Page 51 of Almost Ravaged (Men of Evercrisp Orchard #1)
Chapter forty-two
Sawyer
T he footsteps pounding behind me almost immediately bolster my confidence that this will work.
Liquid lust flows through my limbs, my movements languid, my body feeling heavy, even as I keep up my pace. My pulse skyrockets, my heart beating in time with my footfalls.
They’re following me.
Both of them, by the sound of things. One on the gravel and the other on the grass.
A thrill shoots through me as I stop at the entrance to the corn maze and turn toward them.
Both come to a screeching halt, still out of reach but close enough that I can gauge their expressions.
Noah looks thoroughly panicked, his eyes wide, his mouth hanging open. Mercer’s calm energy, on the other hand, steadies me. Excites me. Hints at just how incredible this idea is.
With a cocked brow, he approaches, only stopping when we’re toe to toe and the crisp, aquatic notes of his cologne wash over me .
Dusk has given way to true darkness, though in the light of the moon, the desire in his eyes is obvious.
The smolder he wears as he meticulously rolls up those damn sleeves makes my knees go weak.
“You want to play?” he muses, giving me a once-over.
His gaze is predatory. Carnal. Primal .
Fuck.
A zing of pleasure pulses in my core, and on instinct, I squeeze my thighs together. Rather than quelling the heat the way I hoped, the move only serves to prove just how wet I already am.
I shake my head. “I don’t want to play . I want to be caught.”
The devilish grin he gives me in response inspires more tingles in my sex. RIP, panties. You never stood a fucking chance .
Noah, wringing his hands, stops a few meters away. Mercer continues. “Your safe word remains harmonica?”
Licking my lips, I fight back a smile. “Yes, Professor.”
He homes in on me, his eyes narrowed. “Any limits specific to this scenario?”
I frown, considering. It’s on the tip of my tongue to say no—
“Think critically, Little Nuisance. We’re outdoors. There are no parameters or walls. We’re about to enter a maze designed to disorient. For as eager as you are to be caught, I’m just as eager to chase.”
The gravel in his tone tells me I’m in for it.
He leans in closer, the words just for me. “I fully intend to catch you and to fuck you in the dirt. I can’t wait to hear just how loud you can scream. But let’s not scare Noah completely, hmm?”
I wrap my arms around his neck, closing the space between us, and brush my lips against his. It takes all my willpower to break away.
“Scaring Noah is the last thing I want to do. But I’m hoping we can… inspire him? Or at the very least turn him on enough to get him out of his head.”
Mercer bends low and plants a slow, wet kiss on my neck, his tongue darting out and trailing a path to the pulse point below my ear. He latches on to my earlobe and tugs, then straightens. “I have a few ideas,” he murmurs. “You don’t have any allergies or aversions to corn, do you?”
Curiosity washes over me, along with a hint of concern. “Um… I don’t think so?”
“Then play along, Little Nuisance. I swear he wants you as badly as I do. ”
He grabs my ass, squeezing hard and thrusting his erection into the apex of my thighs. “And this is how badly I want you.”
I melt against him, boneless.
Mercer shifts his attention to his friend, declaring, “We’re going to chase, and she has every intention of being caught. In the heat of the scene, she might fight us. Or tell us no. But the only way I’m stopping is if she uses her safe word, which is harmonica.”
Noah balks. Then he blinks, and his mouth falls open, but no words escape. Thankfully, Mercer doesn’t leave him hanging.
“If you enter that maze, you’re consenting to the scene I’ve just described. I plan to push her to her limits, brother.”
A shiver rolls through me.
“I have a feeling you’ll near your limits, too,” he tells his friend. “If you want me to stop or need to opt out, you can also use harmonica. But unless you use the safe word, I’m going to push.”
Noah huffs, his hands fisted at his sides.
“Do you trust me?” Mercer asks.
The question lands, and Noah’s shoulders lower. His gaze darts from Mercer to me, his expression softening further when we lock eyes and I give him an encouraging nod.
He tips his head back, then releases an audible exhale.
“I trust you,” he tells Mercer, striding toward us with purpose. “I want this, and I understand about the safe word. I’m in.”
Mercer smiles wickedly, turning his attention back to me.
With his fingers woven into the hair at my nape, he tugs my head to the side, exposes my neck, and sinks his teeth into my skin.
“Do you feel that, Little Nuisance? That’s all for you. You’re going to fucking take me in that maze, and I won’t stop or slow down unless you use a safe word.”
I scrape my nails down his chest, annoyed by the barrier of clothing between us. With a quick peek over his shoulder, I assess Noah, trying to get a read on him.
Is Mercer completely confident Noah will be into this? Or will this plan backfire and ruin what we’ve only begun exploring?
The situation is delicate at best and downright precarious at worst, now that I know more about his past. If he isn’t ready—
“Get out of your head, Ms. Davvies.” Mercer smacks my ass.
That garners an immediate reaction from Noah, which I assume is what Mercer intended.
Noah stalks forward, his hands fisted and a low sound escaping him. “What the hell—”
Before he can start in on Mercer, I step in front of my professor.
That pulls Noah up short.
I toss him his baseball cap and meet his gaze. “I want you to wear that when you’re chasing me.”
Then I turn on my heel, jog toward the entrance of the maze, and call over my shoulder, “Whoever wants me can come and fucking get me.”