Chapter 28
RORI
I really shouldn’t be enjoying this. Hell, I should just go back to the house myself, lock myself in Ilya’s office, and pretend none of this has happened.
It’s not like I’m going to find out if anyone is hiding out here.
Not with the amount of noise Alonzo and I are both making.
But I can’t seem to stop myself from doubling back, watching as he tries to figure out where the hell I’ve gone.
Hades is following him, but he never goes too far away from me. When he comes back to me, he’s panting, his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth, but his eyes are bright with happiness and excitement. At least he’s having fun.
“I forgot how much you liked to be chased through the woods,” Alonzo calls out, voice rough.
“That was what you told Sienna, right? That first night in the pool. You wanted someone to chase you, push you down, and fuck you. Is that what this is, Aurora? You want me to chase you and prove how much I want you?”
The arrogance of this man has no bounds, but the memory of that discussion instantly fills my head. A small shiver skitters down my spine. That was a fun night, but something tells me that if I were to play that kind of game with Alonzo, he’d blow that memory right out of the water.
No, I can’t do that. I can’t allow him to distract me.
“Or maybe you’re just afraid that you won’t be able to outrun me.” His taunt hits his mark, and it pisses me off that I feel anything. Damn him. It should be the other way around. He should be afraid of what will happen if I catch him.
An evil plan fills my mind. If he wants to have a little fun, who am I to stop him? And maybe this will make him realize that he’s up against someone far craftier than him and send him running back to the house, tail between his legs.
It’s time to take Goliath down a few pegs. He’s the prey, not the predator in these woods.
Alonzo keeps moving through the trees, getting closer to me, but still far enough away that I can move around him without alerting him to my presence.
I send Hades off again to chase and herd him to where I want him to be.
I scale the thick tree, my hands scraping along the bark.
Thank fuck for gloves, but it doesn’t dull the pressure.
My muscles burn by the time I reach the branch I need, and I crouch, bracing my weight evenly to keep the branch from squeaking or breaking.
“Oh, you’re going to try and prove me wrong, huh?
” Alonzo calls out, moving a little slower, like he can sense me, but still can’t figure out where the hell I am.
A part of me wishes we had done this before all the bullshit.
It’s far too fun and exhilarating. Especially when it’s supposed to be about teaching him a lesson.
“I know you’re close, Rori. I can hear Hades moving.
He’s good, but he’s getting tired, and he’s going to make mistakes. ”
He’s right, but I won’t let him know that. Hades lives for this, and he’ll go as long as he can. Besides, I’ll be done with this before we get to that point.
Alonzo’s face lifts, eyes scanning the trees, but the moonlight doesn’t fully penetrate the thick foliage. He’s relying on shadows and movement, and I won’t give him either.
He turns, walking away again. “When we get back to the house, I’m going to enjoy reminding you exactly of why the two of us work so well,” he continues, his voice a rich baritone of temptation.
The sound shoots straight to my core, arousal burning.
But it inflames even more when he adds, “And this time, I’m going to fuck you so hard that walking won’t be possible for most of tomorrow. Like I did before.”
I barely hold back my snort. Cocky bastard. He never made it so that I couldn’t walk.
I quickly calculate the trajectory, and with a burst of speed and power, I launch myself from the trees, knocking into him hard, and sending him falling to his knees.
I wrap my arm around his neck, making him let out a choked grunt, his hand coming up to pull at my arm.
Damn his thick neck, because he almost manages it.
I tighten my grip and grit out between clenched teeth, “No one, including you, Cattaneo, have ever made it so I can’t walk the next day.
You better up your game for the next girl, because other than being able to find a clit on the first try, you’re going to leave them disappointed. ”
That pisses him off, and he pushes to his feet, leaving me dangling, but I recover quickly, wrapping my legs around his waist to keep my grip.
He grunts and gasps as he tries to get my arm from around his neck, but when he throws himself forward, like he wants to flip me over his head, I quickly unwrap myself, releasing him, and making him fall forward as I manage to fall to the side.
“Fuck,” he rasps, turning his head to glare at me. “Now you’re trying to kill me, orsetta? And we both know that you were walking funny the next day. Or wasn’t that you that kept shifting in your seat at the breakfast table?”
