Chapter 32
Ramsey
I've spent four years fantasizing about hunting Reese St. Pierre. Four fucking years imagining her running from me, breathless and terrified and so goddamn wet for me she can barely stand it.
The drive to my father's property is torture.
My cock is so hard it's painful, straining against my jeans as I grip the steering wheel with white knuckles.
Beside me, Reese is silent, her chest rising and falling rapidly, her scent filling the cab of my truck.
Her fear and arousal make my mouth water.
She finally turns to look at me. "So this is really happening?"
"Only if you want it to." I force myself to give her one more out. "You can still back out, Reese. We can go home, forget all about this."
She laughs, the sound both nervous and excited. "After four years of you holding back? Not a fucking chance."
My heart pounds against my ribs. She has no idea what she's in for, but fuck if I'm going to deny either of us any longer.
I get out of the truck, circling around to her side. When I open her door, I don't wait for her to climb down. I grab her around the waist and lift her out, setting her feet on the gravel. The night air is cool against my skin, carrying the scent of pine and damp earth.
Her body trembles against mine as I reach past her to grab my mask.
"Last chance," I whisper, cupping her face in my hands.
Instead of answering, she rises on her tiptoes and presses her lips to mine.
I'm done holding back. I crush my mouth against hers, pouring four years of want and need and obsession into the kiss. My tongue pushes past her lips, as if I’m able to pour my entire being down her throat and spread throughout her to take her over like a possession.
She moans into my mouth, her hands clutching at my shoulders. I bite her bottom lip, hard enough to make her gasp but not enough to break skin. Not yet.
When I pull back, we're both panting. Her lips are swollen, eyes glazed with desire. I slide the mask over my face, transforming into something other than Ramsey—something darker, more dangerous.
The property spans over a hundred acres, most of it dense forest that I know like the back of my hand. "I'm gonna give you a head start. Five minutes. Then I'm coming for you."
Her breath hitches. "And when you catch me?"
"Run," I growl through the mask. "And run hard. Make me work for it cause I’m gonna ruin you once I catch you."
She takes off, her lithe body sprinting toward the treeline. I watch her disappear into the darkness, the sound of her footsteps fading as the forest swallows her up.
I lean against the truck, arms folded across my chest, and close my eyes. The mask clings to my face, already slick with sweat. I take deep breaths, letting my senses adjust to the night. The chirping of crickets. The rustling of leaves. The distant hoot of an owl.
And somewhere in those woods, my prey. Running. Panting. Heart racing.
I start counting. One minute passes. Two. Three. I'm not Ramsey Blackwood right now. I'm something else. Something primal. Something hungry.
I use these precious minutes to sharpen my focus, to let the animal part of me rise to the surface. The part that's been caged for too fucking long. I've hunted on these grounds since I was a kid. Every tree, every rock, every dip in the terrain is mapped in my head.
Poor little Reese doesn't stand a fucking chance.
Time’s up.
I push off from the truck and stalk toward the forest line.
The moment I step between the trees, I feel it—that switch flipping in my brain, turning off everything civilized, everything human. I'm all instinct now.
I crouch down, studying the ground. Even in the darkness, I can see where she's been.
Broken twigs. Disturbed leaves. A partial footprint in a patch of soft earth.
She ran straight at first, then veered left.
Smart girl. The creek runs that way and she's trying to throw me off by running through water.
I smile behind my mask. She can try.
The trail leads me to the creek, just as I expected. The water glimmers silver in the moonlight. I scan the bank, looking for signs of where she entered and exited. There—a small smudge in the mud on the opposite bank. She crossed here and continued north.
I wade through the shallow water, not bothering to remove my boots. They'll dry. The only thing that matters right now is finding her.
On the other side, I pick up her trail again. Her footprints are more pronounced here.
I slow my pace, dropping into a silent crouch as I spot a flash of skin through the trees.
There she is. About fifty yards ahead, weaving through the pines, looking over her shoulder every few seconds.
I duck behind a massive oak, my breathing controlled and silent despite the adrenaline surging through my veins.
Watching her run from me is better than any fucking porn I've ever seen.
Her chest heaves with each desperate breath.
She has no idea I'm this close already. I move silently from tree to tree, keeping her in my peripheral vision.
She's slowing down even more now, her head swiveling as she tries to get her bearings.
When she stops, leaning against a massive pine to catch her breath, I freeze. She's so fucking beautiful it makes my chest ache. Moonlight filters through the branches, casting dappled patterns across her face.
I don't move. Don't breathe. Just watch as she presses a hand to her side, wincing at what must be a cramp. She has no fucking clue I'm twenty yards away, drinking in every detail of her body.
"Come on, Ramsey," she whispers to herself, voice barely audible over the rustle of leaves. "Where the fuck are you?"
She pushes off from the tree, takes two steps, then stops again.
Her legs must be burning by now. She's not used to running through rough terrain like this.
