exposed part of my shoulder. Another kiss, another bite.

"Fuck…" I groaned, rolling my hips into him. I could feel his hard length pressing against me, and suddenly, my clothes were too tight, too restricting. I wriggled beneath him, needing to do away with the barriers between us.

"Needy thing," he chuckled as he leaned back. He released my wrists and pulled my shirt upward. It snagged on something beneath me; I heard the fabric tear as he pulled it over my head and tossed it away.

I pushed at his shirt, fingertips trailing across the skin beneath in a silent plea to have him remove it. I couldn't form the question. My voice wasn't cooperating anymore. It didn't take him long to oblige me and toss his shirt away without care for where it fell. The rest of our clothes went similarly once the undressing started. It was a frantic grasping at buttons and zippers to remove pants, tugging at undergarments. My shirt wasn't the only thing that was ripped in the process, but I couldn't find it in me to care.