Page 4 of Wonder

Or I used to.

A dimple appears in his cheek. “I always run, but am never tired. I will follow you, only to be ignored. And I am infinite, everywhere,always, and yet contained within a small circle I cannot escape. What am I?”

My amusement escapes in a small sound as I turn the words over in my head, considering. “You know, I can think of better things to do with our time than waste it with riddles.”

“If you knew time as well as I do,” he says softly, watching me, “then you wouldn’t talk about wasting it. Tonight… this night is not a waste.”

A small flip in my chest.

“I know time well enough.” I know what it feels like to run out of it, to grab at those seconds and watch them slip through my grasp too quickly.

But I don’t want to think about that right now. So I swallow the rest of my crappy bourbon, relishing the burning trail down my throat.

And I turn. There’s no hesitation in my movement as I press my lips against Hatter’s. He inhales sharply, wrapping his arm around me to steady us both as I press into him, my hands lifting to his face. My fingers push through those curls that look made for the bedroom.

I want to undo this man. Unravel him.

I am not gentle with him, although something tells me I probably should be.

I don’t want gentle tonight. I’ve no appetite for it as I push between his lips with my tongue in silent demand. I drink down the taste of him – honey and burnt caramel and oak, and I wantmore.

Hatter’s hands rise up to grip my cheeks, lips parting beneath mine.

And then he seizes control, tilting my head as he delves between my lips, chasing the last drops of alcohol lingering before his teeth sink into my lower lip. A responding thrill sinks into my stomach.

Yes.

We’re both breathing heavily when he lets me go. His gaze is burning, even as something close to surprise lurks there.

“Time,” I breathe. “The answer to your riddle istime.”

His head lowers in a nod, eyes fixing on my lips. “I don’t have much time to waste, Alyss Lidell. And I want to be buried inside you within the next ten minutes.”

My apartment is seven minutes away.

Holding his gaze, I slip off the stool, digging in my bag and tossing down a wad of cash for the bartender without bothering to count it.

And when I take Hatter’s hand in mine, he holds it tightly.

2 – Hatter

Ikeep my eyes on her as we run through the streets like children. Alyss laughs under her breath, her face turning back to check on me. Her cheeks are flushed, eyes bright with the cold air that pricks at us.

Stolen time.

That’s all this is. Precious minutes that I will have to payback. I will pay for this night in ways that somebody like Alyss Lidell would never even consider.

But I don’t stop.

My hand tightens on hers. “How far?”

Her glance this time is coy. “One minute.”

Our breathing comes faster as she turns and leads me into an upscale brownstone apartment building. We head past a sharp-eyed concierge, sitting behind his desk in a gilded lobby. There’s marble everywhere, Alyss’s heels tapping against it as we head to the elevator. She hits the button for the top floor, scanning a key card she pulls from her purse to take us up to the penthouse.

She has money, then.

Not that it matters. None of it matters, nothing apart from losing myself inside her as soon as fucking possible.