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I step back into him, eliminating any space between us. The whimper that escapes when I feel him hard against me sounds unrecognizable, as if it came from someone else.
“Noah.” His name is a declaration and a plea.
Teeth nip at the tip of my ear hard enough to sting. I’m entirely unprepared for the order he utters next but shockingly into the idea.
“Run. If I catch you, you’re mine.”
* * *
NOAH
She’s still, frozen as my order registers.
Then she’s breaking out of my hold and running into the alley. The darkness sucks her in, welcoming her in its grasp. Her sneakers dig into the rocks as she moves through the alley, the sound of her footsteps growing quieter and quieter the further I let her get from me.
I know this area well. We both do, but she’s forgotten some of the layout in our time away. She’ll find the house, though. It’s a permanent fixture in her life, regardless of how they changed the neighbourhood.
When I don’t hear her anymore, I start for the alley. The light from the street fades as I step onto the gravel, my boots crunching the rocks and dirt. My heart thumps hard and heavy in my chest, adrenaline beginning to fill my blood at the prospect of catching her. I know where I’ll find her. It’s not truly a chase, but it doesn’t seem to matter. The only thing that does is what I’ll do when she’s in my arms again.
No more waiting for her to see what was right in front of her. No more searching for the right time or place. She’s realizing it now.That she’s mine.
My eyes adjust to the dark quickly as I move through the shadows, staring straight ahead, where I know she’ll have gone. The curve in the alley that leads to the house is brighter than the rest of it, but not by much. I get a glimpse of the spray paint on the trash bin behind the renovated corner store. They couldn’t be bothered to replace it, even with Tinsley’s terrible drawing of a raccoon-shaped animal with fangs and a half-missing skull covering the front side.
I freeze when I hear the faint sound of footsteps nearby, too slowly paced and sloppy to be Tinsley’s. It’s too dark for me to see anyone, even as I look around, the sting of protectiveness nipping at my gut. If there’s anyone else here, they don’t belong near her.
The footsteps disappear as quickly as they came. Silence fills the alley again. I don’t wait for them to come back. The house is close, and I push through the rest of the way until I reach the end of the alley. Gravel changes to grass and weeds before becoming concrete.
It’s exactly as I remembered, falling apart and untouched. The abandoned house we found a decade ago is an eyesore, fucking hideous in this upgraded neighbourhood. The Sold sign is still on the lawn, a continuous reminder to the developers that attempted to tear it down that they lost.
The front steps are broken, the wood rotted and snapped. The porch isn’t much better. I did replace the windows when I bought the house, not wanting animals to get in. Did she notice them when she ran inside? The lock on the door is the same, and the key is still beneath the broken flowerpot on the porch.
I’ve been paying the electricity bill since I purchased the house last year. She wouldn’t have thought to turn the lights on. There was never power when we used to sneak in, just dirt and peace. It was a foreclosure property, and when it went to auction, I beat the developers to it. I bought it for too much, but they weren’t touching it. Any price would have sufficed to keep it for Tinsley. I never told her I bought it. It never seemed important.
Carefully, I walk up the porch steps and open the door, breathing in the familiar smell of dust and wood. The floorboards creak beneath my boots as I walk inside, moving around the old furniture on instinct.
“Tinsley,” I call, excitement blooming in my stomach.
The kitchen is at the back of the house, closed off with walls and archways, while the living room is open to the hallway. When I look inside, all I see is furniture covered with dirty white sheets. A creak from across the house has me pushing through the hall, tearing into the guest bedroom. The door was left open, and as I step inside, I know instantly someone else is with me.
She comes flying at me, her body colliding with mine and sending us both into the wall. My back slams against it, and my lungs scream with the impact. Brown hair whips around her head as she holds me against the wall with an arm beneath my chin and her legs stomped between mine. Her silver eyes fucking glow in the dark, making her look more and more like a goddamn angel here to send me down to Hell.
I want to touch her, I ache for it, but when she grins proudly and purposefully rubs her body on mine, I curl my fingers into my palms and squeeze instead. I’ll let her be in control this time. Let her revel in her win. Because this may be the only time I allow her this opportunity.
She leans in so close I can taste the vodka from the only drink she had earlier on her breath. I tense my jaw and glare at her lips, at the mouth I want to feast on and mark as mine.
“So, what do I get for catching you?” she asks lowly, teasingly.
“What is it you want?”
Take anything.Everything.
Those silver eyes flare, a million emotions flashing through them before one sparks brighter than the rest, lingering on me. A rough growl rips through me when I recognize that emotion and let it register to her.
The moment it does, I finally get what I’ve been waiting my entire life for.
She leans in as I grip her face in my hands and take her mouth in a brutal, hard, soul-shaking kiss. A kiss that changes everything.
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