Chapter 15
Mace
S tanding on the edge of the rooftop, I remove my gloves and work my fingers, clenching and unclenching my fists to test the stiffness.
They’re fine now. Whatever caused the sensation a couple of weeks back has passed, but I still recall the ache in my hands after waking up from another episode.
I look down at my hands with a strange unease. While the tenderness is gone, the recurring blackouts remain.
I stuff my gloves into the front pocket of my sweatshirt and pull out the mask. I don’t switch on the LEDs, but I slide it over my face and raise the black hood to cover the rest of my head.
My breath immediately strains through the small air holes.
The lack of oxygen doesn’t make me panic anymore; I’ve gotten used to the sensation. But it’s more than that. When I put on the mask, something flips in me. The reduced flow of air gets me high…
…makes me hard .
I feel the swelling behind the restriction of my jeans already, and I know the throbbing ache is going to increase shortly.
I have something fun planned.
The thrill of the anticipation is the sweetest part. The inevitable release is only the finish line, and I want to withhold that for as long as I can. I want the chase.
Or, in this case, the hunt.
The back door of the diner opens, and I watch Emily step out, descending the stairs with a worriless bounce to her step.
She hasn’t reached out to Ash again yet. We decided to give her space, and she seems to believe she’s safe walking home on her own.
I scoff at her false sense of security. She has no clue what’s lurking in the shadows.
Without my boots making a sound, I ghost along the rooftop’s edge to stay on her tail as she starts down the dark alley. Her arms are crossed at her front like she might be regretting her decision now; she doesn’t look so confident anymore.
Perhaps she senses me after all.
Her silky black hair billows in her haste. Still in my silent pursuit, I watch her shoulders creep up her neck, her posture tense, eyes shifting nervously. She looks ready to jump out of her skin at the sound of a scurrying rat.
I want to stall and savor the moment. She’s so vulnerable right now. She has no idea how easily I can overpower her. Turn her from my prey into my victim .
She’s almost at the first corner, and my breath comes a little faster now. I clench my fists before pushing off into a sprint. I need a running start to clear the gap.
Right before the drop, I kick off the ledge and jump across the alley onto the next building, a rooftop a couple of feet below.
My landing isn’t silent. Gravel crunches beneath my boots as they go into a slide, and I know she heard it three stories down, but I don’t look over the edge to confirm. I don’t want her to see me yet.
She’s aware of me now, because I want her to be, but she doesn’t know about all the other times I followed her, stalked her home, watched her sleep. I’m sick like that. I get off on this little game and the fact that I know things she doesn’t.
I want her to be ignorant, so every time she hears a noise in her apartment or feels a breath on her neck in the dark, she’ll wonder whether it’s really me or if it’s her mind playing tricks on her.
Yes, I know things she doesn’t. I know that she doesn’t want to admit that she wishes it was me.
My hands grip the rail of the fire escape as I fling my body over the edge, dropping quickly from level to level. Every step is second nature.
I see her head shoot up, scanning the alley ahead, but the ricocheting echo of my movements makes it hard for her to pinpoint their source. She doesn’t know where I am.
I jump the last five feet and land in a crouch on the closed dumpster behind her.
The heavy drop of my boots against the metal sounds like an explosion, and Emily whips around .
My adrenaline spikes at the sight of her. Her eyes lock onto me in shock and her face pales.
A jolt rakes through me. It settles in my thighs as more blood rushes toward my groin.
I have her now. She’s mine.
I straighten my legs, rising slowly to full height, my eyes riveted to her through the slits of the mask. Heat shoots up my neck when taking her in, and I draw a long breath as my heart starts beating faster.
I have her right where I want her. Just her and I. No one will come to her aid. No one will even hear her scream.
Her chest moves up and down rapidly as she realizes the same and begins backing up. A smile curls my lips behind the mask. I cock my head to the side in a taunt.
I reach into my back pocket, drawing my knife and flicking the switch. Pointing it at her, I say, “You better run, baby girl. You don’t want me catching you.”
Emily doesn’t disappoint. I knew she wouldn’t. She twists around and breaks out into a full sprint.
That’s my girl.
More delight rushes me. With my skin on fire, I jump down and race after her, knowing she can’t match my stride.
Before she can clear the sharp right turn onto the main road, my fist seizes the back of her shirt. I yank her around to face me, caging her against the building.
