Page 78 of The Billionaire's Baby

I run uphill, not able to see more than a couple of feet in front of me. Shit, it really is bucketing down. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea. But what the hell? He’d pissed me off with his stupid challenge, and of course, I had fallen for it and taken off. Not that I could have stayed there and allowed him to jump me either. My thighs spasm… And it’s not from the thought of him throwing me down and spreading my legs and burying himself inside of me either. Nope. Get a grip, woman. This is the man who’s chasing you through a storm on an island in the middle of nowhere. Do you realize how crazy that sounds?

I hear something above the sound of the wind and the rain. I shake my hair out of my eyes, risk a quick glance over my shoulder. Of course, I can’t see anything, considering the rain seems to have just notched up in intensity. My clothes are plastered to my body, a gust of wind slams into me, and I am almost blown back. I dig my heels into the ground for purchase, then lean into the breeze and force myself to take another step. And another.

"Karina!’

I hear his voice call out before the wind drowns it out again.

I increase my pace, cover more ground. More rain lashes against my face. Damn it. I wipe the water from my eyes, put one leg in front of the other.Keep moving. Don’t stop.Somehow it seems imperative that I win this round. When did it become a competition, huh? This was supposed to have been easy, him rolling on top and thrusting into me and impregnating me… None of which has gone according to plan. I should have known better than to engage with him… Why the hell did I have to fall asleep in his bed in the first place, huh?

"Karina, stop."

I snort under my breath. There he is again, telling me what to do. Damn him and his dominant ways. I power through the wall of water which seems to have sprung up in front of me.

"Karina! Look out! There’s a—"

I place my foot forward, encounter emptiness. I pitch forward.

29

Arpad

Her scream rips through my eardrums. My heart stutters. My pulse begins to race. Adrenaline pours into my blood. I lunge forward through the rain, up the slope and throw myself forward. I hit the edge of the slope, arm flung out, fingers grasping against emptiness. My throat dries. Where the hell is she? "Karina!"

The wind rips my voice into shreds. I swallow and peer through the wall of water. The ground gives under me and I scramble back. "Fuck!" I swear aloud, grip the edge of the crumbling slope, stare through the gathering darkness. "Karina, where are you?"

There’s a sound… Is that her? Did I hear something?

"Karina, is that you? Answer me," I command.

"Ari?" Her voice is weak, and so low that I’m sure I must be mistaken.

"Karina?" I yell out, "Where the fuck are you?"

"Can’t you stop swearing for one second?" She coughs, and this time I hear her clearly. Fuck, she’s close. Why can’t I see her?

I crawl forward on my stomach, and the edge of the slope crumbles again. "Fuck." I need to brace myself against something, but what? I glance around, spot a tree a few feet away. "Fuckin’ fuck." I am going to have to go back to get something to help me with this.

"Karina?"

"Yeah?" She answers promptly, so that’s something.

"You hurt? Are you okay?"

"My ankle’s sprained." She coughs again. "I am just cold and wet."

"That’s an understatement," I grumble.

"Wow," she gasps, "so you and I agree on something, huh?"

"The only thing we are in agreement on is that I am going to tan your hide when I finally get to you."

"It’s all your fault anyway," she calls out. "If you hadn’t initiated your stupid sex games—"

"It wasn’t a sex game… It was just a way of keeping you on your toes."

"And why would you need to do that?"

"Do you really want to have this conversation now?"