Sin I watch her run down the slope She picks up her pace, her butt cheeks stretching and pulling against the seat of
her jeans. My dick twitches; my groin hardens. My entire body begs me to follow her.
The hell?
I hadn’t meant to initiate this little game, but when she’d held her own and dared me, something inside of me had
snapped—the hunter inside that loves to play, to race after his prey, toy with it, before he claims it. Claim her?
No.
I never meant for this to go this far.
It was supposed to have been easy—crowd her into a corner until she is helpless and alone, then throw her a
lifeline, and watch her entangle herself in the snare.
Instead, the fine threads of the net tighten around me.
Sweat trickles down my spine.
Bloody long-sleeve shirts; I prefer to be casually dressed... but the front. It always comes down to the face I show
the world.
The importance of ke eping up this façade until I find those responsible for turning the lives of the Seven upside
down.
I can’t fail them; not now.
I break into a run, covering the ground in half the time it took her.
Heart pounding, pulse thudding at my temples, adrenaline laces my blood. The hunt, it always comes down to the
hunt. The ability to track down my victims and entrap them. It’s why I had been chosen to lead this foray against
our enemy. Coming from the rest of the Seven, I assure you it’s a compliment that I don’t take lightly either.
Nor my responsibility to them. Catch her, coerce her, make her bend willingly to your maneuvers.
All of the pores on my skin seem to pop. I stalk her as she runs out of the park, up the street that leads to my home.
Is she aware of the route she’s taken? A pigeon to a homing device. Fly away, little birdie, lead me on the chase.
She rushes up the sidewalk, careening to the very edge where it meets the road, then over to the other side where
the walls of the houses skirt the hillside. The hell is she doing? I frown, increase my pace. She continues her hap-
hazard retreat. Her shoulders shudder; her speed slows.
She must be tired, winded from the descent.
At least she’s made it this far without falling arse over tit. The woman needs a ke eper.
Max races up from behind to join me. He ke eps abreast, his mouth open, tongue lolling.
I prefer to give him his freedom. He has full run of the house and the grounds.
In fact, I have faith in his capacity to look after himself.
Unlike her. She needs a goddamn leash to be k ept in check.
I can’t allow her to hurt herself. Not until she’s played her role in this charade, of course.
That’s all it is. My fingers twitch. How would it be to encircle the expanse of her neck, as I bend her over my
desk and take her from behind? My dick lengthens, instantly excited by the thought. I growl low in my throat.
This primal reaction I ke ep having to her is unacc eptable. I must maintain my distance from her, or it will
complicate things further.
I click my tongue and Max lunges forward. He circles her and her speed slows. She staggers to the gate leading up
to my home. Max brushes past her, darting past the open gate, up the garden path. She follows him. Good girl.
I’ll go easier on her when I catch her. A surge of something fierce unrolls in my chest. Anticipation? Lust...?
Admiration that she’s lasted this far? Yeah okay. I am not a sore loser.
I’ll give her her due where it is due to her.
The fuck—? I can’t string together a sentence with words, apparently. I slow to a walk, stalk up the garden path.
Reach her where she’s sitting on the st eps. She stares ahead, her legs bent at the knees, her features pinched. I
lower myself next to her.
We sit there in silence. The wind rustles the trees that skirt my property. Ahead on the front road, a cyclist races
past.
"What were you doing earlier?" My voice emerges huskier than I intended. I clear my throat and she stiffens.
"What do you mean?"
"You careened back and forth as if—" "As if there were people shooting at me." She brings a strand of that pink
hair to her mouth and chews on it.
"There wasn’t anyone aiming at you."
"Wasn’t there?" She shoots me a sideways glance. "I could feel your gaze drilling holes into me."
I frown. "You are not making any sense at all."
She flings her arms up, "Says the man who is the epitome of all things sane, huh?"
I rub the back of my neck. Well, damn, "You have me there." I drop my arm to my side. "There’s a method to my
madness, while you are—"
"Spontaneous? Interesting?"
"A little confusing is what I’d go for."
She presses her lips together, "Hmm."
"I have to admit that it piques my curiosity though."
Her head whips around, "Oh, my God. You realize what you did?"
"What?"
"You gave me a compliment." She shoots out a hand and places a palm against my temple, "Are you feeling okay?
Not dizzy or anything?"
Blood rushes to my face, the rest of it to my groin. If she looks down, she’ll see exactly what her touch is doing to
me. How engorged I am. How her nearness crawls under my skin and coils in my gut, urging me to lean in
closer... closer.
"Admit it, that you needed an excuse to touch me."
Her lips purse, "You and your ego—" "Are made for each other."
"Which is unlike what I can say about the two of us." She withdraws her hand.
"Oh, no, you don’t." I shoot my arm out and catch her wrist.
"Let me go."
"You should have thought of that before you came back to my lair, little Bird."
"It’s not as if I had a choice."
"You always have a choice."
"Easy for you to say that, from your position of power."
"Everything you see here? I fought for it. I created my future and now I am giving you a chance to do the same."
"Right." She tosses her head and her scent de epens. A pulse beats to life at my wrists, my temples, even at the
backs of my eyelids.
"Why did you come back?"
"Not to be insulted by you, that’s for sure."
"That’s for me to decide."
She glances away, her breathing harsh in the still night.
I rub circles over her delicate wrist, "Tell me."
Her pulse rate ratchets up, mirroring mine. Bloody hell.
It’s the hottest thing I’ve ever experienced, and I haven’t kissed her yet. Something hot coils in my chest. My
mouth waters. "Say it."
Her chest rises and falls. Her features twist. Then she squares her shoulders, peers up into my face, "Your money.
I need the money, of course."