Emily lets out a shriek. Her arms flail, trying to fight me off. We’re right at the corner, just out of view.
I put the tip of the blade to her left cheek, leaning in. “No one’s going to save you. No one cares. ”
A trickle of sweat glides down my back. I won’t hurt her, but she doesn’t know that for sure. She doesn’t believe even I have my limits. Doesn’t know where I draw the line.
And it’s the not-knowing that scares her.
Emily freezes, all fight suddenly drained from her, though the fear etched across her face remains.
My heart pounds heavily beneath my ribs, but I keep my breathing calm, relishing the electric charge between our bodies.
Neither of us blinks.
“You see that bike across the street?” Using the blunt edge of the knife, I nudge her head in the direction around the corner. “That’s where I park every night, watching you through the windows of the diner.”
A small gasp slips across her parted lips at my confession, and my eyes charter the front of her throat as it hitches.
Then they roam lower.
My stare trails over her breasts, catching on the distinct peaks of her nipples through the fabric.
I tilt the knife in my right hand at her cheek, then drag the tip down, tracing her jawline slowly. “I promised you we’d play with knives, didn’t I?”
I map the soft shape of one breast, flicking the tip with my knife.
Fuck yes!
Her body arches against the blade, earning my play a little whimper. I knew she’d be into this.
I thread my free hand through the hair at the back of her neck, and give a light pull. Without taking my eyes off her face, I drag the flat side of the knife down her front, letting her feel the pressure of the tip along her stomach.
The blade skips over the waistband of her jeans. I clear the length of the zipper and slide the knife home in between her thighs.
Emily inhales sharply. Her hands squeeze my shoulders as my thumb strokes her clit through her jeans. Her eyelids flutter…
…and then she fucking moans.
Something in me snaps. I move back and forth in a slow slicing motion, letting her grind on me while melting into the blaze of her core. It flares through the material.
She’s so fucking bold.
She rides my hand over her clothes, and I almost drop the knife. I want to feel more of her. Want to feel her soft flesh against my fingers when she comes.
I retract the blade, folding it one-handedly and returning it to my back pocket while my left hand still fists her hair, forcing her chin up.
I slide the mask to the top of my head, letting her see my face, and lower my lips to hers. But I stop before they touch. “And you remember what else I promised you, don’t you, baby girl?”
My bottom lip feathers over her mouth as I inhale her juddering breath. “What I said I’d do next time I caught you?”
My voice is rough. Possessive .
“You knew, but you played my game anyway,” I remark. “You must want me pretty damn bad, I take it. ”
I pull back, and whirl her around, my right arm wrapping around her, locking her body against mine as I pin her to the wall.
Palms up by her chest, she braces herself, every muscle flexed with apprehension.
“What do you say, baby girl? Do you want me to fuck you right here in the alley? Pull your pants down and give it to you hard and deep?”
My hips find their mark. She’s a perfect fit as I grind my throbbing cock into her ass.
Fist tangled in her wild tresses, I dive into her neck and groan. My eyelids grow heavy. The scent of her floral perfume sends a ripple down to my thighs, making me harder and urging me on.
Her body shivers in my hold. I skim my nose up to the sensitive skin beneath her ear, breathing out in a whisper, “I bet this is the hottest thing you’ve ever experienced.” I tighten my arm around her small waist, relishing the little gasp it draws from her. “And I’m not even inside you yet.”
My mouth scorches a path down her neck as I kiss and nip at her taut skin. Each bite declares my claim on her, willing her to submit.
“Let me be your nightmare,” I rasp, my lips never leaving her skin. “I’ll make you wake up drenched in sweat, my name a scream on your lips.”
Her muscles relax in my hold. With her shape melting into mine, I slide my right hand under her shirt. I brush along her flat stomach, skating slowly higher up her ribcage toward her breast .
My palm runs over her hard nipple, and my cock threatens to tear through my fly. The pebbled tip is sharp and distinct beneath the thin fabric of her bra.
Emily arches against my front with a plaintive moan when my hand strokes her up and down. Letting go of the wall, she reaches back for my neck. She bends for me, molding herself to my body like water.
“That’s it, baby girl.” I give her breast a firm squeeze, then dip my fingers inside the cup, pulling it down. “Let me ruin you.”