Page 4 of Kill for a Kiss

Sweat breaks through my skin, quickly soaking the neckline of my dress.

And just ahead, at the other end of the vineyard, I see the last of the golden light spilling across the cliff. It’ll be a dead end.

I hesitate. The world tilts again as I trip, trying to regain my balance, but I hearhim. His footsteps trail behind me, sounding steady, unrushed, yet closer and closer. My heart pounds as I stumble over my feet, almost falling. But I push on.I have to get away.

The sun is sinking fast, turning the horizon into a deep, bleedingorange. I breathe in the surroundings as I sprint, because if I think about the figure behind me—if I let my mind wander to the mask—I might lose my footing again, or worse, my last bit of courage.

That’s when I hearvoices, soft and familiar, rising over the sound of the waves. I recognize them. It’s Kaye and Damon.

My feet stumble but follow the sounds instinctively, my body desperate for something—someone—solid to run to. I push forward, breathless, my heart thudding. The world spins with every step. My legs ache. My lungs burn. And for a terrifying second, I stumble fully, falling forward onto the grass. My ankle takes the brunt of it. Everything hurts, but I push on.

The voices are closer now. I push past a few more rows of vines. But when I’m only some distance away, I freeze at the sight before me.

Kaye lies on her back by the cliffside, her golden tan glowing under the last light of day. Damon is on top of her, with his hands on her body. His lips ghost over hers as he gazes into her eyes. It’s an intimate moment, and it looks quiet and unbreakable. For a few lingering seconds, I forget everything in the blink of an eye.

There is onlythis. Kaye and Damon, surrounded by the sunset. And he touches her like he would die for her.

My heart stutters. Then the wind rushes past me, cutting through the stillness, making my sweat run cold. Even from here, I can hear Damon’s growled words, and Kaye’s undisguised moans. His loose tie and unbuttoned shirt lift with the breeze. His eyes are locked on hers as they talk while making love. Her dress is bunched at her waist, her hands pinned under his. Then their lips press together with raw urgency.

I should turn away. I should look somewhere else. But his thrusts capture my attention. They lookpunishing. They imprint his possessive words into her mind, intomine. They might haunt me.Though, they shouldn’t.

Ishouldn’t be here. I wasn’t meant to see this, to stumble into this secret. But I can’t move. Heat spreads across my skin as my eyes trace Damon’s every movement. His stamina, his strength. It’s swift and unyielding. And Kaye looks like she’s enjoying it. The sight stirs something deep inside me.

My cheeks warm, the heat spreading down my neck. I don’t know how long I’ve been watching them, but time slips away from me. The world moves around me while I remain suspended in this moment.

Blinking, I don’t know what I was even doing before this. What was it…? I can’t recall it well now, especially with the riveting view, only some feet in front of me, making my pulse race faster and faster.

“I love you, Kaye,” Damon says. His voice is heavy and deeply possessive. His kiss looks like it tastes of desperation as she shivers under him. Their moment is more beautiful than the last seconds of the sunset.

My breath catches. I shouldn’t be witnessing this, just as I shouldn’t have heard…that muffled cry earlier, or the heavy thud, the falling grapes, the looming figure in the mask.

I remember. It hits me all at once.I was running away. But I don’t have time to react right after this delayed realization. A black-gloved hand clamps over my mouth, muffling the sharp gasp that barely escapes my lips.

I’m yanked back into the solid warmth of the body behind me. The force of it knocks the air out of my lungs. My body tenses. I’m held so tight, I can’t move. The only thing I feel is his grip around me, pulling me in. His arms are like iron, crushing me against him.

The music from the reception still plays, its swelling strings floating through the air like a veil, so here, behind a wall of vines, near the newlyweds who are too lost in themselves—no one can hear me, buthim.

A shudder runs through me, shaking my whole body as I try to twist away, but he holds me tighter, his arm around my waist pulling me flush against him. I can feel his firm chest against my back, the steady thrum of his breath against my skin, a contrast to the chaotic pounding of my heart.

I struggle against him while he pins my arms to my sides. I’m barely a ripple in his unyielding hold. His grip is unshakable, even as my grasping fingers graze his sleeve.

His breath brushes against my ear, warm and steady. So close.

I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to block him out. But the sensation of him, his presence, and his hold of me seep into my skin like an insidious toxin, more suffocating by the second.

I feel his fingers trace my lips. The faintest brush, sending shockwaves through my body. My breath falters. My chest tightens.

His gloved fingers linger, ghosting against my skin, lifting my head, as if demanding my attention. The touch, so gentle, clashes with the harshness of his hard body pressed against mine.

I open my eyes, and there it is—that mesmerizing mask of his, so red, angry, andenraged. Curved horns with sharp tips. Its jagged mouth. The eyes hollow yet dark with shadows that almost hide the gray in his eyes.

The mask draws me in, and it stuns me silent in place. My gaze traces every sharp line, every dip of its deep, dark red. I want to look away, but I’m pulled in deeper and deeper into this twisted trance. And then, his voice reaches my ears, sending shivers down my spine from his low whisper. “Keep your eyes on me.”

There’s a strange calmness beneath his command. His voice is far too soothing to my unraveling nerves. He sounds so deep, far too deep, as if his voice is being altered, perhaps by his mask.

My body stiffens slowly in response, but my mind is heavy and muddled. My thoughts struggle to break free, to process what’shappening, and they slip away, lost in the swirl of confusion and fear.

I should be screaming and fighting harder. I should be clawing at him and pushing away, but I can’t, despite my fingers curling around his thick arm. I’m frozen in his grip, exhausted from running, from stumbling over my feet, and from falling.