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He picks up my hand and kisses the ring adorned with purple stones.
“I’m going to take you into the forest, I’m going to hunt you down, and this time, when I catch up, I’m gonna fuck you against the dirt and leaves, and you’re gonna bring the fantasy you’ve permanently tattooed into my mind into reality. You’re gonna feed my obsession,tesoruccio, like the dutiful wife you are.”
I swallow thickly.
“My sweet prey, I hope you’re ready.”
CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE
ALESSIA
My body is covered in sweat, my breathing labored. I pause, leaning my back against the trunk of a tree.
Even the negligee I changed into is too heavy. I pull it away from my stomach, enjoying the breeze that finds my damp skin.
Diego drove for almost two hours before pulling up to a sprawling property in Water Mill. The house was dark. The land was filled with trees and a creek that broke the grass plains of the front yard and the forest out the back. It would have to be acres of land.In New York.
“Business asset,” he said when I turned to him wide-eyed and mouth agape.
He gave me ten minutes to change and a thirty-second head start. I’m at a disadvantage because this land is new. Our roles are reversed. In Chicago, while I was the one being hunted, I always felt a semblance of control. But here, I’m the definition of prey. The sky is dark, and aside from the break of the moon between the treetops, our gameboard is cast in shadows. I had a moment of panic when I first started running, the breath of the men that caught me last time careening across my neck in a trauma I’d much sooner forget. But I won’t let them take this from me. I know Diego enough to know he would never have brought me here unless it was safe.
I push off the tree I’d found rest against, filling my lungs before listening carefully.
I ran straight for the trees when he began counting. He would’ve followed my path into the brush. I’ve zigzagged and run back over my course to confuse him, but my wolf is clever. My attempts to deceive him wouldn’t be swallowed easily.
The soft flow of the creek echoes the sound of the night, and a small splash makes me smile. I turn away from the water and move on gentle feet in the opposite direction.
“You’re not silly enough to fall for such an obvious diversion.”
His voice is in front of me, but I can’t see him.
“Maybe I’m hunting you,” I whisper.
A twig cracks, and I spin, sprinting left to put as much space between us as possible. His heavy footfalls thunder behind me, and my heart rate skyrockets, launching into my throat.
Anticipation buzzes in my fingertips and toes. Excitement tightens between my legs, and panic pushes me farther and faster.
“Tesoruccio.”
This is uncharted territory for us both. I’ve never wanted so badly to be pinned against the dirt and ravaged. But a pinch of fear refuses to let me give up running. He’ll need to catch me.
I dart between trunks. I can’t look back because it will slow me down, so I have no idea where he is or how close I am to being captured.
My eyes rush between the ground and directly in front of me. I dodge rocks and skim branches, ready to make me stumble. He follows my path with ease.
My lungs burn, and my legs quiver with exhaustion. Spotting a wide enough trunk that my body won’t be visible behind, I sprint past it, doubling back farther up, tiptoeing with a wide enough berth to be disguised in the shadows.
I hold my breath as I move.
I can’t hear his footsteps, and I pray he’s taken the bait and continued forward. Reaching the tree, I plaster myself against the trunk, sliding around it. Confident I’m alone, I turn and let my back fall heavily against the splintered wood.
I don’t know how long we’ve been out here, but I’m dead on my feet and unsure how long I can keep it up. Eyes closed, I concentrate on filling my lungs as silently as possible. My stomach expands with every inhale, and I exhale through my mouth.
The tension in my shoulders falls away, and brushing my hair off my face, I open my eyes and scream.
Diego stands less than three feet in front of me, a smile of victory on his handsome face.
I don’t have time even to shift before he pushes his body roughly against me as his lips slam onto mine. He swallows my scream with a heady growl.