I could take her right now, tackle her to the ground and claim my prize, but I'm enjoying the hunt too much.
The anticipation is almost as sweet as the capture will be.
So I wait silently as she leans against another tree, this one closer to me.
Her chest rises and falls rapidly, her breath coming in short gasps.
I can see a sheen of sweat on her collarbone, trailing down between her breasts.
I want to lick it off, taste the salt of her skin, feel her pulse racing beneath my tongue.
I can't hold back any longer. The animal inside me takes over as I launch myself from my hiding spot, closing the distance between us in three swift strides.
I grab her from behind, one arm snaking around her waist, the other hand covering her mouth. She screams against my palm, the sound muffled but fucking perfect, sending a jolt of pure pleasure straight to my cock. I can feel pre-cum leaking from the tip as her body thrashes against mine.
"Got you," I growl against her ear.
She struggles harder, her ass grinding back against my erection. I spin her around and shove her down, both of us falling to the forest floor. Leaves crunch beneath us as I pin her beneath me, her wrists caught in one of my hands above her head.
"Fucking mine," I snarl, the mask making my voice sound inhuman.
I grab the front of her top and rip it straight down the middle, exposing her heaving chest. The sound of tearing fabric echoes through the trees. Her tits spill out, nipples hard and begging for my mouth. I roughly grab one breast, squeezing it hard enough to make her gasp but not hurt her.
"Look at me," I demand.
Her eyes lock with mine through the mask's eye slits. I know I must look like a nightmare creature looming over her in the darkness, and the thought makes my cock throb painfully. I squeeze her breast again, watching her pupils dilate with fear and arousal.
"Ramsey!" she gasps, but there's no real fear in her voice.
"Not Ramsey," I rasp. "I'm the thing that hunts you in the dark."
Her breathing quickens, her pupils blown wide as she stares up at the mask. "You found me," she whispers.
"Did you think you could escape me?" I press my hips down against hers, letting her feel how hard I am. "I've been tracking you for years. I will always find you. No matter where you go, or if you hide. When it comes to you, I can feel you everywhere and anywhere. You’re my goddamn north star."
"What are you going to do to me?" she asks, her voice trembling but her body arching up into mine.
"Whatever the fuck I want," I growl. "That's what happens when you're caught."
I dip my head, pushing the mask up just enough to expose my mouth, and bite down on the soft flesh of her breast. Not enough to break skin, but enough to make her cry out. I suck the spot hard, marking her, claiming her.
"Ramsey," she moans, her hands clutching at my shoulders.
I bite her again, harder this time. "What did I say?" I growl against her skin.
She gasps, her body shuddering beneath mine. "You're not Ramsey."
"That's right." I move to her other breast, leaving a twin mark. "Ramsey's the one who's been holding back. Right now, I’m your fucking phantom."
I rip her jeans down her legs, not bothering with the button or zipper.
The denim tears as I yank it off her body, pushing her boots off, and leaving her in nothing but a tiny scrap of black lace.
My cock throbs painfully as I take in her nearly naked form beneath me, moonlight casting shadows across her perfect fucking skin.
"You're so fucking beautiful it hurts," I growl, running my hands roughly up her thighs. "I've spent years imagining you like this—pinned beneath me, helpless, mine."
She whimpers, her hips bucking up against my touch. I can smell her arousal; the sweet musk of her making my mouth water. I hook my fingers in her panties and tear them off in one violent motion.
"Ramsey!" she gasps, but I silence her with a bite, this one on her inner thigh.
"I told you," I snarl against her skin, "that's not who I am right now."
I spread her legs wide, exposing her completely. Her pussy is glistening in the moonlight, wet and swollen and perfect.
"Look how fucking wet you are," I growl, sliding two fingers through her slick folds. "Running from me got you this wet? Or was it being caught?"
She moans, her back arching off the ground as I push those fingers inside her, feeling her tight walls clench around me. I'm not gentle. I don't go slow.
"Both," she gasps, her eyes locked on mine through the mask. "Knowing you were hunting me—oh, fuck!"
I curl my fingers inside her, finding that spot that makes her whole body jerk. "You like being prey? Like knowing I was tracking you, stalking you through the dark?"
"Yes," she moans, her hips grinding against my hand. "God, yes."
I withdraw my fingers, ignoring her whimper of protest. I bring them to my mouth and suck her juices off them. The taste of her explodes on my tongue—sweet, tangy, perfect.
"Fucking delicious," I growl. "But I need more."
I grab her hips and flip her over onto her stomach in one fluid motion. She gasps as I pull her ass up, positioning her on her hands and knees. I press a hand between her shoulder blades, forcing her chest down to the ground while keeping her ass high in the air.
"Stay," I command, like she's a fucking dog. Like she's my pet to command.
The thing about being her best friend? I know exactly how to ruin her. And exactly how to love her after.