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And there it came, barely a few seconds after I’d sent mine.

Don’t bet something unless you understand there are consequences to losing.

Wicked fire burned in my core, and I glanced up from my phone for the first time. He smirked and raised a brow as my gaze met his. Intense. Hypnotic. It was then that I knew he’d known this entire time what I was doing. No, whathewas doing. I furiously typed a reply.

It’s a hypotheticalsituation, that’s all.

I tapped my toe quietly against the floor, impatiently waiting for his damn reply. How long—

So, hypothetically, if I chase you through the woods, and catch you, what would a fair consequence be?

Goosebumps prickled at my skin, and a chill danced up my spine. We were both in our thirties? How responsible and adult-like was this? But it felt nice to be reckless again. Besides, I’d opened this bottle already.

What would you want?

I’d barely tapped send when his reply crashed into my phone.

You.

One word. A very clear answer that couldn’t be misinterpreted. I stared at his single-word response as the oxygen around me thinned. The lights dimmed, and there was nothing but the steady drum of blood pounding into my ears. This wasn’t some romance book I’d read. This wasn’t some fictional scenario I’d fantasized about in my head. This was a real conversation, and that text was an actual message on my phone.

Me. He wanted me.

But we were discussing a hypothetical situation… Right?

My hands trembled, and the screen blurred. Not because I was afraid that it would happen, but that it wouldn’t. The logistics of how he’d followed me before and known I was in danger every time the Rougarou had shown up were of no consequence right now. Knowing that he would eventually catch me, no matter how confident I was in my ability to navigate the woods between our houses, elicited a desire on a level that made my cheeks heat up.

Shifting my stance, I attempted to close my legs tighter together.Don’t look at him, don’t look at him, I repeated over and over in my head because I knew the moment I did, my arousal would take over the self-control holding me against this wall. All those years and effort of hiding the fact we were lovers would fly out the fucking window behind him the—

Vibration shot through my palm, and I jumped. An involuntary squeak left my throat, and the three girls I’d forgotten I was still standing by stopped talking. Their gazes sparked to me as I squeezed the phone in my hand tighter.

Phone.

Vibration.

Notification.

I quickly glanced at the screen and sighed. “Uh, I gotta take this,” I muttered and flashed my screen at them. A phone call from Azelie was my quick escape from a situation that I created.

With a tap on the answer button, I placed the phone against my ear and pushed off the wall. “What’s up?” I asked, weaving through the crowd.

“So, Macy and I were hoping we could stay for one more round of bowling. I know it would put me past my curfew, and we would both need a ride home since Macy’s parents can’t come get us that late,” she explained, and the racing in my heart slowed.

“Cory’s there?” I asked.

Silence ticked between us for a couple seconds. “Yes,” she finally muttered.

“Is Becca there too?” I paused at the base of the stairs.

“Becca? No, why would she be? It’s just Macy, Thomas, Cory, and me.”

“All right,” I replied as a shadow swallowed the light around me. “You can have one extra hour, and then I’ll be there regardless of if the game is finished or not. Thank you for calling, and please be safe.”

“Always, Mom. Love you,” she answered, and the line went dead before I had a chance to say anything in reply.

“Everything okay?” a deep voice asked.

With a jolt, my shoulder slammed against the wall. “What the hell, Ford?” I hissed and stuffed my phone in my pocket.