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“Dad—”
“I can go with her, Coach. It’s no trouble. I’ll make sure she’s safe. I was going to go for a run, anyway.” Cayden’s voice was well-meaning and earnest.
I blinked at him. He even looked genuine. And the psycho actor award goes to…
“Are you telling me that training didn’t kill you? I’ll have to step it up next time. I told you just to call me Eric at home.” My dad slapped Cayden’s shoulder, grinning from ear to ear.
My mom’s voice called through the house, and my dad sighed.
“Okay, kids, I’ve got to go and see the lady of the house. Take care of my girl for me, Cade. See you later.”
And just like that, he disappeared.
I turned on my heel and left the room, hustling for the door. Maybe if I moved quickly, Cayden would be too tired to bother me. Ha, that was wishful thinking.
He was right there beside me as I strode up the driveway.
“So, where are we going?”
“Iam going on a jog;youcan go run off the edge of the cliff at the end of the road.” I started to jog, slow and steady. I hadn’t run outside in a while, and my muscles immediately protested at the incline on the street.
Cayden fell into an easy jog beside me, having no such problems, despite having just finished a two-hour training session.
“Well, that doesn’t sound fun at all. I’ll pass.” He jogged beside me for a few more seconds before veering into me and herding me off the street and down a small alley that ran between two houses. Night was gradually falling.
“What the hell?!” I protested, pushing against him, my feet nearly stumbling over each other.
No streetlights reached the alley, and I wanted to get back on the road again as soon as possible. I didn’t trust this guy in the shadows.
“Jogging is boring. Let’s make it a little more interesting.” Cayden stood close, his chest pressing against mine.
This guy had no concept of personal space. The kiss in the woods popped unbidden into my mind, robbing me of breath. Damn my hormones. My skin was already flushing with the memory of his touch.
“I think watching you run over the edge of a cliff sounds plenty interesting.”
“Very funny. I think you need a better workout than this slow-and-steady shit. Nothing burns calories like running away from something.”
Nerves coated my mouth, and I knew with sudden certainty that I’d made a big mistake letting him bring me out here. My dad thought Cayden would make me safer running outside at night? What a joke.
“And what do you want me to run away from? You?” I squared up to him as well as I could, considering our size difference. “I already told you I wasn’t scared of you.”
“But you’re scared of your filthy little non-con fantasies getting out, aren’t you? Normal girls would be…or are you just giving up on pretending to be a good girl?”
I didn’t have words to answer him. He was right. I should be scared of that. It was the most humiliating thing anyone had ever discovered about me. The dreams that I’d never even confessed to Eve because of how shameful they were. Now Cayden, the very star of those dreams, held them over me like an axe to my neck. I have to get some leverage on him.Yes, I needed something just as shameful to hold over Cayden’s head. Something that would balance the power between us. I would find it in Midnight Falls on Tuesday. I had to. For now, though, I had to play along.
He smiled at my silence. “Good, I’m glad we understand each other. Since I’m feeling merciful, let’s make it a simple setup. Escape me and get home before I catch you, and you win – I’ll leave you alone, for tonight.”
“And if you win?” My heart felt like it was convulsing as I waited for his answer.
His eyes drifted to my lips. Our earlier kiss was seared in my brain, and I couldn’t stop seeing it. His lip was crusted over. My teeth had done that.
“If I win, and catch you before you get home…I get to kiss you.”
A scoff left me before I could help it.
“A kiss? Are you serious? What are we, five?”
“Were you looking for something more?” Cayden baited me.