“Those chairs were very uncomfortable,” I lie. Damn it, how did he see that? Walking was never my problem, but sitting, that was another thing.
I start to get to my feet, but grunt when he slams into me, knocking me down, his large body covering mine.
Fuck. I try not to think about the way his body molds to mine that should be illegal; his hard cock pressing tight at the juncture of my thighs, or the way he quickly grips my hands, yanking them above my head.
I’m prone, vulnerable. I should be angry, not turned on. Damn hormones.
He presses more of his body weight on me, shifting to grip both my wrists in one hand, while the other yanks the balaclava off, tossing it aside.
I glare up at him. I turn my head, snapping my teeth at him when he tries to cup my face.
Instead of getting angry, he chuckles and swiftly uses his fingers to grip my jaw, making it nearly impossible to bite him.
Fuck.
His eyes move over my face one more time, lingering on my eyes and then my hair.
“I still can’t get over the hair change, but it’s growing on me.
Makes you look very badass, orsetta.” I try to yank my face away from his grip, but he just tightens it.
Not enough to cause any bruising, but the pressure stops me from trying again.
“Now, isn’t this better than running? As much fun as this has been?
And before you think to try and sic Hades on me… ”
His mouth is on mine, his tongue invading like he owns it. Maybe in this moment he does. I struggle, trying to bite him again, but he gives my lower lip a sharp nip for the effort. He pulls away. “Use your teeth on me all you want, orsetta. We both know that you missed this as much as I have.”
Damn it, no. No, he can’t be right. I can’t let him kiss me again. The kiss earlier scrambled my brain, and right now, my hormones are going wild and that can’t be allowed. Where this man is concerned, I make terrible decisions.
“Stop fighting me, Aurora. Just feel. Give yourself one moment to have what you want. Screw what waits afterward.” His words hit something deep inside me, and even when I try to struggle again, he doesn’t release me other than to move the hand holding my jaw, like he’s sure he’s safe.
I want to bite him, I really do, when he kisses me again, sinking into me, and his hand moving under my head, lifting it from the dirt, and his fingers threading into the short strands to angle the kiss.
Instead, I let myself sink. Because damn it, he tastes so fucking good. I missed this. I really fucking missed this, and if I’m going to deal with the bullshit that’s coming, I need one more minute. One more time.
One more moment where the woman who I was be allowed to rise again.
He groans when I dig my nails into his wrist, but I lift my head, needing more, my tongue dueling with his as we both fight for control. The way we did before. The way it should have been since the beginning.
Anger and desire. The need to make him realize what he’s going to be missing building, spreading. He was in control last time, but not this time.
This time is all me. It’s all for me. A memory to carry, and a closure that will allow me to move on. To put this part in the past.
A newfound strength fills me, and I wrench my hands from his grip, bringing them up to bury in his hair, deepening the kiss even more. He gives a low grunt, his own grip tightening. Does he feel it too? This unbridled desire?
Our mouths mash together, my body bucking and grinding under his, making him groan as he thrusts his cock hard against me. The clothes I’m wearing do nothing to dull the sensation of his cock pressing right over my clit, giving just enough pressure and friction to drive me insane.
I’m practically dry humping him in the dirt, and I don’t care. I want more. I need more. I crave more.
I buck, and he gives a deep groan, neither of us stopping as I roll us, so I’m on top of him. He doesn’t release me, like he’s afraid that I’m going to disappear, but he yanks his mouth from mine, biting and licking the skin along the underside of my jawline.
I’ve never hated my outfit choices more.
I wrench my head away, lowering it to bite his neck.
He groans, arching. “Fuck, orsetta, yes,” he hisses, thrusting his hips up to slam into my center, making me see stars, but I don’t stop.
I bite him a few inches up, soothing it with my tongue.
I want to mark him, leave him with a memory and some pain.
It’s not the pain he gave me, but it’s enough. It has to be enough. This is all it can be.
The thought is unbidden, dulling some of my desire, but not enough to make me soft.
Instead, I shove away, staggering to my feet, my knees unsteady.
“You want me, Alonzo, you’re going to have to catch me first,” I rasp out as he stares up at me, eyes burning, lips swollen, and his neck already bruising.