Realizing I’d been clenching my jaw, I released it, noticing the tension leave my
face to give him the answer he wanted.
“Yes, Darren.”
“Who do you belong to, Jaden?” he asked me, his voice calm, his breathing even,
but I couldn’t ignore the warning in his voice if I didn’t answer.
“You,” I breathed.
“Who does this body belong to?” he asked, trailing the tip of his finger down the
side of my face.
I was shaking; I was so fucking scared.
“You.”
Darren moved closer, taking my earlobe between his teeth and biting down just
enough to make me gasp. “And I’m going to show you exactly why this body is
mine,” he drawled, and then released me, taking several steps back.
“Run,” he said, turning away to take off his suit jacket.
“What?”
Darren removed his tie and began to roll up his sleeves. “Run. As fast as you can,
wherever you can. But chose your route wisely because wherever I catch you is
where you’re getting fucked.”
I felt all the blood leave my face as my breath caught in my throat. He wanted to
chase me, to hunt me down.
“And when I catch you, I’m going to remind you just exactly why that body is
mine,” he said with a nod.
I felt myself take another step away from him.
“Now, run!” he barked, and I immediately took off like my life depended on it.
27
EVERY SINGLE INCH
I rounded the corner of the first floor, quickly kicking off my useless wedges to run
in my bare feet. I figured I’d have better luck if I stayed on the first floor, rather
than wasting time running up the stairs and limiting my options of escape.
My heart pounded in my chest, adrenaline coursing through my veins as I zipped
through the house, and I wondered how much of a head start Darren was going to
give me. I didn’t have to ponder long because not more than a few seconds later, I
heard the quick paces of his feet thundering through the house behind me.
Shit!
Thank fuck the house was like a maze. With so many halls and rooms, it was
easy to keep the chase going, but I didn’t know how much longer I had before he
found me. He wasn’t behind me, but I could still hear the running somewhere
throughout the house.
Rounding another corner, I stopped for a moment to hide and catch my breath.
That was when I noticed his footsteps had stopped as well. Fuck, he was listening
for me. I didn’t know if I wanted him to find me since I knew exactly what would
happen. It would be hard and rough, and I’d likely still feel it in the morning.
Maybe if I could draw the chase out long enough and hide somewhere, he’d give up?
Don’t be a fucking idiot, Jaden. Just figure out where you want him to fuck you.
Good point. My room was probably best since I could just curl up on my bed
afterward and go to sleep. I’d probably need it.
Settled on my plan, I tiptoed out of the room I’d been hiding in and poked my
head out into the hallway. The coast was clear. On quick feet, I made my way
through the hallway, heading back toward the stairs, my heart practically beating
out of my chest. But as I came around the next corner to the stairs, I came face to
face with my hunter. My heart nearly stopped.
Gasping in shock, I made a quick beeline back the way I came, but Darren was
already on my heels, wearing a dark, sinister look on his face. He was looking for
his conquest, and he was about to have it.
Sprinting into the closest room, I slammed the door shut and locked it right
before Darren had a chance to catch me. Fighting for breath, I backed away from
the door, clutching my midsection as I waited for the inevitable. One solid kick was
all it took for Darren to bulldoze the door down and storm his way through what
was left of the doorframe toward me.
Sheer panic enveloped me as I turned to run from him again, but he was quick
this time. Grabbing my arm, he yanked me toward him, his other arm reaching
around my middle and lifting me to his chest. Flight was over. Time to fight.
Withstanding the terror vibrating in my limbs, I turned my whole body into the
elbow I attempted to throw in his face, but his hand came up to block it and wrap
around my arm to trap it behind my back. With my position now restricted, my
other arm didn’t have much reach, but it didn’t matter much anyway because, in a
matter of seconds, my face was shoved into the mattress.
I tried to turn, tried to scramble from the bed, tried to get just a single bit of my
bearings back, but Darren wasn’t giving me an inch to fight. My breathing erratic
and shallow, I came to terms with the fact I’d been caught and began to mentally
prepare myself for what was coming next. It didn’t
